The Queen

She had never wanted to be a mother. So being the stepmother to a child less than half her age was always difficult. As the Princess aged she surpassed the Queen's beauty which birthed a vicious one sided rivalry. Every chance she had gotten to steer the Princess wrong in beauty or fashion she had jumped on it.

At her lowest she had bribed the royal dress maker to sew the Princess' clothes two sizes too small. The Princess had made a sing-songy sigh and requested the dresses to be made larger. The only part of the whole ordeal that had seemed to bother her was the added hassle that was brought onto the seamstress.

It had only been two years since the King and her had debuted the Princess to the townsfolk and future suitors. From there word of her sweet nature and breathtaking beauty had spread. Everyone who met her was enchanted. She made time for even the most destitute subjects in the same way she did for the upper echelon. For the Queen this was maddening to watch.

For as long as the Queen could remember her beauty had never been compared. She had grown up the daughter of baron. By the time she had turned fourteen she had already been promised to the cousin of the King in exchange for money and favor in the Royal court. However within weeks of her wedding tragedy had struck the kingdom. During childbirth the first queen had died. The King, who had been prepared to attend her nuptials to his favorite cousin decided that his need for a new queen trumped all else. After all, his daughter was in need of a mother immediately.

The Queen's tale was sadly a mediocrely common one. A young bride married off to an older richer man. As with most in her situation their marriage had never been one of love. Unlike most her's was not one of lust either. Sure, he enjoyed looking at her and parading her around court. But other than to consummate their union she had been left alone on a cold bed for almost eighteen years.

She had found ways to supplement her needs though. When the Princess was a child the Queen had been close to her tutor. Until he had fallen in love with a woman in the village and resigned his post. That had been a painful lesson for her and after that she kept her affairs short and emotionless.

When the Princess was getting ready to be debuted the Queen began entertaining a visiting royal. A wealthy viscount. His head had been in the clouds and he had tried to shower her with gifts. She only allowed herself to keep one though. During the celebration of the Princess' 18th birthday her presented her with a once in a lifetime gift. Never before had she seen something like it before. It was a magic mirror.

The introduction of the mirror into her life brought an end to her string of affairs. With the distaste for her step daughter becoming an obsession. The Queen spent her waking hours spying on the Princess. She became familiar with the Princess' body. Every inch of it. She watched as the maids helped dress and undress the Princess. She was even able to pinpoint the moment the Princess fell in love with one of the princes vying for her hand.

When the Princess asked to speak with her father about this man it was the Queen who whispered in his ear against giving his blessing. She planted seeds of fear that his beloved daughter would fall to the same fate as her mother if she were to get married. At his heart the King was a simple man. He had loved the first queen with all of his heart. When she died his love had transferred to his daughter. The Queen had never had a chance. His heart just didn't have room for her. She had accepted these facts long ago. It had made her heart bitter to anything that looked like true love. Why should anyone else have the one thing she had yearned for?

The King refused to let the Princess marry and sent all of the princes back to their respective kingdoms. The Princess tearfully accepted her father's decision. But the light that radiated from the Princess dimmed and the whole castle seemed to lose its shine.

In the weeks that followed the Queen celebrated. She was practically giddy with joy. She watched the Princess through her magic mirror. The Princess spent her days in bed though which proved dull for the Queen. She stopped watching her on the mirror.

It had been years since the Queen had been in need of entertainment. Usually when she was bored she would find ways to sabotage the Princess. But with a broken heart the Queen learned that this was no longer possible. You can't break someone who has already been broken.

The Queen decided to take up hunting. It was just mean spirited enough. She did not hunt for food. She did it to watch the life pour out of another soul. The plus side to this was she had never realized how handsome the Royal Huntsman was.

The Huntsman quickly took a liking to the Queen. No matter how mean she was to him he would smile at her. It had been the first time since she had been wed to the King that her beauty blinded a man like this.

Today the Huntsman had a dozen or so pheasants she had killed strung together and hanging from his back. She would have preferred they leave the birds to rot he had insisted on bringing them back for the townsfolk. The Queen had given him a horrified look but relented.

"You're not as bad as you want people to believe." he told her.

"No." She agreed. "I'm worse."

They were interrupted by the sound of crying. Slowly the approached an old well leftover from before the castle had been built. The Princess was sitting on the stone wall. Her tears spilling off her cheeks and down into the well. Her long black hair fell in curls and shook as she cried.

The Queen and the Hunstman quietly backed away and retraced their steps. Once they were out of earshot the Huntsman murmured, "my heart breaks for her. She's so beautiful." A tear threatened to escape his eye.

Anger boiled in the Queen. The Huntsman had been hers. She didn't love him or even want him in any significant way. Not that any of that mattered. He. Was. Hers. How dare that spoiled brat take yet another thing from her. It was time for her to reclaim what was rightfully her property.

"Take off your clothes." The Queen commanded with a chill in her voice.

"Your majesty?"

"Your Queen has ordered you to take off your clothes. Are you going to disobey?" Her tone made it clear this was not a question.

The Huntstman glanced around the clearing. Confirming that they were indeed alone he gingerly set the pheasants on the ground and began to undress.

With an appraising eye the Queen watched him. His body had more muscle than those she had been with in the past. His skin was golden brown and matched his eyes. In another life she probably could have loved him.

Stark naked he approached her. She allowed him to run his fingers through her blonde hair.

The Queen guided him onto the ground. Lifting her many skirts she lowered herself on top of him. As she moved her body with his she found herself picturing not him but someone else. She imagined someone else's fingers tracing her skin. The lips of another on her.

The Queen didn't wait for the Huntsman to climax. These thoughts were pounding in her head. She needed to get them out. She left the Huntstman alone and naked in the woods. She never saw him again.

The magic mirror was hanging on her bedchamber wall. Quickly the Queen yanks the gauze fabric off.

"Show me the Princess."

The mirror fades from her reflection to the well in the forest. The Princess isn't alone anymore. Her prince has joined her. The Queen listens intently and learns that the Prince has been living in a cottage in the forest. He has been watching the castle. Waiting for the Princess to finally emerge. He begs her to leave with him. Much to the Queen's dismay the Princess tells him she will. They embrace tightly.

Anger erupts from the Queen. Her fist smashes into the mirror, cracking it. She howls. She flees the castle with a panic unbecoming of her station. In the woods she follows the trail to the well. The Princess is gone. Frantic the Queen uses everything she's learned from hunting and picks up their trail. Without care to the noise she follows them. She goes deeper into the forest than she ever dared go and almost gives up when she sees smoke rises. In a small clearing there is a small cottage with a thatched roof. Relief and exhausted saturated her body and she falls to the ground. Leaning against a large oak tree she watches the door to the cottage.

Hours pass and the Queen falls into a dreamless slumber. She whimpers in her sleep. Her soul is going under a transformation as her mind catches up with her head. The Queen knows what she wants.

It's morning when she hears the Prince leaving the cottage. He's whistling as her passes feet from her.

It's now or never the Queen thinks. She slowly approaches the cottage. She can see the Princess through a window. She's singing to herself while cleaning the house. The Queen watches her entranced. Time is limited but the Princess mesmerizes her.

Gently tapping on the window she startles the Princess. Fear and distrust ugly the Princess' face. Guarded she approaches the window.

"What do you want, Mother?" she asks without even a trace of a smile on her face.

"Please, please don't call me that." The Queen begs. "I'm not your mother. I've never been. We both know that. Can you call me by my name?"

The Princess raises her eyebrow. "I do not know that I know your name.."

"It's Gwendolyn. I'm Gwen." The Queen replies with hoping edging into her heart. "I came here... for you."

"What do you mean "for me"? You have never done anything "for me"..." the Princess says sadly.

"I know I haven't. I'm a horrible person. But I love you. Don't leave with him. Leave with me." Gwen begs.

"I don't understand..." and she really doesn't. But her heart is too pure not to open immediately.

Gwen leaves the window, running the short distance to the cottage's front door. The Princess opens it immediately and Gwen takes her in her arms. She smells the Princess' hair. "Please, come with me. Just hear me out, please?"

The Princess pulls away and looks at Gwen with tears in her eyes. She doesn't ask questions. She just replies, "Okay."

The two of them flee the cottage, deeper into the forest. They walk for what seems forever without speaking until they reach the opening of a mine. Whistling drifts up from the bowels of the cave. Gwen gestures towards the stump of a tree and helps the Princess sit down. For hours Gwen talks. Gwen confesses everything and professes her true love to the Princess.

"Will you run away with me?" Gwen asks the Princess.

The Princess nods vigorously with tears streaming down her face. "Let's go."

Gwen gets on her knees and crawls closer to the Princess. She takes the Princess' delicate hands in her own and kisses them reverently.

The Princess leans in and kisses Gwen. Soft and unsure at first. Gwen returns the gentle kiss and the Princess intensifies hers. They become more confident and passionate. Her tongue slides down Gwen's throat and her soft hands hungrily trace Gwen's gown. The Princess rips Gwen's bodice, freeing her breasts. The Princess begins to suck on Gwen's nipple with the urgency of a new born baby.

Gwen lets out a moan and lays back into the grass. The Princess follows her body staying attached at the nipple. She tugs Gwen's dress up to her waist and starts to kiss her inner thighs. The sensation makes Gwen dizzy.

Tentatively the Princess sticks her fingers inside of Gwen. Pulling them out she holds them up so they can both see how wet and sticky Gwen is. Gwen is practically oozes. She's never climaxed before but she thinks she has already. Well. That is until the Princess lowers her face down on Gwen's crotch.

Her tongue is deep inside Gwen. Gwen looks at the trees shading them. The sun breaking through warming her inner thighs and lets out a moan, "Oh Snow..."