Chapter Text
The dungeon was a terrible place. Their was barley any light and it flickered from torches on the wall. It was past midnight and all quite in the castle when a heavy set of footsteps sounded down the hall as someone went down the staircase into the dungeon.
A young women appeared down the steps wearing a long emerald cloak. She slowly made her way past all the prisoners. With every step she took her heart began beating faster and faster.
The prisoners were arranged according to crime. The deeper she went into the dungeon the more crueler and dangerous the prisoners become.
Her sights were set on the prisoners at the end of the hall who was being watched by a Large private guard.
The women had come to ask a question. The question was simple but it had consumed her thoughts at every waking moment.
Only one person can give her the answer she needed and they were on the other side of the bars ahead.
" I wish to see her" the women said finally reaching the guard.
" No one is allowed to see her" The guard said amused " I'm on strict orders from the Royal Family"
The women lowered her hood and revealed her face. Her skin was as pale as snow, hair dark as coal, and her eyes were as green as the forest. Her beauty was known though out the land.
" Your majesty please forgive me" The guard said bowing " I was not expecting you"
" No apology necessary" She said " But tell know one of my presence here tonight"
" Of course" The guard said nodding
The women waited for the bars to be lowered.
" Are you sure you want to go in there" the guard asked.
" I must see her" The women said " at any cost"
The guard lowered the bars and the women stepped through and finally reached the end of the hall.
The prisoner was a woman she sat on a stool and stared up at a window.
The prisoner waited a few seconds before acknowledging her visitor she know it could only be one person
" Hello Snow white" The prisoner said softly
" Hello stepmother " Snow white replied nervously " I hope your well"
And even though Snow white practiced what to say she was now finding it impossible to speak.
" I heard you are queen now" The queen said
" It is true" Snow white said " I inherited the throne just as my father intended"
" So what do I owe this honor? Have you come to watch me wither away? The queen asked.
" On the contrary" Snow white said" I've come to understand"
" Understand what?" The queen asked harshly
" Why" Snow hesitated "to understand why you did what you did"
After asking the question Snow White felt a weight lift off her shoulders half the challenges were now over.
" Their are many things about the world that you don't understand" The queen said before finally turning to look at her stepdaughter.
" That may be" Snow said " But can you blame me for trying to find a reason behind your actions"
Snow whites story was wildly know thought the kingdom now everyone new how she hid from her stepmother and taken refuge with the seven dwarfs.
" Do you now what they call you out there?" Snow asked " outside these walls they refer to you as the evil queen"
" If that's the name the world branded me with then I shall learn to live with it" The evil queen said " once the world made a decision we both know it barley changes its mind"
Snow White was surprised about how little her stepmother cared but she needed her to care to know there was a little bit of humanity left in her
" They wanted me to execute you after they discovered what you did to me! The whole kingdom wants you dead!" Snow white said raising her voice slightly " But I couldn't allow it not after...."
" What do you want me to thank you for sparring me? The evil queen asked. " Do you want me to fall at your feet and express my gratefulness"
" I didn't do it for you. I did did it for me" Snow said " like it or not your the only mother I have ever known. I refuse to believe your the soul less monster everyone else thinks you are. I believe that you have a hear deep inside you."
" Then your wrong" The evil queen said " the only soul I had died long ago. And the only heart I have is my heart of stone."
The evil queen did have a heart of stone but not inside her. A rock in the size and shape of a heart was on a table in the corner of the cell. It was the only item the queen was aloud to keep when she was arrested.
Snow white recognized the stone from childhood. It was precious to the queen and she never let it out of her sight. When she was younger Snow white was not aloud to touch it but nothing was stopping her now.
Snow white walked over and picked it up and stared down at it. It brought back so many memories. Memories of neglect and sadness her stepmother caused her
" All my life I only wanted one thing" Snow said " Your love. When I was a girl I used to spend hours hiding wishing you would notice I was missing. You never did. You spent days in your chambers with your mirrors and skin creams and this stone. You spent more time with strangers then your own daughter...why?
The evil queen did not answer.
" You attempted to kill em 4 times 3 of which your did yourself" Snow said shaking her head in disbelief "when you dressed like an old lady and came to me I know it was you. I know you were dangerous. But I kept letting you in. Hoping you would change. I let you harm me.
Snow white has never admitted that to anyone and she couldn't help but start crying afterwards.
" You think you know heartbreak" The evil queen said sharply it startled Snow White. " You know nothing of pain. Yes you received no love from me but had it from the entire kingdom the moment you were born. Others however were not so fortunate. Other had the only loves they ever had ripped away from them.
Snow white didn't know what to say. What live was she referring to?
" Are you speaking of my father " Snow white asked.
The evil queen closed her eyes and shook her head. " Nativate is such a privileged trait. Believe it or not Snow white I had a life before coming into yours.
Snow white grow quite and ashamed. Of course she new her stepmother had a life before marrying her father but she never considered what it was like her stepmother was such a private person she never asked.
"Where is my mirror" The evil queen demanded.
" It's to be destroyed" Snow said.
The stone heart suddenly became heavier in Snow whites hand she had to put it down.
" There's a lot your not telling me." Snow said " So many secrets you've kept all these years"
The evil queen lowered her head and did not answer.
" I may be the only person in the world with compassion for you. Please tell me that's not going to waste" Snow pleaded " if you passed influenced your decisions explain them to me."
The evil queen still did not answer
" im not leaving her until you tell me!" Snow said raising her voice for the first time ever.
" Fine" The evil queen said
Snow white took a seat on the second stool.
" Your story will forever be know" She told Snow white " no one will ever think truce about mine. I will continue to be the villain until the end of time. But what everyone fails to realize is a villain is just a victim whose story hasn't been told. Everything I've ever done has been for him".
" Who" Snow asked.
The evil queen closed her eyes as she remembered "I will tell you my past or the last of who I once was. But beware my story does not end with happily ever after."