The First Day of Spring - Secret Santa for PropertyofCora (Disney's Snow White)

[Chanel_no5]

Hello. I was absolutely thrilled to write for you, my only problem was that I couldn’t decide which villainess I should play with! That’s why it took so long for me to finish; I kept switching back and forth until I made the final decision. Soooo, yeah, I really hope you’ll like this!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and everyone else who reads!

***

Some years spring came on slowly, like a whisper drifting from a distance. Other years, it seemed to hit all at once without giving any warning, like a lightning strike from a clear blue sky. This was one of the latter types of spring arrival, when it seemed every last bud on the trees and flowers had exploded just over night, and by the morning light, the castle and the surrounding forest were enveloped in a sweetly perfumed haze, consisting of all kinds of pollen. It glittered in the first rays of the morning sun, a beautiful harbinger of sheer misery, seeking someone to wreck.

***

A soft knock on her chamber door roused the Queen from a deep sleep.

“Your Highness? Are you awake? The sun is above the horizon.”

The Queen blinked, craned her neck to look out the window, and then leaned back against her pillows again.

Just barely, she thought, but then had to smile. Snow White was always an early riser, and early mornings didn’t seem to get her spirit down even for a moment.

“Come in,” she called out and frowned at the sound of her voice. It sounded scratchier than it usually did from just a night’s sleep. And now that she thought about it, there was a maddening itch deep inside her nose, and it simply couldn‘t be ignored. She ran her knuckles under her nostrils, sniffing lightly, but it didn‘t seem to do anything to help.

“Good morning,” Snow White said as she entered, carrying a breakfast tray. The Queen couldn’t reply before the itch in her nose grew so strong she had to sneeze. She pressed both hands against her face and tried to sneeze as quietly as possible so not to awaken Snow’s caretaking instincts. She got very little done with Snow hovering over her as if she was a fragile, sick little girl. But in spite of her best efforts, not just one, but two sneezes snuck out.

“AaekTSCHh! Ah-ESCHHOO!”

Snow White turned around, looking concerned.

“Bless you, mylady.”

Before she could ask if she was well, the Queen quickly got out of bed, waiting for the younger woman to start dressing her. Snow gave her a suspicious glance, one that lingered a bit too long at her nose, the Queen thought, but then went to work.

As the younger woman’s expert, sensual hands dressed her, the Queen struggled to hold back another sneeze; the double she had allowed out hadn’t done anything to quell the urge, quite the opposite, actually. There was a constant tickle, teasing her nose, building up almost to the point where there was nothing she could do to fight it - but then backing off ever so slightly. It was frustrating beyond words. She tried to breathe in shallow, short breaths to be more in control of her body’s actions, but her need to sneeze just worsened.

Snow White, busy getting the layers of dresses and cloaks right, didn’t notice anything until she straightened up and reached for the hairbrush. Unfortunately, she did so just as the sneeze finally overpowered the Queen’s mighty willpower, and the sudden, desperate outburst misted the younger woman’s neck and shoulder.

“HaaIISSCHHEW!”

“Oh, my. Bless you again,” Snow said and pulled out her own handkerchief and offered it to the obviously affected Queen. “Are you coming down with a cold, mylady?”

“No,” she replied, dabbing at her nose with the offered handkerchief. “I have no clue why I’m…” as she spoke her eyes wandered from her own reflection in the mirror and out the window, where she realised the trees, whose branches had been more or less naked only yesterday, now were covered in a light, flowing green. “Oh, dear,” she sighed.

“What? What is the matter?”

“Hayfever.” She nearly spat the word out as if it tasted bad. “It happens every year around this time. But it usually…” she trailed off and rubbed her nose, which was threatening to get out of control again. “…usually doesn’t, ahh… strike over n-night… ahISSCHHEW! ISSCHHOO! Hah… aEESSHHH!”

“Will you be able to hold the court meeting with the ambassadors as decided, while in this condition?” Snow asked. The Queen groaned inwardly. She had completely forgotten all about that meeting, and she couldn’t back out of it now without losing face.

“Of course I will,” she replied, not allowing a single trace of insecurity to show. However, her twitching, irritated nose was already contradicting her.

“AERRSSHHOO!”

She jerked forward as the sneeze tore through her nasal passages and her itchy throat, and just barely got her hands up in front of her face as some kind of shield, but it was a poor attempt. Snow White, who had been leaning in, shied back, not out of disgust but out of surprise.

“Oh dear,” she exhaled. “Bless you!” She stroke the raven-black hair away from the other woman’s face. “Are you certain? I can make up some excuse if you want me to.”

The Queen glared at her reflection; she was already becoming a mess, and the really bad hayfever attacks hadn’t even started yet. This wasn’t going to end well.

“I’m certain.”

“So be it, then. I wish I had your confidence.”

I wish I had the confidence I pretend that I have, the Queen thought and brought the handkerchief up to her face to dab at her lash line and wipe her nostrils, that had taken on a much darker pink shade already.

***

Another thing she had forgotten was the fact that she had told servants she wanted the meeting to take place on the Eastern balcony if the weather was fair. There was tactics behind this, of course; even in fair weather the air would be slightly chilly that early in the day, forcing the meeting to be shorter than it otherwise had the possibility of becoming, and thus forcing the participants to reach decisions. And cold air had never bothered Queen Grimhilde.

She had not taken into account the fact that the pollen in the air bothered her something terrible, putting her authority at high risk. She hoped that her willpower would be enough to keep the allergic sneezing fits at bay, but certain of it, no she was not. Blowing her nose ferociously had seemed to help a little, but she knew from experience that it was only a momentary relief.

“Gentlemen,” she said as she stepped out into the bright sunlight. The six men around the table all got to their feet and bowed before her as they were supposed to, but she knew they were all hostile against her, which made it even more important that she kept herself together. She could not afford losing face in front of all these people - the neighbouring realms were already suspicious of a Kingdom ruled by a Queen alone. But her nose, itching like mad, did not care about that.

She sat down by the end of the table, sending a quick, worried glance at the beautiful flower beds and the pollen-dripping trees surrounding the balcony. Why, oh why, had she thought this would be a good idea?

Her nostrils twitched as each inhale drew the pollen-filled air into her sensitive airways. The urge to sneeze was already building again, this was going to be pure agony to fight back. She pressed the back of her hand against her nose for a moment, as if trying to remind it who was in charge. Then she raised her head and glanced at the ambassadors.

“I suggest we make this quick. I don’t have all day and I would imagine neither do any of you,” she said in a slightly thicker voice than usual. Hopefully not so obvious any of these strangers would notice anything odd about it, but definitely obvious enough for her, and for those who knew her.

Like Snow White. She could feel the younger woman’s eyes on her, and she could nearly picture her standing in the window, peering through the curtains. In all likelihood prepared with a handkerchief and a thousand excuses to get her Queen and secret lover away from the gathering.

A smile almost escaped her at the thought of being Snow’s secret lover. After reaching the age of marriage, the princess had chosen to stay in the castle with her late father’s third wife rather than finding a husband herself. The reason for this curious choice had soon become clear to the Queen, who momentarily thought about enjoying Snow White as her plaything… only to realise that her own feelings towards the fair maiden were of a much kinder and affectionate sort. The love affair was on its second year by now, and to the outside world, they kept up their appearances. Nobody knew that Snow left the bed they shared before sunrise, so she could act like the perfect servant, the role the Queen had forced upon her many years ago. No man had ever loved Queen Grimhilde as deeply as Snow White did, and no man would ever get the chance to try.

The burning itch in her nose roused her from her thoughts and forced her to bring a hand up to her face, pinch her nostrils and stifle a soundless sneeze. Although nobody seemed to notice it, this sneeze was to be her undoing, as the tickle grew even more intense in its wake. Her nose was streaming and she had to sniffle to keep it from dripping - it was about now she realised that she had never thought to bring a handkerchief with her, how thoughtless could you be? - and every time she inhaled, her breathing hitched. Oh, she needed to sneeze so badly, the itch was unbearable…

“Ah-nktSCH!”

In spite of her best efforts to stifle, it was simply too powerful to be reined in, and her head bobbed forward as she sneezed against her hand.

Dead silence around the table. It was almost amusing. Would have been if she hadn’t been the one suffering. The man who had been talking fell silent in the middle of a sentence and didn’t seem to know whether he should ignore the interruption - as it obviously wasn’t something the beautiful, mighty Queen wanted to be recognised for doing - or bless her, or simply stay quiet. He chose the last option, although she suspected it wasn’t so much an option as it was pure shock that rendered him mute. Queen Grimhilde never lost control.

Except when her sensitive, allergic nose was plagued by all kinds of spring pollen and there was no escape from the onslaught. Like now.

“HaaIISSCHH! Ah-ayISSCHhhew! AaaeSSCHHew! AaaahhhEESSHHH!”

Desperately trying to stop, she rubbed her nose with both hands, but if anything, it only seemed to make matters even worse. If that was at all possible. Yet another loud, violent sneeze burst out of her, and she felt tears run down her cheeks. She was blushing from anger and embarrassment alike, when suddenly Snow was by her side, handing her a handkerchief. The Queen gratefully brought the cool, soft cloth up to her hot, itching, leaking face as much to hide it from sight as to catch the next attack of sneezes.

“I suggest postponing the meeting till the evening,” Snow White said in a clear voice, and without even waiting for a reply - not that she would have received one either way, as they all seemed stunned at the scene unfolding before their eyes - she firmly began to help Queen Grimhilde back inside. The other woman was sneezing so hard she could barely watch her steps while walking up the stairs, and Snow had to put a steadying arm around her waist.

“I did have my doubts even your willpower would be enough to battle this,” Snow White said as she swapped the soaked handkerchief for a fresh one once they had made it back inside the castle.

“Yet you hardly tried to s-stop.. heeh… me… eIISSCHHEW! AH-ISSCHHH!”

“Oh, I know what it’s like trying to stop you when you get something in your mind, my lovely Queen,” Snow White giggled and stroke her lover’s arm. “It’s like trying to stop lightning from striking. It does no good trying and if you stand in the way you end up…”

The Queen turned her head to look at the younger woman when suddenly she was overwhelmed by yet another sneeze, coming on so suddenly she didn’t have the time to get the handkerchief back up in time to catch it.

“AaaIISSHHHO!”

“.. getting hit,” Snow White finished, giggling even more as she wiped the light spray off herself. “You illustrated my statement beautifully, mylady.”

“Ugh, I wish there was some kind of cure for this,” the Queen sniffled and wiped her nose.

“I’m sure there will be, one day.”

“You are an insufferably positive young lady.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Snow replied.

“It was,” the Queen said, and smiled in spite of the torturous itch still teasing her inflamed nasal passages. “I suppose you should… ahhISSCHEW! HahtSSHHOO! Ahhh-uESCHHew! Accompany me for the meeting tonight. You may need to speak for me, unless this… ahh… annTSCHeww! This infernal sneezing lets up.”

“I’ll be happy to,” Snow said, cupping her lover’s face with both hands and giving her a sweet kiss, which the Queen responded to the best she could while trying not to give in to the next, tickly sneeze building deep within her nose. Eventually, the urge to sneeze proved to be more intense than the kiss, and she pulled back and immediately muffled a sneeze against Snow White’s shoulder.

“Bless you,” Snow whispered and resumed kissing her, as if the Queen’s miserable appearance, with swollen, watery eyes and a pink and runny nose, didn’t bother her at all. If that wasn’t love, then there was no such thing, and while she knew she didn’t really deserve it, she cherished it more than all the beauty and power in the world.

[Snapdragon]

Wow. WOW. *fans self* This is fantastic, where do I even begin?

I love the descriptions of the Queen desperately trying to hold back her sneezes. And the contrast between the severe Queen and the sweet, optimistic Snow is perfect - they make such a good couple!

(Incidentally, have you seen Once Upon a Time? I feel like Regina might be right up your alley )

[Chanel_no5]

Wow. WOW. *fans self* This is fantastic, where do I even begin?

I love the descriptions of the Queen desperately trying to hold back her sneezes. And the contrast between the severe Queen and the sweet, optimistic Snow is perfect - they make such a good couple!

(Incidentally, have you seen Once Upon a Time? I feel like Regina might be right up your alley )

Awww, thank you so much!

It's my favourite kind of couple, the serious and in-control one and the sweet and bubblier one. *happy sigh*

I actually watched three or four episodes a couple of years ago, because I thought so too from the trailers and commercials. But alas, I didn't get any feeling for the show, and Regina, despite the fact that, on paper, she ticks all my boxes, didn't do anything for me. Go figure.

[PropertyofCora]

Uhmmmmmmmmm .... I... words... what????

Haha, thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot properly express how much I completely and totally adore every bit of this. I knew I needed to brace myself when I saw that one of my favorite writers on here had actually written me something involving some of my favorite characters. I squealed. Somehow, you still managed to go above and beyond my expectations, and I'm so very happy right now. Everything about the Queen's struggle is just beautiful. I love how you timed Snow's speech about getting hit to her sneezing on Snow-- too funny! And her tortured struggle during the meeting was wonderful.

Again, THANK YOU.

[Chanel_no5]

Uhmmmmmmmmm .... I... words... what????

Haha, thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot properly express how much I completely and totally adore every bit of this. I knew I needed to brace myself when I saw that one of my favorite writers on here had actually written me something involving some of my favorite characters. I squealed. Somehow, you still managed to go above and beyond my expectations, and I'm so very happy right now. Everything about the Queen's struggle is just beautiful. I love how you timed Snow's speech about getting hit to her sneezing on Snow-- too funny! And her tortured struggle during the meeting was wonderful.

Again, THANK YOU.

Awwww, thank you! I'm so glad you liked it, I always get so nervous when I'm writing for others. I really had a lot of fun writing this - mmm, those high and mighty ladies running into a little obstacle, oh yeah! Haha, and the dialogue about getting hit was unscripted, so it came as a complete surprise to me as I was writing, too!

I'm very glad you enjoyed. I was put off my other "The Allergic Queen" fic for some reasons, but writing this made me think about taking it up again... we'll see what happens.

[PropertyofCora]

I'm very glad you enjoyed. I was put off my other "The Allergic Queen" fic for some reasons, but writing this made me think about taking it up again... we'll see what happens.

I remember that story quite well. You have my vote for a big "HELL YES" for you to continue it if you find the inspiration. You write them marvelously.

[Snapdragon]

Wow. WOW. *fans self* This is fantastic, where do I even begin?

I love the descriptions of the Queen desperately trying to hold back her sneezes. And the contrast between the severe Queen and the sweet, optimistic Snow is perfect - they make such a good couple!

(Incidentally, have you seen Once Upon a Time? I feel like Regina might be right up your alley )

Awww, thank you so much!

It's my favourite kind of couple, the serious and in-control one and the sweet and bubblier one. *happy sigh*

I actually watched three or four episodes a couple of years ago, because I thought so too from the trailers and commercials. But alas, I didn't get any feeling for the show, and Regina, despite the fact that, on paper, she ticks all my boxes, didn't do anything for me. Go figure.

Fair enough! The show's declined a bit in recent years so you're not missing much anyway

[JadeStone]

Damn, this was great. I hope you keep writing more; not necessarily adding to this, but just anything.