Part Three
In the meantime, the Queen sent out search parties for her beautiful step daughter, ordering all abled bodies to find her and bring her back. But as the days passed with no return of their fair Princess, the Queen grew more restless, ordering more people to search for her. What the Queen did not know though, wads the huntsman who took Snow White into the forest was meeting with each search party and spinning his tale of the evil queen who wished to kill the princess, leading even the most loyal of guards to agree to lie and tell the Queen that the Princess was gone, never to be found.
When the latest group came back with the same lot of news, the Queen fumed, calling all of them fools and imbeciles. "If you cannot find her, I will." With that, she spun around and marched from the hall, her purple and black robes bellowing out behind her.
Ordering for her horse to be brought to the courtyard, she missed the horrified looks on the searchers face. One of the guards stepped forward, drawing the groups attention. "She cannot be allowed to find her, for she will kill her. We must keep the Princess safe."
In her quarters, the Queen hastened to change into her riding attire, only pausing to look upon her mirror. "Where is she mirror? Where is Snow White?"
Images of the forest flashed before the Queen once more before settling on a picture of a small cottage. With no idea how to get there, the Queen hissed, order the mirror to show her how to find her. Another set of images flashed by, one of a path leading into the forest from a clearing, to a picture of seven large hills, and another of a river before settling once more on the image of the cottage. Memorising the images, she snatched up her robe and left her rooms, intent of finding her step daughter by sun down.
Deep in the woods, over the seven jewelled hills, Snow White cleaned the small cottage top to bottom, singing as she completed each chore.
I'm wishing
For the one I love,
To find me,
Today.
As she sang, she danced around the kitchen, sweeping as she went.
I'm hoping,
And I'm dreaming,
Of the nice things,
She'll say.
Stopping in front of the window, the young Princess let out a startled scream. Standing in front of her was the man she saw in the courtyard of the palace the day she left.
"You have a lovely voice."
By the time the Queen and her guards entered the forest, the sun had begun to set. After she had left her quarters, the guards had tried to stop her, arguing that it was too dangerous for the Queen to go into the woods, let alone all by herself. Having no wish to waste any more time, she had pushed passed them, saying if that was the case, they could go with her, but she was adamant about going out that day. At the time she didn't question why her guards would try and persuade her not to go, but now, as she listened to them from her spot behind a tree, she did.
"We must not let her find the Princess."
There were murmurs of agreement from the others.
"She will kill her the first chance she gets."
"How do we know what the huntsman is true though? Her Majesty has never hurt the Princess before, why would she now?"
"Have you not seen how she has treated the Princess? Dressed in rags and made to clean like a commoner. She does not care what happens to her."
The Queen flinched at the answer. She had done those things not out of spite, but in hopes to stop her growing attraction to her step daughter. Looking behind her, she spotted her horse tied to the trunk of a tree. Glancing back at the guards sitting around the small fire, she smirked.