Fairest of Them All

She met them when she was just 6 years old, her mother brought her to meet them, a timid scared little girl. It had been her first trip outside the castle, her first trip and Mother wanted her to be on her best behavior. She knew that her mother wouldn't hesitate to punish her if she stepped out of line, so she didn't.

She was a good princess.

"Relax little one." One of the other children said, a fourteen year old girl with red hair, she smiled kindly. She just gave her own weak smile back. She remembered liking the girl's green dress. "How about I introduce you to the other children?" The girl asked. "While the grownups talk, the rest of us usually play in the garden." She smiled and nodded.

Mother had said to make herself look good in front of the other noble children, the males especially.

You'll be marrying one of them. Her mother had advised. Men don't like foolish girls, they don't care about your heart, they care about your beauty. You are the fairest of them all, make sure they remember that.

"My name is Zelena, this is my younger sister Regina." The red headed princess introduced leading her over to where a dark haired girl stood awkwardly. She was fidgeting on her feet in her dark purple dress. She could see the girl eyeing one of the servants that was around their age with a blush on her face. It made her smile.

She's pretty, but she's not interested in the other royals. She thought gratefully. I won't have to compete with her.

"Most of the other children here are a little old for you, but there's one about your age, he's shy too, maybe you'll hit it off and become good friends?" She said happily, leading her over to a boy with dirty blonde hair.

"This is Prince James." She introduced. The boy looked at her and smiled.

"You're pretty!" He exclaimed before blushing.

She grinned, moving her hand through her long dark hair, just like mother told her to, introducing herself. "My name's Snow."

XXX

At sixteen, Snow knew what she wanted, problem was, other people didn't understand.

"Prince James's father is a coward." Her mother scowled when Snow inquired about a marriage to the young prince. "Don't get your hopes up child, he's already engaged to Princess Katherine, been that way since they could walk."

Snow knew that, James often spoke of her in passing, between stolen kisses in the stables, between shared ambitions in the library, between planning and plotting in the bedroom.

They wanted to be King and Queen side by side, they would rule everything and everyone. They would correct the mistakes of their parents, they would rule with an iron fist, not let any of the neighboring regions bully them around, they would be the most powerful pair in all the realm. It was perfect.

If Katherine wasn't in the picture of course.

But as her mother always said, Snow was the fairest of them all, she could get anything she wanted. All she had to do was flash an innocent smile, pretend to be ditz for a bit. People saw her as the beautiful princess, not what she was.

A porcelain weapon with a blackened heart

"I can get rid of her." James said in a whisper, green eyes boring into her as his body pressed her against a wall, as his hands ventured under her skirt to in places that a princess should not be touched. She loved every minute of it. "Just tell me what to do so we can be together." He breathed against her neck.

She sighed in his embrace, begging for things that a young lady shouldn't want until marriage. She knew what she wanted, she knew what stood in her way, and now she knew how she was going to get it.

"Soon my prince." She murmured into his ear. "Let me figure it out first, and then we can have it all." Through all their plotting, Snow was the brains of the pair, she'd figure it out and her love would carry it out. He was more of a fighter anyway.

Snow White was the fairest maiden in all the land, if she didn't get her happy ending than who would?

XXX

"Where was it again?" She asked with an innocent smile to a palace guard, she stood a bit too closely, making the young man blush. "The palace where Katherine goes to paint all by her lonesome?"

Snow placed her dainty hand on the man's shoulder, running it down in one smooth motion. He was drinking wine off duty, a perfect place to get some secretive secrets from him.

"N-Near the East River, a two day ride from here." He admitted. "Princess, are you sure this is prop-" Snow placed her hand on the man's face.

"Shh." She said softly, "I just want to visit my dear friend, is that so bad?" She giggled, pulling away and practically skipping out of the tavern.

But Snow waited, heard his distant voice.

"Hmm…Did this wine always taste like Apples-"

CRASH. His body hit the floor.

Snow smiled.

XXX

He was on his way. James was on his way to kill Katherine, pin it on burglars or a rogue assassin. Then he could be free, he could be free to marry her. Everything Snow wanted would be in their grasp.

"Why are you so happy?" Her friend teased, interrupting her thoughts suddenly, her glass of tea in her hand. "I mean, I'm engaged, so I have reason to be happy, you've been moping for weeks, what has you so happy?"

Snow looked up at her friend, her only friend, one Princess Regina. Once Snow realized that Regina had fallen hard for a local servant, and would never have to compete with Snow, she began forming a friendship with the girl, she liked how trusting and happy the brunette was. She was content with a commoner's life, a life of horseback riding and dirt and grim, she had no interest in being a royal, a ruler.

Zelena was the one her parents were grooming for that role anyway in the event of Snow's death.

Snow smiled widely. "Maybe you're not the only one who's happy ending is approaching." She said cryptically. "Maybe I'll beat you to the alter after all."

Regina's face scrunched in confusion. "I thought you loved James?" She asked. "He's engaged to Katherine, you know that neither kingdom is going to let them out of that alliance. Unless you've gotten over him?"

Snow shook her head, sipping her tea to hide her smirk.

"Let's just say that Katherine isn't going to be a problem anymore. She won't be fit to marry anyone." She sneered.

Hard to marry someone if you were dead.

Snow saw realization flash across Regina's face, but Snow was confident her friend wouldn't betray her trust.

They were best friends after all.

XXX

She waited for word back, waited for James to come back, to tell her the deed was done, scoop her up in his arms and make promises that he'd get his father to agree to have them wed.

James didn't come. He was late. It bothered Snow. She had planned it out perfectly, and he was late, there was no reason for him to be late unless he deviated from the plan, unless something went wrong.

The door opened. Snow turned, a smile on her face that quickly dropped. It was not James who entered but Ava, her mother.

"James was arrested today." Her mother said suddenly, "He tried to kill his fiancée." Snow froze. "Do you know anything about that?" It was obvious that her mother knew for a fact that she did. The woman smiled, pleased.

"See what happens when you listen to me? You got a man to do anything you wanted after I helped you and made you the fairest of them all." Her mother gloated. "Unfortunately, you chose the wrong man, couldn't keep his mouth shut, told some stable hand, who told the king. Your prince will be dead at dawn." She said casually, like she was discussing plans for her next gown.

A stable hand?

No.

"Who?" She growled before biting her tongue at her mother's cruel gaze for speaking with that tone. Snow cleared her throat. "Please mother, its important, who did James tell?"

"I believe the boy's name is Daniel, engaged to your friend correct?" Her mother said. She knew very well James hadn't told a soul. Her mother knew that it had been her error which had done it.

Regina had told her fiancee who had told the king, and now James would die. Her true love dead, all because Regina couldn't keep a secret.

Snow walked away, towards her bedroom to look in the mirror. She saw her pale while skin, her blood red lips and her raven dark hair. She was the most beautiful creature in the entire realm, but beauty could not save her prince.

But what Snow could do, what she would do, was to tear out Regina's heart and crush it in her palm. No matter what she had to do, no matter who she had to step to do it. Snow was confident that she could do it.

She, after all, was the fairest of them all.

A bit of the origin of Evil Snow and Bandit Regina's feud.

I remember in Freeing the Witch I got this weird review outraged that I changed Emma's paternity. I never did. This is proof. It's still David. Like the Shepard David. I find myself constantly wondering about where I gave that impression. I have a plan. No decision is of mine is made just because i feel like it. One thing I love about Once show is that there are no coincidences. I try to embrace that as much as possible.

Guest Reviews:

andria: I'm glad you liked the back story, its been spinning in my mind for a while now. Glad it went over well.

I'm posting the first chapter of The Purple Fairy some time tonight. So keep a look out.

~Luna

Next: Run