Many years passed, and she grew. She proved to be as wise and graceful and fair as her mother wished. All the court, male and female, were lost in envy of her looks and poise. If only they did not come with so sharp a smile.
The King, was in turmoil. His wife, whom he had believed to be the wisest and greatest of all women, had, in a moment of weakness, made a terrible mistake and brought great evil into the world, and then died, wasted away, leaving behind a great deal of confusion, fear, and a cursed daughter, with whom he was clueless as any man. He spent many long months thinking about what to do. Under any other circumstance, he would simply re-marry. But if his wife, wisest among women, could fall so far and blunder so greatly, wouldn't any other do so also?
In desperation, and seeing no other option, he remarried. He thought long and hard about whom he should choose. In the end, he decided on the fair lady Adair. She was intelligent, beautiful, and accomplished, much like his first wife, but instead of gentle and kind was hard and powerful. If any could deal with his frightening daughter, it would surely be her.
The wedding was magnificent. Lady Adair was radiant in her white and gold gown. King Emmet was resplendent in his rich robes of scarlet. The air was full of music and the sun shone on the proceedings. Only those who looked could see the one thing that was missing. 9 year old Snow, the fair daughter of the king, was absent.