- Chapter 1 -

Once upon a time is such a cliche way to start a story, and yet, here we are. Once upon a time there was a girl with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and yes, hair as dark as coal. We've all heard this story before, or so you may think. The girl’s mother had died at childbirth so her father was left to raise her on his own, only after he had decided to name their daughter Snow White, and for the story’s sake, we will call her Snow. Snow’s father was the king of an unknown town in the middle of nowhere, regardless, the townspeople loved him and treated him with utmost respect. The king made sure to raise Snow the best he could, however, there were some things he was unable to teach her, for he didn’t understand them himself. He decided the best option was to seek out a new wife. One woman in particular caught his eye. She had the most beautiful chestnut colored hair and astonishing emerald green eyes. But, no matter the woman's beauty she could never fulfill the same beauty as the princess, Snow White. The king proposed to the woman before getting married shortly after. One day, the king went out in order to explore the land and find a better landscape. He didn’t return. The whole town grieved for months and months, however the ‘new queen’ didn't seem to react to the situation at all. Leaving Snow heartbroken and quite frankly, confused. Afterward, the queen treated Snow with great cruelty, leaving Snow to mourn on her own. Several weeks later, the queen started to act strange, more strange than usual. She would run off and disappear for hours before returning back to the throne room to talk to the maids. Snow White had never been exactly ‘close’ with the queen but she decided this was important enough to where she needed to ask. 

“Excuse me, stepmother?”

“Snow White, can’t you see I'm busy? What is so important you have to interrupt?”

“My apologies, I just had a question for you?”’

“Well? Get on with it! And my goodness, fix your dress!”

“Oh uhm, yes, I just wanted to know where you’ve been going? You’ve been running off a lot lately.”

“Snow White! That is not an appropriate question to ask your stepmother! Get out of my sight!”

And with that, Snow ran off to her room without another word. There was nothing wrong with the question Snow White had asked but rather there was a problem with the answer. The truth was, the queen had been running off to a blocked off section of the woods, where she had found a magical mirror just weeks after the king died. She would walk through the thick woods, day by day, to the mirror, just to ask one singular question. 

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

And the Mirror would always reply with the same response.

“You my queen, you are the fairest of them all”

Except one day, she walked up to the mirror confidently, already knowing the answer, and asked her question, only to be told something completely out of her expectations.

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

“Snow White, Snow White is the fairest of them all”

The queen grew enraged by this statement, but as she looked at herself in that magical mirror, she saw the flaws. The silver strands of hair starting to show, the wrinkles growing under her eyes, and the way her hands were no longer as soft and perfect as they once were. Tears brimmed in her emerald eyes, was she...growing old? No. She wouldn’t allow it. The queen bought all kinds of creams, lotions, dyes, and gimmicks, but nothing worked. The queen saw no other option. Snow White must fall. Snow White must die.