Not the Villain - The Evil Queen's Retelling of Snow White

19 Years, Two Months and 28 Days Ago

19 years, two months and 28 days ago:

I sat patiently on the edge of my bed. There was a full moon tonight, blanketing the world in its silky light, and the thick layer of snow looked like it was glowing. I looked down through my window. Nothing made a sound but the occasional hoots of an owl. No one would've guessed that anything was going to happen. For a second doubt fills my mind. What if something goes wrong? No, I had to count on that not happening. I thought of all the people who would be killed if everything goes as planned. It's for the best, remember? It may bring destruction, but it'll also bring hope. Besides, if anyone deserves a happily ever after, it's me.

Dong! At the first of twelve rings of the midnight bell sending faint tremors through the palace, I stood up. 

It's starting. 

Dong! I slid my feet into my slippers. The second ring. I counted. Dong! The third. I grabbed my magic mirror and made my way out into the hall. Dong! Dong! The fourth. The fifth.

"I need to see Casimir," I told the two guards outside his door. I showed them my royal pass, which Casimir had given to me six years ago. He'd probably forgotten that. Dong! The sixth. In any case, the guards let me in without question, but one of them accompanied me in.

"Casimir." I murmured. He stirred, groaning. Dong! The seventh.

"Casimir, you have to wake up. Something bad's happening." Dong! The eighth.

He sat up, instantly alert. "What's happening?" Dong! The ninth.

"I don't know. Take your guards, and hide in one of your secret rooms." Dong! The tenth. I'm running out of time.

"Where's Evelyn?"

I groaned in frustration. Dong! The eleventh. "I'm sure she's fine. But, listen, something bad is about to happen! You have to hide!"

Dong! The twelfth.

That was when the screaming began.

Casimir got up, looking around frantically. Somewhere the alarm horn was blown, and others joined in. Soon the palace was flooded with its sound. 

He turned to me, putting a hand on my arm. "Listen, Amethyst. Please check on Evelyn for me. Make sure she's safe, okay?"

He grabbed his sword and sprinted from the room, his guards not far behind. I watched their receding figures and tried to tame the fury brewing inside me. Why was his first thought Evelyn and not me? Me, who went through all that trouble to warn him, me who had been standing right in front of him, for heaven's sake?

It doesn't matter, because all this would change soon enough. I took out my mirror. "Where is Evelyn?" I asked. In it, I saw her pacing back and forth in her room, sporting her swollen abdomen. I strode out of Casimir's room and towards her chambers. Throwing the door open, I came face to face with her. Suddenly, for no reason at all, I was struck by how breathtakingly gorgeous she was, even being pregnant with a demon child. Such a pity that she turned out this way. I thought. Such a pity that she has to go tonight.

"What's happening?" Her eyes were wide. She's scared. I realised. For a moment I felt like laughing. Oh, so now she's afraid?

She was still staring at me when realisation dawned her. I could see her listening to the whispering voices that often fill my own head. "Traitor." She spat, fear still in her eyes.

I smiled. "No, Evelyn, I'm merely helping. And Casimir has to be woken up from your spell. You see, for the rest to flourish, some things will have to be sacrificed." And by things, I mean people. And by people, I mean people like you.

She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a strangled scream, and her hand flew to her bulging stomach. "My son!" She gasped and sank to her knees. 

"He's coming!"