The Evil Queen
Light and Dark. Good and Evil. Right and Wrong. Two sides of the same coin. Everyday people flip that coin with the choices they make. The side the coin will land on is always a question mark and whatever side it is, you must be prepared to deal with the consequences. That's the funny thing about free will. We may sometimes feel like the universe is against us for how our lives turn out, but no one can make you do anything. Unless the person in question turns out to be The Evil Queen herself. A woman with skin as white as snow and a heart as black as night; the fairest and deadliest of them all, Snow White. Anyone that knew the truth behind her black heart is either dead or under her control.
Speaking of death, Snow currently rides to the site of an execution. The reasons for the execution are petty at best, but Snow does not care. She's in a bad mood and when she's in a bad mood people tend to die. Her carriage enters a small village and comes to a stop. A woman in a blood red cloak opens the carriage door and takes Snow's hand to assist her out.
"Thank you, Red," Snow thanks.
"You're welcome, my Queen," Red replies and curtseys. Snow chuckles at the gesture and enters the village. The villagers avert their gaze from Snow and Red as they travel to the center of the village where a young woman is tied to a pike and is surrounded by eight dwarves.
"Queen Snow," one of the Dwarves acknowledges and bows to her. She ignores him and approaches the prisoner. She looks over her once and the prisoner looks back at her with defiance in her eyes. Snow turns away from her prisoner and to the Dwarves.
"What is her name?" She asks.
"We don't know. She won't tell us," another one of the Dwarves answers. Snow turns to the Dwarf; expression unreadable.
"What's your name?" She asks.
"Dopey your maje-ah!" His answer is cut short by Snow plunging her hand into his chest.
"Your majesty!" One of the Dwarves cries out.
"Do you wish to join him, Doc?" She says not taking her eyes off of Dopey. Doc gulps and shakes his head. "That's what I thought," and she pulls Dopey's heart from his chest. He collapses to his knees while Snow examines the heart.
"Oh. Oh no. This will never do," she says observing the heart. "Remind me, you Dwarves do everything together, am I right?" Dopey nervously nods. "Then care to explain the lack of dark spots in your heart? It looks so…pure. It's disgusting."
"Your Majesty," another Dwarf begins, but Snow shoots him an agitated look and he shuts up immediately. Snow looks back at the heart and starts to squeeze it. Dopey clutches his chest and cries out while Snow watches him; expression remaining unchanged.
Dopey's heart gradually loses color and then completely withers away; a pile of dust remaining in its wake. Dopey falls to the ground, dead. She looks back at the remaining Dwarves, who try to hide their shocked faces. "Sorry, but I have no use for goody goods in my Kingdom especially one named Dopey. Now then, where was I? Ah yes." She turns back to her unnamed prisoner.
"Get on with it," she says to Snow. Snow narrows her eyes at the prisoner and grabs her cheeks with her right hand.
"It's not wise to order your Queen," she coldly whispers. "There are fates far worse than death, my dear. Speaking of which, Red!" She calls out. Red steps forward and licks her lips at the sight of the prisoner.
"Is it time, my Queen?" She asks. Snow looks at the full moon in the sky and smirks.
"Yes," she replies. Red smirks as well and removes her cloak. Her eyes change color and glow in the night. She kneels to the ground and grits her teeth as claws replace her nails and fur gradually covers every inch of her body. The prisoner's eyes widen in fear and she turns away from Red.
"Don't look away now," Snow says. She grabs the prisoner's face and forces her to look at the transforming Red. "This is the best part." Red's teeth turn razor sharp, her quick breathes begin to sound like growls, a long tail sprouts from her behind, and finally her face changes to that of a wolf's. Red licks her lips again and then gives a loud howl at the moon.
"Music to my ears," Snow sighs. Everyone takes multiple steps back from the creature as she sets her sights on the prisoner. "Sic her girl," Snow commands. Red prepares to pounce when she suddenly stops and turns her attention towards the trees. She growls at it and Snow forms a fireball in the palm of her hands.
An arrow flies out from the trees and heads straight for Snow. She prepares to block it, but the arrow instead lands at her feet. The second it impacts with the ground a dark mist erupts from it and blankets the area.
"What is this!? I can't see!" Grumpy yells.
"It's magic you idiot! Secure the prisoner!" Snow screams struggling to see herself. The sound of a galloping horse breaks into the chaos followed by the sounds of the Dwarves all crying out. The mist finally starts to recede and Snow spots the prisoner escaping on a horse with a familiar rider.
"Red!" She calls out. The wolf shakes her head as the last traces of the mist fade away and faces Snow. "Kill!" She commands and the wolf gives chase after the pair.
"She's after us!" The prisoner warns her rescuer. The rescuer turns around at the pursuing wolf and the prisoner gets a brief look at her face.
"You're a girl," she realizes.
"Woman," the rescuer corrects her.
She hastens her horse putting a little bit more distance between them and Red as they reach an overturned tree blocking the road. The horse takes a great leap over the tree landing a few inches past it and continues on. Red jumps over the tree as well, but only lands an inch past it and a net immediately springs up capturing her. Red growls and snarls and begins trying to tear away at the net as the two women make their escape.
"That net should keep her occupied for a while. Reinforced it with a little bit of magic some fairies were willing to part with," the rescuer explains. They continue riding for a few more minutes looking back every now and then to make sure Red hadn't broken free sooner. Once she is certain they are safely away, the rescuer brings her horse to a stop.
"I don't know what you did to piss off Snow, but it's best that," before the rescuer can finish, the prisoner pulls her into a giant hug.
"Thank you so much for saving me, Ms…"
"Mills. Regina Mills," the rescuer answers pulling her hood down allowing the prisoner to get a better look at her face.
"Oh my God, you're Queen Snow's…."
"Yes, but I don't like to talk about it," Regina interrupts.
"I understand, but I am grateful and forever in your debt. I am called Marian," she introduces.
"Marian…you're part of Robin Hood's gang aren't you?"
"Yes…I apologize if he's stolen anything from you."
"Oh you don't have to worry about that. I'm as poor as they come. Snow has seen to that. Is Robin's camp far from here?"
"No. I should be able to find him without much trouble."
"Just incase, you better take this." Regina reaches into a pouch over her shoulder and pulls out a small bottle. "Pour it on your clothes and it'll keep Snow's bloodhound from tracking your scent; speaking from experience here."
"Thank you, once more," Marian says with a smile. She pulls her own hood over her head and goes for the cover of the trees. Regina watches her until she disappears and then heads out herself.