Snow White mopped the floors of the cottage, using the fact that the dwarves were away at their mine to get some of the deeper cleaning done. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and she went to answer it. An old woman was standing there, and at first she didn't recognize her, but when she looked her in the eye it was all Snow could do not to gasp, for it was her stepmother.
"I am selling apples today, my dear, would you like to try a bite of this one?" she asked. Tears filled Snow's eyes as she realized her stepmother truly hated her, all this time she had been in denial, but she could no longer do so with the truth staring at her in the face. She nodded, since her voice wouldn't work its way around the lump in her throat at first, before saying, "Yes please."
As she took a bite, her stepmother cackled with glee and as she headed out the door she shouted back, "Better check the mirror dearie, something is on your face." Holding back sobs, Snow slowly walked to the nearest mirror and what she saw in it caused her to sob even more. Her stepmother had hated her enough to take away her outward beauty. She feared Snow enough to do this to her…Snow was tempted to give her a reason to fear, but instead she used her magic to see why her stepmother had done this.
She saw her stepmother's fear of being cast out, of being homeless and alone. And then she made up her mind, her stepmother would never fear being homeless, for she would always be bound to her home until her death. Snow White said the magic words, then went to visit her dear stepmother. She walked into the castle and found her in her throne room.
"Stepmother, I know you did this to me because you feared me, because you feared losing your home. Well you no longer have to fear that, for I have bound you to this place. You will not lack for company, though unlike them you cannot leave. Goodbye stepmother." With that Snow left. On her way out she stopped at the wishing well.
Looking into she thought, "I wish that whoever is my true love will see my true beauty shining through and not see this face." The she also thought, "Do I have any real true beauty since I just cursed my stepmother? I am no better than her really." With a sob, she released her stepmother of the curse she had place on her. The castle would always be her stepmother's home, and she was just now free to leave it.
Suddenly behind her, she heard the voice of Price Ferdinand saying, "What are you doing there?" Snow White turned around, seeing that he saw the real her and not the face her stepmother had cursed her with; she smiled and said, "I'm wishing."