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

Bonus Scene: Casimir. II

"Three, two, one... jump!"

My feet landed on the ledge at the back of a moving carriage, one hand gripping the edge of the roof and the other arm curled around Evelyn's thin waist, pulling her into me so she wouldn't fall. Her breath caught, terrified, but I kept my arm firmly around her while she found her grasp. I whooped out loud, gaining the attention of quite a few alarmed people, and she couldn't help but giggle at the insanity of it all.

Lunch had been at a fancy diner catered towards aristocrats, an extravagant feast of roast pork and lamb stew. The owner had taken one look at my hand in hers and had led us to a private spot outside, under the shade of a tree. I had tipped him massively, but Evelyn had given me weird looks when I took out the silk pouch filled with fat gold nuggets. For some reason I didn't want her to know who I was, wanted her to believe I was just an innocent, unassuming young man. I glanced at her now, her head tipped up in vibrant joy and the wind fluttered her veil dangerously, wobbling at the edge of ripping it off. I looked away.

The carriage slowed, reaching a bend. We were at the edge of town, heading into the forest.

"Our stop," I told her.

We jumped off, tumbling onto the sandy road. She landed on top of me in a heap as we both coughed, choking on the dust that the rickety carriage wheels kicked up as it rolled away. She lay her head on my chest, not realising that I was under her.

"Oh!" Her gasp of surprise earned a chuckle from me. I watched in amusement as she struggled awkwardly to climb up, with her limbs still tangled in mine.

"Sorry," She was apologising profusely, "Sorry, ack, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, darling." The last word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Lifting her up by her waist, with an 'oomph' I put her in a sitting position beside me. We both stood up.

The forest loomed ahead and I tugged her hand, heading towards a familiar, worn path. It led to a stream where Amethyst and I snuck off to a lot when we were little. I pushed Amethyst out of my mind, reminding myself that I had promised we would forget about everything else.

We rounded a bend and the stream appeared into view, the lithe, ribbon-like shape gushing with water. I kicked off my boots and rolled up my trousers, then waded into the water.

"Come in, the water's refreshing!" I called to her. Seeing that she was hesitating, I waded back out. "What's wrong?"

She hugged her cloak to herself, as if reluctant to take it off. I frowned, wondering what she was hiding underneath.

"Here, allow me." I kneeled down, bunched up the worn fabric and tied it up with deft fingers. "There."

We both waded into the stream and perched onto a rock. The water was cool, swishing at our ankles. We talked for a while, getting to know each other from the inside without talking about our lives. I was thankful for that. Her favourite colour was red, she wanted to become a dancer but never got the chance to learn. At night she would sometimes sneak into the town square and she would twirl under the stars, waving her hands in the air. She said she felt free at night, when no one was watching.

I told her about myself, too. How I hated that every word I said, every action I did was watched and judged. How I hated the high standards everyone had for me, especially my father, how I could never meet them, and not for the lack of trying. How I wanted to become a performer, going wherever I pleased, doing whatever I wanted.

The sun swooped low over the treeline and the shadows grew steadily longer. At last she stirred.

"We should go." She murmured, moving to stand up.