Game of Hearts (Original Version)

Chapter 3

In the woodlands castle, the queen was pacing the halls as she always did to make sure everything was in order for the day. Her rounds would start at her bedchamber, then usually end in her secret council room in the high tower. She would spend the morning walking the castle, and the afternoon and evening locked up in her tower, consulting with her magic mirror.

Today was no exception to this, and she was just now passing the great hall when her son called out to her with a letter in hand.

"Mother, this arrived from the Enchanted Dominion this morning. It's—"

"I can read." She snapped, snatching the letter from his hands. He rolled his eyes and blew some air out of his cheeks as she read over the letter.    

"Oh, I see." She grinned, crumpling the paper in her boney fingers. "Oh this is good news. I've wanted my hands on the sweet sleeping princess since the day she was born. Go, get yourself cleaned up prim and proper." She reached forward and grabbed him by the chin, if for affection or control over him, he never knew, "My perfect boy must go show the princess just how perfect you are."

"With any luck there will soon be a new queen around here." He said trying to keep the bitterness from his voice. She let go of his chin and slapped him across the cheek.

"Watch your tongue. I will remain queen regnant until the day I die."  

'Not sure which I hope to come sooner,' He thought, though outwardly he bowed and said he was going to make for his chambers to get ready to leave at once.

He watched as his mother continued her rounds up to her tower then sighed. He didn't want to marry any sleeping princess from the south...though that was just what she called you. The queen always did hate and speak poorly of other women and girls. As far as he knew, you weren't a sleeping princess, just cursed to fall into a comatose state on the eve of your 17th birthday. It was nothing more than a curse...just like he often felt his mother was to him.

"Riku!" His sister called, running up and throwing her arms around him, "I just herd the news, you're going to get married!"

"No, I'm only going to meet with the princess. The other princes of the realm will be there as well...Who knows if she will even like me."

"And just why wouldn't she? None of the other princes even come close to being as strong, gentle, and kind as you are. You have nothing to worry about." Snow White insisted, picking some out of place hairs and smoothing them down. They were almost polar opposites; she had skin as white as snow and hair as black as coal, while he was a sunkissed tan, with eyes green and blue like the sea and hair as silver as the moonlight. They were only stepsiblings, Snow White was born to the previous queen, who died bringing her into the world. Soon after the queens death, the king married the cruel but beautiful woman that was his mother. Not a year later he was born. Not two years later the king mysteriously died in the middle of the night, after the queen found out about tavern girl the king had been seeing. Shortly after the kings death, a girl was born in the Enchanted Dominion, and at her christening ceremony, Queen Leah fell dead at the hand of Maleficent. The king of the Woodlands death was placed on her head as well, though Riku always had his suspicions, even at that early age. 

"Come on, get your head out of the clouds. Get dressed. I want you to get there as soon as possible." Snow ordered, pushing him up the steps to get to his room. With a weak smile he let her push him inside, then she sighed contently as he shut the door to get ready.

She began to hum as she walked down the hall, thinking that she would explore the rest of the castle today.

The queen got up to her chamber and locked the door, removing the key from a pocket hidden in the breast of her gown. She walked the candle lit room slowly over to the large covered object sitting atop a set of stairs. She climbed the five stairs to the top and lay a hand on the deep purple velvet that covered her most prized possession. She inhaled and pulled, dragging the cover down and revealing a large simmering mirror.