So, hey everybody... :)

We sort of left this one on an awkward cliffie. Totally wasn't my intention. I have a bad habit of running myself ragged, so I don't always realize how burned out I am until it catches up with me. I am starting to feel better, and I miss getting to do this, so I'm back! (Though posting may be irregular for a while.) I appreciate everyone who reached out with support and encouragement. It makes me so grateful to know that I have all of you looking out for me.

When we last left Juvia, she crossed into the realm of unredeamable for anyone who may have been holding out hope for her. I see it as a sort of point of no return for her as a character, so you'll see a bit of that come through in this chapter. Keep in mind that we're getting her thoughts filtered through her PoV. She'll make claims that will not seem rational to us... but crimes of passion seldom are, and Juvia's lost what little remaining grasp she had on reality.

Responses to guest reviews are below, and the chapter is below the break.

Guest: Yes, Juvia has straight-up lost it. :P I think that this may be the one time where Bora may not have deserved what he had coming. (Then again, he threw in his lot with the maniacal psychopath and played the role of wicked huntsman to her evil queen. Maybe it was karmic justice after all.) These next two chapters are really the iconic ones for Snow White, and I'm excited to get to post them. Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you're enjoying it here! :)

Irina: Welcome back, friend. :) I'm glad my words have served a worthy purpose. Likewise, I have found strength in yours. Thank you for your kind note. It's always a delight to hear from you, and I hope to do so again soon. :)

Guest: Your message made me smile today! :) I'm glad I was able to add another dimension to this old tale. I'm humbled to have all of you join me here, and I'm glad to see you enjoying it. Thanks for the review and happy reading!

Guest: Thanks for thinking about me. I appreciate it! :)

WonkyBookshelf: Uni can be a beast, so I don't envy that at all. Some people will say that it's one of the best times of your life or something like that, but I'm not one of them. ;P Thanks for reaching out. I appreciate the encouragement, and I am definitely trying to keep my stress in check! :) (Sometimes I get stuck in my own head as much as my characters do, lol.) I hope your school stuff goes well! It's always a joy to hear from you, and I consider it an honor and a privileged to continue to entertain. :)

- K. Chandler


"Bora! Bora! No! Bora!" Juvia sobbed, shaking his lifeless body.

The corpse toppled, every limb still locked in that inhuman contortion.

"No… no… no…" Juvia muttered, cradling her face in her hands. "Juvia didn't mean for this to happen. Juvia didn't want this! Bora!"

Bora was dead.

Juvia staggered from the dungeon. There was a dull ache in her chest that Juvia couldn't explain.

Bora's was the first voice that she heard in the morning, and the last before she went to sleep at night. He brought her meals and accompanied her on errands. He took care of things that she didn't have time to worry about.

He took care of her. And he was always there when she needed him.

But now Bora was dead. And Juvia truly had no one.

Bora's death was violent. Painful. And the poison had been created by Juvia's own hand.

But she hadn't meant to kill him! She just wanted to punish him… It wasn't her fault.

If it hadn't been for Lucy…

This was Lucy's fault! Lucy had driven her to this. Lucy might as well have killed Bora herself.

Juvia clenched her fist over her aching chest, hatred burning in her mind. Bora was hers, but Lucy had stolen Bora from her, just like she had taken Gray.

Such a theft was a punishable offense. Lucy needed to suffer. She needed to suffer like she had made Juvia suffer. Like Bora had suffered.

Juvia clenched her teeth, swallowing back a dry sob. Poor Bora…

But Bora's death had been over too soon. Had he even known he was dying? Had he felt his life slipping away? What had his last moments been like, mired in pain and confusion?

Lucy's death could not be so quick. Lucy's death needed to be slow and agonizing. She needed to know pain. To understand despair. She deserved to feel the icy caress of death before it's hands clenched around her neck. She needed to feel her life draining from her and know that there would be rescue for a wicked thing like her.

No…

She needed to know such agony that she'd stare into the slitted eyes of death and beg for an end to her miserable life. She would celebrate it, just as Juvia would.

Only then would all be right in the world. Lucy would be gone, Bora would receive justice, and Gray would be Juvia's.

All Juvia had to do was figure out how to bring the poison to Isvan. But how? Juvia couldn't risk carrying it in a flask or a vial. She might spill it, and then it would be wasted. Besides, how would she get it to Lucy?

But, perhaps, there were other ways to tempt the Temptress of Magnolia.

Juvia wandered to the kitchen, asking for the cook.

"Majesty, what can I do for you?" Totomaru asked. "Did you need me to make you something to eat?"

"Do we have any fruit?" Juvia asked.

"Um, yeah. There's a whole big bushel of apples from Farmer Droy's. And some—"

"Apples would be perfect," Juvia said.

Apples were easy to transport and easy to eat. An apple would deliver enough of the poison to accomplish her goals but slow it down enough for Lucy to think on her sins and for Juvia to enjoy the show. Most importantly, Fantasma produced the best apples in Fiore. That wasn't something that Lucy could say no to.

"All righty. Just gimme a sec and I'll cut one up for you."

"They're fine as they are," Juvia said. "I'll take them."

"Take them? How many, Majesty?" Totomaru asked.

"All of them," Juvia said. "Actually, maybe just fill that basket. As many as you can fit."

"You gonna eat all of them?" Totomaru asked.

Juvia narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't pay you to ask questions, do I?"

"No, Majesty," Totomaru said quickly, reaching for the basket. "Hey, a basket of apples it is!"

In her laboratory, Juvia selected a ripe, unblemished apple from the basket. The skin was red, shiny, and irresistible with a soft luster that made it look crunchy and sweet. It was so perfect that Juvia had to stop herself from taking a bite.

Juvia fastened the apple to a sling and lowered it into the vat of poison. She left it soaking while she went upstairs to prepare for her trip.

Isvan would be cold, so she would need to prepare herself well.

As she put on her cloak, she glanced in the mirror, surprised at the image that stared back.

Her hair was wild and tangled, banshee curls framing a too-pale face. Her eyes were cold and hard, the skin beneath them puffy and mottled with pink.

She hardly recognized herself. One more thing that Lucy had taken from her.

But if she didn't recognize herself… would Gray's guards recognize her?

Juvia turned in the mirror, angling this way and that. Her face had taken on an unfamiliar, drawn look but even the wild hair and swollen eyes didn't disguise the fact that she was the Queen of Fantasma. Her regal clothing made it even more obvious.

"No, no, that won't do," she said to herself. "Juvia will have to disguise herself."

But what would make for a good disguise? Should she just cut her hair off? Color it red? Maybe if she gave herself some freckles or drew some 'scars' across her face? She could even cover one of her eyes with a patch and hide part of her face.

But it would still be her face starring back at her. She needed something bigger. More drastic.

Of course, Juvia wouldn't actually alter her features or make physical changes to her body. Whatever she did to herself, it had to be something she could control with a potion. She could always reverse the effects with another potion later. At least she hoped…

Juvia ran her hands through her hair again, mussing her dark curls before pulling her hair back. She had such an expressive face. It wouldn't take long for someone to see her intentions written in her features. Juvia had to be someone sympathetic so she could get close to Lucy without arousing suspicion.

And she knew just the thing.

Normally, she'd make tonics to help build a person's strength up and revitalize them. Wouldn't the right an anti-tonic do the opposite? Could she turn herself into a wretched and pitiable figure – someone that Lucy couldn't help but extend a hand to?

Heading back to her laboratory, Juvia prepared another potion. Ingredients were gathered, weighed, prepared, and weighed again. There could be no mistakes here. When all was ready, Juvia ground all the ingredients into dust with a mortar and pestle.

She was left with a spoonful of soft dust the color of old moss. Juvia transferred this into a glass jar, capping it securely. She shook it, letting the air within the jar cloud into a murky green. Carefully, she uncapped the jar and inhaled.

The effects were immediate. Juvia's airways tightened in irritation as soon as the dust hit the soft tissues at the back of her nose and throat. She doubled over, hacking and choking, her lungs protesting this mistreatment. Her accident with the fumes had taken a larger toll than she had realized.

But there was no time for regrets. She could feel the anti-tonic working on her body. Her joints started to ache insistently and the muscles in her back tightened, forcing her to hunch as her spine curved.

She could see the skin on her hands loosening and drooping. Dark spots appeared, dappling wrinkly skin. Her fingers grew gnarled, the joints painfully stiff.

A shock of searing pain shot through her chest. It felt like hot fire tongs rooting around inside of her. Squeezing. Why was her chest hurting? Was it her lungs? Was it… her heart?

Juvia lay down, shutting her eyes as she rubbed her sternum. She forced measured breaths to calm the fire that consumed her chest. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, her heart pounding like raindrops on the castle roof. She wished Bora was here.


Juvia was cold and stiff when she finally managed to stand again. She picked herself up gingerly, wincing as her arthritic joints protested the movement. It didn't hurt as much as spraining her knee, but it was just as difficult to move, maybe more so, since she couldn't straighten her back fully.

No matter. She could work around this.

Juvia hobbled to the cauldron, checking on Lucy's apple. When Juvia lifted it from the cauldron, the fruit was as beautiful and unblemished as it had been before. But now the beauty was only skin deep, as the poison had leeched into the fruit.

"Perfect," Juvia rasped. Her eyes widened at the hoarse, croaky sound that had come from her own lips.

She returned the apple to the top of the basket, tucking a large handkerchief over it.

Juvia paced herself as she made her way back up the stairs and to her room, ignoring the unsettled glances from the castle servants. They scattered, scuttling away as she passed.

Those who had chosen to work at Fantasma Castle had never judged her before. But now, they stared, and they whispered behind their hands. They were no different than the townspeople. The townspeople were afraid of her. And now the servants were too.

Because she had killed Bora. Because she looked like a madwoman.

No.

Because they were petty and judgmental. Because they feared her and her powers for reasons beyond her control. Because they were no different from anyone else.

In all her life, she couldn't think of a single person who hadn't approached her with judgement and distrust.

She had thought that her own servants were different. She had thought they, at least, liked her. But apparently not. Juvia had to admit that it hurt.

Setting the apples down, Juvia reached for her silver bowl, going to her window to fill it. She'd see Gray one last time before beginning the journey.

As she approached, she could see her own ghostly reflection staring back at her through the window's glass. White streaked her tangled curls. Her face drooped like it were melting. Juvia brought a hand up to touch her own sagging cheek. Was that really her?

Maybe that was why the servants were staring…

She summoned Gajeel. Would he recognize her?

"Whatdya want?" Gajeel said, finally presenting himself.

He, at least, hadn't changed. He was the only one she could count on now.

"You're still loyal, aren't you, Gajeel?" Juvia asked. "Juvia can still trust you, right?"

Gajeel's face was unaffected and stiff. "I'll take you wherever you need to go," he growled.

"We're going to Isvan."

Within the hour, Juvia pulled away from the castle in a carriage driven by Gajeel, with nothing but the tattered rags of a kitchen servant on her back. The basket of apples was in the seat opposite her, and her heart was thrumming in anticipation.

"Oh, Lucy," Juvia whispered. "Juvia looks forward to seeing you again."


Oh, boy... So the poison apple finally makes an appearance! Juvia was a really difficult character to write in this chapter, just with how disturbing her behavior is. Who is afraid for Lucy? She's got Natsu as her protector, but will it be enough?

Next time, in Toxic, Juvia arrives: "You're safe. This is Isvan Palace," Lucy said, giving the woman's frozen fingers a reassuring squeeze.

Stop back for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.