Vanity
Page 6
“What took so long, mama?”
Cassius stared at Snow White. The child seemed completely unfazed by what she’d said.
“What?” Snow White asked.
“You just called me mama,” she said.
Snow White nodded. “That’s what you are,” she said. “You’re my mama.” Snow White half-smiled and looked away. “At least, I want you to be,” she said. “I know my real mama died, and I still miss her sometimes, but I need a mama. Don’t you think?” She looked up at Cassius with such a hopeful look on her face.
Cassius’s heart softened for the moment. “Yeah,” she said. “You do. And if you’re okay with it, then I’ll be your mama.”
Snow White smiled and wrapped her arms around Cassius. “I love you,” she said.
Cassius rubbed the child’s back. “I love you too,” she said. She closed her eyes and sighed. Genevieve, I wish you could come back, she thought. I wish you could be here for your child and husband, and I could live my own life with a man who actually loves me for me. A man who truly finds me beautiful. I never meant to replace you, Genevieve.
A tear ran down her cheek, but Cassius wiped it away before Snow White could see it. They came to Mrs. Snowshoe’s house and stepped out of the carriage. A light rain had started to fall and the two rushed inside.
Mrs. Snowshoe smiled brightly. “Snow White! Cassius!” She wrapped her arms around both of them. “I am so glad to see you,” she said.
Cassius handed her the picnic lunch they’d gotten from the palace. “We brought lunch,” she said. “So you wouldn’t have to cook for us.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” she said. She put the parcel on her dining room table and led them to the living room. “Sit,” she said. “It’s been so long. I’m dying to hear how you’ve been.”
Snow White started chatting and Cassius glanced toward the window. Raindrops pattered on the glass and lightning lit the sky. The windowpanes rattled when thunder struck and thoughts of shattered glass came to her mind.
Mrs. Snowshoe was so delighted with Snow White all morning that she scarcely noticed how distant Cassius was. After lunch, Cassius asked about the house she’d grown up in with her father.
“Does anyone live there now?”
Mrs. Snowshoe raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking I’d like to see it again,” she said. She looked at the window and noticed the rain had subsided.
Mrs. Snowshoe shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose you could,” she said. “As far as I know, the house is still empty.”
“Can I come?” Snow White asked.
“No,” Cassius said. “This is something I need to do alone.”
~
Cassius trudged up the path to her childhood home. She had her change of clothes still hidden in her coat and went over her plan in her mind.
I can’t believe he’d do this to me. I’ll make him so sick he’d never think of doing it again. When he wonders how he’s fallen so ill, I’ll suggest that perhaps someone he met with today day passed it to him. He’ll never touch that woman again.
She arrived at her house. It looked smaller than she remembered, but no less menacing than the memories it contained. Cassius walked up the steps to the front door. When she pushed on the door it creaked open and a hollow sound ran throughout the rooms. Everything was coated in dust. There was still a mess of glass on the floor from the last time Cassius had been there, and the air smelled of mold.
Cassius walked around the glass to the living room. She pulled the pillowcase out from her jacket and removed the clothing it contained. She changed into her old dress and pulled the hooded cloak over her head. Cassius tucked her hair into the back of the hood to hide its’ length, and she dipped the top of the hood over her eyes to hide her face. Confident that she wouldn’t be recognized, Cassius left and walked along a path through the forest.
“Now where was it?” she asked. She remembered years ago when her father had walked these paths with her. He sought an elixir that would prove whether or not his wife had been unfaithful. The whole walk was agony for Cassius, but he insisted she come along so she could know what sort of woman her mother truly was. That happened a few nights before their big fight, when she left for good. Cassius didn’t much care then what sort of woman her mother was. She just knew she needed her.
At last she came to spot. She was sure this was right. She picked up a stick and tapped it against the old oak tree.
“Medicine man, medicine man, where art thou this eve?”
A heavy fog rose from the earth and when it receded she saw before her four large crates and a tiny old man. He had a crooked nose and walked with a cane. Everything was exactly as she remembered it since her childhood.
“What do you seek?” he asked.
Cassius cleared her throat and stood taller. Even though the man was half her size and many times her age, she felt frail in his presence. “I need a dose of poison,” she said. “Not enough to kill a man—only enough to make him ill.”
The crippled man gave a wicked grin. “Upset with someone, are ye?” he asked. “How will you pay me for my help?”
Cassius hadn’t thought about that. Nervously she tried to think of something she could offer him.
“What about that jewel upon your head?” he asked. She felt up and realized she was wearing the amethyst hairpin Augustus had given her—the one she’d accepted his proposal with. She didn’t remember putting it on that morning. Further, she wasn’t sure how the old man had noticed it through the cloak she wore. She took it down and studied it. Tears came to her eyes again. She bit her lip and handed it over.
The man smiled again, baring his yellowed teeth and rotting gums. He shoved the hairpin into a soiled pocket and pulled out a key. “What sort of food does your man like?” he asked. He opened one of the four crates and started looking through it.
She thought for a moment. “Apples,” she said. “He has one with his dinner every evening.”
The old man nodded and thought. “I have just the thing,” he said. He pulled out a vial of clear liquid. “Mix this in a bowl of water and then place an apple in the solution for three minutes. The poison will coat the apple skin and whoever bites of it will be ill for at least two days.”
“But it won’t kill him, right?” she asked. “Even if he eats the whole apple, it will just make him miserable for a while?”
“Dilute the poison and soak the apple in it for no longer than three minutes,” he said. “The apple must be whole. If the poison seeps in past the apple skin, it could prove deadly.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be careful.”
“And if the king dies because of this, you and I have never met.”
“The king? I never said anything about—”
Before she could finish her sentence, a puff of smoke burst before her face and the man disappeared. The smoke disintegrated and Cassius found herself alone in the forest, but the man’s voice echoed between the trees.
“You and I have never met. Never met. Never met.”
Cassius pulled the cloak tight around her shoulders and walked back to return to the house she once lived in. Once there, she changed her clothes again. Not wanting the dress or hooded cloak to ever be recognized as hers, she threw them into the fireplace and lit the fire. She watched as they burned up until they were satisfactorily destroyed. Then she put out the fire and left for Mrs. Snowshoe’s house, vial in hand.
~
Cassius was more cheerful the rest of the afternoon as she visited with Mrs. Snowshoe. She and Snow White left shortly before dinnertime and promised to visit again soon.
When they got to the palace, Cassius sent Snow White to her room to prepare for dinner. Once the child was out of sight, Cassius went to the kitchen. Not wanting to be seen, she stood in the shadows outside the door and watched. The cook stepped out of the kitchen for a moment and Cassius didn’t waste any time in taking her place.
“What’s this?” she heard the woman say. She watched as the cook pulled out the apple slices and replaced them around the edge of the king’s plate. She dumped out the water and put the bowl in the sink to be washed. Cassius smiled and slinked away to the dining hall.
Augustus and Snow White were already there and waiting for her. As she sat down, the door opened and a servant came in with their meal.
“How was your day?” Augustus asked Cassius as his plate was set before him.
“It was good,” Cassius said. “Yours?”
He ate one of the apple slices. “One of the best days I’ve had in a while, actually,” he said.
Cassius tried not to laugh. “Why’s that?” she inquired.
He bit his lip. “Nothing in particular,” he said. “It was just a good day.” He ate another slice of the apple.
Cassius waited for the effect to kick in. The apple hadn’t soaked for a full three minutes, but she thought surely there should still be some effect against him.
Then it came. The color in his face drained and he started coughing. He brought his hand to his stomach and tried to stand. “Oh,” he groaned. “Oh. I’m not feeling well. I…I think I’ll go to bed early.”
“Okay,” she replied sweetly. “I’ll help Snow White get to bed and then join you after a while. Feel better, darling.” She smiled as he walked out of the room.
Snow White and Cassius finished eating their meal and then Cassius helped her prepare for bed. Snow White sat in front of the mirror in her room while Cassius brushed her hair. At first Cassius had her eyes on the hair she was brushing, but when she looked up at the mirror, an ominous set of words ran through her mind.
If your honor goes astray, your life shall end that very day.
What was it the old man said?
If the poison seeps in past the apple skin, it could prove deadly.
The apple wasn’t whole when it went in the poisoned water. It was sliced. The whole meat of the apple had soaked up the poison instead of only the apple skin being poisoned.
“Augustus,” she said. She dropped the brush and ran to their room. Startled, Snow White followed her. They found him in his bed. His body was stiff when Cassius tried to shake him awake. Cassius screamed.
“Run for help, Snow White!”
Snow White ran. Help came. But nothing could be done. The king was dead.
~
who’s the fairest one of all?
Cassius refused to leave her room for two full weeks after it happened. She didn’t know who was taking care of Snow White or the kingdom, and she didn’t care. She stayed in her room and cried. The servants left meals for her outside the bedroom door, but she barely ate. She knew what she’d done, and she hated herself for it. Sure, she was really upset about his indiscretion with Gwen, but she didn’t want to kill him for it! She’d just wanted him to feel as miserable as she did for a few days. Now he was gone.
In the end it was Snow White who coaxed Cassius out of her room. She knocked on the door after two weeks had passed.
“Cassie,” she said. “I miss you. I know you’re sad, but please come out. I’m sad too.” She looked to the floor and sighed. “Do you remember when I was little and you let me cry about my mom? I’ll let you cry about my dad with me. Just please let me in.”
Cassius opened the door. “Snow White,” she said, “you’re still little. I don’t want to burden you with my tears.”
Snow White stepped forward and hugged her. “Please come out. I don’t like you being sad. My mommy and daddy are gone and I can’t lose you too.”
Cassius sighed. She knelt down to return Snow White’s hug. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll come out.” She followed the child out into the hallway and saw that several of the servants and Mrs. Snowshoe were waiting for her.
“Oh I’m so glad to see you,” Mrs. Snowshoe said. She walked to Cassius and hugged her. “It is such a tragedy what’s happened to the king. It’s like this place is cursed. First his parents before their time, then Genevieve, and now Augustus.” She sobbed on Cassius’s shoulder. Cassius said nothing.
The hall filled with words meant for comfort, but to Cassius it was all a dull droning sound in her ears. The air felt heavy and her head hurt.
“Can you take Snow White home with you tonight?” she asked Mrs. Snowshoe.
The woman chuckled. “Cassius, she’s been with me for the last two weeks! I think she’s ready to come home and be with you.”
Cassius had suspected as much. “Tonight, too, please,” she said. “I’m not sure I can take care of her and the kingdom by myself. At least not right now. She can come home when I get everything under control around here.”
“Okay,” Mrs. Snowshoe said. She patted Cassius on the back. “Feel better. I know how hard it is to lose a husband, but you’ll be okay after a while.”
Everyone left her alone and Cassius went back into her room. For the past two weeks she’d been too guilt-ridden to ask the mirror any of the questions that were on her heart. That evening however, she decided to ask.
“Mirror mirror on the wall, am I beautiful at all?”
The face appeared and then replied.
“You, my queen, have beauty far exceeding that of many.”
The words were nice to hear, but they didn’t quite remove the sting she felt from murdering her husband.
~
Day after day, Cassius was inundated with responsibilities she wasn’t sure how to handle. She left Snow White in the care of Mrs. Snowshoe and surrounded herself with advisors. Some were wise and others were not. After a while Cassius began asking the mirror whose advice she should listen to and whose she shouldn’t. She fired several advisors in the following weeks. Then, surrounded by people who knew her job better than she did, she ruled over the kingdom. From miles around, people thought she was the wisest queen they’d ever known, but Cassius knew it was only because of the mirror that she was able to keep the kingdom afloat. Every day she would ask what the most important thing was for her to take care of on that particular day. Only occasionally would she ask a question for herself. With the help of her advisors and the magic mirror, Cassius learned what it meant to be a queen.
But things started falling apart again eleven years later, when Mrs. Snowshoe died.
Snow White moved back into the palace as an almost-eighteen year old. Cassius hadn’t seen her at all in over five years and was shocked when she noticed what a beauty the young girl had grown into. Her raven hair went down to her waist in luscious curls. Her lips looked like a brilliant shade of red in contrast to her pure white skin tone, and her skin was perfectly smooth without any blemishes. Her smile lit up the room and she walked with elegant poise. She was even prettier than her mother had been. The young men flocked to Snow White, and Cassius was suddenly struck by the thought that she wasn’t getting younger.
Cassius greeted Snow White into the palace and then went to her room. For years the mirror had told Cassius she was beautiful. Now she wanted to take it a step further. Was she the most beautiful? She hadn’t yet asked her question that day, so thus she used it.
“Mirror which before I stand, who’s the fairest in the land?”
“With lips so red and hair like night, you know her well, her name’s Snow White.”
Cassius clenched her teeth and fists. “And me?” she said. “What about me?”
The mirror didn’t respond. Cassius stomped her foot and growled. “I’ll be the fairest in the land,” she said. “You’ll see.”
~
At dinner that evening, Snow White led the conversation in laughter and joy. She was the
most charming young lady Cassius had ever met, and Cassius realized that she didn’t know Snow White at all anymore. Her habits, mannerisms and preferences had all changed. She was a different person, now. It was a sore reminder that Snow White was no longer the little girl Cassius had once known: the young trusting child who adored her Auntie Cassie. Snow White had grown into a young woman, and she seemed like a complete stranger to Cassius.
As time went on, Cassius liked the girl less and less. Snow White’s presence felt like an invasion. Cassius felt increasingly threatened and jealous.
Snow White liked to sit in on Cassius’s meetings with her advisors. Cassius allowed it at first, but Snow White started piping in with suggestions that made sense, and she listened with care when others were speaking. When Cassius’s advisors started to pay more attention to Snow White than they paid her, she put an end to Snow White’s involvement in their daily meetings.
Cassius tried to sabotage Snow White’s beauty and to enhance her own. She replaced the beauty’s elegant gowns with clothes more suited for servants, and began giving her chores around the palace to callous her hands. She demanded that Snow White have her hair cut short and fed her sub-par meals to diminish her health. But Snow White took it all in stride, and despite all that Cassius did, she continued to flourish.
And so it was that every day, Cassius asked the same question of the mirror, desperately hoping the answer would change.
“Mirror which before I stand, who’s the fairest in the land?”
But the answer was always the same. Snow White was fairest in the land.
Months passed. Cassius was going mad with envy. She hated to hear Snow White’s name every time she asked the question. “Very well,” she said to herself. “So she’s the fairest in the land, but I just can’t hear her name once more. I would rather hear any name besides hers.” So Queen Cassius took her question a step further. It was the question that changed everything.