Snow White: A Story Retold, Part 3

Well, dear reader, here's the next part. If you haven't already, click to read PART ONE and PART TWO. If I had to guess, there's about three more parts coming. But you never know with my stories. They decide when they end; I don't. It might end in the next part--who knows. But all that aside, here it is. The next part.

Tess was not sure what to expect at the elf king's funeral. She had never been to one in all the days she spent basking in the elves' immortal beauty and--especially under the circumstances of murder--she did not know what to expect. But she decided to sing at King Andrarie's funeral. He had taught her the best she knew about that great art, and he was her father. And so, when they day came, she walked with the bulk of the elf nation to Mirror Lake. Tess wasn't sure what time of day it was--or rather, what time of night. The only light came from the moon and the stars and from their reflections in Mirror Lake.

All the elves wore silver--silver like the trees they inhabited. Even Tess wore the same garb. For the first time in all the days she spent amongst the elves, she did not feel out of place. Instead, she felt like she was about to teach the immortal race something about their king. She was, indeed, his only daughter. And the song she was about to sing was Andrarie's own song that he had only shared with her. She stood on a high rock overlooking Mirror Lake as the elves lowered their king's closed silver casket into the water. Aside from a bit of clear crystal that protected his face from the water, the king's casket was solid silver covered with silver vines and leaves and strange creatures. Looking down at the casket--at her father's still face--Tess began to sing. Tears ran down her face, but her song rose over the water with all the perfection of an elf and all the raw emotion of a human.

Her beautiful voice started softly, then built and built until the forest rung with a high soprano aria. Just as a cloud covered the moon, her voice sunk again, and the elves heard the low, soulful notes that only a tremendous alto could sing. Andrarie had indeed taught Tess well. But the song itself was what captured the elves' attention. The melody was at once moving, driving, gentle, hopeful, and sad. All the elves stood rapt. No one had ever sang like this before.

Then, just as Mirror Lake swallowed the king's silver casket up, the clouds covered the sky entirely--but, strangely enough, the sky's reflection still shone in the water. Tess's voice stopped and all the elves stared into the water.

The reflection of the moon grew and grew until it filled the whole lake with its burning brightness. Tess fell to her knees, smacking them on the rock, but she couldn't feel the pain, for her mind was wholly diverted. Out of the burning silver water rose a woman.

Or else, Tess thought it was a woman. She couldn't be sure. Dark, inky-blue water obscured the creature's whole body, except for her arms, neck, and face. The creature's hair waved in every direction, as if it were still in water. Her skin glistened a cobalt blue, but her eyes--oh, those deep eyes--were a limitless black. She spoke.

"Tess." The queenly voice did not wait for a response. "I pulled you into my waters long ago, thus giving you a promise that you would be the most beautiful creature in all of the land. I never forget a promise, for I am the water woman. Your song reminded me of my promise. You have grown very beautiful, my child. Your song today has brought you so close to that full beauty, but I have one gift to give to complete it: a blessing. I bless you with wisdom. This possession could save your life, my child, if only you use it. But it also shall complete your beauty. You are the most beautiful creature in the land, Tess, my child." The water woman stretched out one inky hand and placed it on Tess's forehead, smiled slightly, and spun back into the water.

The sky returned. Tess realized she had not been breathing and gasped, letting the air whoosh into her lungs again. She stood slowly, testing her legs. They held.

She turned towards the elves. They all stood there, gazing at Tess with their impassive eyes. All but one, that is. Zelliana--the king's wife and Tess's stepmother--looked at her with eyes of silver hate. "You!" she screamed, her beautiful face terrible. "You poisoned the water woman against me! You stole my place! If she gives you a blessing, I give a curse." The elf woman raised her hands to the sky. Tess knew very little about magic, but she knew enough to know that if black energy swirled around an angry person's hands, it would be a good time to leave the premises. So she ran.

She never heard the queen's curse, but she knew that it had landed on her. She felt the black magic hit her and seep into her like cold ice. But she still ran. She ran west for hours until she met the Great Sea. She would have ran up the shore, but she decided not to. She couldn't have gone anywhere even if she wanted to, really.

She was standing in the midst of a group of pirates.

Wisdom, she thought. I could use a bit of that right now.

There you have it! This story really is turning into a saga. I promise it shall be over soon. I'll post some other stuff, too, so it won't be all story.

God bless you, dear reader.

Love,

Rose Dickenson