Scarlet Snow

Scarlet Snow

All she saw was red.

Red dress, red hair, red eyes, red lips

Crimson blood flowed from her wrist.

Intricate artwork streamed down her forearm.

She couldn’t weep-refused to show any emotion

“My dear Snow White it’s your turn now.” She shivered, but the air was not cold.

Her breath heaved, footsteps boomed throughout the halls

She would run as far and as fast as she could.

It was what she would’ve wanted, she wanted many things:

To see her fall in love, marry, eventually becoming queen herself one day.

But, she would never see these

She knew this, but she did not weep

She did not picture herself dancing with her,

Awkwardly being the same height.

Nor the Queen walking with her down the aisle.

Scarlet shucked her shoes and hiked up her dress.

Snow White would no longer be heard, not by the King, not by anyone.

“Snow, darling! I simply want to help,”

Her father’s voice dripped with venom, laughter splitting his sharp face.

She could not tell where the voice came from.

The arching halls once filled with life and wonder,

betrayed her ears for the last time.

They were now bleak, dark and reminded her of those she lost.

No longer did music echo throughout them,

Only the blood curdling sound of her mother’s scream,

The wretched laughter of her father,

And her muffled sobs.

Scarlet did not make a sound, rushing out to the garden.

From there, she would continue and not once, look towards the castle.

“Snow!” He screeched.

She would never go by that name again. It was cursed.

From the day she was born, she knew death would fall upon her.

Her mother begged and pleaded for a different name but,

Her father refused to listen, already corrupt in nature.

They’d lost a son the night Snow White was born,

Strangled by his own umbilical cord.

Cursed by his unborn twin, before either could take a breath.

Scarlet cleared the gardens, offering silent goodbyes to her beloved orchard.

She ran soundlessly, avoiding any lurking guards

Bending to her father’s every beck and will.

Her will too, had she embraced the gift bestowed upon her.

Magic coursed through her veins.

It brought love, hope, wonder and awe.

But, her father used it to strike fear into their people

Without ever yielding any power himself.

Scarlet’s people knew their lives were being bewitched,

But by whom: the Queen, the King, or the Princess?

So she hid her gift from the world,

Believing that if she didn’t use it, her powers wouldn’t exist.

Scarlet lived as a corrector,

Trying to fix the wrongs her father created

Without him, or civilians taking notice.

The Queen would cease to notice, too

Preoccupied by her mirror, high as the halls themselves

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall,” she spoke

“Who is the bravest of them all?”

The Queen would receive word of

Knights, quarreling with dragons and

Those threatening their kingdom.

Sometimes she would hear of

Her beautiful daughter, innocence

Wrapped around her like a silk dress.

Goodness followed in her footsteps, much like a lost child

She brought life and a newfound magic to the kingdom.

Her father on the other hand,

The King brought only pain where his feet touched the earth.

Scarlet cleared the garden and whispered a simple spell,

“Invisibilia,”

Which kept her hidden from whatever

May have disrupted her escape.

She inched her way towards the castle walls

And used basic spells, nothing strong enough

To be detected.

These walls stood firm, impenetrable

And if needed, inescapable.

Luckily for Scarlet, her father hadn’t the time

To force the metal to keep her locked inside.

“Mus.” she whispered

And ascended up the wall,

Scrambled over the top,

And jumped without second thought.

When Scarlet was a child, her mother

Taught her everything she needed to survive,

With or without her.

This quickly became her favorite pastime continuously

Begging her mother to teach her more.

“Okay Scarlet, but you mustn't tell your father,” the Queen would say,

Holding one slender finger to her lips.

Scarlet giggled and mimicked her mother's movement, nodding silently.

Together, they learned, in hopes of

One day leaving the kingdom behind.

Scarlet ran. It was one of the non magical things she was good at.

She did not care to see where her feet took her,

So long as it was far away from home.

The Princess’ surroundings blurred around her

Which kept her from seeing the watchful creatures,

Who hid in the trees and brush.

Scarlet paused and caught her breath

She looked at the height of the moon, measured

Its distance from her, and calculated the time.

It was around three in the morning.

She sat against a tree, momentarily rested her eyes

Beneath her lids, she saw her mother losing the last signs of life,

And opened her eyes with a start.

‘If the King could do that to the Queen, then

what would become of me?’ she wondered.

Her journey did not stop after that.

She favored walking instead of running,

Her energy would be saved that way.

She would stop and watch squirrels chase one another up a tree

The start of Spring would soon be upon them

She lost count of how long she’d been traveling. She

Had seen the moon many times

But how many? Scarlet did not know.

“Rest.” the wind cooed

“Darling, you must rest,”

Scarlet shook her head, tears forming under her eyes

“I cannot rest, not if she’s no longer here.” she choked.

“Rest!” it commanded

Its voice sounded eerily too familiar, chills ran up her spine.

“Mother,” she whispered, sinking to her knees

Scarlet felt helpless, she wanted to go home

Her body was weak, lack of sleep catching up to her

“You must rest, Snow White.” the wind repeated.

She didn’t want to succumb to the voice lulling her to sleep

If she did, her father would capture her

But, she wondered if that would be so bad

“Maybe I’ll rest awhile,”

Her raven hair feathered around the forest floor

She lay on a pile of leaves, and finally rested.

“What is it?” Bashful asked. He shied away from the strange being.

“A girl. Nimrod,” Grumpy muttered.

“Yes but… why is she so… ACHOO!”

“Big? It shouldn’t matter if she’s different.” Happy stated, inclined

To defend the helpless being.

“Well I think she’s pretty,” Dopey said.

A grin matched his name.

“Shh all of you. We should let her rest,” Sleepy yawned.

“I agree. But we should at least bring her in. Come on men,” Doc ordered.

Together, they lifted her, and carried her inside.

They shoved two beds together, hoped it would be enough

And heaved her onto them.

“It’s off to work we go,” they sang quietly.

Drowsy eyes slowly peeled open, focussed yet unfocused

For a minute, Scarlet believed she was home

She expected her mother to walk into

The door, singing about the day's possibilities.

But Scarlet quickly realized that was not the case.

Her vision cleared and she noticed five little beds around her

She sniffed and wrinkled her nose

“Ugh boys,”

She was reminded of the children she snuck out to play with

Scarlet didn’t question how she got there, she didn't care.

But for now she would clean. Cleaning

Felt mundane, peaceful even.

A few hours later, the house was sparkling.

Beds made, blankets folded, and windows opened while air poured in

The door swung open and Scarlet stood,

Ready to thank whoever saved her

“Thank- you?”

Her gaze shifted from the top of the door to the bottom.

She expected some dashing young men but was faced with

Little old men who wore funny little hats.

“Ah she’s awake! How are you feeling?” Doc asked, his kind

Nature brilliantly shown through.

“Well. Very well. Could you tell me where I am?” Scarlet shifted

Her weight from one foot to the other.

“Why, my dear, you’re in the Fluttering Forest.”

She nodded, and vaguely understood what that meant.

She believed it to be somewhere in the middle of the kingdom.

“Oh, wonderful. I must thank you all for your kindness,”

“It was nothing!” Bashful shouted and twisted his foot into the ground.

Scarlet smiled then frowned. “Well I really must be going then…”

“Nonsense. You will stay with us,” Doc stated a matter-of-factly.

“My name is Doc. This is Bashful, Grumpy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy, and Happy.”

“Oh that is lovely, my name is-”

“Snow White,” Dopey said boldly.

Scarlet frowned and faked a smile. “Yes,

But I do not go by that name any longer. It’s a cursed name,

So please, call me Scarlet.”

Each of the seven men nodded and understood immediately.

“So what was she like? The Queen?” Sleepy asked gently.

Dead two weeks, and the whole kingdom seemed to know already.

Word travelled too fast for Scarlet’s liking.

“My mother?” she inquired.

The seven little men nodded excitedly. They each heard her speak of the Queen in her sleep,

How Scarlet admired her, wishing to be with her once more

“Well,” she flushed, embarrassed not knowing exactly where to start

“She was so beautiful! Her hair flowed like  behind her, shimmering bright red.

It was longer than mine I suppose. Her eyes sparkled gold, especially when the sun basked upon them. She had these long lashes, that the snow would catch during winters, decorating her like a christmas tree. My mother was so very graceful. She taught me how to dance. Come here Dopey.” The smallest of the seven dwarfs triumphantly marched forward and bowed.

“Princess,” he said, extending his arm towards Scarlet.

She laughed, taking his arm and counted footsteps.

“1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3,”

She and the little man waltzed around their home. They twirled, birds dancing in sync above them. Doc had taken out his accordion, playing to a beat they did not match.

The dwarfs watched Scarlet spin Dopey and dip him. They laughed at the action but smiled fondly. In all their weeks of knowing Scarlet, not once had she danced.

Not once had she laughed till she cried, expressing so much joy

Other creatures couldn’t help but join in

She brought life back to their little shack

Even if it was just for a few minutes,

Each and every one of the dwarfs felt safe, loved, and jovial

They sat on a log and watched the pair, laughing and dancing together.

Scarlet enjoyed every minute of it, even if poor Dopey couldn’t dance

He barely kept her pacing, but listened intently for her counts

“1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3,”

The morning came with a jovial sun and frightened clouds.

It also gave seven little men the energy to run about the house,

Who bounced around the walls, and eagerly waited for Scarlet to wake.

“Psst. Princess, we’ll let you rest, enjoy your day,” Bashful whispered into her ear.

Each of them saw her smile and left with a gentle “goodbye.”

Scarlet didn’t attend the festival until that evening. She carried

Enough gems for a new dress, tired of her raggedy royal attire.

“Excuse me madam,” Scarlet turned to the voice and ignored the

Roaring sound of the village festival.

She was faced with man who looked similar to Doc. Long

Gray beard with bird nest hair matching in color. He was

Taller than Doc, and did not wear a signature hat, rather

He sported a cloak, shield his face and body from the burning sun.

“Yes? What can I do for you?” Scarlet asked politely.

“Well, you see, my wife loved to give the most spectacular people her most prized possessions. And after she passed, I made it tradition

To seek out a spectacular person once a year, so that

I could still please her.”

He pulled a basket of fruit from behind him and

Offered the basket to Scarlet.

“Would you please accept this, from my wife and I?” he asked.

Her heart swelled and Scarlet smiled so widely her face hurt.

“Of course I will! And here, to help you with whatever fees you must cover.” She stated

In a matter of fact tone.

Scarlet tossed him a rectangular shaped ruby, red as the apples in his basket.

She always felt the need to give back, it was only right

After all.

The man smiled and happily skipped off with his gem.

Scarlet smiled and made her way back to the cabin,

She’d meet her seven little friends there later.

She carried the basket in front of her like a barrier,

From what, she did not know.

Scarlet wanted to believe her past would soon be behind her

Over a month had past and not a single sign of her father,

That or, he waited for her return

“No,” she breathed in a shaky breath,

“I will never go back to that place,”

She tilted her chin to the sky,

And admired how the fluffy clouds danced around the setting sun,

Not quite covering it, but just enough to bring the slightest chill.

Scarlet pulled her cloak closer to her and shivered.

She started the fireplace and decided to rest.

She sat the basket of fruit on the thin, wooden table

And laid on the soft, warm bed.

She woke to silence. Usually, each of the dwarfs would get

Ready for the day. They whistled and hummed, and sometimes, they would dance,

Scarlet would listen to the pitter patter of their feet, while

Doc quietly played his accordion. Today, it was silent.

She quietly stood, and walked to the front of their

Little shared cabin. Each of them were

Soundlessly asleep, snored softly.

Scarlet smiled and examined the mess around them.

Apples were scattered about the floor,

Seven apples, seven bites, seven dwarfs

Her smile quickly turned to a frown, and she attempted to avoid

Sheer panic. “Doc?” she called.

His breath did not change. She called once more, “Doc? Doc wake up.”

Once again, he did not move.

“Doc!” she screamed. Scarlet shook him

“Wake up Doc! You must wake up. Please,” she begged helplessly.

“Happy?” He would always answer, always bring light to her days

“Happy!” He did not respond.

Scarlet started to panic. Her voice shook and rose as she screamed for each of them

“Grumpy!” Not even a grimace.

“Dopey!” The dwarf did not move.

She began to sob, her voice weakened.

“Sleepy?” her voice cracked and like the others, he did not answer.

“Sneezy?” He remained motionless.

Her heart broke and with one last plea she tried,

“Bashful.”

Scarlet ran out the house, tears streamed down her face

She tried to run, but she tripped Doc’s accordion.

It lay cold, useless, now that it’s master was dead.

Scarlet sobbed, letting her grievances shine through

Her mother, the dwarfs, her happiness

She screamed until her throat felt raw, and collapsed,

Clutching Doc’s prized accordion.

Before she closed her eyes, pleading for and escape,

A gentle snowflake fell right before her, reminding her of the curse

She could never escape.