11. Eleven
Eleven
Madam Evangeline
Every day Evangeline stands in front of her looking glass, desperate to reveal Snow's whereabouts and every damn day the mirror fails her, flickering and faltering with each use. The more huntsmen she sends out on a quest, the more come back empty-handed or don't come back at all. No matter the reward, no matter the threat, the huntsmen never return with her prize: Snow's bloodied heart.
It is true that once she thought Snow to be her entire world, as any mother would, but that was before her love for her daughter was tarnished by Snow's incessant need to surpass her. Never did she think her daughter would strive to grow beyond her mother's shadows and destroy everything she had built. Never did she think Snow would steal the affection of her best friend and soul mate the day she was born. As soon as her husband laid eyes on the tiny newborn bundle, that was it. Evangeline’s husband was no longer hers.
Not only was he Evangeline’s best friend and the other half of her soul, but her first husband was also her safety net in a country where hearts of a different color make it that much harder for you to succeed. Evangeline would not let her thriving empire fall after all she had done to build it. The Lady of the Orchard had no time for such frivolous things as indulging the heart's desires. It was hard enough to climb the slippery social ladder. She wasn't about to show her hand to the world now. Better to keep any mess hidden away. Now that Evangeline had the most powerful players in the royal council in her pocket, she would be damned if she let them go.
With her husband away on a hunting trip, Evangeline had the manor to herself, just the way she preferred it. She finds her way down to the parlor to begin her morning when she sees the empty coffee table.
"Spearon, is there a reason my tea is missing from the table?" Her eyes bore into the servant with amused hatred.
"Yes, madam. I apologize for the mishap. The tea—" Evangeline cuts him off with a wave of her hand.
"Does it truly look," she takes a step towards the servant, the heels of her slipper hitting the marble like a ticking clock, "like I care about the mishap that resulted in an empty parlor this morning?" The man cowers beneath her towering figure as her eyes glow with raw, unspent power.
"No, madam. I will bring your tea right away."
"You most certainly will." Evangeline stares down her nose at him as he hurries away. She settles in her place near the fire as she goes over this week’s special orders from the Fuzion Shoppe.
It started as an innocent game of supply and demand, learning the desires of the people she needed to conquer, and offering them just that. Then it became more sinister, learning of specific desires that one wouldn't want displayed to the world, desires only existing in the darkness of one's mind. That was Evangeline's next task. Find that desire, offer it to them wrapped in a pretty onyx bow, and own them and their secret.
By knowing everyone's weaknesses, secrets, and dark desires, Evangeline grew her business in the back of the Fuzion Shoppe until it became even more successful than the simple, innocent products in the front. She owned everyone that mattered in this country, and she didn't even need to wear a crown to do it.
Only the elite knew of the things that could be found in the back of the shop, and it cost a pretty penny to even think about getting your hands on any of it. Countless unfortunate accidents occurred to a number of royals at the hand of Evangeline's dark magic. Never to be traced back to her because, of course, everyone had a secret to hide, and Evangeline knew every single one of them.
Even with all of this power, it didn't get her any closer to tasting sweet revenge.
The effort to find Snow is proving futile, but still Evangeline pushes ahead. She has become so obsessed with the task, that she barely notices when her husband comes home smelling of whiskey and a cheap perfume she wouldn't be caught dead wearing, not that she would care anyway. But it doesn’t do her reputation any favors to have her husband wandering around with riff-raff.
Her second marriage was one of convenience, not affection. It was nothing like her first marriage, where she married her best friend—the man who knew her inside and out and loved her for it. He even loved and accepted the part of her heart that belonged to another, though she would never act on such a thing. But that all changed the day their child was born. Now Evangeline has lost all sense of reality as her days blend together in a blur.
When Snow first left, a part of Evangeline felt a bit of relief in her absence, but that feeling was snuffed out the moment her husband reminded her that she was still out there, her power growing within her. The fury in Evangeline boiled within her veins when she realized what this meant. She would not be outshined by her offspring. She would not be made a fool, and she would not let her perfectly placed cover be torn apart. No, Evangeline would never truly be at peace until Snow's heart stopped beating. Until the threat was gone entirely.
"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. "
Again, Evangeline waits as the mirror jolts to life and reveals a blurry scene of trees and wood. Flashes of Snow's ebony silken hair brush her shoulders, those wide eyes searching. From the bits and pieces she can see, Snow looks well enough. Certainly not on death's door. She does appear distressed though, maybe even slightly malnourished. Her eyes are shadowed with a purple haze and her fair complexion seems to have lost that alabaster glow.
Evangeline takes in every image hungrily, desperate for answers on how she can get her revenge on the girl who threatens to take everything from her. She searches for where the sun sits in the sky, for what kind of trees blur overhead, and listens for the sounds of native birds. Just before the mirror falters, Evangeline catches a glimpse of a violet swallow zoom past the scene. It's quick but it’s there. A small hint to where Snow is heading. Violet swallows live near the coasts and are known to nest along cliff-sides. Before she can catch any more, the mirror falters once again. The scene blacks out, leaving nothing but her perfectly striking reflection staring back at her, but she smiles because she is one step closer to finding Snow than she was the day before.