Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young princess. Her father had died, and her mother, the queen, remarried. But the new king was not a kind and benevolent ruler, as the previous king had been. He burned with jealousy for the princess, and constantly berated her behind her mother's back. All too soon, the queen died as well, and the princess was left alone with her cruel stepfather. He began to treat her as a servant, dressing her in rags and forcing her to do the most menial work in the castle. Still, he could not hide the princess's exemplary beauty and charm, and as she grew older, people started to take note of her, praising her radiant orange hair, her sapphire eyes, and her skin that was white as snow. Soon, they began calling her Snow White.
One day, the princess was out in the garden, tending to the weeds, when a small group arrived at the palace. There weren't very many people, but the princess's eye was immediately drawn to the man in the front, riding astride a bay horse. Her hands slowed in their task, and stopped altogether when his gaze met hers. He pulled his horse to a halt, and waved his men on ahead of him. The princess stood and gulped. She was sure that this man was someone important, probably royalty. He held the air of authority, and something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
He dismounted from his horse, and looked with interest at the girl standing before him. She was a pretty thing, slight of frame, with wide, beautiful eyes that had drawn him in with their intensity. But now, standing in front of her, he didn't know what to say. He cleared his throat and said, "Um, hello."
The words startled the girl a bit, and she dropped into a curtsy, spreading the fabric of her tattered skirt out. "Hello. I am Snow White. Welcome to our castle."
The prince frowned in thought. Snow White...the name sounded familiar. Wait...wasn't that the name they used for the princess? He looked the girl in front of him up and down. There was no way this was the kingdom's princess. She wouldn't be allowed to dress like this, and certainly wouldn't be out working in the gardens. No, this couldn't be the princess Snow White. It was simply a coincidence. That conclusion didn't really help make the prince any less nervous, though. She was still quite a beautiful girl that he was now standing awkwardly in front of. He had no idea what explanation to offer her for his erratic behavior. His training took over his body, though, and he bowed in response, and replied, "Greetings. I am the second prince of the kingdom to the north. It is a pleasure to meet you, Snow White."
The girl let out a small gasp, which she quickly tried to stifle. "Oh, the prince. Of course. Well, I hope that you have a lovely stay at the castle, I'm afraid I must be going now." Hurriedly, she picked up her trowel and turned around.
"Wait!" The prince reached out and grabbed her elbow. When they touched, he felt a spark of electricity shoot through him. She felt...familiar somehow. He continued, "Can I see you again? I'll be staying here for a little while, and I'd really love to talk some more."
She blushed crimson, all the way down to her neck. The prince found it exceedingly adorable. She looked away from him and nodded once, then gathered up her skirt. This time, the prince allowed her to make her retreat, staring after her as she went.
When the king learned of this encounter, he flew into a rage. He couldn't stand for anyone but himself to receive the praise and attention of other royals, least of all his stepdaughter. He called before him one of the palace maids, a trusted friend of the princess. He commanded the maid to take Snow White out into the woods and to kill her, and bring back her heart so he could be sure that she was really dead. The maid, not wanting to incur the wrath of the king, agreed to this despicable task. And, secretly, the idea of seeing the princess in such a high-stakes situation intrigued her.
The next day, the maid took Snow White out into the woods under the pretext of gathering flowers to put in the castle's rooms. Snow White was secretly relieved to have this distraction. She had been thinking about the prince all day, even though she knew that her stepfather would never allow her to see him. She didn't know what it was, but something about the young prince had captured her attention, and she had spent most of the previous day dwelling on their encounter in her thoughts.
The girls spent the day together gathering flowers, and Snow White was so engrossed in her thoughts of the prince that she didn't notice the dark looks the maid was giving her. Towards the end of the day, when the girls had wandered far from the castle and the sun was starting to sink on the horizon, Snow White turned to her friend and asked, "Shouldn't we be getting back now? It's getting late."
The maid stared at her for a moment, a complex expression on her face. Then she leaped forward and enveloped Snow White in a suffocating hug, crying out, "Oh, I simply can't do it! I can't kill you like that nasty old king said! It's just too cruel!"
Snow White stiffened, sure she had heard wrong. "What...what did you say?"
The maid, not wanting to miss the delightful expressions on the princess's face, pulled back, her blonde ringlets bouncing as she squealed, "Oh, it was so horrible, the king called me before him and told me to bring you out here and kill you! He wants me to cut out your heart, but I simply can't do it!"
"Wh-why would my stepfather ask you to do that?"
"Oh, wake up, Snow White! He hates you! Hates you and is jealous of you! He would stop at nothing to get rid of you, now that you've earned his anger." Abruptly, the maid released the princess and gestured into the woods. "You must run away! Quickly, go, run into the forest and find somewhere to hide! I'll make up some story for the king, but you must get away from here!"
The princess, confused and betrayed to her core, stared at the maid.
Impatiently, she huffed at the princess and pushed her towards the thick dark trees of the forest. "Go on! Don't you understand, you'll die if you stay here! Now go, hide somewhere in the forest! Quickly now!"
Her legs moving faster than her brain, Snow White obediently stumbled towards the woods, with the maid calling behind her to urge her forwards. Eventually, the princess could no longer hear her voice at all, but still she tripped onwards into the gloom of the forest, walking and walking until her thoughts caught up with her and she collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Ever since the death of her mother, she had known that her stepfather was not fond of her. She hardly could have misinterpreted being treated like a servant when she was rightfully a princess of the kingdom. However, she never would have thought that her stepfather's malice towards her would extend so far that he would want her dead. For a while, she simply let herself cry as the sun sank lower in the sky.
Eventually, she heard the small snap of a twig, and jerked her head up. There, standing in front of her, was a small yellow duck.
Immediately, she felt that something was familiar about this duck. She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of kinship with it. The duck walked forward and quacked softly at the princess.
Snow White sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Why, hello there, little duck," she said. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm out here in your forest. You see, I have nowhere to go." As she spoke, the duck continued to walk towards her, until it was sitting in front of her. The princess reached out hesitantly and picked up the duck. When it offered no resistance, she placed it on her lap and stroked its head. "My stepfather has ordered for me to be killed, it seems. I can't go back home, or I will surely die. But I have nowhere to go." A fat tear dropped down her cheek despite herself, and the duck quacked up at her mournfully. The princess smiled, and said, "I don't suppose you know a place where I could stay the night."
The duck quacked again, the sound more cheerful this time, and fluttered out of the princess's arms with a flurry of feathers and wings. It flapped a short distance away, then turned around and quacked at her. Walked a few paces, then quacked again, this time impatient.
"Do you...want me to follow you?" Snow White asked, walking towards the duck. It fluttered forward a bit, clearly leading her now. Hesitantly at first, she began to follow it through the woods. They walked for a few minutes, and Snow White was beginning to wonder where the duck was leading her when she caught sight of the dim outline of a cabin. She stopped, not wanting to intrude, but the duck quacked loudly at her, flapping back to grab her skirt in its beak and tug impatiently. Obediently, the princess followed the little duck up to the door of the cabin as true darkness descended upon the woods.
She knocked on the door, timidly at first. "Hello? Is anyone there?" she called.
From inside there came footsteps, but there was something wrong about the sound. Before the princess could identify what it was, the door swung open, revealing an anteater in a dress standing on its hind legs, staring down at her.
The princess was surprised, but managed to keep her manners. "Oh...I, um, good evening. My name is Snow White, and I need a place to stay for the evening. Do you suppose I could sleep here?"
The anteater looked at the princess, then looked past her and saw the duck. The little duck flapped into the house, quacking excitedly. The anteater looked from the duck to the princess, and spoke. "Well, I suppose if Ahiru thinks you're all right, then there can't be any harm in it. Come on in, and we'll see what we can do about putting you up for the night." The anteater stepped aside, holding the door open.
The princess walked into the cabin tentatively. "Thank you very much. I was really in quite a tight spot when the duck...Ahiru, that is...found me." Saying the name felt wrong on her tongue, as if it belonged to someone else. The door shut behind her, and she looked around the cabin, trying to keep in her gasp. Just inside the door, next to a worn-looking couch, sat a hippopotamus in a dress. On her nose was a small bird, also wearing a dress of the same shade. Snow White gathered herself and curtsied, saying, "Oh, dear, pardon me. I didn't see you two ladies there. How do you do, I'm Snow White."
The hippo and bird looked at her with some interest, but said nothing. This was mostly because, before they had a chance to speak, a cat came bounding into the room, his eyes locked on Snow White. "Oh, my, what do we have here? Did Ahiru bring back a bride for me when she went out today?"
Snow White took a step back. "What? No, I'm sorry, I'm not here to marry you, I'm simply spending the night since Ahiru found me lost in the woods." As she spoke, she noticed a goat standing in the doorway behind the cat, clutching the door frame and glaring at her darkly. Before she could greet the goat, the cat yowled, "Oh, that is unfortunate! I thought that perhaps I was finally to get married! Maybe I can change your mind tonight, though."
He was interrupted by a voice at their feet. "Oh, do leave her alone, Mr. Cat. We're about to have dinner, shouldn't we be more concerned about that?" Snow White looked down and saw a prairie dog wearing a jacket, hands on his hips as he scolded the cat.
The cat sniffed back at the prairie dog. "Oh, I suppose you're right. Come along, my dear, and we'll have some dinner. I can convince you of my merits as we eat."
Snow White looked around hesitantly, unsure if she should take Mr. Cat's proffered hand. Luckily for her, Ahiru flapped noisily up into her arms, forcing her to take hold of the little duck instead. With her arms now full, she looked apologetically at Mr. Cat, who clicked his tongue in defeat. "Well, come along, my dear, and I'll show you the way to the dinner table." Relieved, the princess followed the cat into this strange house that she had stumbled upon.
The animals all gathered around the table, as the anteater placed several dishes upon it. They all fell to with general gusto, talking loudly amongst themselves as they got settled in. Snow White was handed several dishes, some more appetizing than others, clearly mixed to satisfy the diverse palettes of the diners. Once everyone had had a chance to eat, the anteater said to her, "Now, Snow White, can you tell us why you're out here all alone?"
The princess swallowed her bite of food, which tasted better than she had expected. "Well, you see, I'm from the castle. My stepfather has never liked me, but today he sent me out with my friend and told her to kill me. She told me what he said and sent me away. She said I must never return, or my stepfather will surely have me killed." She looked down, fighting back tears.
"Oh, you poor dear," murmured the bird sympathetically.
The prairie dog interrupted her, "Wait, you said you're from the castle, and that your name is Snow White. Are you the princess?"
Still looking at her plate, Snow White nodded.
"And the king is trying to kill you? There's no way we can keep you here! That mad king is likely to come looking for you once he realizes the job isn't done, and we'll get caught up in it!"
The anteater rebuked him sharply, "That's no way to talk to the poor girl! Just imagine what she's been through today, and you're ready to turn her out of the only place she has to stay? Of course we can keep her here! We're far enough from the castle and deep enough in the woods that he won't think to look here. She will be just fine. When we go to work in the morning, we'll even leave Ahiru here with her. There's no need to be concerned." Ahiru quacked enthusiastically in agreement. The anteater looked around at the other assembled animals. "What do the rest of you all think?"
The others all agreed, and the prairie dog sullenly settled down, muttering, "I still don't like it, but I suppose we'll have to make do for now and just hope for the best."
Snow White nearly cried tears of relief. "Thank you, all of you, so much for helping me. I swear I'll do the best I can to not be a burden. I'll help you cook and clean, and you'll hardly even know I'm here!"
The anteater patted her hand gently. "Yes, yes, dear. Now, if everyone's done eating, let's clean up and head to bed."
The animals all cleared the table, with Snow White doing her best to help out. They then all trundled off to bed, with Ahiru showing her an empty bed for the two of them to share. As the princess snuggled down in the bed, she thought how glad she was to have found this lovely place.
In the morning when she awoke, all the animals were gone except for Ahiru. The princess stretched, looking around the little cabin. She said to the duck, "I suppose everyone went to work already?" Ahiru quacked in affirmation. The princess mused, "I wonder where they work. Oh, well, it doesn't really matter. I'll start on cleaning up the house while they're gone, and I'll be sure to have a nice meal ready when they get home. Come on, Ahiru, let's get to work!"
That same morning, the prince woke up early, slipping quietly out of his quarters to avoid attracting the attention of his guards. He liked to walk alone in the mornings, and honestly, he was hoping to spot Snow White again. He had seen her yesterday on his early morning walk, but she had been far away and accompanied by a blonde maid, so he had left her alone.
Truthfully, he had found himself thinking about the girl so much that it surprised him. He had never really taken much notice of women before, but something about this girl pulled at his heart in a way that nobody else ever had. As he wandered through the garden where they had first met, hoping to catch sight of her, he heard two voices. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Snow White, he walked closer until he could make out what they were saying.
"...and you dare to come back here, empty-handed! I ought to have you killed instead!"
Definitely not Snow White's voice. It belonged to an older male, and was somehow a voice that the prince felt he recognized. Instinctively, the prince ducked behind a large statue in the garden so he could hear their conversation.
A thin female voice answered, "I'm sorry! Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty!"
The prince was surprised. This was the king? He was supposed to have an audience with the man today, but they hadn't had a chance to meet yet. Curious, he listened to the king's reply. "Foolish girl, I have no reason to have mercy on you. How would that make the story any more interesting? No, the only thing to do now is to take matters into my own hands. I'll have to deal with you first, and then I'll go find that wretched Snow White and finish her off myself."
The prince froze. Snow White? Where was she? He had noticed the girl was gone, but he hadn't thought much of it. But the king was planning to finish her off? What was that supposed to mean? There had to be something he could do. Cautiously, he peeked around the statue he was hiding behind, and took a look at the king. The man was much shorter than the prince had expected, with curling gray hair and beard. As he watched, the prince was horrified to see the king mutter something under his breath, and the girl in front of him collapsed to the ground. The prince ran out from his hiding place, calling, "Hey! What do you think you're doing! And where is Snow White?"
The king turned and simply smiled at the prince, then vanished into thin air.
Perplexed, the prince went to the side of the fallen girl, and was surprised to find that he recognized her as the girl who had been accompanying Snow White yesterday. Lightly, he slapped her cheek. "Hey! Hey, wake up!" She hardly stirred, so he shook her shoulders, yelling a bit louder now, "Hey! I need your help, so wake up!"
This time, the girl seemed to stir, moaning and holding her head as she sat up. "Oh, what happened?" she asked groggily.
Impatiently, the prince snapped, "The king did something to you to make you fall asleep, and then he vanished. More importantly, you were with Snow White yesterday, right? Where is she now?"
The girl blinked up at him. "I can't tell you that! My dear Snow White would be in danger if I told you! And I wouldn't even be there to see her grief!"
The prince pressed, "You have to tell me! The king said he was going to finish her off. I have to go help her, so stop being so stubborn and just talk!"
Sighing, the maid replied, "Oh, I suppose I have to tell you, then. Yesterday the king ordered me to take Snow White out into the woods and kill her. We walked for most of the day before I told her what had happened, and sent her off into the woods. I told her to never come back, so hopefully she is far enough away now that the king won't find her."
Feeling frantic now, the prince snapped, "Where? Which direction did you go?"
"East," the maid replied, pointing.
Leaping to his feet, the prince ran towards the stables without looking back. Hurriedly, he threw a saddle on his horse and swung up, heading out of the castle gates and towards the woods. As he rode, he fervently hoped that he was not too late. Clearly, the king had some sort of supernatural powers. Who knew how quickly he would be able to locate Snow White?
After about an hour of riding, the prince came upon a cabin in the woods. As he neared it, a small yellow duck came flying out of the door and barrelled into his chest. Startled, he reigned in his horse and brought his hands up to cradle the duck. With an uncharacteristic tenderness that felt natural, he asked soothingly, "Hey now, what's wrong there, little one?"
The duck pulled at his sleeve until the prince dismounted and followed it into the cabin. Once inside, he saw why the little duck was so distraught.
Snow White was lying prone on the floor.
Clearly, the king had been here first. Was he too late? He dropped to his knees next to her, still cradling the duck. With his free hand, he wrapped his arm around Snow White's shoulders and propped her up. He gave her a slight shake, crying out, "Hey! Ahiru, it's me! Please, wake up!" She didn't respond, and her head lolled unnaturally to the side. Desperate, he did the only thing he could think of. Leaning over her, he pressed his mouth firmly to hers.
With a sputtering gasp, she shot up out of his arms, and coughed hard, a chunk of apple flying from her mouth.
Looking up, she smiled and said, "Oh, it's you!"
Fakir extracted them quickly from the story, hoping to catch the moment of waking in the real world as well. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ahiru's sapphire eyes shining up at him for a moment, but the next moment they were gone and all that remained was her duck form. He stared at her long and hard, hoping that she would revert back to her human form. After a few long seconds, it became clear that she would not. Turning to his desk, Fakir slammed his head down onto it, fisting his hands on his legs. Dammit! Why wasn't anything working? He had been so close these last two times! What was different about kissing her, and why wasn't it doing enough?
A small flurry ensued at his feet, and he looked down to see Ahiru scrambling to get into his lap. He lifted his head up and looked away from her as she climbed up. "Ahiru, I'm not in the mood right now. Can't you just leave me alone?"
A reprimanding quack came from his lap, and a beak poked him accusingly in the chest. He looked down at her and saw the rebuke in her gaze, and saw beyond it to a shadow of disappointment. He paused, reminded that he wasn't the only one who was probably feeling frustration at their near-successes. Sighing, he scooped Ahiru up into his arms, holding her up to his chest. She settled in with a content sigh, snuggling into one of her favorite positions. As she closed her eyes he looked down at her and murmured, "I swear I won't give up. I'll change you back, even if it costs me everything else." He turned back to his desk, ready to take on the world for her again.