The Fall Of Snow: Guard Your Heart

17. Seventeen

Seventeen

Madam Evangeline

That feline smile hasn't left Evangeline's face ever since she saw a glimpse of Snow in the looking glass, plunging to her death off a jagged cliff without surfacing. Not only does it confirm that Snow was somewhere along the border, but it also confirms that she may not need to pay the huntsman after all. Never did she think that Snow might survive the fall into the icy unrelenting waters below.

Evangeline smiles to herself as she prepares an order for one of her most loyal customers in the back of the Fuzion Shoppe. Closed off from the front of the store, Evangeline revels in the privacy of this space with the windows high up from the ground, revealing only cloudy skies and the tops of apple trees as her surroundings .

With ample light flooding through the encompassing windows, Evangeline uses the soft lamps along the walls purely for ambiance as well as the elaborate furniture that adorns the space. She truly doesn't need much to work her magic—just her raw materials and her own power—but why shouldn't she work comfortably surrounded by beauty? She worked hard for it, after all. May as well reap the benefits.

Truth be told, no others are permitted into this room to see its beauty, even her most loyal customers.

Lady Emilee has been frequenting the orchard for as long as Evangeline can remember. With vanity as her only true concern, Lady Emilee often purchases apple products fuzed with lesser magic for her needs—things like thicker hair, longer lashes, and a larger bust.

Most common products can be found on the shelves that line the walls and tables of the Fuzion Shoppe, things like sleep aids, weight control, and cures for small illnesses, but customers like Lady Emilee often have needs for items that aren't as frequently sought after. But today is the first time she has requested something that holds darker magic, a more powerful magic.

Today Lady Emilee has requested for Evangeline to provide her with something that will stop her lover from frequenting the town brothel. Something to prevent him from looking elsewhere for his needs to be met.

So Evangeline is fuzing the neon green fruit with something that will have his legs give out every time he finds himself yearning for a visit, rendering him unable to travel without help. Evangeline's magic roils through her body like a sixth sense as she completes her task, reveling in the raw power channeling through her. Once the effects of the apple wear off, it is up to Lady Emilee to either come back for more or get to the bottom of the problem once and for all. But who is Evangeline to turn down business?

As Evangeline wraps up the fruit along with a few other items, still feeling the tingle of magic in her fingertips, she ties it closed and brings it out to the front of the shop where Lady Emilee anxiously awaits her prize. Her blonde hair is perfectly coiffed atop her head and her dark lashes flutter as she meets Evangeline at the counter. With all of the business she supplies for Evangeline, she looks more like an overdone caricature of herself than anything resembling true beauty with the subtlety gone, but again, who is Evangeline to turn down business?

"Oh, Madam Evangeline, I cannot thank you enough for this. You are truly an artist." Lady Emilee reaches her gaudy manicured hands out to her perfectly packaged items, her smile so big you would think the package contained lumps of gold, instead of an apple filled with dark magic.

"It is my pleasure, as always, Lady Emilee." Evangeline places her hand atop Lady Emilee's and gives her a winning smile.

"You let me know if you have any questions or find yourself in need of anything else." Evangeline's eyes scan the shop making sure none of the customers seem suspicious of their transaction before letting Lady Emilee go.

"Oh, you never disappoint, madam. I will come visit again soon! "

"You know where to find me!" Evangeline waves goodbye to her customer and spends the rest of the day replaying the image of Snow plummeting into the rocky waves of the ocean. She relishes in the waves crashing into the cliff-side over and over again, never giving a moment's grace for anyone to survive the fall.

But that evening, when Evangeline retires to her rooms and dismisses her maids from sight, she calls to the mirror again, a shroud of doubt plaguing her mind.

"Looking glass, my sweet, awaken from your slumber.

Your ruler seeks your charm.

Crack it open, break the veil.

At my behest, reveal the world asunder."

As the mirror ripples into something more, Evangeline can barely contain her excitement as she waits to find Snow's blue bloated body floating along the surface of the waves, or pushed up onto a large rock, her onyx hair splayed out over her pale face as her eyes stare into nothing at all.

But instead, when the reflection of the mirror opens up into a portal of something else, it reveals Snow, alive and well, in the darkness. Her hair shining with light from a kindling fire, her red lips full of life. Too soon, the image short circuits before it blurs out into nothing. How?

Evangeline begins to spiral as she replays the scene in her head. How on earth could such a feeble girl survive such a fall? Survive the soul-sucking cold of the water ?

Although short, the scene was enough to sour Evangeline's mood entirely and leave her reeling.

"That insufferable girl!" Evangeline's jaw tightens as her hands contract into fists. "She's like a weed that just won't die. That keeps coming back to spread its filth across the entire garden." She walks into her sleeping chambers, removing her silk robe, when she notices her nightly tea is missing from her bedside table. Donning the clothing once again, Evangeline storms out of her chambers and down the hall, her robe billowing around her like a royal cape. She makes it to the stairs when she runs into the maid carrying the steeping tea on the tray.

"Madam, good evening. I was just on my way—"

"To bring me the tea that should have been there a half an hour ago?" Evangeline looks the maid up and down as she bows her head in shame.

"I'm sorry, madam. We are short-staffed today due to Troian's incident."

"You may take your leave now, Nora. Be sure to leave your uniform at the door." Evangeline pulls the tray from Nora's grasp as her knees begin to tremble.

"But madam, please. My husband is very sick, and we have four children to support." The maid's voice cracks at the mere mention of her children.

"I fail to see how that is any of my concern." Before the maid can say another word, Evangeline turns on her heels, tray in hand, and waltzes back up to her bed chambers. When she enters her room, she sets the tray on the small table beside her bed.

"What was all that commotion about, my love?" Evangeline's husband rolls over from his side. Even his voice makes her skin crawl, now that Snow's beating heart is on her mind. She climbs into her side of the bed, pulling the duvet over her slim figure.

"Nothing of concern, dear." Evangeline turns out the light with her mind on only one thing: revenge.