The light shimmering down upon the pond was a misty gold, turning a pale blue when it hit the water. There was always light there, even when it was nighttime. This was due to the fact that the pond itself was said to be inhabited by the goddess of light herself. Everything about the pond seemed to glow and pulse with a certain magic.

It was quiet that night, save for the sound of tiny feet pattering toward the edge of the lake. A small girl with dark hair and pale skin crouched down in front of the water, setting down her dying lantern. She knew she didn't have that much longer to be there, but she desperately had to make her wish. Her father had once told her that the pond, at midnight, would grant wishes to the pure of heart.

The child pulled a small silver coin from a bag around her neck, curling her fingers tightly around it. If this worked, she promised she'd always believe in magic, because only magic could possibly bring her what she desired most in the world. The little girl wanted her mother back.

"Please…" She whispered, bringing her clenched hand up to trembling lips, "Please give me a mother. I miss her so very much, and I will give anything. I can bring more coins. I can bring a hundred coins if I can have her back."

She kissed the coin gently, dropping it into the pond as a single tear slipped down her cheek. Her mother had died only three weeks ago, and it was lowering the spirits of the whole Kingdom. How could anyone possibly be happy when not even the King himself was smiling anymore? It was simply impossible to fathom.

Carefully, the girl rose to her feet, breathing heavily. She had to be brave, just in case the wish failed and she never got what she wanted. Her papa would rely on her to be the light that her mother used to be, and she wanted to be that for him.

She picked up her lantern again, quietly shuffling through the ever darkening woods. If she didn't get home soon, her nursemaid would find out and tell her father that she had gone out when she wasn't supposed to. She was never supposed to leave the castle without at least a few guards at her side at all times. It was a boring and uneventful way to live, but with the way she was able to run off, it didn't really phase her. She could have the freedom she wanted if she really wanted to.

She ran off to the palace, biting down on her lip. She didn't know it, but she had unleashed something far more sinister than the magic of the pond. There were dark creatures; creatures who listened to the wishes of those who were innocent, and tarnished them with their wicked magic. Now, that magic was about to fall over the weak and fruitless Kingdom of young and innocent Snow White.

She hurried through a small secret passage that ran just under the castle, pausing to grab a few snacks before she finished the journey to her room. Then Snow poked her head through the door into her nursemaid's room, sighing in relief as she saw the woman was not there.

'She's probably off drinking with the servant boys,' Snow thought to herself, stifling a giggle of amusement.

Snow pranced over to her wardrobe, pulling on a soft blue nightgown and tossing her silky dress she'd worn out into a bin to be washed later. Then she made her way over to her vanity mirror, grabbing a golden brush. The brush had been given to her by her mother as a birthday present that year. It was the last thing she really had from her, and she cherished it more than anything in the world.

She brushed through her hair, even though she knew she hardly needed to do that. As a baby, Snow had been given the greatest gift of beauty known to man. Her hair was always soft as a raven's feathers, her skin like fine porcelain, and her cheeks and lips were a rosy pink that never faded, even when she was sick. Her father always insisted he had been given a beautiful doll rather than a daughter, but only because he loved her so dearly.

Almost as soon as she finished and started walking toward her bed, her father walked into the room with a woman at his side. The woman had soft blonde hair and a rosy complexion almost equal to, but not quite as radiant as, Snow's.

"Snow, my darling?" Her father smiled softly, crouching down to his beloved daughter's side. "I have someone I really want you to meet."

Snow looked up at the woman, eyes widening in slight panic.

"Hello, dear," The woman smiled kindly, gently taking Snow's hands into her own, "My name is Ravenna, and I'm going to be your new mother…"