Redeeming a Dark Heart

Chapter 1: The Deal

"What shall we do now, Your Majesty?" One of my guards asked as I turned toward them, eyes flaring with rage and exasperation. None of the villagers would tell me where Snow was. Not one of them. I knew she had been living here, they had to have seen her. Why was it they were loyal to her and not me? She was a bandit, traitor, liar, murderer. I was their Queen.

"Kill them all." I ordered, my voice hoarse from yelling at the villagers. If they wanted to help her, they were as evil as she was. They needed to die. "No mercy." I added. "Find me Snow White." I turned my back to the village and strutted off toward my carriage, determined. This was the only way I could be happy. What she had done to me, it was unspeakable, and she had to be punished for it. I stepped up into my carriage and slammed the door closed. "Go." I told the driver, and the horses began pulling forward over the uneven road.

By the time we arrived back at my castle, it was late and the sound of crickets filled the night. The door to the carriage was opened. I stepped out and started immediately into my castle. I quickly made my way through the hall and to my quarters, not slowing my pace a bit the whole way. I had an idea, and I needed Rumpelstiltskin to assist me.

"Rumpelstiltskin." I called as I walked into my room. I turned my head at the sound of his voice. He always had been one to know when he was needed, of course he was already here.

"It seems you've taken to power quite well." He observed loudly. He was right, of course, it hadn't been long since I'd plotted for the King to be killed and taken the throne myself. But the place of power felt so...right. I liked it. There had been a time when I would have said that I didn't want power, that I wanted freedom instead, but now, now I understood what my mother had told me about power. Power was my freedom. With this power, I would be able to kill Snow for what she'd done to me, and I would finally have the freedom I'd desired for so long. "Gives your cheeks a nice rosy color." Rumpel continued to muse.

I ignored his comments. "I don't understand them." I said. "I offer these peasants a fortune, and still they protect Snow White. Why are they loyal to her and not me?" He stood up from his seat next to the fire and came toward me. "I am their Queen." I finished before he could interrupt.

"You did just slaughter an entire village." He pointed out. I stared back at him in disgust. How could he be so rude? He really didn't understand, did he? "Maybe that's why they call you...the Evil Queen." He trilled on in his impish voice.

"I am not evil." I defended myself, my eyes blazing with anger as he turned his back to avoid my glare. "They call me that because of her. She's the evil one." She was the one who had started it. She had caused Daniel's death, which was why she needed to die as well.

"They're her people, dearie." He reminded me. "You're going to have to be content with their fear." He instructed me. "They'll never love you." He, of course, had to add onto the end.

"Yes, they will." I shot back. They will love me. "When she is gone, when Snow is dead, then they will see my kindness." I declared, smiling innocently to myself at the thought of the people loving me as they loved her. When I got my revenge, when Snow got what she deserved, then my kindness will be able to show. It will be then, and only then, that I will be happy.

"Through the charred remains of their homes, yes, I'm sure that'll be perfectly clear." Rumpel replied, seeming amused by my statement. My smile faded. He didn't think it was possible for me to kill Snow without destroying everything else.

"Well in time it will be." I stated, glaring at him as I spoke. "Her death will allow it. And I'm going to find her." He had stopped listening and was now looking at himself in a small mirror, seeming satisfied with his reflection. "Apparently, I have to do it myself." I stated plainly. I was tired of his games. Why did I think he would help me?

"Well, in that outfit, finding her should be easy." He mocked. I let out a gasp, his useless commentary had finally helped me.

"Teach me my mother's shape-shifting spell, allow me to hide." I turned to him, practically begging. I hated to appear so low, but that was the only way I could get through to him. If I could learn how to change my appearance, I could get close enough to Snow to kill her before she even knew it was me.

"It took your mother months to learn that." He stated, shaking his head to tell me it couldn't be done. "You? Well, perhaps in a week you'll be able to, uh..." He inhaled sharply, trying to come up with an example,"Change your hair? Highlights? Maybe." My line of sight had fallen to the floor, there went my great idea. I couldn't wait that long. I needed something that I could learn faster.

Wait, maybe my idea could still work. I whooshed back around toward him and pronounced my idea. "If I can't do the spell, you can." Did I really trust him that much? Not really, but in this case, I would have to. This was the only way I could get revenge on Snow for the atrocity she'd done. "Put it on me." I demanded.

He grinned and stood up from the vanity table. "If I do, you won't control it, and you won't have any magic while the spell is working." He warned.

"I won't need magic," I replied. "As long as I can get close enough to snap her neck with my bare hands." I could imagine it now. Snapping her neck, hearing it crack, watching her body fall to the ground just as Daniels had after his heart had been crushed. It was her fault, all of my pain, and now I would finally get a chance to pay her back for what she'd done to me. I knew that killing her wouldn't take away my pain from losing him, but she didn't deserve to live after what she'd caused.

"I can see you're determined." Rumpel mused and then proceeded on with the business. "Once the deed is done, call upon me." He instructed. "Only I can return you to your regal self." I prepared myself for the spell and then stopped him.

"Hold on." I ordered and he lowered his hands back to his side. "What's the price?" I asked, knowing he always had some catch to his deals.

"Mm," he said, "boring matter of state." He waved his hands in dismissal. "I need you to cut off all trades with King George's realm."

I nodded my head in agreement but still, I cocked my head and frowned at the price. "King George? Why?" I asked. He had never been a bad trade partner in any way.

"I need him bankrupt. What's it to you?" Rumpel answered rudely. It hadn't really mattered anyway, I'd just been curious, but I had more important things to attend to than arguing with an imp.

"Okay, fine, fine. Just do it." I insisted, whipping my skirts back behind me once more to smooth them out. "Time is of the essence."

Rumpel raised his hands and flicked his wrists. Suddenly I was enveloped in a thick cloud of purple smoke. He gave a small giggle of amusement. The smoke cleared away and I was still standing in the exact same spot I'd been before. I looked down at my skirts, which had been replaced by dingy grey peasants clothing.

"I don't feel any different..." I told him, unsure if the spell had worked properly. "Other than these ghastly rags." I added, running the scarf through my hands.

Rumpel smiled and pointed toward the mirror. "This is what the world will see."

I turned to my reflection and gasped. The woman reflected in the glass was not myself at all. My hair was still the same length and dark color as always, but it had been let down into a tangled mess of waves. My clothes were not of the intricately embroidered, tightly laced style that I had become accustomed to wearing, but instead I wore a dress made of many layers of coarse grey fabric draped around my figure. I had the same dark eyes as I always had, but the face around them was that of a completely different person. "Excellent." I said quietly, examining the fit of the dress. "About as regal as a potato." I observed, smiling into the mirror and settling the scarf over my hair. I could finally get my revenge, and nobody would be able to prove it was me. I would be able to get close enough to Snow to let her trust me, and then I would make my move. She would be so unexpectant of my act that she wouldn't even have time to yell for help before I had snapped her neck.

"Careful, dearie." Rumpel warned. "A queen striding amongst peasants might not like what she hears."

I grinned into the mirror. "Won't matter." I said, throwing an end of my scarf over my shoulder and settling it around my chin. "When I'm done, they'll be singing my praised over her smoldering, villainous remains." I turned on my heel away from the mirror, proud of how well this plan had begun.