Free Hilda - Snow White revisited by Paul Kater

gotten rid of her night-time
entertainment, headed out to have breakfast. She was up early as
she wanted to avoid her husband. Again. As usual. And as long as he
did not make any remarks about that, she'd be fine.
    As she was eating, and it was a lot after the
strains of the last night- ehm the long walk home from the day
before, she demanded one of the servants to bring her four apples.
The apples had to be specific in shape and colouring. The man
nodded and hurried off. Being near the queen was not his favourite
passtime, and most of all it wasn't if she was in such a commanding
mood.
    Quickly he returned with the four apples. The
queen checked them, muttered over them and then ignored the man.
Obviously he had done something right.
    After breakfast, the queen got up, apples in
hand, and left for her chambers again. On the stairs that led up,
the king was coming down for breakfast.
    "Good morning, dear wife," Walt said, "I hope
you slept well after the dreadful experiences of yesterday?"
    "I hardly slept, if you really want to know,"
the mean queen said.
    "Oh, poor dear," the king said, ready to hold
her in a comforting hug for a while.
    The queen backed away from him, though. "I am
sorry, dear, being close and sweet is something I just can't bear
at the moment..." Quickly she fled up the stairs, leaving Walt with
his arms wide open staring after her.
    "Oh, oh, oh," he then sighed, shaking his head.
As he walked down to the breakfast room, he worried about the
queen. She was so sensitive, he thought, and now that Snow-White
had disappeared it seemed to become even worse.
    As he sat down at the table, the servant smiled.
"Regular, my king?"
    Walt shook his head. "No, Bart, I'm not very
hungry. Just sausages, hash browns, macaroni and cheese and a
beer."
    Bart worried. "Are you sure you are alright,
Sire? Should I warn the royal physician perhaps?"
    "No, that's quite alright, Bart, I may have a
light snack later on."
    The servant nodded and rushed off to arrange for
the king's food.
    Snow-White woke up to find the seven other beds
empty and the boys gone. She stretched out, purring like a kitten.
Slowly she got up and walked to the kitchen, humming her favourite
song as she made some breakfast and a cup of cocoa. She knew that
things would be fine today. After a night that was good, the
following day could not be anything else.
    Snow-White frowned as she noticed that the
watercontainer in the kitchen was nearly empty. That meant she'd
have to go out a few times with a bucket to refill it. She
shrugged. It would be fine.
    After finishing and getting dressed, Snow-White
located the bucket and armed with that she looked out the window.
Nobody in sight. Not even fake neighbours. Fully empowered she
opened the door and walked down the small road to the well where
she filled the bucket and hauled it back to the kitchen.
    "That's one," she said, happy. As the result of
the big splash was barely noticeable it dawned on her that it would
take more than just 'a few' buckets of water to fill the container.
"Bummer." But then, she had most of the day for that, and she could
find some change of mind in making the beds and getting dinner
going for the boys.
    In the secret room of the queen there were many
things going on. She had candles burning under jars with
spluttering contents, there were small bottles with liquids in
unhealthy colours. On the far end of the table there was a bowl
with a large amount of yellow fog in it. And there were four
apples.
    The apples were the most dangerous things in the
castle. Probably in the entire vicinity until you reached Hilda's
house. The queen was delighted at how well this all had worked. The
fruit had come out of the treatment perfect. Now they just needed
to cool down for a day and a night, and then they were ready to
fullfill their purpose. Okay, one would be enough, but you could
never tell.
    Humming a tune she left the room, locked the
door and hung the key from a fine gold chain. The key