Snow had helped to plan her father's birthday party. It was going to be held in the evening, and she would only be allowed to stay for the first hour or so, but she didn't mind. She had gone over the guest list with him, sat in the kitchens with the head cook and planned all his favourite dishes, then run off to her rooms to finish his birthday present. It was a birdhouse. One of the gardeners had found a piece of wood and another servant had built it for her, but she shown them a picture of how she wanted it to look and was painting it using her best paints. All she needed to do was stand patiently through one more dress fitting and remind her fathers valet to match his outfit colours with hers. It was going to be wonderful.

She watched the guests filter into the ballroom. They each came to stand before her and her father, bowing or curtseying to them. She felt so grown up. Ever since her own birthday party, when she had been called a child, she had been trying her best to act like an adult. When Lord and Lady Westmarsh paused to speak to her, she used her best manners and engaged in polite conversation. She was so distracted talking to them that she didn't notice the late arrivals. Her ears didn't register the introductions made and it wasn't until her father's hand on her shoulder forced her to turn around that she saw who was there.

Snow forgot her manners and stared at Regina. Her father apologised for her, explaining that she was probably tired.

"Past her bedtime?" Regina asked with a polite smile at her own father who was escorting her.

"It is not." Snow insisted.

"Snow…" Her father warned, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Snow looked at Regina. Saw how beautiful her dress was, saw the intricate braids in her hair that must have taken hours to plait. All she could think about was how she wished her mother was still alive to offer her advice on such things. She began to feel jealous.

"Unfortunately my wife could not make it tonight, but she hopes you will have another wonderful year your majesty." Henry was explaining, his hands clasped nervously in front of him.

"What a shame. I hope she feels better soon."

Snow breathed a sigh of relief when they finally moved away. Music began to play softly in the background and the dance floor cleared for the first dance. Her father ushered her away to the side, to sit and watch. There was only one person Snow was interesting in watching now. Regina's father escorted her to the edge of the dance floor as if trying to remain away from the centre where everyone's focus would usually be. Snow's lips pressed into a thin line as she saw how gracefully Regina moved, how confident she was with each step, smiling at her father as though sharing a private joke with him. She noticed how Regina caught the attentions of others. How could she not, looking so beautiful and dancing so well?

"Time for bed soon." Her father whispered from the chair next to her.

Snow turned to him, widening her eyes to persuade him to let her stay just a little longer. "You haven't opened your presents yet."

"After dinner then, but straight to bed. Promise?"

Snow nodded, eager to see his reaction to the birdhouse.


Regina held out a small hand-wrapped present to the king. He placed Snow's birdhouse to the side.

"It isn't much, your majesty." Regina whispered, lowering her eyes and blushing.

"There was an unfortunate accident with the gift we had chosen." Henry added. "We didn't have time to replace it, but my daughter insisted on bringing something."

"Birthdays aren't about gifts, they are about the people you spend it with." Leopold looked at his daughter as he spoke, causing her shoulders to lower.

"Yes father." She nodded meekly.

"I'm afraid the ribbon loosened on the journey here." Regina drew his attention back to her.

The king smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. It just makes it easier to open."

Snow lifted her head to look as the wrapping fell away. She wrinkled her nose as she saw what it was. On a small square of cloth, which had been rolled up to fit in the paper, and attached to four wooden sticks that could be connected together to make a frame, Regina had delicately sewn a rearing horse against a green landscape. It had taken her weeks to finish, and every time she grew impatient with it she had gone for a ride to clear her head before returning to it. The stitching was so tiny she had used a curved circle of glass to view it.

Snow waited for her father to laugh at it. He had a thousand more impressive gifts and no matter what he said she knew her mother was better with a needle and thread.

"I shall treasure it." Leopold told Regina, taking her hand and kissing it.

Snow seethed, curling her hands into fists, her mouth thinning into an unpleasant line. She watched Regina and her father walk away, not realising that her own father was watching her.

"I think that it is time for you to return to bed." Leopold signalled for Snow's maid to escort her to her rooms.

"But…"

The warning tone in his voice was enough to stop her. "Goodnight, Snow."

"Goodnight, father."

She swept away after a small curtsey in his direction, not bothering to check if her maid was keeping up with her. Later, as she brushed her hair, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Am I beautiful?" She asked, turning to look at the young servant turning back the covers of her bed.

The girl curtseyed automatically. "Yes, your highness."

Snow frowned, realising that she might have only said that because she was a princess. She turned back to the mirror, studying her features and trying to work out which were flawed.

She was still sitting there long after the servants had left. Her father, passing her room on his way back from the party, opened the door and ordered her straight to bed. Before she blew out the candle though, she decided to ask him the same question.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Leopold was a little drunk at this point, but he knew what to say. "You look more and more like your mother every day."

Snow smiled, pulled the blankets up to her chin and blew out the candle.