Fan Fiction project

Just a Snow White+Belle fan fiction project for class based on the short story Tale of a Rose

She carried Snow’s limp body inside the castle. The woman was much lighter than Belle had expected. With all the robes and clothes she wore, the woman seemed much bulkier. Readjusting her on her back, Belle carefully made her way up the step towards the bedchamber where the once beast resided. Upon reaching the door Belle remembered she did not have the key to this particular room.

“Gods curse it.” she muttered, bumping her head on the door. Glancing back at the woman over her shoulder she figured it would be fair rude to go rummaging through her person in search of the key. There was a guest room nearby. That would have to do for now.

As Belle trudged to the room her forehead began to bead with sweat. Oh come now, she thought I can carry bales of hay, all of my sister’s heavy dresses, and piles of firewood. Surely I can carry a woman without tiring!

Finally they reached the room. Belle scooted Snow further up her back so she could use one hand to search for the keys. Once in hand, Belle unlocked the door and shuffled into the room towards the bed. Luckily, this had been one of the ones she had taken the time to clean during her stay. It had been horribly filthy, cobwebs lining the ceiling and bed posts and layers of dust so thick it turned dark cherry wood white as marble. Pulling back the blankets Belle carefully, though not gracefully, laid the woman on the downy mattress. With a huff, she straightened her back until it responded with a low crack. Shaking herself Belle set to work removing the robes and damp outer clothing until Snow lay in just a thin white shirt. Belle removed the boots and contemplated on whether or not to rid the pale woman of her trousers as well. They were thoroughly soaked and would be no help in the attempt to keep her warm.

Belle chewed her thumbnail before releasing a heavy sigh “I cannot believe I’m doing this…”

Taking the topmost button in quivering fingers, she started to slip it through the hole when a very weary hand stopped her.

“What are you-” Snow coughed violently. Clearing her throat she continued, “What are you doing?”

“They’re soaked. They need to come off if you don’t want to get any worse.” Belle watched as Snow’s face began to turn red. Placing a hand to the woman’s forehead she added, “You already have a pretty bad fever, miss.”

“But what are you doing here?”

Swallowing the lump in her throat Belle muttered “I said I would come back…”

“You’re late. You said you would be back in eight days. Its been nearly two weeks.”

Waving off the accusation “We do not need to worry about this now! I’m back so,” Belle paced before storming back to the door “remove those at once. I’ll be back with some firewood and food and water.” Without a second glance back, Belle slammed the door behind her and marched down the stairs.

Stupid. She could at least be grateful that I came back. I could have easily left her out there to freeze. Her brows creased in frustration as she rummaged around pantry. She gathered some carrots, onions, parsley and rosemary. My family needed me, it’s not like she really needs me around here. Been alone all this time, surely she can handle a few weeks without my company.

She lit the stove before heading out to the hen house. Once that gruesome deed was done, and the bird had been plucked, Belle set to work on preparing a soup for ‘her majesty’ upstairs. While waiting for the broth to boil, she ran back out to fetch a few logs for the fire. She bounded back up to the guest room and set them in the fireplace. Snow lay asleep in the bed as the flames roared to life, bringing the much needed heat into the cold room. Wiping her forehead, Belle dashed back downstairs to the kitchen. Her foot tapped in agitation as she cooked. The aroma of the eased her nerves a bit and caused her mouth to water. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since leaving her father’s home. A sigh passed her lips. With any luck Snow was still asleep so, it wouldn’t be so bad if she took a few extra minutes to have a bite to eat.

Chicken soup prepared, Belle poured herself a bowl and took a seat at the small wooden table. She ate in silence. It was strange not hearing the incessant ramblings of her sisters, her father’s worries, or even having the beast watching her as she took each bite. Tapping the spoon to her lips she sighed. What was she going to do now? ‘The Beast’ was the missing queen Snow White. Did people know this? More importantly, did her father know this? Had this all been some elaborate ruse, or did he think this woman had actually been a monster? Everything that happened between her and the beast started to make much more sense though. But, why stay disguised? Belle rubbed her eyes, twas far too early for these questions…

“Taking care of yourself first I see.”

The sudden voice caused Belle to drop her spoon. A loud clatter echoed off stone walls making Snow squeeze her eyes shut and grab her head. Belle jumped up from her seat to grab the woman before she collapsed.

“What are you doing out of bed? You’re too ill to be walking around just yet.” glancing down, Belle added with a blush, “And where are your pants?!”

Snow sat back in the seat Belle pulled out for her, her bare legs stretched out in a most unlady-like manner. “It’s my castle, I can dress how I like.” Tugging at the long shirt Snow scoffed, “Covers everything important, doesn’t it?”

Belle poured the woman a bowl, “But I can see all the way up to your knees.”

“Oh how horrifying! I completely forgot that women don’t have those.”

“It’s not proper!” Belle turned back to see Snow resting her head in her arms on the table.

“What do you honestly care about being proper?” Snow sneered, “If you were so worried about that you would’ve been a good little girl for your father and gotten married to a rich young man, like you were supposed to!”

“My father-”

“Traded you to a terrible monster and left you here.”

“He had to, I was the first thing he saw!” Belle set the steaming bowl in front of Snow and took her seat, “That was the deal you made with him.”

A low groan rumbled from the dark-haired woman as she sat back. Her chestnut eyes piercing into Belle’s with pure annoyance, “How would I have known that you were?” Snow watched as Belle tried to think of a reason, “Simple, he could have brought me anything and I would have been none the wiser but no, he brings me one of his children. His oldest, unmarried… troublesome was the word he actually used to describe you, daughter.”

“Toublesome?!”

“Aye.” Snow blew on the soup before popping a spoonful into her mouth, “Hmm, this is good. Your father was a stupid man for sending you off.” She ate a few more bites before continuing, “He made a deal with me, long before he dropped you off here. You see he had stumbled upon my castle a few years ago and was at first rather terrified of me but, after a while he began plotting. He told me of a daughter of his that was going about doing man’s work, not getting married, she turned down every suitor he brought to her. Told me, thinking I was still a monster, that if she didn’t smarten up in the next year he was just going to dump her here. That way she would be out of his hair for good and start arranging for suitors for his other daughters.” She picked up the bowl, gulping down the remainder of the soup, “Well, you see how that went for you. All those dresses were delivered here by him and he never even wanted you to come back.

I couldn’t understand how you could have ever wanted to go back. The day you left I was surprised. I almost told you everything right then and there, maybe if I did you would have been back sooner… You were too good for that family.” scowling, Snow stood and made her way to the door, “But what do I know? I’m just some monster living alone in a castle.”

Belle shook her head, “But why would father leave me here?”

“As a punishment!” Snow leaned against the door but didn’t turn back, “Thinking his daughter would be miserable living with a beast that would treat her cruelly, perhaps then she would smarten up and learn to do as she’s supposed to and be a real woman.”

“He had no idea who you were?”

“Of course not. Do you think he would have let you stay here with another unruly woman? A cross-dressing one at that!”

Belle laughed, “Father would have collapsed for sure. But you were a queen, you had been married. What happened.”

Snow glanced back, “He died, thank the powers that be! I hated that man.” Her eyes filled with anger “Those dwarves just gave me to him! I don’t know what fanciful story you were told about me but I can guarantee it was a damn lie. He didn’t kiss me awake. He didn’t sweep me off my feet in a show of love. No, he saw my dead body and thought I looked rather pretty for a corpse and paid those little imps a rather pretty sum for my body. As his men were carrying my casket they dropped me and when my head hit the ground the chunk of apple that had killed me flew out. I came back to life and he just figured since I could no longer light up his castle as a decoration he might as well marry me.” Her fist hit the wood door, “I was seven! A little girl and he-!”

She slid to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes. Her head rest in her hands as, between sniffs, she continued “I- I thought as I grew older I would fall in love. Like in all the stories… But that never happened. So when he fell ill I felt such a sense of relief. The maids and butlers were so disgusted with how joyful I was during their lord’s time of dying. They scolded me relentlessly, told me that I should show that gracious man the respect he deserved. After all he ‘saved me and gave me everything’. They didn’t care about the nights of torture that man put me through. The beatings for not providing him with a child, the onslaught of insults, or the fact that he threatened to kill me on multiple occasions. No. No one cared about little Snow White, which isn’t even my real name but, that just shows how little they truly cared.” She wiped her eyes, “No one ever bothered to ask me what my real name was… Not once in eight years. After he died, everyone left but, not me. I stayed here and reveled in my solitude. Being fifteen and on your own in a big castle wasn’t so bad. But, as you could tell in the harshness of my voice when you first came, I didn’t do a lot of talking. No one had seen me in years, thought I was dead, until the day your father showed up, and then finally you were here.” she smiled.

“How come you couldn’t just tell me?”

Snow leaned her head back, looking away, “Fear. You might have run off and told everybody I was alive. I didn’t want those idiots in the village to try to get me to rule a kingdom that has been fine on it’s own for the past eleven years. No, you had to be trusted first.” Rolling her head back to face Belle she added, “So, you going to run off into night and tell everyone my secret?”

Belle twisted a strand of her brown locks in her fingers “That would put quite a damper on my staying here, I would think.”

The former queen’s brows furrowed “You’re going to stay?”, Belle nodded, “Why?”

“There is nothing for me out there,” she gestured past the walls of the kitchen, “and- as much as I hate admitting it, I missed your company while I was gone. I had tried to forget. Tried to push out the memories of this place, all the books, especially you. However with each passing day and my family ordering me to do this and that I became so… frustrated. Then I saw you in my mirror, half frozen- I just left.”

“You don’t want to go back?”

Belle shook her head.

Snow relaxed against the doorframe once more. Her eyes cast up toward the ceiling, wondering. Then she began to laugh, it was beautiful and bright, and as she laughed Belle joined in with her. The two women sat in their spots as their voices echoed off the kitchen walls, down the halls, filling the castle with the joyous noise.

Wiping an eye, the former queen smiled and giggled, “Good, now help me up. It would seem I used up the last good bit of energy I had left.”

With a snort, Belle stood and approached the former queen. Taking the outstretched hand, she hefted her new friend up from the ground and guided her back up to the guest room. As the took each step slowly and carefully, the brunette added,

“I only have one request from you while I live here.”

“Only one?”

Casting a side-eye to Snow, the corner of her mouth curling into a smirk, “Yes. My request is that you will not roam around the castle without trousers.” Snow threw her head back roaring with laughter but, agreed. Once they reached the bedchamber Belle tucked the woman in and stoked the fire. As she was about to leave, she turned “Snow White isn’t your real name?”, the woman shook her head, eyes falling shut, “What is it then?”

She smiled wearily, “You may call me Evangeline.”

Belle grinned, “It’s nice to meet you, Evangeline. I look forward to living with you. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you” Evangeline had already fallen asleep. With that, Belle quietly closed the door and disappeared to the library, settling into her new life.