MrScourch: Yeah, I decided to edit out that part with Bluebeard.
Al Drin Hoshizora: You really like saying mothafaka, don't you?
LilactheDryad: I'll excuse you for the pun.
Back at the kingdom, the streets were littered with debris and shattered belongings as a result of Bluebeard's men scouring the town for any escaped prisoners. In the midst of the chaos, many families had fled into the forest to spare themselves the wrath of the kingdom guards.
In the castle, the dungeons were full to bursting with captured children, regardless of whether they were prison escapees or not. Imprisoned with them were townsfolk thought to be conspiring against the crown.
Snow White watched the chaos from within her room, her heart aching at the sight. Had she been in any position of power she would have tried to stop this madness; alas, she was confined to her room and unable to help the poor commoners suffering under Bluebeard's cruel hand. She could only imagine what tribulations the residents of the Dark Forest were being forced to endure, now that the Queen had found them.
Snow White was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost didn't hear the door creak open behind her. Slowly turning around, her eyes widened slightly when she saw Lord Bluebeard standing at the door.
For the first time, it wasn't the Lord's blue beard that caught Snow's eye first. It was his eyes. They looked frustrated, tired, but most of all...hungry.
"Princess," Bluebeard said in an odd tone. "You'll be glad to know that my men have rounded up several of the escaped prisoners. That, or at least replaced them for when the Queen returns."
Snow White nodded, more out of compliance than genuine joy. She was hoping Bluebeard would turn and leave.
Unfortunately, he did not. Instead, he took a few steps into the room, approaching Snow White slowly. He was walking in an awkward manner, almost stumbling and tripping over his feet.
The scullery maid instinctively backed up against the window as he approached, nearly falling out before she took a step to the side. Bluebeard turned slightly and continued approaching her.
"You know, I have had many wives, Snow White," Bluebeard said once they were a rather close distance to each other. "But I have never had any quite as beautiful as you."
Snow White gulped. For some reason, the compliment sounded more threatening than anything.
"T-Thank you, my lord," She stammered out.
The scullery maid felt her skin crawl when Bluebeard reached out and took her chin in his hands. "The Queen fears that there is someone out there fairer than her," He mused, slightly squeezing the maid's soft face. "I believe I have found her."
"What are you doing?" Snow White asked, uncomfortable, as Bluebeard slowly pulled her close to him. His other hand slowly slid around her backside.
"Tell me you will be mine," Bluebeard whispered into her ear. He then leaned in to kiss her lips.
Snow White's eyes widened in shock, then she pushed him away in revulsion. "No!" She shouted, louder than she expected. "What do you think you're doing? Keep away from me!"
"Now princess, let's not be so hostile," Bluebeard replied calmly, though there was a hint of anger in his tone. He approached her once more and reached out to take hold of her, but Snow White instinctively struck out, her hand making contact with his face. He let out a shout of shocked pain and stumbled back.
"I said keep away!" Snow White shouted at him, enraged. How dare he try to use her like this, she thought.
Bluebeard reeled back, his cheek burning from where Snow White had struck him. The scullery maid's anger was replaced with horror at the realization of what she'd done.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," She said, filled with remorse, as well as fear.
By now, a few of Bluebeard's guards had arrived on the scene. "My Lord, what happened?" One of the guards asked.
Bluebeard removed his hand from his face, and he stared at Snow White, a look of fury in his eyes. The scullery maid was filled with fear when she saw the look in his eyes.
"Alright, princess," The Lord said, thoroughly angered. "I wanted to do this nicely, but it appears you will not have it. So, I will just have to teach you some respect."
Turning to his guards, Bluebeard said, "Take her with me. We're going to have to show this princess some manners."
In a few minutes, Snow White had been roughly dragged to the throne room by Bluebeard's men. Once they had reached the room, the guards had roughly thrown the princess onto the ground.
Snow White struggled to get to her knees. Hoping to be relieved of some punishment, she turned to Bluebeard and said, "I truly am sorry, my lord." I-"
"Silence!" Bluebeard snapped at her. Snow White immediately stopped talking.
"Before she left, the Queen said I was allowed to do whatever I wanted to you," Bluebeard told the maid. "Well, you have disobeyed her orders. What's more, I have been told that you've been responsible for some of the recent escapees. It appears you have a rebellious heart, one that needs to be crushed."
Snow White's eyes widened in horror, a feeling of dread building in the pit of her stomach.
Bluebeard gestured to his guards. One man walked over to the maid and grabbed her, roughly throwing her onto her stomach. She lay on the stony floors, injured. Behind her, Bluebeard unsheathed his sword, and motioned to the man by his side.
The man slowly approached the maid and grabbed her, pulling her to her knees. She didn't bare to move; she had heard Bluebeard unsheathe his sword. The thought that he planned to kill her weighed heavily on her mind, and she couldn't bare to look at the source of her death. She simply kept her head lowered, her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable blow.
She flinched slightly when one of the guards tore down the back of her dress, exposing her bare back. It was laced with scars, a result of her past abuse by the Queen's hands.
Bluebeard rose his sword over Snow White's back. The maid tensed her back, preparing to feel the sting of the sword slice through her skin.
Finally, the blow came. Snow White let out a scream as the dull end of the sword struck her backside. The force of the blow caused her to nearly collapse on her stomach, but she steeled herself to remain on her knees. Her eyes were wide with shock; he hadn't struck her with the intention to kill?
She was violently broken out of her thoughts when another blow from the sword stung her backside, followed by another, and another. Bluebeard grinned cruelly as he tormented the maid, striking her with his sword repeatedly. Every time the blade struck her bare flesh, the maid would let out a pained yelp or moan.
One blow caused Snow White to land on all fours. Her body shivered, her back sore. Her breathing was ragged and heavy. She let out a scream as Bluebeard continued to strike her back with the sword, each blow threatening to cause her to collapse.
Then, unexpectedly, he stopped. A few moments passed, Snow White expecting another blow to come. Oddly enough, it didn't. Eventually, she heard Bluebeard sheath his sword.
"That will be enough," He said.
Snow White let out a relieved sigh. Her back felt like it was on fire, but she was at least happy that her punishment was over.
Or so it seemed.
"Disrobe her for me," Bluebeard unexpectedly commanded to his guards. Immediately, Snow White's eyes widened in horror as she realized that her punishment wasn't over yet. No, Bluebeard had a much worse one in store for her.
Several guards grabbed onto Snow White and hoisted her to her feet. The maid kicked and screamed as they dragged her over to the staircase of the throne. As she struggled, two guards pressed her down against the steps face-first, one of them clamping a hand over her mouth to silence her.
The maid's eyes went wide as she felt one guard grab her dress and tear it down, exposing her bare legs to the cold air. Panicking, she kicked her legs out, knocking one guard back. The other guard struck her in the head in retaliation, briefly stunning her.
Disoriented from the blow, Snow White could hardly react as the guard tore her dress down, exposing the upper part of the bosom. As she regained her senses, she could feel another guard rip her gown, revealing her underskirt.
Her senses regained, Snow White knew she had to escape, now. And to do that, she needed a plan.
Looking up, she saw the glass windows adorning the walls. She only saw them for a few moments before her head was yanked back by one of the guards. As he did so, however, Snow White noticed the man's dagger flashing in his pocket. At that moment, an idea quickly formed in her head.
During her quick planning, the guards had torn off half of her dress. Her knickers were the only thing covering the lower part of her body, and the torn fabric lay on the staircase near her.
"Hold her down for me," Bluebeard commanded, walking up to the half-naked maid. Snow White tried not to look at him; instead, she focused on the dagger, her one chance of an escape.
Bluebeard leaned in close. "Now princess, I trust you have learned your lesson?" He asked, grabbing her black hair in his hands. "I hope that from now on, you will learn to please me."
Snow White didn't respond. By now, the guards had released her arms, no doubt under the impression she had ceased struggling.
"Now, I will request to you one more time," Bluebeard said, pressing down on Snow White's backside. "Tell me that you will be mine." He ran his hand down her bare skin, down towards her breasts.
Snow White groaned as she felt his weight on her back. But she took a deep breath and gathered her strength. The guard's dagger was just in reach; it would take all her agility to pull off what she planned to do next.
As Bluebeard held Snow White down, the maid struck.
Elbowing Bluebeard in the face, Snow White knocked him off of her. As the guards reeled in shock, the half-naked maid dove for the guard with the knife. Before he could respond, she grabbed the dagger out of his pocket and quickly slashed his side. The guard shouted out and stumbled back, clutching his bleeding side.
Snow White stood up, facing the other guards. She covered her exposed bosom with one arm; with the other, she held the dagger out as a warning.
"Now princess, please be reasonable," Bluebeard said to the enraged princess. He knew he didn't have enough time to pull out his sword, now that the maid had a weapon.
Snow White backed up towards the window. "Keep away from me," She hissed at the guards. They stood there, unsure of what to do.
Finally, when she was sure they were out of arms length, Snow White turned and made a mad dash towards the window. Behind her, she heard one of the guards shout, "Get her!"
The knife still in her hand, Snow White ran towards the window and dove through it, soaring out of the castle. She landed on the grass and tumbled a bit on the ground before coming to a stop. Scrambling to her knees, she turned and could see the guards heading towards the castle exit to give chase.
Getting to her feet, Snow White ran into the forest as fast as she could. The grass and twigs on the ground stung her bare feet, sending ripples of pain pulsing through her. As she struggled to navigate through the woods, her skin was scratched by low-hanging branches and bushes.
As she ran, she could hear the guards pursuing her from behind, their heavy footsteps closing in. She heard them shout her name, but she ignored them and continued running, ducking under branches and dodging trees. As she ran, the knife slipped from her fingers and onto the ground.
Finally, the maid stopped when she reached a short cliff, a rapid river blocking her escape. She paused; she had never learned to swim, and the river was too wide for her to jump across.
"Snow White!" She heard Bluebeard shout from behind her, and she turned around to see Bluebeard and several guards approach her. A crossbow was in the Lord's hand.
Snow White took a deep breath. She had two options: surrender to Bluebeard and face whatever punishment he had in store for her, or take her chances with the river. She thought for only a few seconds, and picked the second.
Her legs trembling, Snow White began to rush towards the river. She prepared to try and jump; hopefully, she could make it over the side of the river. If not, she would try her chances swimming.
Alas, she never got the chance.
The sound of an arrow being released from a bow cut through the air as Bluebeard fired his crossbow. The arrow zipped through the air, right towards Snow White. Before the maiden could even turn around, the arrow plunged deep into her bare backside.
Immediately, the woman's head whipped back, her mouth opening as if to scream, but no sound came out. Her pupils dilated, her body twitching. Warm blood began to ooze out of the flesh wound.
Snow White began to feel lightheaded, dizzy. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but despite this, she could feel herself begin to lose balance. She began to fall forward, not having the strength to keep balance.
A splashing sound was heard as the maiden landed in the river below. Her body was carried away by the current and taken down the river to parts unknown. Several of the guards began to give chase, but Bluebeard stopped them.
"Don't bother; she's as good as dead anyways," He said.
"But what about when the Queen returns?" One of the guards asked.
"Well, she'll be happy to hear a potential rival has been eliminated," Bluebeard sneered scornfully. Turning around, he said, "Come on."
With that, he and his guards turned and headed back to the castle.
Red and the Wolf were alarmed when they heard a knock at the door. For a moment, they wondered if the guards had found them.
Red was just about go and grab a knife from the kitchen when she heard a familiar voice call out, "Can we come in?"
Red and the Wolf paused. ". . . Happy?" The young maiden said in disbelief. Turning to the door, she walked over and opened it up. Sure enough, the two saw the Seven Dwarfs standing at the door, looking exhausted after clearly having spent a few hours walking.
"What are you guys doing here?" Red asked, scratching her blonde hair.
"After Lord Bluebeard was given charge over the kingdom in the Queen's absence, he ordered every house searched for escaped prisoners," Happy explained, pausing to catch his breath. "The kingdom is in ruins; a lot of people have fled. We knew it wasn't long before the guards would come to our door, so we ran."
"How'd you know to find us here?" The Wolf questioned.
"We just found the first house and decided to go there," Dopey said. Next to him, Sleepy was leaning on his shoulder, snoring. Dopey elbowed him awake.
"Wait a second, who's Bluebeard?" Red asked. "And why did the Queen leave?"
Happy opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, a piercing scream filled the air. All heads whipped over to the kitchen as Goldilocks rushed out, followed by Hansel and Gretel. The blonde-haired girl hid behind Red, hiding in the maiden's cloak.
"Goldilocks!" Hansel shouted, frustrated.
"What happened?" Red asked, alarmed.
"Me and Gretel went to use the bathroom, and when we came back, Goldilocks had eaten both out dinner!" Hansel shouted, pointing at Goldilocks as she hid behind Red.
"I couldn't help it," Goldilocks muttered, shrugging meekly.
Lycan turned to stare at Goldilocks, shaking his head in disappointment. "What's the matter with you, Goldilocks?" He chastised. "You're always taking things that don't belong to you."
"I'm sorry," Goldilocks said, lowering her head in shame.
Red sighed, and said, "Go outside, Goldy."
"Okay!" Goldilocks said, and rushed past the Dwarfs and out into woods nearby.
"Hey, don't go too far!" Red called out, but Goldilocks was long gone by then. The maiden rolled her eyes, then turned back to Happy.
"So, as you were saying," She said, motioning for him to continue.
"Bluebeard is the second most powerful man in the kingdom," Happy explained. "After the Queen left for the Dark Forest, she placed him in charge, and he's been on a wild manhunt for all the prisoners that escaped the castle dungeons earlier today."
"Oh," Red whispered. Behind her, Hansel and Gretel each let out a gasp, a wave of guilt crashing into them.
Suddenly, Red's eyes widened. "The Queen went to the Dark Forest!" She shouted as realization sunk in. "Oh no, this is bad! She's going to kill everyone there, including mum! What are we going to do?!" She began pacing around anxiously.
"Red," Lycan said softly, turning to look at her.
Instantly, Red took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Sorry," She said. "But we're going to have to think of something."
"Indeed," The Wolf said. "But first, we're going to have to stop Bluebeard before he hurts anymore people. Is that something we agree on?"
Red turned to the Wolf, grinning. "Yes!" She agreed, nodding her head.
Goldilocks had skipping past a river, humming to herself as she thought of what to say to Hansel and Gretel when she met them later on. As she thought, he heard a splashing sound from nearby.
Pausing, Goldilocks slowly turned in the direction of the splashing sound. Her eyes followed the river until she saw the source of the sound.
There, lying unconscious on the shore, was a young woman. Her dress had been torn down, exposing part of her breasts and rump. Her body was soaking and covered in mud, and there was a trail of blood lying on the shore, leading all the way up to the woman's exposed back.
Goldilocks gasped when she saw the arrow protruding from her backside. Rushing over to the woman, she did the first thing she thought of and impulsively yanked the end of the arrow out of the woman's back. Immediately, blood began gushing from the wound.
Goldilocks nearly screamed when she saw that she had only made the wound worse. As she looked around, trying to find something she could use to stop the bleeding, her eyes landed on a pile of leaves. Grabbing them, she pressed them against the woman's back to put pressure on the wound. She held the leaves there until she was sure the bleeding had slowed.
Slowly, Goldilocks began pushing the woman onto her back so she could see her face. The moment the girl got a good look at the maiden's face, she let out a gasp of disbelief.
The maiden was Snow White.
Cowards make the best torturers. Cowards understand fear and they can use it.