by Andi Adams
"Who are you and how… how do you know my name?" she stammered as her eyes strained for a hint of recollection.
"You don't recognize me, my dear? Of course you don't. It is because of you that I am unrecognizable, even to my own stepdaughter."
Genevieve clasped her hand over her mouth. The eyes. Of course. "Agrippine? No. It can't be." She wanted to retreat and run as far away as she could, but her feet were rooted in the ground. It chilled Genevieve to the core to see her stepmother in such a desperate form.
"But… but how can this be? What happened to you?"
"Beauty is power, Genevieve, or have you learned nothing from all of my years as queen? People don't adore me, they fear me. Your father didn't love me, he admired me. True beauty has the power to dominate and manipulate others. Before I was this," she motioned to her current state with a grand gesture, "I was awe-inspiring, and my beauty brought all of them to their knees. It has been because of my beauty I have been able to sustain my power. That was until you, my dear."
"Because I was next in line to reign?" Genevieve said. "I didn't want the throne. I never wanted it. All these years you feared me overthrowing you? That's why you were so terrible to me?"
"Don't be stupid, child. I was never afraid of being overthrown, not by you. But I was told by a very valuable source that you possess something within you that could compromise my power. Your beauty, I was told, would one day surpass my own, so the only logical thing for me to do is to take it from you."
"Take it from her?" Eron asked. "How is such a thing even possible?"
"Did you think I was joking when I said I know magic? How do you think I came to be as strong as I am? Surely I am not the same withered woman you met when I gave you that apple. I stole the strength of that spineless king and am now strong enough to take from you what I should have stolen years ago."
Though Tyne still held the blade out toward the stranger, it was clear by his lax posture and drooping arm that he was engrossed in her story. Without warning, Agrippine lunged at him, catching him off guard, and the dagger fumbled from his grip. In an instant, the clearing became a whirlwind of commotion. The moment she started for Tyne, Sib and Eron were already charging across the clearing in tiny strides. Genevieve lurched forward as well, but she made it only two steps before the blinding pain of her broken ribs and mangled shoulder brought her to her knees.
Tyne scrambled to grab for the weapon, but Agrippine was much faster. Genevieve could only watch in horror at the scene unfolding before her. Blurs of color materialized and swirled before her in slow motion. In the haze, Agrippine managed to grab the dagger and swing Tyne in front of her, the blade pushed into the skin of his neck.
"Stop where you are or I'll slice his throat," she said. And like horses heaved to a halt, Sib and Eron froze halfway across the clearing. "Now, I told you I don’t play nice. I will kill him, Genevieve, like I've killed so many that you loved. So stop fighting and surrender yourself. How many more deaths are you prepared to have on your hands?"
Genevieve’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and her vision blurred. She was responsible. Oliver. Her true love. Dead because of her. Her father. And Grog. Poor Grog. Killed protecting her, fighting for a sister he barely knew.
"You're right," she said softly, almost more to herself than to the queen.
"What?" Agrippine asked, still holding Tyne in her strong embrace.
"I said, you're right. Though I don't know how I could have stopped it, too many people I love have died for me already. I can't let you harm anyone else. I won't let you. You… you're certain it is my beauty that you need?" She panted the words slowly and protectively held her side, still kneeling in the mud. "If… if you kill me, you'll leave them alone?"
The brothers filled the air with quick shouts of protest.
"No!"
"Wait a minute!"
"What are you saying?"
Agrippine locked her gaze on Genevieve with a wicked zeal. "You have my word. I will let him go. I will let them all go."
Genevieve looked at her brothers and with a nod, assured them this was the only way.
"Trust me," she said with a small smile, and then returned her attention back to Agrippine. "You're going to have to let them go and come here if you want to kill me."
In a instant, Agrippine released Tyne with a hearty shove and stalked past the brothers, who stood there dumbfound. They didn't move. They didn't try to fight. Rather they watched on in shock as the queen strode across the clearing and took position in front of Genevieve's kneeling body.
"I have your word?" Genevieve managed between labored breaths.
"My word," Agrippine said, with satisfaction in her eyes.
"I need assurance that they will not only be safe today, but will remain protected for as long as you live."
"I owe you nothing, my dear. But fine, I will leave them be and will never harm them as long as I shall live. On my word."
Genevieve closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. "Then do what you feel you must."
Agrippine reached her arms overhead. The dagger's blade pointed straight to Genevieve's chest. But before she could bring down the final blow, the silence was split in two with the sound of Sib's cry, "You will never be beautiful! Never! You will never possess her beauty because her beauty is more than her pretty face. Her beauty comes from her love, her compassion, and her willingness to sacrifice herself for others. No amount of wishing or magic will ever make you half the woman she is, don't you understand that?"
"Shut your pygmy-mouth!” Agrippine said. "You know nothing. You don't understand the trials I've been through. You don't know the terms of the spell. YOU. DON'T. KNOW!"
"No, you don't know,” Sib said. "You've failed so many times because you've been the one that has misunderstood. You will never be most powerful because of your own ignorance. If anyone has failed, it's you."
"Shut your mouth.” She repeated, punctuating each word with stressed articulation. Her voice was like gravel dragged over iron sheets.
"No, I will not be quiet. You are despicable. And though you swear to leave us alone, what makes you think we won't retaliate. You had a hand in the death of our brother and now plan to murder our sister. You will not be safe from our vengeance, so if you're going to kill her, you're going to need to kill all of us."
"Come for me if you think you have a chance, but I warn you, once I have her beauty and my former power, I will obliterate you."
"No!" Genevieve said. "You swore!"
Agrippine struck Genevieve across the face with a heavy-handed blow. It forced her head to whip to the side, which sent a mind-numbing shock of white-hot pain searing through her ribs and into her abdomen. She winced aloud, but fought not to cry. No more tears. Not for her.
Her brothers fired their threats and readied themselves to charge, but Genevieve shouted, "Don't fight her. Just… stay where you are."
I'm doing this for them, she reminded herself.
A tone of confidence thickened her voice. "This is my decision, and I am choosing to save you. I love you, all of you, and I couldn't save them before. Not Grog. Not Oliver. But I can save you now. Please let me." They opened their mouths to object, but her eyes pleaded for their silence. She didn't know how long her resolve would remain if they tried to change her mind.
Genevieve took in as deep a breath as she could muster and fixed her eyes to the smoky grey of Agrippine's tight stare. "You can fight me, hunt me, kill me, but I'm not doing this for you. This is for them and don't you forget it. So do it. I am ready. And I am not afraid."
Agrippine's guttural cry ripped through the air, and she brought down the dagger in a flash of movement and plunged it deep into the girl's pale skin. Genevieve gasped as the point drove though her heart. She fell backward to the ground and sprawled on the muddy Earth, leaving hazy swirls of rainwater and blood.
32
A cacophony of riotous sobs mixed with maniacal laughter augmented the sheer horror of the sight. Agrippine he
ld the dagger in her quaking hand and could not quiet her bemusement, while the girl's pathetic entourage wailed like a pack of wolves.
She ceremoniously raised the dagger to her eager lips and licked with the abandon of someone who didn't care about injury. The briny nectar coated her mouth, leaving stains of red dribbles around her lips. She savored the taste of victory, the sensation dizzying, until an unexpected jolt knocked her off her feet. She was thrown backward into the dirt, and her body spasmed fiercely. Agrippine rolled to her side, but another jolt forced her up to her knees. She braced herself with her hands in the mud to regain her balance.
This wasn't the same sensation she'd had before. Something was wrong. More wrong than ever. A ripping sensation tore through her chest and splayed across her back. Like a martyr on a cross, her arms flew out wide, and her head was thrown back to look heavenward. The skin of her face pulled taut as her neck craned up and her jaw fell slack. Her mouth caught in an "O" of horror, but allowed no sound to escape. Her body trembled. Her arms were trees boughs billowing in the wind, while her body continued to rock back and forth. Finally, she took in a giant gulp of air with a loud gasp and crumbled back to the ground. On her stomach, she lay still, frozen except for fevered panting.
The rain subsided and sunlight broke through the clouds to shine upon Agrippine's face. The grey clouds melted away to reveal the bluest sky she'd ever seen, though she could barely see much through her squinted eyes, which teared from the brightness of the sun. The most beautiful spring weather replaced the rain with warm breezes and a soft scent of lilac. After a few minutes of paralysis, Agrippine curled into the fetal position and whimpered uncontrollably. Her sobs now paired with those of the small men to create a chorus of sadness that hovered in the alcove.
"What have I done?" Agrippine whispered, her body quaking with the forcefulness of her tears.
She used all the energy she had left to push herself to a sitting position and then swiped at the wetness upon her face with her dirty hands. She fumbled to reach for her satchel, which only laid a few paces away, and pulled from the bag the familiar metal that felt like ice in her grip. She extended the mirror in front of her face. Still reflected was her misshapen face, her horrible skin, her pronounced brow. She looked exactly the same. She remained very still. No joy. No sobbing. No disgust or delight. Instead, she stayed frozen. In spite of her lack of change, she knew, without a doubt, that, for the first time, the spell had not gone wrong. She had not made an error in its execution.
She allowed the mirror to fall out of her hands. With a sideways glance, she watched the brothers curl their small bodies over the motionless form of their sleeping sister. By this time, the littlest one had stirred from the earlier blow and was welcomed into the circle of mourning, supported by the biggest one with red hair. He still had some blood on his face, but his color was returning, and she could see that he too was crying.
A jolt of pain caused her to grab a hold of her chest. She clutched one hand to her heart and the other she extended, almost as a plea for help. In spite of the stinging pulses radiating through her body, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the brothers and their grief. It seemed the more she witnessed their heartache, the more her body wrenched and wretched. She could not stop the spasms nor could she hold back the tears. A lifetime of tears spilled from her eyes, tears she had so rarely cried before, and never for anyone but herself.
As much as she willed herself to, she couldn't run away. She wanted to hide her eyes and avoid it all, but she was fixed in place. It was a horrific, violent scene, like one she used to look upon with gross satisfaction and wicked delight. But now, it made her sick, physically and mentally disgusted.
Before she could stop herself, a pulsing lump moved up from her core and spilled itself out of her mouth in the form of a voice she did not recognize. "I… I'm so sorry."
The men turned toward the queen, momentarily taking their attention away from their lifeless sister.
"I…oh God, what have I done?" she repeated. "I… I have to take it back. I have to make it right."
The one Genevieve called 'Sib,’ the one who had stood up for her so valiantly before her death, yelled, "You can’t take it back!"
"Yes, I… I must. I don't know what is happening to me, but I cannot live with myself. I cannot look on what I've done. I cannot look at this blood upon my hands. I cannot watch you weep. I am sick with… remorse."
And with these words, Sib's eyes sparked with wonder. "You see? You misunderstood your spell the whole time. It was never talking about her physical beauty.… Don't you get it?" He whispered, almost in amazement, "You misunderstood."
"No, I am just as ugly as I was before her death, but now, I do not care. For some inexplicable reason, I don't care if I stay ugly all the rest of my days. My face will match the hideousness of my heart." She gasped. Agrippine clasped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with bewilderment. "Her face was never the piece of her that held her beauty, or her power. Oh, dear God, how could I have been so blind?"
"I tried to tell you," Sib said, maintaining his distance as he scolded her. "Tried to warn you. You wouldn't listen, and now it's too late."
"It can't be too late. I can fix this." She scrambled for the mirror at her feet. "I didn't listen. I didn't heed your warnings. I was selfish and interpreted your words to promote my own desires. But I was wrong. Mother, invoke a prophecy, please tell me what I can do. This time, I will listen." Agrippine's desperate voice was shaky and full of sorrow. In her hand, she held the promise of an answer, the promise of salvation. The familiar low tone of her mother's voice rang through the silent forest.
Misgivings there were 'bout your changing
But it's true you've transformed for the best
Though I fear it's too late for a redo,
a new course of action may I suggest.
* * *
Return to your kingdom a-righted
with new light within you, shine bright
and help all of your people to flourish
then you'll live out the good of Snow White.
* * *
The girl sacrificed for your saving,
an impossible task, don't you see,
that in spite of the evil you showed her
she died to save her enemy.
* * *
Today is the day of your rebirth
so be prudent in how you proceed hence
each choice you now make will define you,
let a new life of love here commence.
"I will, I swear it. I will be loving and kind. More generous and patient. No more will I think only of myself, and it will be as if Snow still lived with us. By my effort to share her goodness and love, she will live on.” Agrippine raised her eyes to meet Sib's. She glanced at the other brothers, still propped around the beautiful child. "You will never know the extent of my remorse. And for your loss, I am wholeheartedly sorry. Please tell me if there is anything you need or want, and I swear on my life, it is yours."
"There is nothing you can give us that can fill the void of her absence," Sib said. "We will go on without our sister, without our brother, Grog, and we will try to rebuild what we've lost. I hope you live up to your promise so her death is not in vain. She deserves at least that."
"On my life, it shall be done."
She took one final look at the girl, and in a last-ditch effort to right her wrong, she pulled the feather from her pocket.
Under her breath she said,
Anima transfigurare eam Transform her soul
nam nunc suus liberum for now she's free
cum ea habitaturus amant to live out her love
usque in finem dierum until the end of days.
She swiped the dagger's blade with her finger, and a drip of blood coated the tip. She ran the sticky liquid up the rachis of the feather's quill, rubbed the barbs between her fingers, and then let it fall to rest in her palm. A cool breeze swept through and took the feather. Agrippine watched it
dance in the air before it disappeared out of sight.
And with no more to exchange between them and no more to be done, Agrippine grabbed the mirror, stuffed it into her satchel, and headed for home.
33
Sunlight kissed every corner of the kingdom. The trees were in full bloom, and the flowers were as fragrant as ever. It had been two weeks since Genevieve's death, and after mourning the loss of the princess, Agrippine commenced her new charge by bestowing the people with food and fresh water. She worked day and night to improve the living and working conditions in the villages, and the kingdom, at long last, thrived under Agrippine's new rule.
The people danced in the streets. They wassailed in the windows of the sun’s golden rays. They relished in the new delights and blessings granted to them by the changed Queen. Agrippine, still in her hideous form, was made to explain her new appearance to her court, leaving out several key parts so as to not incriminate herself for her crimes. She couldn't confess it all, especially not her magic. She made sure to explain herself and the situation well enough so that she could resume her position as Queen. Not for her initial motives of power and glory, but for something greater.
Her bedchamber, ordinarily shielded from the light and joys of the day, was flooded with the warmth of the summer sun. She threw open the thick curtains to reveal a magnificent view she had never appreciated before. She stepped out onto her balcony for the first time since she arrived to Arcana, and inhaled a long deep breath. The sweet scent of cherry blossoms, lilacs, fresh grass, and honeysuckles whispered through the temperate breeze. Her mind buzzed, and her heart felt light. And for the first time, maybe ever, she felt content.
