Snow White and the Evil Queen

Snow awoke from her slumber. The stench of urine, unwashed floors, and decay assaulted her nose immediately. She felt as if her head was swimming in a glass of water. Groggily, she lifted her heavy lids to look about the dark room… Room… That was a very loose word for the area. Three stone walls coated with dirt and grime; the fourth a mere barricade of iron bars with a small door in the center.

“What in the…” she thought to herself as she tried to stand, the clanking of shackles bound to her ankle ringing in her ear. Looking down at the object she frowned, pulling on the rusty manacle, the chain attached and bolted to the floor. “Well isn’t this just peachy?”

She looked around the small enclosure. A bucket, a small cot barely suitable for a grown adult, even at just barely 18, and a tattered blanket comprised the full contents of the cell. A chill came over the young maiden as it dawned on her that she was completely bare, her entire petite body exposed to the elements of the cramped cell.

As if on cue, heavy footfalls on the stone floor echoed closer and closer. Fear simmered in the pit of her stomach as she sunk back against the cot, wishing she could disappear completely and escape notice of the approaching stranger. Alas, this was not to be as the hulking outline of the armoured guard appeared in the small frame of the door, carrying a tray containing basic sustenance. No emotion crossed his face as he unlocked the door and placed the tray at the feet of her trembling body.

“Eat.”

One word of his deep, rich voice sent shivers of need and fear down her spine. She swallowed slowly, unmoving, as his dark eyes pierced deep into her being. After a pause, he shrugged and left the way he came. Paralyzed, she sat listening to his retreating steps echoing down the hall.