5Disclaimer: This is a non-profit, amateur effort not intended to infringe on the rights of Disney or any other copyright holder.
Cut back to the training room. Snow's fists are clenched at her sides, and she is seething. Robert is cowering behind Millicent and whimpering slightly. Millicent has a serious reaction for the first time, a hand at her mouth in shock. She still stands her ground and soon composes herself. She takes a step toward Snow, who is shaking in rage. Robert flinches back, then decides not moving will prevent attention from being drawn to him.
MILLICENT: Miss-miss White, there's no need to overreact. We know nothing for certain, and there is still a very good chance of recovering the Prince before the wedding. There was no blood, so we can assume he remains uninjured. I'll arrange for the finest knights of the kingdom to set out. They'll find him, and he'll be back here before you know it.
Snow takes a deep breath and stops shaking. She looks up, face hard with fierce determination.
SNOW: No.
Bewildered blinking from Millicent.
MILLICENT: No? But –
SNOW: I'm going after him myself. I'm done with hiding from my problems, done with running away and hoping things will work out on their own and leaving others to fight my battles. I'll get him back, avoid the chaos that would come from telling others about this, the wedding will proceed without incident, and we will live happily. Ever. After.
Snow bites out the last words, teeth clenched in determination.
MILLICENT: But –
Millicent gives a resigned sigh, then looks up and almost matches the strength of Snow's determination.
MILLICENT: Very well. But I would be breaking the oath I took when I accepted this position if I allowed you to set off on this mission on your own. I'm coming with you. We'll pack a few supplies and be off within the hour.
Robert, meanwhile, has regained his composure. His spine straight, he's giving his all to keep somewhat stern.
ROBERT: As am I. It goes against all a chivalrous gentleman stands for to allow two helpless women to head out without protection –
Millicent and Snow shoot him matching glares. He shrinks back a bit.
ROBERT: Aheh. Even if said women might be more capable than him.
The glares lessen, but their eyes are narrowed at him. Snow's hands are on her hips and Millicent's arms are crossed. Robert reconsiders his strategy.
ROBERT: I can carry heavy things and my training includes a course in tracking. And if I don't do this, I'll likely be stuck with explaining the situation to everyone else and face a severe reprimand.
Millicent and Snow exchange a look, expressions softening, and nod.
SNOW: All right. You both can come. But we'll need to move quickly, there's no time to lose. Gather everything you think we'll need, and we meet back here on the hour. And don't let anyone else know – with any luck, we'll be able to resolve this without starting a panic.
The three head for the door with almost tangible determination. The camera moves back to a ceiling shot, and mildly ominous music begins to play quietly. The door closes behind them, and the angle turns to a rafter in the shadows.
Perched there as he had been for hours is the Queen's raven, Zoltan. He seems to be considering the information he just took in. Giving a nod, he flies up through a hole in the ceiling – nothing that would be readily noticeable, a missing brick in the shadows. He emerges in the dark chamber that the Queen did her black magic in. Torches flare to life as he passes. He perches by the grimore that the Queen had used before, gives a flap and grasps the cover in his claws. The book falls open to a certain page, and he returns to his perch. The book reads:
The Enchantment of Black Life
On occasion, even the greatest practitioner of the dark arts will fall victim to the limits of their mortal form, but this can be fixed. . .
Zoltan flaps his wings, and the page turns.
Should proper measures be taken beforehand, life can be returned to the unfortunate artisan of the craft with but a few items. . .
Another flap, page turns.
A box of fine design, with enchantments cast through its construction, and a sacrifice of blood on the mortal remains is all that is required. . .
Zoltan spots the heart box, resting on a shelf with a few cobwebs on it. He brushes his wings across it, and soon it's shining brightly. He gives a cackle, grasps it in his talons, and flaps out the window the lightning struck through – the pane has broken in the months that passed. A howl of wind as he flaps out, and the camera turns back to the book. . . where the page turns once more.
No spell is without flaw. While life will return and power greatly increased, they will be unable to change from the form in which they died . . .
Another howl of wind, the page turns.
Until they consume the heart of the one responsible for their initial demise.
Lightning cracks. Music swells.
CUT TO: The Dwarfs' cottage. The Prince is still tied up in the burlap sack, and now stuffed into a closet. The Dwarfs are eating oatmeal for breakfast, somewhat sloppily. Sleepy has nodded off and is snoring into his bowl. The oatmeal bubbles every now and then.
HAPPY: Now that we've gotten the prince away from her, how will that bring Snow back to us?
GRUMPY: Ah, you dunderhead. Without the stupid prince around, she'll realize how silly that old castle is. She'll remember her old friends the dwarfs, come back to us, and everything will be right as rain again.
Grumpy moves to the cupboard and pulls a dish out.
GRUMPY: We'll be able to pick up where we left off. Just like old times.
We see the dish now. It is the gooseberry pie Snow had been making for Grumpy when the Queen interrupted her cooking. Still uncooked, grey and rotten after over six months in a cupboard, Grumpy's name is still discernible written in dough.
BASHFUL: I bet she's even more beautiful than we remember.
HAPPY: We should make her something nice! A welcome back present, to show her we knew she'd be back.
Sleepy yawns, wipes oatmeal off his face, and scratches his beard.
SLEEPY: Maybe a bed?
Others: Yeah! Yeah!
DOC: She'll like that. And it'll remind her she'll be able to relax here – we won't need to worry about her, with the Queen gone.
REALLY SINISTER MUSIC
CUT TO: Bottom of the cliff. The Queen's crumpled form in the 'Peddler Woman' disguise, mostly a dark lump concealed by the cloak. One arm lies to the side, about half the flesh stripped from it. Raven flaps over and sets the box in the center of the form, then remains perched there for a minute.
A rabbit, similar to – possibly the same one – that first approached Snow when she collapsed in the forest clearing, is hopping by. He doesn't take notice of either the body or the raven. He nibbles on some grass.
The Raven has a sinister gleam in his eye, and quickly dives at the bunny. Camera angle stays on the body, the box in the top of the frame. We hear flapping, then a trickle of red flows down the side of the box.
When the drop comes in contact with the Queen's body, there is a flash, and a red glow spreads across her from that spot. When it reaches the arm, sinews crawl across the bones, then muscle, then veins, then the skin spreads across. Finally, the fingernails – the same ragged fingernails of the hag – sprout in place. The fingers twitch, then the hand clenches. DAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The Raven gives a flap and flies to a nearby tree, where he perches on a branch and caws happily.
Another sinister harmony resounds.
Author's Note: Looking through my notes on the story, I notice that I've got quite a few interesting background details that probably won't make it into the story directly. . . would you, the reader, be interested in reading my notes on character details and the social structure of the kingdom? If so, I'll be happy to post them (well, the non-spoilery bits, at least) as a 'bonus feature'.