The Allergic Queen (Snow White, Disney animated) Updated Jan 24

[Chanel_no5]

***Note***

It was bound to happen.

There will be some parts without sneezing, as this story, unlike most my sneezefics, has something of an actual plot. Also, I’m aware that it’s kind of dorky in the beginning, but it is a fairytale and they are allowed to be dorky.

Summary: The Queen has bad allergies and finds out about an elixir that can heal every health condition there is. She decides to find it. Adventure happens. Emotions grow. Yup, it’s going to be femslash. Don’t worry though. Snow White is 18 in this fic. Also, in the Disney version, the Queen’s name is Grimhilde. I just can’t stand that name, so I took the liberty of changing it. Since the story is set somewhere in Germany and somewhere around the 16th century, I gave her the name Marleyn (Marlene), which apparently was an existing female name in Germany in the 16th century. But that’s about as far as my actual research goes.

Fun fact: back in medieval times, the female name Marlene was sometimes spelled “Merlin”. Make what you want of it.

***

Part 1

The Queen had recently returned from a visit to a nearby kingdom, a two day travel on horseback. She usually suffered the consequences for a day or so afterwards, but this time it was worse than ever. She had been awake all night with a constant need to sneeze, but to her frustration she hadn’t been able to carry out the action. The itchy congestion made it impossible for her to breathe through her nose. But she could live with the discomfort; there were plenty of other unpleasant things she could suffer through, such as high heels and corsets among other things… but what this did to her beauty was unforgivable. Unbearable. She was tired of this, and when she stepped up to her magic mirror, the question on her mind was different from her usual one.

“Magic mirror that all truth sees,

Tell me why I need to sneeze.”

She could have sworn the mirror smirked, but that couldn‘t be, could it? No, of course not. That was her imagination running wild. Stupid.

“The hair of a horse and flowers in bloom,

Are two of the things that your nose calls its doom.

The condition is rare, but won’t always be

One day in the future it’ll be named allergy.”

“Allergy,” she snorted in utter disgust. The very word sounded itchy. A sneeze teased her nose and she clutched her handkerchief in tired resignation, but before she had time to raise it to her face, the sneeze decided to withdraw. Only for the time being, surely, but she was grateful for every moment of respite.

“Whatever the name it’s just getting worse,

What can be done to break up this curse?”

She ran her knuckles under her nose, against better judgment - the relief would only be temporary and no powders in the world would hide the redness - and sniffed thickly while she waited for the response.

“Beyond the forest and mountains and fields

By the end of the rainbow is the potion you need

But only a woman who’s not given birth

May enter the valley and its secrets unearth.”

The Queen frowned. Perhaps it was the distracting congestion that muddled her thinking, but she didn’t understand. And she really didn’t feel like guessing riddles at the moment. She made a cutting gesture with her hand to show she wasn't in the mood for drawn-out poetic answers.

“Reveal to me the potion’s name.”

“It has been called the Elixir of Sunrise.”

She had read about it somewhere, but that was a long, long time ago. And that had been in a fairytale book. Still… isn’t there a thread of truth holding each lie together? The Queen’s experiences had taught her so. What had those old stories told about this elixir? There was something about… Oh, her nose was so tickly she could hardly think at all.

“Heeiigtthhh! IgtSSCH! Huh…huh-ISSCCHHew!”

As the spirit in the mirror faded, she was horrified to see her reflection. Eyes puffy and eyelids red, nose swollen and pink as a rose. Some watery moisture trickled down onto her upper lip and she moaned with disgust as she wiped it off with her handkerchief. She had to get her hands on that elixir. She had to.

***

She rushed down the stairs, brushed through the dungeons and into her laboratory. She slammed the door shut and immediately started going through the oldest books that were piled on a shelf in a corner. In the bottom of the pile she found the one she was looking for; “Legends Lost In Time”. She opened it and blew away a thin layer of dust. Her breath began to hitch almost immediately as the dust swirled up into her face. Usually, dust never bothered her nose, but it was so sensitive at the moment she sneezed almost before she had recognised the sensation.

“EEIIISSCHH!”

She held her breath and waited for the next two - she tended to always sneeze in threes - but although still tickly, her nose seemed to be out of tricks. She raised an eyebrow in surprise at this unusual break of pattern, and went back to searching the book for the information she needed. She eyed the pages impatiently; Excalibur… Truth-Telling Mirror - she smirked upon seeing that one; she had gotten possession of that mirror almost twenty years ago - Fountain of Youth… she had done a lot of research to find that one, but had eventually been forced to accept it was just a myth.

“Ah, here it is! The Elixir of Sunrise.”

She read what little there was on this mythical potion. According to legends, it could indeed heal any injury, disease or wound, and it could reverse a “death that the sun had not set upon.” It was said to be kept by the end of the rainbow, in the valley where unicorns had dwelled in the old days. Only women who had not had their first child could enter. The Queen had obviously preferred to send someone else, but there was only enough for one person, and she could trust none of these servant girls. However, she had never carried a child and that meant she could go herself. But alone? She did know a bit of magic, and she had some skills with both sword and bow, but she knew a woman travelling alone would be at risk, Queen or not. Besides, she was not keen on having to do chores such as cooking herself. She needed a travelling companion, a childless woman who could do the servant’s chores and who would not betray her. Someone with a pathetically kind heart.

The Queen smirked.

“Snow White.”

***

To be continued, with lots more to come.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Chanel_no5

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

Woo! This is the first installment of what is sure to be a stunningly good story! (I would know, having had the honor and privilege of beta-ing it.) I'm so excited rn. Chanel has done an EXCELLENT job on this one, y'alls are really going to love it.

[MissMercy]

Yummy! *drools* I always love your work Chanel.

[Indescribable]

You are absolutely amazing, Chanel!! I love it already

[HPG]

I love the rhymes!

[BikermousefromMars]

this is very well-written! :3 i've always loved disney's snow white, and seeing any story with any characters is a delight

[Chanel_no5]

Woo! This is the first installment of what is sure to be a stunningly good story! (I would know, having had the honor and privilege of beta-ing it.) I'm so excited rn. Chanel has done an EXCELLENT job on this one, y'alls are really going to love it.

Awww, thank you!! Your encouragement really helps! Thanks girl!

Yummy! *drools* I always love your work Chanel.

Thank you!!

You are absolutely amazing, Chanel!! I love it already

Awww, thank you so much!!

I love the rhymes!

Thank you! I spent a ridiculous amount of time getting them to work and then I hated them myself. So it's great to know someone liked them!

this is very well-written! :3 i've always loved disney's snow white, and seeing any story with any characters is a delight

Thanks! I had hardly thought about that movie for years, until I decided to go on a Disney classics spree a few months ago. And whoa..!

Alright, so, here is, freshly edited, part 2. Still with... lots to go. Enjoy!

***

Part 2

***

“May I ask a question?” Snow White asked as she spurred her horse to catch up with the Queen. The Queen was deeply unhappy with having to ride at all, but she was well aware that without horses it would take far too long to reach the destination.

“What?” she spat and wiped her nose.

“I wonder about this journey… why can’t you simply make a healing potion?”

The Queen felt her blood run cold at this casual question. Nobody knew about her secret room in the dungeons, nobody knew about her magic skills. Nobody could ever know. The dangers were too great.

“What makes you believe I can make potions?” she asked back.

“I just assumed, since you have all kinds of bottles, and jars, and books…”

“You have been in my laboratory?” Fury rose within her. She felt her hand twitching with desire to slap the girl. “Don’t tell me you have read my books!”

“Of course not, you know I can’t read. I was just curious to know why you’d want to go into those creepy dungeons all the time.”

“When was this?!”

Snow White suddenly realised that her stepmother was a lot more annoyed than usual. She swallowed hard.

“Three years ago. What’s the matter? I didn’t touch anything…”

Three years. She had known for three years. The Queen’s hands were shaking with relief as she took a deep breath. If Snow White had told anyone about her secret, she would already have been burned.

“Listen to me, child.” Not that child really applied to Snow White anymore, as she had turned eighteen this very spring. “You must promise me to never tell anyone about it. Never! Is that clear?”

Snow White turned her innocent doe eyes to her stepmother and nodded.

“I promise. But why?”

“Because if anyone finds out that I know magic, they will burn me at the stake. Alive.”

“No!”

“Yes. Yes, they will. Most people believe all magic is maleficium. I know a lot about the black arts as well, but…” she shrugged. “Magic is a tool. A tool can never be evil per say. It depends on how it’s used. However, superstitious people will always hunt down men and women who knows how to work magic.”

She pinched her nose and stifled a triple.

“Bless you,” Snow White said. The Queen sighed.

“You are going to wear out your voice if you plan on blessing me every time I sneeze. Now, about magic… I am not too skilled with healing potions, but I have tried a few. None of them worked. And there are no powders or creams that can disguise what it does to my face.”

“I think you’re more beautiful than ever.”

Snow White blushed when she realised what she had just said, and turned her gaze to the road ahead. The Queen gave her a curious look, but decided to give the topic a rest. Besides, her throat and nose was giving her a hard time. She took out her handkerchief and blew her nose, but she was so stuffed up it didn’t help at all. But the prickle inside her sinuses - behind her cheekbones, even - increased.

“Heiihhh… iiiiSSCHew! Huh-ISSCHH! Hah-yiSSSCHh-ugh!”

She had only just opened her eyes after the last sneeze when the sensation returned and she drew in air in a harsh inhale and started over again;

“EeeeISSCCH! Heh-ISSCCHHuh! IiiSSCCHHew!“

Then, since her usual three clearly weren’t enough to put an end to the miserable tickle, she finished with a viciously loud and throaty;

“HEERSSSCCHOO!”

Snow White gave her a shocked glance, but the Queen did not acknowledge it. The final sneeze had certainly done something to the congestion and she was now dealing with a nose that dripped like a rainfall.

“Do… do you want to stop for a while? Get away from the horses?” Snow White asked.

“Yes,” the Queen said, halted and dismounted quickly, pressing the handkerchief against her nose to keep it from running all over her face. She simply let go of the reins and hurried to the riverside. Snow White brought both horses away from her and tied them to a tree. She then awkwardly approached the sniffling Queen and sat down on the grass beside her, not looking directly at her.

The Queen felt like her nose was filling up faster than she could possibly empty it. The handkerchief was soaked through, and she wondered how to get out of the predicament with her dignity intact. She had completely forgotten to grab a fresh one from their luggage. Unbeknownst to her, Snow White watched her struggle, sympathy making her heart swell in her chest. Finally she slid over, gently took the soggy cloth from the Queen’s hands and replaced it with her own handkerchief. The Queen gave her a grateful nod, and to Snow White it was worth everything in the world. A pleased sigh escaped her and she leaned back on the grass and watched the clouds.

Her unlikely travelling companion had doubled over and sneezed violently into the fresh handkerchief.

“IiiiSSCCHHew! Heh-yISSCCHH! EEEYIISSSCCHH! Oh, this has to stop!”

After a while though, the most acute reaction seemed to taper off. Snow White sat up and glanced over at the Queen, who was lying down on the grass herself. Her swollen eyes were closed. Snow White was just about to say something when the Queen gave a very un-queenly snore. The princess nearly laughed but managed to hold it back. She didn’t want to wake the poor woman, she must be exhausted. Snow White took her cloak off and put it over the Queen’s sleeping body. The Queen rolled over with another snore, but her face was graced with a smile. Snow White realised that it was the first time she had ever seen the fearsome Queen smile at all. It made her so beautiful Snow White's heart ached. More, it made her look younger. In fact, it made her look Snow White’s age.

***

The Queen slept soundly for more than two hours, and when she woke up she felt better. Well enough to be able to smell the food and the smoke of the fire.

“Hello,” Snow White said. “I got a fire going. Would you like some soup?”

“Soup would be lovely.” She winced at how hoarse she sounded. Snow White gave her a sympathetic glance.

“How are you feeling?”

“That is none of your business,” the Queen snapped and regretted it immediately. This wasn’t the castle, where she constantly had to keep up appearances to make absolutely sure nobody questioned her authority. This was the middle of nowhere with Snow White, and although she was a threat to her position as the fairest in the land, the girl had no personal interest in hurting her stepmother. She truly was kind.

“You’re right. It was rude of me to ask,” Snow White said, without sarcasm. She handed the Queen a bowl of soup and sat down in hurt silence. The Queen endured it for a while, then heaved a loud sigh.

“No, I was rude, and I apologise. But I don’t wish to talk about how I feel.”

“Of course.”

They ate in silence for a while, then Snow White asked;

“Shall we set up camp for the night here? It is a good spot, near the river and all.”

“Very well. To be honest I really don’t feel like going near the horses anymore this day.”

“I figured.”

The Queen looked away and smiled inwardly for reasons she did not understand. For the first time in twenty years, she wasn’t thinking about her appearance, but how she felt inside. And the feelings were confusing and strong, but not entirely unpleasant.

***

[Blah!?]

Ooh, the plot thickens... And there may or may not be evil afoot. Or just emotions, but that's the same thing, really.

Also, since I didn't leave a comment for part 1:

“Magic mirror that all truth sees,

Tell me why I need to sneeze.”

In spite of the character saying it, this is just such a sweet little fairy tale thing. Yet again, I'd rather like to steal it...

[Chanel_no5]

Ooh, the plot thickens... And there may or may not be evil afoot. Or just emotions, but that's the same thing, really.

Also, since I didn't leave a comment for part 1:

“Magic mirror that all truth sees,

Tell me why I need to sneeze.”

In spite of the character saying it, this is just such a sweet little fairy tale thing. Yet again, I'd rather like to steal it...

Emotions and evil are the same thing, yes. I agree fully.

And thank you. You are most welcome to steal it if you like.

So, while being exhausted from a trying day, I had some time to sit down and do some editing, meaning I'll post part 3 right away. This part contains some fighting. Nothing too graphic, but I wanted to give a heads up. If you can't stand to read about moderate amounts of blood or moderate violence, don't read this. Though if you can handle watching an animated movie where someone demands that her stepdaughter's heart gets cut out, you can handle this.

***

Part 3

The following five days went on pretty much eventless. When the Queen’s allergic response became too intense for her to handle, they set up camp. Snow White tended to the horses while the Queen tended to her sore and irritated nose. They ate, slept and moved on. They did not run into any people. Snow White asked the Queen if there even lived people out here in the wilderness. The Queen had huffed at Snow White’s naivety, but she was starting to wonder herself. She knew she should have been grateful; less risk of being attacked or seen at her least flattering looks. But it only made her uneasy. While she kept her subjects perfectly suppressed, there were some people - most of them men - in the Royal Court that she did not trust. If they had decided to send someone after them, to kill her and seize power, there was little she could do. Snow White had no skills in fighting whatsoever, and while she was a decent fighter herself, she would not be able to hold her own against several men trained for battle. She tried to push the very thought away, but it kept coming back, like a premonition rather than a random worry.

On the sixth day, it happened.

***

The Queen had been suffering not so silently for the past two miles or so, but she wanted to get out of the dark forest before they set up camp. Shadows seemed to grow tall around them, possibly hiding enemies, and she had a bad feeling about the whole place. It was eerily quiet, the silence only interrupted by her own sniffling and sneezing, and Snow White’s occasional blessings.

“Shall we stop for the evening here?” Snow White asked. The Queen desperately wanted to say yes, but she shook her head.

“IikktSSCh! Hih-ESSCHew! No… I ha-have… hah… EISSCHHuh-ah! Have a bad feeling about this forest… heh… heh-iggSSChh! KtSSCChuh! HUH-ISSCCHEW!”

She rubbed her nose without bothering how red and chafed it would make her nostrils. They twitched with yet another approaching fit of sneezes and she would have welcomed it if it gave her any relief. But each sneeze only made her poor nose itch even more. Though she really should have known better, she patted her horse. She was grateful her near-constant sneezing didn't upset the steed.

“I feel a tad uneasy myself. Then perhaps we should make haste?”

“Yes. Let's use up whatever daylight we have left.”

They spurred their horses into gallop. They did not see the three armed men that tracked them from a safe distance.

***

The two women had set up camp and Snow White tended to the horses. The Queen stayed by the fire, nervously looking into the darkness. She would have hated to admit it, but she was worried about Snow White. A creaking sound from somewhere outside of the light cast by the fire made her jump, and she reached for the sword at her belt.

“Snow White?”

Silence. True, she did tie the horses quite some distance away from the camp, but she should have heard her.

“Answer me!” she called out a little louder.

“Yes, my Queen,” a male voice said from behind her. “You rode hard. We were afraid we wouldn’t catch up with you.”

She pulled out her sword and spun around, but a pair of strong hands grabbed her from the shadows and she was captured before she could fight back.

“Look at this,” one of the men said. He grasped her wrist and twisted it, forcing her to let go of the sword. “Isn’t that thing too heavy for such delicate hands, Your Highness?”

The two other men laughed roughly. Her initial fear turned into anger at the sound of it.

“Let go of me. I command you!”

“She commands us, did you hear that, men? You know what I see, Your Majesty? I see a delicate, fragile little woman, far into the wilderness with only a servant girl for company, armed with a sword she’s too weak to hold. I see nothing ‘commanding’ about this woman whatsoever.”

“Never send a woman to do a man’s work,” the man holding her filled in. “The land would fare much better under a King. Not some self-absorbed doll such as yourself. And we know just how to fix that, don’t we?”

One of the men, with a big red beard, leaned forward and looked her in the eyes while he pulled out a dagger.

“Nobody will ever know what happened. But of course it was inevitable; two frail women alone, anything can happen.”

“You wouldn’t dare. That is high treason and punishable by death!”

“Who would catch us?”

She had no answer to that. Besides, her itchy nose was driving her mad. She was going to die with an itchy nose. Suddenly that seemed worse than death itself. She prayed Snow White would at least stay away from the scene, to avoid being captured. She held her head high. If death was to be demanded of her, then she would die with dignity.

“Wait,” one of the men said. “She is indeed the fairest one of all. Why don’t we take advantage of such beauty before we snuff it out?”

The Queen paled.

“Hmm,” the one with the drawn dagger said. “I really don't have a taste for that, but a fate worse than just a quick death? Yes, yes, I think our wicked Queen deserves just that.”

He leaned forward again, his face only inches from hers.

“Don’t you agree, Your Highness?” he grinned.

At that moment the Queen sneezed, a messy, rapid triple, right into his face.

***

He backed off in surprise and disgust, stumbled over his own feet and fell backwards. The one holding the Queen’s arms behind her back let his grip loosen for just a moment, but that was all she needed. She pulled free and picked up the sword, pointing it at the throat of the fallen man - the man she correctly assumed was their leader.

“You sneezed on me!” he screamed.

“Oh come now, a big strong man such as yourself, afraid of a girl’s germs. It’s pathetic.”

“Get her!” he cried out, but his two companions seemed to have lost their will to fight. He turned his gaze back at her, saw the stony determination in her eyes, and pleaded; “Don’t hurt me, Your Highness. I beg you.”

“How sad it is to see the courage of a warrior fail him,” she said and thrust the sword through his chest. She turned around to deal with the other two, but she was afraid her nose would get the best of her before she could take them out. In fact, her breathing had already begun to hitch.

Oh, please, not now, she begged, but her allergic nose had no mercy on her.

“HeeiiggSSCCHh! HeISSCCHew! Huh-erISSSCCHHO!”

Something struck her cheek so hard she stumbled to the side and into the trunk of an oak tree.

“You will bleed dry for what you did to my brother,” a rough voice growled before she was struck again. The pain was overwhelming. The two men were over her. Swords were not ideal for fights with this close contact, but she managed to strike a blow into one of the men’s stomach. He clutched the wound and staggered back into the darkness, away from the light of the fire, but not before she could see blood spewing from his mouth. He was out. But in the meanwhile, the last man managed to grab her wrists and pin them to the tree. He grinned, showing his few remaining teeth.

“Time to say goodbye to this life, Your Majesty”, he snarled… and then his eyes bulged out and his face froze into a mask of pain, before he slowly fell to his knees before her. An arrow jutted from his back. She stared at this, unbelieving, until a listless voice from the darkness startled her.

“I didn’t dare to shoot earlier. I was afraid I would hit you.”

Snow White came into sight, holding a bow. She looked strained yet composed.

“How are you?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” the Queen replied in a chilly voice.

Then her knees buckled and she began to cry.

***

Snow White sat by the fire, gently rocking her stepmother in her arms. The Queen had fallen asleep, but she was clinging to Snow White for dear life even in sleep. A large purple bruise was forming on her cheek where the men had hit her, and it stood in a shocking contrast to her pale skin. Before falling asleep - which she did so fast it seemed more like fainting - she had asked Snow White how she got so skilled with the bow.

“Your huntsman taught me. It was only meant for fun.”

“Lucky for me you had some fun, then. You saved my life.”

“But I killed that man.”

“Bless your kind heart, Snow White, but sometimes you can’t spare others, for your own protection. Do you know what he was going to do to me? And to you too, I’m sure, if he had found you?”

“No…?”

The Queen had explained it to her. Snow White had listened in silence and when the Queen had finished, Snow White’s eyes filled with tears.

“Was he really going to do that?” she had whispered.

“Yes. But think no more of it now, child, it’s over. We’re both safe and sound. Thanks to you.“

She had looked Snow White in the eyes with an unusual spark of emotion, before lying down and falling asleep.

Snow White looked down at the sleeping woman whose head was resting on her lap. There was something about her that made Snow White’s heart ache. She stroke a coil of raven hair from the Queen’s bruised face. Child, she had called her. Did she really think of Snow White as a child? She hoped not. She knew she was quite naïve and inexperienced, but what could you expect, she was never allowed outside of the castle.

“Mylady,” she said softly.

“Mm,” the Queen replied, still asleep or as close to it as humanly possible.

Snow White thought about what to say, and ended up being quiet. She didn’t really want the woman she admired the most to confirm that she was…

“.. merely a child.”

“Hmmm? What did you say?”

“Nothing, my Queen. Go back to sleep.”

Silence. And then a loud snore. Snow White grinned in spite of herself.

If she only knew she's most beautiful when she doesn't try to be.

***

[ThePokeFan599]

Won...der....ful!

[Indescribable]

I had to come back and reread it more than once, because it's that phenomenal!!

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

This is lovely! I can't wait to read more

[Chanel_no5]

Won...der....ful!

Thank you!

I had to come back and reread it more than once, because it's that phenomenal!!

Aww, thank you so much!

This is lovely! I can't wait to read more

Thank you! More is on the way...!

Right, so I managed to get some time to myself to do some editing today. Here is the next part. There is still a lot more to go, and I'll try to find some time in between my NaNoWriMo project and general life to edit and post more, though perhaps not more than one update a week. Damn but life can get busy when you least expect it...

***

Part 4

“ISSCCHEWW! HehISSCCH! AHH-ISSCCHHO!”

“It‘s bad today, I take it?”

“It’s… it’s… iESSCHH! No worse tha-than… hahh… hah-ISSCCH! Hah-hihh-nntSSCCHUh! Than usual. Huh-kTSSCHh! IkkTSSCHH! HeIISSCCHOO!”

“No?”

“No.”

The Queen blew her nose violently, almost as if she wanted to punish it for the torment it brought to her.

“Somehow I doubt that’s the truth,” Snow White said, folding her arms across her chest. She could hardly believe she was acting like this towards the intimidating Queen, but after having her snoring on her lap, she wasn’t as terrifying anymore.

“You doubt the word of your Queen?”

“In this matter, yes, I do. Perhaps we should rest today. Our pursuers have met their demise, and does one day more or less really matter?”

The Queen looked at the horses and tried to imagine a whole day in their immediate presence the way she was feeling today, and closed her bloodshot eyes in defeat.

“Very well. Hehh-iSSCHh! Heh-ISSCHEW! We stay one more night h-here… eeeyISSCCHH!”

“Good decision. You look aw….”

Snow White cut herself off as soon as she heard what she was about to say, but the Queen spun around on her heels and glared at her over the handkerchief.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What do I look like?”

Snow White did not respond.

“Awful, was that the word? HeeiiSSCCH! AhISSCCH! HeetSSCH!”

The sneezes sounded hurried, as if she was trying to get them out as fast as possible to be able to keep talking.

“Was that the word?” she insisted, her hand reaching for the sword. “You tell me right… heh… hehh… hehhigSSCH! HehISSCCH! Uh-eGTSSCCH! This… instant… AH-ISSCCH! HahIKTSSCCHO! Huh… huhh… Oh this cursed nose…! Hah-AESSCCHHaah!”

Snow White’s eyes widened in shock when she saw the older woman reaching for the sword. She knew her stepmother was obsessed with her beauty, but this was beyond obsession. This was madness.

“Listen to yourself!” she cried out.

“Listen…?” the Queen snorted. “To what? To the… eh… eh-ISSCCH! Hehhh… s-sn… hiiihh-ISSCCHeew! IiikTSSCCHUH! Sneezing that makes me look awful?!”

“Please…” Snow White pleaded. “I only meant that you must be exhausted.”

The Queen probably would have persisted, if her allergic fits hadn’t been so intense she couldn’t speak, much less argue. And much, much less handle a weapon. Snow White fell to her knees before the Queen.

“I beg your forgiveness for choosing my words recklessly.”

“Very well. You are forgiven,” the Queen managed to get out before another sneeze attack overtook her. She dropped the sword on the ground and walked away, rubbing her nose furiously with both hands. Snow White rose to her feet and gazed after her as she went. It had never occurred to her just how insecure the seemingly stone-hearted Queen truly was.

***

The Queen stared at the river through itchy, watery eyes. She wasn’t certain if the tears that trickled down her cheeks were entirely to blame on allergy. She was struggling with a turmoil of conflicting emotions. Ever since she was a child, the only thing anyone ever noticed about her was her beauty. It was her entire identity. If she lost that… the ground would shake and break apart under her feet. She knew she’d eventually lose the fight against time, her looks would fade and she would no longer be the fairest one of all. She could try to compete by simply killing off all the younger girls that were prettier, but in the long run, it would be no use. Well. The day she could no longer be the fairest even through cold-blooded murder, she would simply reveal her skills in black arts and her subjects would burn her at the stake. She would go down in history.

But she didn’t want to die. The thing was that if she wasn’t beautiful, she wasn’t sure who she was. What living was. If she wasn’t the most beautiful, she had no purpose in the world. And there was the provokingly innocent Snow White telling her she looked awful. If the girl only knew how much that word hurt, how much it frightened her…

“Yes, but she did not know,” she said out loud and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “She did not.”

“Who did not know what?” Snow White said from behind her. The Queen jumped.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” She put a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “What is wrong? Can you tell me? I want to understand.”

“Why?” she said. “Why, in God’s name, would you care?”

“Because I do care. I said something that was received much differently from what I intended. I want to know why, so I can avoid it in the future. Yes, I meant to say awful.”

The Queen tensed.

“But I did not mean ugly. You could never be ugly. You truly are the most beautiful woman that ever lived. What I meant was that you suffered, I saw that you suffered, and I wanted to spare you from it. What made you believe I meant you‘re ugly?”

“Look at me, Snow White. What am I?”

“Beautiful.”

“What else?”

“A Queen.”

“What else?”

Snow White gave her a shy, confused glance and shrugged a little as if to indicate she wasn’t sure what she was expected to say. The Queen nodded and turned her eyes back to the river.

“That’s precisely what I meant. I am a beautiful Queen. That is all I am. All I have.”

Snow White mumbled something.

“Speak up. If you have anything worth saying, say it loud enough for people to hear, or say nothing at all.”

“I said… you have me.”

The Queen’s breath caught in her throat.

“Oh.”

She looked down at her hands and tried to come up with something to say, but her mind was blank. Snow White was equally silent, unsure of whether she had just made matters worse or if she had made amends, if only to a marginal extent. She decided to aim for further conversation. At least she could try.

“Truth to tell, I have always wanted to get to know you better. But you’ve never allowed me in. You always keep those walls up.”

“Why do you believe there is anything behind them? Perhaps surface is all there is to me.”

“No. I don’t believe that. There is more than surface to everyone.”

The Queen made a noncommittal sound. Snow White felt encouraged; at least she hadn’t been told off.

“Tell me something you like. Something you haven’t told anyone before.”

“I like thunderstorms. I enjoy watching the lightning, it makes me feel alive.”

“That’s interesting. I had no idea. Now tell me something you don’t like.”

The Queen surprised herself and Snow White by laughing out loud. It was a rather bitter laugh, but nevertheless.

“I don’t like being kissed,” she said and rolled her eyes. “In fact, I loathe it.”

“Why?” Snow White was intrigued and surprised. She had dreamed of what her first kiss would be like for years… she imagined it would be a wonderful, wonderful thing.

“Men and their facial hair… dry, rough lips… the smell of mead on their breath.” She made a grimace and shook her head. “And always so harsh and eager like disobedient puppies...”

“But it must be wonderful to kiss the one you love.”

“Love? Oh dear, I keep forgetting how naïve you are. Love does not exist. There is only lust, borne through vanity far greater than mine.”

“So you have never been in love with a man?”

The Queen looked her straight in the eye.

“No, I have not. Now change the subject or I will get up and leave.”

“Fine. What is it like to work magic?”

The Queen let out a hearty chuckle.

“Well, I must admit that was a complete change of subject. Magic… it is hard work. It’s not like a fairytale, where some fairy godmother does the work for you. You have to learn about herbs and potions, rituals and magic words. It takes a lot of practise and patience.”

“I have wanted to know more about it since I found out you knew so much. When we get back to the castle… could you teach me?”

“Now why would you want to learn about that? It’s a forbidden craft, you know.”

“Forbidden doesn’t always mean wrong.” Snow White’s brown eyes met the Queen’s green for several seconds before she looked away.

“No…” the Queen admitted thoughtfully. “No, it doesn’t. It surprises me you have given this so much thought.”

“Oh, I have given a lot of thought to a lot of things that convention does not approve of.”

“I am intrigued. Do tell.”

“Perhaps this is not the right moment.”

“Snow White,” the Queen warned. “May I remind you that it was you who initiated this conversation. You have no right whatsoever to withdraw only because its direction no longer pleases you. Now. Do tell me.”

Snow White sighed, but she smiled inwardly. She had never had a conversation like this; not with her stepmother, not with anyone. Jakob, the huntsman, had spoken to her like she was a person and not a porcelain doll, but he had only bothered with practical topics.

“Well…” she squirmed a little, but then decided to be bold. “Why can a man be a hunter or a warrior, but a woman can‘t?”

“Why? Would you like to fight in wars?” the Queen chuckled.

“No. But perhaps I would like for the choice to be my own, based on my skills, and not based on my body.”

“Hm.” The Queen acknowledged this with a tilt of her head and a swift hand gesture. “I see your point.”

“And why must a woman marry a man? Why can’t a woman marry a woman and a man marry a man?”

“To ensure that children are born, of course,” the Queen said.

“But what about orphans? Why can these couples not take in orphans and adopt them as their own children? It's not like adoption is completely unheard of..."

The Queen fell silent. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer.

“You certainly have given this a lot of thought. How come?”

Snow White looked away. The Queen reached out a hand and cupped Snow White’s chin, gently turning her face back towards her own.

“How come?” she repeated. “Choice again? Would you choose a wife over a husband if the laws allowed it?”

“Perhaps I would.”

The Queen raised her eyebrows.

“Would you now, really?”

“Perhaps,” Snow White replied and averted her eyes. “Are you feeling better now, Your Highness?”

The Queen pursed her lips for a moment and nodded.

“Indeed I am. Also, Snow White? No more of that Your Highness. Marleyn. It’s Marleyn.”

She smiled. Snow White suddenly felt dizzy. The Queen was a beautiful woman, but when she smiled like that, she looked like a goddess. It was that moment Snow White knew for sure that yes, she would marry a woman if she could. But not any woman. This one.

“Snow White?”

“Uh, um, yes?”

“I will teach you magic, if your heart is still set on it once we return to the castle.”

Snow White’s smile was so dazzling she had to look away. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest.

“I look forward to it,” Snow White said.

So do I, oddly enough, the Queen thought, but said nothing. She merely nodded, got up and brushed past Snow White, heading for where they kept the food supplies. She was in dire need of some wine.

***

[Chanel_no5]

I am so not friends with my NaNoWriMo story at the moment, so I decided to (temporarily) go back to this one which is much funnier to write/edit. There is still a lot, and I mean a lot, more of this story and I'll post it in the pace I have time to edit the text. Hope you guys like it! Reviews are most welcome, makes me feel like I'm not just talking to myself here.

***

Part 5

“I was wondering…” Snow White began. The Queen raised a hand in a “wait”-gesture and cupped the other hand over her mouth and nose.

“IkktSSCH! Tssch! KtSSChggh!”

“Bless you.”

“Will you please look away until I’ve cleaned myself up?” the Queen asked and sniffled. Snow White did as she was told, fiddling nervously with the hem of her skirt while the Queen blew her nose several times.

“It’s going to be lovely to be rid of this,” she sighed and nodded for Snow White to ask her question.

“I was actually wondering what it feels like. Is it like having a cold?”

“Yes… and no.” The Queen wiped her nose again and put the handkerchief down on her lap. “With a cold, you get a sore throat and a cough. I don't get those. My throat itch, but it’s not sore. However, my nose itches constantly. It’s runny and blocked at the same time. My eyes water and itch. And…” she gave a short, humourless laughter. “Well, I sneeze. A lot. As you might have noticed. That’s what it’s like.”

“I haven’t seen you this affected any time before.”

“I know. There are no horses inside the castle.”

“Fair point.”

“Mhm. But it has gotten worse over the past years, that is true.”

“It must be torturous.”

“It’s not a pleasure. And it’s hard to avoid; I do have to travel and can only do so by horse. I sometimes wonder if I should remarry only so I can stay at the castle and have the King travel.”

“Why would you marry again if you’re not in love?”

“There you go again. Love. It still doesn’t exist. Marriage is a practical agreement, and it would be practical for me to have someone else to send on travels. That would be the reason. However, it would also mean handing over my power to him, and I am not willing to do such a thing.”

She sighed and then an alarmed look crept into her face.

“Oh no, I need to sneeze again…”

Her breathing hitched in a tickly buildup, but it came to nothing. She sighed, frustrated.

“Ugh, I hate when this happens. I need to sneeze, but I can't.”

Snow White looked at the Queen’s tortured facial expression and wondered what she could do to help her. She picked a flower, but then felt uncertain if such a move was too bold. She held out the flower in a wordless inquiry. The Queen gave her a nod in the affirmative and motioned for her to come closer. Snow White swallowed. She wasn’t sure what to do, but tentatively held the flower underneath the Queen’s irritated nose.

“Can you… um, smell it?” Snow White asked in a nervous little voice. The Queen chuckled hoarsely.

“Dear child, I can’t smell anything,” she replied and shook her head. She took another laboured breath through her profusely stuffed nose and finally got enough of the pollen and scent into it to set her off. She tilted her head back, inflamed nostrils widening as her breathing hitched and quivered.

“Hehh…heh-iSSCHH! EEyIISSCCH! HEH-EESSSCHH! Oh my…” she nearly choked. “Get that thing away from me,” she coughed and buried her face into the handkerchief, sneezing over and over again. Snow White pulled back and threw the flower away; although with some regret. It was a pretty flower and its scent was heaven.

She glanced at the desperately sneezing Queen. It did seem however that for some, it was hell.

Snow White tuned out the sneezing and looked up at the sky; she did not care much for the look of those clouds. So far their journey had been graced with fair weather, but that seemed to be about to change. While her stepmother had expressed a delight in thunderstorms, Snow White did not like them one bit. It wasn’t exactly fear, only… well, alright, it was fear. No good lying to yourself. She suddenly felt like having some wine to calm her nerves. The Queen had so eagerly poured a cup for herself, but then she had been unable to drink it between the sneezing fits. She hadn’t offered Snow White any, but that wasn’t necessarily out of rudeness; the girl rarely touched the wine in the castle and she knew she might have given the impression that she didn’t like it. That wasn’t true, though. She did like wine. She wasn’t entirely certain she would be able to keep her thoughts within her head if she had any of it, though. The Queen seemed to be rather unaffected by the excessive truth-telling tendencies brought on by alcohol, but Snow White wasn’t. That didn’t stop her from wanting some at the moment.

“Mylady… um, Marleyn? Shall I make us something to eat?”

“No,” the Queen said and sniffled thickly. “Not for me. Bread will do just fine. I have no appetite.” She tried to smile. It made her sinuses hurt, but she did it nevertheless. “I saw you looking at the wine. Help yourself.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t…”

“Why not? You are a grown woman, as you have pointed out on several occasions.”

“H-have I?”

“Mm. Not in words, but in the glares you give me when I refer to you as ‘child’. Not to mention your brave rescue when I was captured. If you want wine, you go ahead and take it. If you do not want it, don’t let me pressure you into having any. And know this, should I refer to you as ‘child’ again, it‘s simply out of habit and you will be right to point it out to me.”

After this little speech, she took a sip of her own wine, swept her cloak closer around her body, and looked up at the sky as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist. She felt the younger woman’s eyes upon her and wished that Snow White would speak to her; anything would do. But Snow White only poured herself some wine and sat down in silence. The Queen felt disappointed. She didn’t know why.

A distant clap of thunder cut through the skies. The Queen smiled, dared a side-glance at Snow White, and stopped smiling. The girl was wide-eyed and paler than usual.

“Oh come now ch- Snow White, don’t tell me you are afraid of thunder?” She meant for it to sound light, joking, but it only sounded harsh and mocking. She winced inwardly, but Snow White didn’t seem to notice her tone at all. That was a good thing; she hadn’t had much practice in caring about other people’s feelings. And even more so, in how to let it show.

“I’m not afraid,” Snow White snapped. The Queen raised her eyebrows and tilted her head a little.

“You are not much of a liar, dear.”

“Well, I’m not really afraid,” Snow White protested. “I mean… it’s just so unprotected out here…”

“We’ll be fine,” the Queen cut her off.

“But only last summer, two of they Royal guards were struck down by lightning…”

“Yes, they were. Do you know why? Because those dust-brained fools thought that would be the perfect time to fly a kite!” She nearly groaned with contempt. “In my opinion that only proves that God dislikes stupidity,” she muttered to herself and took another sip of her wine.

“At the castle they said…” Snow White trailed off and blushed.

“They? Who are ‘they’? And what did ‘they’ say?”

“A couple of knights in the Court. They said… they said you were responsible for that lightning.”

The Queen laughed, a surprised and far from merry laughter.

“They thought I can control the weather? Such dangerous gossip must be punished. I will ask for names, and you will give them to me, do you understand?”

“Don’t hurt them!”

“Now why wouldn’t I?” She bared her teeth. “I wish I did control lightning. What a flashing death they would meet if I did.”

“I won’t give you any names,” Snow White said. Her voice trembled, but her eyes were steady.

“Very well then. I’ll just have to kill them all.”

“Why?!”

“Because defamation of character when it comes to Royalty is a crime that cannot be allowed to stand! Now will you give me the names of the guilty, or do you wish to have the blood of the innocents on your hands? It is the same to me.”

Snow White slowly shook her head.

“When compared to your cold heart, thunderstorms no longer seems very frightening,” she said, got to her feet, and walked away. The Queen stared after her with open mouth.

***

Queen Marleyn had expected Snow White to return soon enough, possibly even apologising. Apologising for being young and pure of heart, neither a thing that should be apologised for but often is.

Snow White however stayed away. The Queen was tempted to let her sulk until the approaching storm drove her back into their shelter, but she worried that she had indeed proven herself to be one step more frightening than thunder. Emptying her cup of wine, she stood and looked around. Snow White was nowhere to be seen, but she couldn’t be far away. She was much too loyal to run off for good.

She found the younger woman sitting on a low branch in a wild apple tree. The increasing wind nipped at her skirt and tousled her hair. The Queen searched for words and found none. After what felt like an eternity, Snow White broke the silence, not looking at her stepmother.

“You just don’t understand, do you?”

“Given that I have to ask what it is that I don’t understand, apparently not.”

“You… you hurt me. I love you so much and it hurts me when you prove to be so cold, so vengeful, so…”

“Wicked?” Her voice was soft and calm enough, but her inside was in turmoil. Her heart pounded madly in her chest. Love? Love? That was impossible!

“Wicked,” Snow White agreed and smiled bitterly. “I keep telling myself that I can find the heart you keep hidden within all these armours, but I’m losing hope. Perhaps you were right. Perhaps there is only surface to you.”

The Queen had never imagined it could hurt so much to hear those words. To hear them spoken with such hopelessness. She said nothing. She didn’t know what she could say.

“A beautiful surface, oh yes indeed. But… nothing to find beneath it but bitterness, disappointment, broken dreams…”

“What if you were right, though?” the Queen interrupted. “What if the heart you search for is there, but hidden and shielded for a reason?”

She stepped closer and held out her hands with palms upward.

“What if I told you I’m afraid?”

“Afraid of what?”

“Betrayal. Deception. Pain. I have been subjected to them all many times. I do not wish to experience that again.”

“I would never betray or hurt you.”

“How will I know for certain?”

“Well… you have to trust me.”

“The way I trusted those who did betray me?”

“I am not them.”

The Queen’s lips twitched slightly. It never became a real smile.

“I know. Will you return to the camp or will you stay here and get soaked? The rain is only minutes away.”

“I’m coming.”

She slid down from the tree and walked up to her stepmother. They left side by side. After only a few steps, Snow White stuck her hand into the Queen’s. The Queen stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. Snow White’s hand was soft and warm and seemed to radiate trust.

By the time they reached the camp, the first drops of rain had begun to fall. And their hands had somehow laced together in an unmistakingly tender gesture.

“What was that talk about love?” the Queen asked. Snow White blushed fiercely and looked away. “No, no, not like that. You spoke boldly earlier, I’d like to see that same boldness now.”

Boldness? Well, there was only one thing bold enough in this matter, to really show the Queen what she meant when she spoke of love, and Snow White did it. She leaned forward and reached up a little, as the Queen was taller, and kissed her, a bit clumsily but with a lot of emotion. Too late it occurred to her that the Queen had mentioned earlier that she loathed kissing. Snow White pulled back with tears of regret and embarrassment rising in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. The Queen stared at her. She was blushing so hard she thought smoke would rise from her cheeks as the rain hit her in the face, but her blush, unlike Snow White’s, was not from embarrassment but arousal.

“Sorry,” she exhaled. “Whatever for?”

And then she dove down in a near predatory manner and kissed Snow White back. She had never kissed or being kissed in a way that could even begin to compare to it.

Oh, so this is what it’s supposed to be like… no wonder people enjoy it so much.

Snow White’s hands locked behind her neck and pulled her down with a surprising strength. Queen Marleyn did not object for a moment.

Above them, lightning flashed, illuminating the scene of unexpected love.

***

[Indescribable]

Oh my gosh, Chanel!!! (my only coherent thought)

[Wildwood]

I shall take a moment to emerge from my hiatus to express my undying love for this fic. Chanel, nobody writes Disney pairings as fantastically as you do. (Except Maleval--I think, in that area, we're even. )

[Chanel_no5]

Oh my gosh, Chanel!!! (my only coherent thought)

I'm glad you still like it!

I shall take a moment to emerge from my hiatus to express my undying love for this fic. Chanel, nobody writes Disney pairings as fantastically as you do. (Except Maleval--I think, in that area, we're even. )

Awww, thank you dear. But when it comes to Maleval, you outdo me by lightyears, and that's the truth.

Okay, let's keep going. I still haven't made up with my NaNo story. grmbl. The good part about that is that this one will be priority instead. I quite like playing with the Wicked Queen. Who knew?

***

Part 6

“I never knew anything could be so wonderful…” Snow White said afterwards, when the whipping rain had driven them inside the tent. She had one of the Queen’s fur-lined cloaks swept around her, with nothing under it except for a full-body blush.

“Neither did I,” the Queen admitted. She was lying down underneath a blanket, drinking in the glorious sight before her.

“Is… is this love?” Snow White asked shyly. The Queen still only believed in lust, yet she spoke with no hesitation in her voice.

“Yes, I believe it is.”

But deep inside her dark and ragged heart, she was convinced that she was lying. And she would not think differently until it was too late. But for the time being, she wasn’t overly concerned with what she viewed mostly as semantics. Snow White called it love; she called it lust, what of it? They had enjoyed it equally. Given the bite marks and nail scratches on both their bodies, they had both tried their best to get underneath each other’s skin. And they clearly enjoyed lingering in each other’s company.

Another clap of thunder seemed to make the very ground shake. Snow White looked around as if she expected the tent to split in two.

“Thunder itself is not to be feared,” the Queen reminded her in a soft, warm voice she hardly recognised as her own. “Once you hear it, lightning has already struck. In a way, you could say that the thunderclap tells you danger is over.”

“If it wasn’t constantly followed by more,” Snow White mumbled. “Will you hold me? I feel much safer if you do.”

I doubt it if you are, though, the Queen thought, but held out her arms in a quiet invitation. Snow White shrugged out of the cloak and crawled into her embrace, leaning her head against the Queen’s chest.

“Tell me something,” she mumbled.

“Tell you what?”

“Something. A story. Something about your past. Tell me some facts about life. Anything. I just want to hear your voice.”

Silence.

“Marleyn?”

“I’m here. I… need to think.”

And she did. Most of her past, and most of the stories she knew were gruesome, blood-filled tales of revenge and ruthless power. Oh, but fine. She would tell Snow White a rather embarrassing but un-bloody event from her past.

“You saw my, um, reaction, to the flower earlier. When I was about your age, a suitor came to woo me. He had it in his mind that all girls loved flowers. The prettier the girl, the more flowers she needed.”

“Uh-oh,” Snow White giggled.

“You could say that. Well, he had servants practically stack flowers all over the banquet hall to make an impression on me when I arrived. I suppose you could say he did make an impression. Although not quite the one he intended to, I’m sure. I had only just entered the hall, escorted by two knights, when I saw this… this sea of vicious, purple plants, spreading their heavy scent everywhere. Truth be told, I felt like someone had just punched me in the nose, that was how strongly it smelled.”

She winced at the memory.

“My nose began to run and itch immediately. My eyes overflowed with tears and I was sniffling, in a desperate attempt not to sneeze. He came towards me and of course made the assumption that I was crying. That I had been so touched by his romantic gesture that it had brought tears to my eyes. And so he gallantly pulled out his handkerchief, bowed before me…”

She began to chuckle. Retelling it to someone who wouldn’t be disgusted made her see its humorous side.

“… and I sneezed all over the back of his neck. Needless to say, he was no longer as interested in asking my hand in marriage. Only it wasn’t my hand that was the problem. It was my nose. Ever the problem, really.”

Snow White wriggled in her arms until they were face to face. She smiled.

“I think your nose is adorable. Just like the rest of you.”

“You flatter me.”

“Oh I’m not trying to. I’m telling the truth.”

“I fail to see how you can find my nose adorable, though.”

“Mm…” Snow White murmured and reached out a hand, gently tracing her fingertip down the bridge of her lover’s slender nose. “It’s beautiful. But that’s beside the point. It’s adorable because it belongs to such a powerful, strong woman, and yet it’s sensitive and vulnerable.”

“A dent in my armour,” the Queen remarked, only half-joking. Snow White looked into her eyes, no longer smiling.

“No. A human streak in an other-worldly woman. I find that very captivating.”

The Queen felt a lump rising in her throat. Nobody had ever wanted her to be human to begin with.

“Well,” she said hoarsely. “I’m at a loss of words, dear.”

“You don’t have to say a word. All you have to do is kiss me again.”

She did.

It was even better this time.

***

Next morning, Snow White awoke first. She took a moment to look at the woman sleeping next to her. The purple bruise on her cheek was beginning to fade, but there were other, smaller bruises on the side of her neck, and those had not been placed there from violence. Snow White grinned to herself. Her lips felt swollen and bruised from all the kissing, so it was no more than fair that it should show on her lover’s skin as well.

She untangled herself from Queen Marleyn’s body, careful not to wake her, put on some clothes and went outside. The morning air was fresh and moist, but it seemed to promise a warm day. Snow White threw her arms around herself and danced around in a happiness too great to hold inside. There was nothing more she could wish for in life; Queen Marleyn loved her!

She more or less danced all the way up to where she had tied the horses, but then she stopped mid-step and looked around. There were no horses. Only torn harnesses. She would have cursed if she had such words in her vocabulary, but she didn't. The animals must have been scared by the thunder and disappeared some time during the night. She walked around the area looking for them, but found nothing but two sets of hoof prints leading back into the forest. Of course, two fine steeds like Adalhaid and Aldaric might just as well have been stolen. Whatever had happened, she saw no blood, but she saw no mounts either.

She returned to the camp and stuck her head inside the tent.

“We lost the horses. They must have been scared and run away.”

The Queen looked up from the hand mirror she held.

“Good,” she said.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I both mean it and do not mean it,” she said indifferently and reached for her hairbrush.

“What if they’re hurt?”

“Yes, what if? What can we do about that now?”

“There is that cold heart again.”

“No. I would be saddened to hear anything happened to either of them. They’re good horses, and a fine breed. Just because I’m allergic to them doesn’t mean I don’t like them. But there is nothing we can do when we don’t even know where they are; for all I know they can be miles away. If someone finds them I’m certain they’ll take them in.”

The corners of her mouth curled slightly upwards.

“Not everyone are as cold-hearted as I am, you know.”

“I’m sorry for saying that.”

“Don’t be. I had it coming.”

Snow White looked at the long pitch-black hair flowing through the Queen’s fingers as she brushed it. It was impossibly soft and shiny, even out here in the wilderness where cleaning it properly could be something of a difficulty.

“Do you want me to braid your hair for you?” she asked, her voice nearly catching in her throat. Queen Marleyn gave her an amused glance.

“Please do.”

Snow White ran her fingers through the smooth, silky cascade of night and began braiding it. The Queen exhaled slowly through her no-longer blocked nose.

"The valley is not much further. If had still had the horses, we might have reached it some time around noon today, but as it is, I believe we must use the entire day. I’m not sure of the terrain, but it should not be too difficult.”

“Well, we can’t carry the tent.”

“No, we can’t. So this night we’ll have to sleep under the stars.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Unless we decide to sleep in a field of flowers, yes. I will be perfectly fine.”

Snow White finished her handiwork and took a step back.

“There.”

“Thank you. Now have some breakfast while I collect the things we need to bring.”

Snow White didn’t move at all. Had she just heard the Queen volunteer to do a chore? Clearly she must have misheard.

“Go on, unless you want to stay hungry until high noon,” Queen Marleyn snarled and Snow White sprung into action.

***

Less than an half-hour later, they were on their way. Snow White had expected the Queen to complain about having to carry part of their luggage, but to her surprise, not a word reminding of a complaint fell from the older woman's lips. Nor did the extra weight seem to slow her down. In fact, she seemed to be in better shape than Snow White herself. Probably thanks to all the stairs in the castle.

“Don’t drag your feet,” she said over her shoulder.

I’m not dragging my feet. I’m trying not to die of exhaustion, Snow White thought and wiped sweat from her brow. I hope she runs into a flower so she slows down a little. But then she felt bad about wishing such a thing. Especially bad when it turned out her wish - like so many not entirely thought-through wishes do - came true only a few hours later.

***

[Wildwood]

This cliffhanger. I like it.

Edited November 8, 2014 by Deathly Sparkle

[Indescribable]

Oooh, cliffhanger!! I'm super excited

The relationship between them and the Queen's story are both wonderfully written. I look forward to every part of this, sneezing or not

[Chanel_no5]

This cliffhanger. I like it.

Hehe, I bet you do.

Oooh, cliffhanger!! I'm super excited

The relationship between them and the Queen's story are both wonderfully written. I look forward to every part of this, sneezing or not

Thank you so much! I'm really having fun writing their relationship, I even get jealous of them!

****

Well, I'm letting you off the cliff now. Quite a bit of sneezing in this part, so I hope you'll enjoy!

Part 7

The Queen halted so sudden that Snow White nearly walked into her.

“I refuse to believe this,” she hissed between gritted teeth.

Snow White looked past her and for a moment believed the ground ahead was covered in blood. Then she blinked and realised that it was merely red flowers. The field seemed to go on endlessly. There was no way around it either; to their right was the river, that had grown in size to the point where they could no longer see the other side as more than a vague haze of green and brown. And to their left was a mountain, its side reaching for the cloudless skies. Possibly even touching them.

“Perhaps those flowers aren’t the kind that affect you,” Snow White said, trying her best not to pant. The Queen’s eyes narrowed with annoyance as she surveyed the field ahead.

“No such luck. Those are Heartbreak flowers. They’re…

She subconsciously brought a hand to her nose and rubbed at it as if she was already feeling the tiny grains of pollen tickle its insides. She noticed it herself and let her hand fall back to her side. She shook her head.

“I can’t even begin to describe how miserably allergic I am to those.”

“I think I can imagine.”

“You are wrong. You may think you have seen me badly affected, but the past few days are nothing compared to what you’re about to see.” She sighed. “This is not going to be pretty.”

“Can we rest for a bit before we take on this?” Snow White begged.

“Of course.” She turned around to face the younger woman and had to bite her lip trying not to laugh at what she saw, but it was no use. “Oh dear. Tired, are we?”

Snow White didn’t bother commenting; the answer was obvious. She sat down - fell down was more like it, really - and leaned back against a small birch tree. She closed her eyes to shut out the harsh sunshine and sighed.

“I thought I was in better shape than this.”

“Hm, yes, well… I may have pushed you a bit too hard. I apologise. I’m just very eager to find this elixir.”

While speaking, the Queen wet a fresh handkerchief in water and dabbed it at Snow White’s brow. Snow White jumped.

“I’m sorry. Is it too cold?”

“No. No, it’s… it feels wonderful.”

“You should have said something sooner. It could be a heatstroke. Are you feeling nauseous? Light-headed? ”

“No. Just warm and tired.”

“Drink some water, but not too much at once. And go sit in the shadow. We can afford an hour’s rest, the field ahead isn't going anywhere.”

She glared at the flowers. They nearly seemed to laugh at her.

“Unfortunately.”

***

While Snow White rested, the Queen tried to prepare herself mentally for the torture that awaited her. She had never seen Heartbreak flowers grow in such abundance anywhere before; it was a weed that usually grew in small bunches on rocky or sandy grounds. It wasn’t a flower people used for decoration, which she had always been grateful for, but only brushing past them set her off. To wade through a quarter mile-wide field of them, well, that was a whole new level of hell.

She was tempted to give in and turn back. She really was. But she was so close to be rid of this condition and the horrible appearance it brought her, rid of it for good, she simply could not give up now.

Again she ran the back of her hand under her nose as if it was tickling. Maybe it was beginning already? No. It was just her imagination. It must be. But she could swear there was a slight, almost gentle tickle beginning to form inside her right nostril, like the brushing of a downy feather against delicate skin…

“Stop it,” she ordered herself. “No need to imagine the full extent of the disaster until it’s upon you.”

Also, she had other things to think about. This unexpected development with Snow White, for example. For someone so cunning, she really should have seen it coming, but she had been utterly clueless. She felt like she was acting like someone else; she didn’t feel quite like herself anymore. Not that it was a bad thing; she couldn’t remember feeling more content and alive before. But it was surprising. A bit unnerving. And there was the question of what would happen when they returned to the castle? She had promised to teach Snow White magic, and she never went back on her word. But what would their relationship be? What did she want their relationship to be?

The thought of waking up next to Snow White in the morning made her moan with longing. Why can’t a woman marry a woman? Snow White had asked. The somewhat dumb answer was; because of the laws. There was really nothing more than that.

But the Queen could change the laws. The question was, did she want to? Did Snow White want her to?

Occupied with these thoughts, she hardly noticed the tickle in her nose growing stronger. Her nostrils flared as the impending sneeze took hold of her nasal passages altogether.

“Hehh… heh-uh-ptSSChuh! Huh-gnxth! Heeh-igGGnnth!”

While she did believe in the power of the mind, she doubted that she could make herself sneeze just by thinking of it. So, these flowers would have just the impact on her that she feared, and then some. Now wasn’t that delightful?

Her chest heaved with a dispirited sigh. How the powers that be must laugh at her. She hid her face in her hands and tried not to think of the task that lay before her. Which of course meant she could think of nothing else. She sat like that for a long time before forcing herself to keep moving.

***

She gently touched Snow White’s shoulder.

“Are you feeling better? I would like to keep going before my courage fails me.”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

But once they were ready to go, the Queen hesitated. Snow White gave her an encouraging smile and touched her arm.

“It will be fine.”

“It will be a horror.”

Snow White placed a kiss on her cheek and took her hand.

“I love you. Come on.”

I have to change those laws.

***

It wasn’t that Heartbreak flowers had a particularly strong scent. They did have a scent, but it was faint, not overpowering and not unpleasant. What they also had was a lot of pollen that seemed to hang above them in a dust cloud. It was this yellow powder that was the reason Queen Marleyn could not stand in their vicinity for more than a minute before she completely lost control over her nose. Usually those flowers never grew to be much taller than blueberry plants, but usually they did not grow in fields either. Whatever the reason was - pure devilry, the Queen thought - the ones growing here reached her almost to the waist. She gave Snow White a helpless look that didn’t seem to fit her stern face very well, and began brushing through the plants.

At first she pinched her nose, hoping it would help her avoid having too strong a reaction. But as she was breathing through her mouth, the pollen stuck to her throat instead, making it itch. The itchiness spread, she could feel it spread, like a rings on water, into her sinuses. The prickle grew in power as it took up residence behind her nose.

She had to sneeze. She fought it, pinching her nose even harder, hoping that the pain would distract her. But before she knew it, her head bobbed forward with three rapid, completely bottled up and soundless stifles. She exhaled shakily and immediately drew in another lungful of pollen-contaminated air.

“Hhhmppghh! Huuhh-nnghhh! Huh-ekGGttSCCHgh!”

Her head ached from her attempts to keep stifling. She let go of her nose, certain she would end up hurting herself if she kept holding them in. She immediately sneezed again. She had no time to cover it, but turned to the side to avoid sneezing on Snow White.

“Huh-ISSCCH! ISSCCHEW! Huh-IIESSCCHuh!”

She sniffled, rubbed both hands against the sides of her nose, and sneezed again.

“Hah-ekTSSCChh! Ehhh-ISSCCHH! Huh… huhhh… huh-ERRSSCCHHEWW!”

The last sneeze was so violent she nearly tripped herself. She was determined not to stop out here for even a second, but to keep walking while being overtaken by sneezing wasn’t an easy thing to do, and she probably would have fallen if Snow White hadn’t caught her by the arm and steadied her. She nodded gratefully, but was unable to say anything, as she was already starting to sneeze all over again. It was worse than she had imagined. The torturous itch was burning steadily, like a flame of misery that had quickly flared up into a raging bonfire. Yet she kept walking, because she knew that stopping would only drag out the torture. She had to get away from those devilish plants, and fast.

She sneezed and sneezed, her red, irritated nostrils widened to their full extent as her tormented nose tried to expel the pollen and the scent that plagued it. Her sneezes became wetter and wetter. Her nose was running like a waterfall, and while she kept wiping at it, it simply did not help one bit.

“Are you alright?” Snow White mumbled next to her.

“Splendid,” she hissed. “Don’t you dare stopping. We.. W-we… iiihhhESSCCHUH! We must get out of here as… aESCCHUH! AAAESSCCHHH! As quickly as… huh-ISSCHH! Huh-kTSSCHiiuh!! Huh-eeeyISSSHHh! Possible!”

She looked up and found to her dismay that they were only halfway through. Each step they took upset the flowers and caused them to release even more pollen in the air. It seemed to Queen Marleyn that every single grain targeted her nose. The field looked endless.

Allergy, she thought and shuddered. What a pointless, torturous condition. Then she doubled over and began sneezing again, no longer in triples but in one prolonged vicious fit. Her nose was streaming, her sinuses were completely and utterly congested, and the brutal, scraping sneezes left her throat raw and inflamed.

“AaaESSCCH! Huh-ISSSCHEW! AAArrSSCCHOO! AaaaISSCCHhuew! HahhIISSSCH! Hahh… huhh-AHH-ISSCHEWW! HuuuISSCHHeeh! Heeehh-ESSCCHH! HayISSCCH! EeerSSCCHUH! HaaaYISSSCHUH! Hah-uESSCCHHuhh! Hah-yiESSCCHHUh! AAakTSCCHoo! AAAhhh-HAISSSCCHH! Hihh-yiSSCCHuh!”

By now her determination wasn’t merely faltering, it was seeping out of her about as rapidly as the sneezes came. She was exhausted, to the point where she was certain she would simply collapse. Unbeknownst to her, Snow White had kept a close eye on her, and now that she saw her lover losing what little strength she had, she put one arm around her waist and practically dragged her along. The Queen sneezed helplessly over and over again, soaking the handkerchief she clutched in a white-knuckled hand, soaking the sleeves of her dress, soaking Snow White’s shoulder. She had never felt more undone, more vulnerable, more disgusting, in her life. Her nose tingled with the still increasing need to sneeze. She was a desperate, miserable mess.

When they finally reached the end of the field, she was leaning on the younger woman with almost all her weight. Snow White didn’t mind. Nor did she mind being repeatedly sprayed. She was too busy being concerned. She helped her lover to the riverside, with the intention of helping her wash herself. But the Queen was unable to do anything but sneezing for over half an hour. She had fit after fit, long and drawn-out allergic explosions that made Snow White wince with sympathy and worry.

While Queen Marleyn gradually got herself together again, Snow White helped her remove the pollen-dusted cloak she was wearing, and brushed off both their dresses and luggage. There was so much pollen everywhere Snow White could hardly believe it. Even the handkerchiefs were covered in pollen. Snow White winced again upon seeing this, and dug through her satchel to find one of her skirts. It looked unaffected by the flowers’ pollen attack, and she tore it to pieces and handed them to the still sneezing Queen.

“How ladylike, don’t you think?” Queen Marleyn remarked, her words dripping with sarcasm, her nose dripping with something else.

“Don’t worry about that, my love. Just get all that nasty pollen out of your poor nose so you can breathe again.”

Snow White giggled softly as she sat down next to her lover.

“I have never seen anything like it. I was afraid you would faint out there from lack of air or something.”

The Queen chuckled, a hoarse, tired chuckle, and coughed a couple of times.

“To be honest, so was I. Huhhh… epTSCHkgghh!”

“Bless you. A thousand times over.”

“I doubt I sneezed a thousand times,” she sniffled and blew her nose.

“You could be correct. It was probably two thousand times.”

“Are you making fun of me? It’s not like I can help it,” she growled in a thick, congested voice.

“Aww, I know you can’t help it and I’m not trying to make fun of you,” Snow White said and moved a little closer. She looked into the Queen’s bloodshot green eyes and smiled. “I’m just trying to distract you. I suppose I must find a better way to do that.”

She leaned forward and kissed the tip of Queen Marleyn’s swollen, red nose.

“Was that better?”

“Silly girl.”

“Was it?”

“Come here and we’ll see just how distracted you can make me.”

“I accept the challenge.”

"I knew you would, dear."

***

Edited November 13, 2014 by Chanel_no5

[Indescribable]

This is better than a dream!!

It's perfect

[Wildwood]

THERE IT IS! THE NOSE KISS!!! :clapping:

Edited November 13, 2014 by Deathly Sparkle

[Chanel_no5]

This is better than a dream!!

It's perfect

D'aawww, thank you!!

THERE IT IS! THE NOSE KISS!!!

Ohhh yeah, couldn't do a love story without a nose kiss, could I?

Sooo, very little sneezing in this part, but a bit of plot. And nope, it's not finished yet.

***

That night they slept under the stars, huddled up together in spite of the warm air. The Queen fell asleep almost as soon as they laid down, tired after all sneezing she had been in for all day. Snow White stayed awake, telling herself it was to keep watch… but the truth was that the only thing she watched was Marleyn’s face. Tomorrow they would reach the valley and probably - hopefully - find the elixir. Snow White did not care what the allergies did to the Queen’s beauty… but she didn’t want to see her suffer.

“So pretty,” she exhaled quietly.

“Not at the moment,” Queen Marleyn groaned without opening her eyes.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“I wasn’t asleep. I woke up a while ago.”

“How come?”

“I’m still so congested I can hardly breathe. It’s somewhat difficult to sleep then.” She finally opened her red rimmed eyes and looked at Snow White.

“And you? What keeps you awake?”

“Your snoring did.”

“I don’t snore!”

Snow White raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“I don’t blame you. You have been congested all day around for the past week, it’s no wonder. But yes, you do snore.”

The Queen groaned again and hid her face in her hands.

“I loathe my nose,” she proclaimed and sniffled behind her palms. Snow White gently removed her hands from her face and again kissed the tip of the still rosy nose.

“Well then, we just have to agree to disagree about that.”

“You probably should maintain some distance…” she sniffed. “I… think I’m going to… hehh… heh-iihh… iESCHHuh! HihikSSCHH!”

She wiped her nose and sniffled again, staring into thin air.

“Hehhh… no…”

She sighed. Nothing.

“So, that‘s it? You won’t give me number three?” Snow White teased. The Queen glared at her with watery eyes.

“I’m trying!”

They both began to laugh.

“It’s still there though,” she said. “It tickles… huhh-IESSCCHHUH!”

“Bless you. Feeling better?”

“I will feel better once I get that potion.”

“Are you certain it exists?”

The Queen shook her head.

“No. But I have to take my chances.”

“Was it the mirror that told you about it?”

She looked back in surprise. Snow White held the stare, her eyes grim in a soft face. It was a rather unsettling view, the Queen thought.

“Should I be surprised that you know about my mirror as well?”

Snow White paid no attention to the question. She looked up at the sky, aiming her remarks to them.

“It frightens me. Much more so than the dungeons do.”

“Let me see if I understand this correctly; my devotion to the black arts intrigues you, you can kill someone without batting an eyelash and then bury the corpse, but a speaking mirror frightens you?”

She chuckled in disbelief.

“I suppose we all must have irrational fears.”

“So you’re saying it’s harmless?” Snow White shot back.

“Is witchcraft? Is archery, for that matter, that is originally an art of killing? The mirror is merely another tool, just like those.”

“Really. A tool.”

“Yes,” the Queen persisted, but a blush was creeping into her cheeks. She could hardly admit it, but deep in her heart, she was terrified of the mirror. Fascinated, yes, dependent, oh yes, but afraid of it? Three times yes. It was so powerful and yet, in some way… she had a feeling it was untrue. It could not lie, but evade? Distract? Most certainly so. Well, there was a reason for the old saying of smoke and mirrors, wasn’t there?

“So, what has it told you over the years? I mean, if it is a tool, it must be quite useful when you rule a realm.”

“I don’t wish to discuss that with you.”

“With me, or with anyone?”

“Why are you so obnoxious all of a sudden?”

“I don’t fear the mirror for my own sake. I fear for yours. It may tell you what you want to know, but at the same time it keeps you bound to it. It has made you addicted to it, and what it feeds you is poison.”

“And if I admit it is a bit worrisome at times, will you give up this pointless conversation and let me sleep?”

“So now you can sleep?”

“You are boring me to death. Sleep has to be better than that.”

“Fine.”

“Fine,” the Queen echoed and turned over. They lay in silence for a while, and then she said:

“Is it that obvious?”

“Hmm?” Snow White had almost fallen asleep. “What is?”

“That I’m... wary... of the mirror?”

“It is to me. But I believe it’s healthy. At least you still know it’s not good for you.”

The Queen did not answer. When she thought Snow White was well asleep, she whispered;

“You are good for me, though. And I don’t need a mirror to see that.”

Snow White smiled. She had heard every word.

***

That night, the Queen dreamed that she was back in the castle, in front of the mirror. She knew it was a dream, because she actually kneeled before it. She wanted to stand up - the mirror was supposed to be her slave, for crying out loud - but couldn’t. This time its voice was clearly mocking.

“Still the fairest one of all,

But doomed to always be alone

The one who saw behind thy walls

Is lost thanks to thy heart of stone”

“That is not true!” she shouted.

But the mirror couldn’t lie. Instead it showed her an image of Snow White, pale and still, in the grip of death. And as tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over, the mirror began to laugh.

***

She didn’t scream herself awake, but she did wake up with a whimper. Snow White, who was still asleep, stirred a little, but didn’t wake up. Queen Marleyn sat up, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty next to her, and put her arms around herself, shivering. When a hand reached out and touched the back of her neck, she actually did scream.

“Easy,” Snow White whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

And I hope I’m not going to hurt you either, but I fear I am.

“I had a nightmare. That’s all.”

“What was it about?”

“I don’t remember.”

Snow White didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t going to push it. She settled for putting her arms around the shivering woman. After a while, the Queen leaned into the embrace and said:

“Be my wife.”

“I would, if it wasn’t for those marriage laws.”

“To Hell with the laws! I’ll fix those. If I do, will you marry me?”

“I will. Oh, yes, I will! I don’t think I’ll ever be happier than I am right now!” Snow White gushed.

“I’m afraid you are wrong about that, because I will strive to make you happier with each passing day.”

But the words from her dream haunted her thoughts; “lost thanks to thy heart of stone“, and she shivered again as Snow White kissed her. She held on tight to the younger woman and wished that she would be able to give her all that she deserved. But deep inside, she feared that she would never be able to love fully. Perhaps she didn’t have a heart of stone, but it was certainly much harder than most people’s hearts. And she rarely tried to fool herself; she knew exactly how vain and selfish she was. Down to her very core.

***

They started early the following morning, both eager to finish the quest and return to home. It was still a couple of hours left till noon, when they spotted a valley between the sharp mountains. But before they got there, they would have to cross a bridge that spanned a rocky ravine. It wasn’t at all an unsteady bridge by any means; if they still had their horses they could have ridden across it -side by side - without worry… but the Queen felt her knees go weak at the sight of it.

“I’m not certain I can cross that,” she admitted. “I’m terrified of heights.”

Snow White took one good look at her face. Queen Marleyn was so pale even her lips seemed white, and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. Telling her to just not look down wasn’t going to help.

“Stand right behind me,” Snow White instructed. “And put your arms around my waist.”

She did.

“Now, close your eyes, and just follow me.”

“I can’t move.”

“Yes, you can. Trust me, I’m not going to let you fall. Who am I supposed to marry if I lose you?”

“This is ridiculous.” She tried to sound haughty, but it came out sounding feeble and nearly apologetic.

“No, it’s not. Trust me. Are you ready?”

“No.”

“Yes, you are. Let’s go.”

And they went, step by step they crossed the bridge, and once they were on the other side, Snow White stopped and ran her hands over her lover’s arms.

“You can open your eyes now. We’re safe.”

The Queen took a shaky breath of relief and looked Snow White in the eyes.

“Feel free to mock me if you like.”

“I don’t want to mock you. Why would I want to do that? I love you. And I know you can’t help being afraid, no more than you can help being allergic.”

“You are too kind to me.”

She couldn’t say the words ‘I love you‘. Not yet. They trembled just behind her pursed lips, but she could not bring herself to let them out.

When we get home, she promised herself, not knowing that would be too late. When it becomes real.

“Let’s go,” she said, and they started down the winding path that lead into a green, lush valley. For some reason she didn’t worry about finding the elixir. She already had a feeling where it would be. By the end of the rainbow, it had said, and the only place where there would be a rainbow regardless of the weather, was the waterfall.

A strong scent of flowers - lilacs this time - made her nose tickle again. Nowhere near as bad as earlier, but she knew she would have to sneeze some more before she could end the whole debacle.

“HeeISSChew! Iscchew! Huh… uh-ISSCHOO!”

“Bless you. Lilacs?”

“Lilacs”, she confirmed and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m fine,” she added in response to the unspoken question in Snow White’s eyes. And in comparison to the fierce, desperate allergy attacks she had suffered earlier in their journey, it was true. But that didn’t help the tickling, teasing, ever-building need to sneeze.

"Huh-iSCCHew! Isscchoo! Oh... huh... huh-ISSCHEW!"

***

As they finally made it to the waterfall, they saw the rainbow dancing in front of the falling water.

“Now what?” Snow White asked. “Is it somewhere in the water?”

“No…” the Queen replied in an absent-minded voice. “It’s behind it.”

“Behind it?”

“Stay here. It’s enough that one of us gets soaked,” she said and walked closer to the silvery veil of falling water. She leaned forward, trying to see what was behind it, but couldn’t. Oh well. Sometimes you just have to dare that leap of faith, she thought, closed her eyes and took a step into the waterfall. It drenched her with its cold weight, but only for a second; then she stood in a dry, small cave, lit by a magic, bright blue glow.

The potion she had searched for was on a natural shelf in the back of the cave. A pergament was next to it and she glanced at it first, in spite of her eagerness. It was a good thing she did, too, because it explained that if consumed inside the valley, the potion would only work inside it. Queen Marleyn took the small bottle and eyed it in the magic glow. It was certainly only enough for one person; in fact, it seemed to contain less than a mouthful.

She swept it in cloth to keep it safe, and then put it in a pocket where she could feel it against her body. She wasn’t going to let it stray one inch from her immediate touch. Then she returned to the sunny outside world. And her sunny wife-to-be.

“I have it. I mustn’t drink it until we have left the valley though.”

Snow White smiled.

“Well, let’s go then.”

***

They made it back across the bridge - the Queen wanted to get that part over and done with before she could relax - the same way they made it across the first time. As they set foot on solid ground again, Snow White accidentally dropped her satchel. Before the Queen could stop her, she had turned back to fetch it. The ground was unsteady this close to the edge of the ravine, and she stepped on a rock that began to slide.

She didn’t have time to scream before she fell. But the Queen screamed for both of them.

***

As if her fear of heights had vanished into thin air, the Queen began to climb down the wall of the ravine, nearly insane with worry. She called out Snow White’s name over and over, but received no answer. The young woman only lay there, sprawled out like a doll thrown away by an angry child. When the Queen reached her she listened for a heartbeat, and heard only silence.

“No! You can’t leave me Snow, not like this!”

She took the lifeless woman in her arms and rocked her, crying hysterically. She couldn’t remember ever having been so consumed by her emotions. She thought she could feel her sanity trickle out of her little by little as she begged her lover to awake. But the words from the book she had read back at the castle shone through her despair and panic.

It can reverse a death the sun has not set upon.

With trembling hands she pulled out the potion. This was her salvation, her only chance to get rid of the humiliating condition, the suffering, the impact on her beauty, and…

And she didn’t care. What suffering could be worse than living in a world where Snow White no longer existed? Nothing could be worse.

“You’d better be right,” she said out loud, addressing the book that had told her of its healing powers. “You’d better.”

She poured the pitiful amount of the elixir into Snow White’s mouth, taking great care not to spill even a drop in spite of her shaking hands.

“Come on Snow White…” she sobbed. She wasn’t a pretty cryer, never had been, but for once she did not care the slightest about her appearance. “Don’t you dare leaving me!”

“Why would I ever want to…”

Leave you was the continuation that drowned in a kiss so fierce it alone could have knocked her unconscious. The Queen’s tears wet her face.

“You silly girl, you scared me something awful…”

“Did… did you give me the potion?”

“I did. It worked.” She hardly seemed convinced herself. She ran her hands up and down Snow White’s body as if to make sure she was really there. “It worked.”

“But it was for you…”

“I don’t care. Do you hear me; I choose you over anything in the world. I love you.”

Snow White looked into the emotional green eyes belonging to her one true love, and then she too began to cry.

They sat for a long time curled up in each other’s arms, crying, before they felt ready to climb back up.

***

[Wildwood]

OK HOW ARE YOU SO FUCKING TALENTED AT MAKING ME CRY. :cry: OMGGG THIIIIIIISSSSSSS AGHH

Edited November 28, 2014 by Deathly Sparkle

[Indescribable]

It's just beautiful!