inside you any longer.”
She lunged forward and grabbed his throat. “You will pay for this!” she hissed. “You shall truly know pain now—pain like you have never known before.”
He pushed her away. Her body, though strong, was not as strong as it had been before the transformation. “Torture me however you see fit, but I will not perform your evil deeds for you!”
“Mirror, how can I become handsome again? Tell me!”
“Once Snow White is truly dead and gone, you shall receive the glory that once was yours.”
“And if I eat her heart?”
“No!” Corlan moved to pull Melantha away from the mirror, but he was frozen again and he could not hear the words the mirror spoke. They conversed for a while, with each second his own breathing becoming more difficult.
“Is it true?” She suddenly whipped her head toward Corlan. “Are you in love with her? Is this why you have defied your mother, because you are enamored with the woman who is set upon destroying us all?”
When she saw he could not move, she demanded of the mirror, “Allow my son to speak.”
Corlan wanted to lie, to protect Snow in any way possible, but the words came unbidden from his lips before he could stop them, as if he were being forced to tell only the truth. “Yes, I am in love with her. I love her more than life itself, more than I love anyone—even you.”
“Well, well…” She slowly walked around his stiff form. “We are in a quandary, are we not? I want Snow White dead to remove this curse you have put upon me. You need her alive so you can make your precious heart happy.” She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Thank you. I now know the perfect pain you shall receive as a reward for your betrayal. You will hunt your beloved. Your skills will grow beyond all you have known and you will find this cottage where she lives.”
“No!” he forced out. “I will not.”
“And you will lead me directly to her, like a hunting dog leads its master to the sly fox. She is your prey, my son. And when I find her, you will know pain unlike anything you have experienced before because you will know it was you who led me to her, you who helped orchestrate her death. And you will witness her choking on poison and gasping her last breaths. I shall guarantee it!”
“You are mad.”
“No, my son, the word you are looking for is ‘livid.’ I am extremely livid right now. And I will not have my plans thwarted because of disobedience.” She walked to the mirror. “Give me all I ask. Make Prince Corlan a skilled hunter. Allow his senses to ripen so that he may find her, and allow nothing to shake this from him until she is dead. See that he does not betray his mother again!”
Corlan struggled against his frozen limbs, but could not budge as the smoke began to rise up his legs. “You are not my mother! You are nothing like that woman!”
Melantha stepped up to him, her haggard features taking on a look of amusement. “No, I am not. I am a simple old farmer woman, peddling some sweet apples for Snow White to try. Thankfully she will never recognize me as I am and will gobble the poisoned fruit so very easily. And you—she will never recognize you, either.” She brought out a folded piece of paper from within her pocket. It was the letter he had written to King Herbert. He would never receive it! “My disloyal son, you shall come as my dog! It is time you proved your loyalty.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
SNOW STRETCHED AND AWOKE her second morning there in the pretty cottage. Grinning, she looked over the bright room and sighed. They had adorned the whole place with white, yellow, and pink roses. How she loved roses! Even her coverlet upon the bed was quilted white with embroidered pink and yellow roses all over it. It was simply the most cheerful room she had ever been in. Her gracious hosts had also created charming white furniture. As she slipped off the bed and approached the carved wardrobe, she once again marveled at the pretty
She lunged forward and grabbed his throat. “You will pay for this!” she hissed. “You shall truly know pain now—pain like you have never known before.”
He pushed her away. Her body, though strong, was not as strong as it had been before the transformation. “Torture me however you see fit, but I will not perform your evil deeds for you!”
“Mirror, how can I become handsome again? Tell me!”
“Once Snow White is truly dead and gone, you shall receive the glory that once was yours.”
“And if I eat her heart?”
“No!” Corlan moved to pull Melantha away from the mirror, but he was frozen again and he could not hear the words the mirror spoke. They conversed for a while, with each second his own breathing becoming more difficult.
“Is it true?” She suddenly whipped her head toward Corlan. “Are you in love with her? Is this why you have defied your mother, because you are enamored with the woman who is set upon destroying us all?”
When she saw he could not move, she demanded of the mirror, “Allow my son to speak.”
Corlan wanted to lie, to protect Snow in any way possible, but the words came unbidden from his lips before he could stop them, as if he were being forced to tell only the truth. “Yes, I am in love with her. I love her more than life itself, more than I love anyone—even you.”
“Well, well…” She slowly walked around his stiff form. “We are in a quandary, are we not? I want Snow White dead to remove this curse you have put upon me. You need her alive so you can make your precious heart happy.” She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Thank you. I now know the perfect pain you shall receive as a reward for your betrayal. You will hunt your beloved. Your skills will grow beyond all you have known and you will find this cottage where she lives.”
“No!” he forced out. “I will not.”
“And you will lead me directly to her, like a hunting dog leads its master to the sly fox. She is your prey, my son. And when I find her, you will know pain unlike anything you have experienced before because you will know it was you who led me to her, you who helped orchestrate her death. And you will witness her choking on poison and gasping her last breaths. I shall guarantee it!”
“You are mad.”
“No, my son, the word you are looking for is ‘livid.’ I am extremely livid right now. And I will not have my plans thwarted because of disobedience.” She walked to the mirror. “Give me all I ask. Make Prince Corlan a skilled hunter. Allow his senses to ripen so that he may find her, and allow nothing to shake this from him until she is dead. See that he does not betray his mother again!”
Corlan struggled against his frozen limbs, but could not budge as the smoke began to rise up his legs. “You are not my mother! You are nothing like that woman!”
Melantha stepped up to him, her haggard features taking on a look of amusement. “No, I am not. I am a simple old farmer woman, peddling some sweet apples for Snow White to try. Thankfully she will never recognize me as I am and will gobble the poisoned fruit so very easily. And you—she will never recognize you, either.” She brought out a folded piece of paper from within her pocket. It was the letter he had written to King Herbert. He would never receive it! “My disloyal son, you shall come as my dog! It is time you proved your loyalty.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
SNOW STRETCHED AND AWOKE her second morning there in the pretty cottage. Grinning, she looked over the bright room and sighed. They had adorned the whole place with white, yellow, and pink roses. How she loved roses! Even her coverlet upon the bed was quilted white with embroidered pink and yellow roses all over it. It was simply the most cheerful room she had ever been in. Her gracious hosts had also created charming white furniture. As she slipped off the bed and approached the carved wardrobe, she once again marveled at the pretty
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