Christopher: How did you cross her path?
Oriana: The apple tree upon my father’s estate. It marks the boundary between his lands and those belonging to the king. We found ourselves wandering there and found each other. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I’d been so lonely.
Christopher: Didn’t you have anyone else besides your stepmother?
Oriana: Not after my father died. I never met my stepsisters. One of them married and never spoke to her mother again. The other disappeared.
Christopher: Sounds mysterious and a little sinister.
Oriana: I suppose it does. I suppose she was also lonely. All she had was her beauty, the manor, and me. The last was of little comfort, even though I think we both wished otherwise.
Christopher: What do you mean?
Oriana: If I look most people in the eye and smile at them, they smile back. I can feel them opening up, warming to me, as I warm to them. I’m often alone, yet I can make friends.
Christopher: It sounds almost like magic.
Oriana: Both Blanche and my stepmother thought the same, but there are no spells involved. Just smiling. It doesn’t always work. It didn’t work on my stepmother. I’d smile at her and she’d scowl. I tried to talk to her, only to have her accuse me of mocking her, rolling my eyes at her.
Christopher: Were you?
Oriana: Not at first. I was trying hard to be friendly, but when she continued to scowl, I started to sneer and taunt her. We came to dislike each other, perhaps even hate each other. (She lets out a bitter laugh.) The irony!
Christopher: What?
Oriana: My stepmother accused me of being unnatural for seducing a princess. I seduced a king, Blanche’s father to show her up. Once I married him, I became exactly like my stepmother.
Christopher: How so?
Oriana: I allowed myself to become addicted to wealth and power, letting them soothe the anger over the insults I’d endured from my stepmother. I spent hours gazing into the glass of my magic mirror, trying to fall in love with myself.
Christopher: Did it work?
Oriana: No. I charmed the court and King Reynard, but I lost Blanche. Green smoke filled my mirror, hiding my reflection. All I could see was her, the princess I’d allowed to slip away. The sight of her drove me mad.
Christopher: What did you do?
Oriana: In my rage, I ripped a monster out of myself. It hunted Blanche down, but even it couldn’t stand up to her. Blanche faced the ugliest part of me, took her smile, and offered it to someone else.
Christopher: Do you mean Quartz?
Oriana: (letting out another bitter laugh) I kept seeing her, in my mirror. I saw the seven dwarfs take her in.
Christopher: What else did you see?
Oriana: Her. Constantly. Starting a new life. Starting to smile at someone else. I thought her smile was for me alone.
Christopher: What happened?
Oriana: You know what happened. My jealousy got the better of me. I hunted her down again, only this time, I tricked her. I offered her an apple, letting her think it was a gesture of forgiveness.
Christopher: It wasn’t.
Oriana. No. One bite, and she fell into an enchanted sleep. I made sure she fell where Quartz would find her. I wanted finding her to hurt. I wanted him to know he’d lost her.
The witch bows her head at her own words and raises her hands. A misty smoke comes out of her fingertips, disappearing into the air.
The air becomes hazy, making both of them blink.
Christopher: You’re casting a spell upon the whole castle. You’re putting everyone to sleep.
Oriana: No one will be hurt, not this time. No one will suffer, seeing Rose lying under an enchantment.
Christopher: You’re forcing everyone to join her.
Oriana: Better to sleep than to suffer. I don’t want to hurt anyone the way I hurt the seven dwarfs.
Christopher: Quartz lies in an enchanted sleep himself.
Oriana: He’s in such a state, because he’s trying to clean up my magical mess. This time, it’s my turn to clean.
Christopher: Do you think this will truly clean up the magical mess?
Oriana: This curse fell upon Rose, cast by Blanche. I doubt anyone can completely clean or resolve it, other than them.
Christopher: Do you think they will?
Oriana: I have faith in very few things, but I believe in Rose. Enchanted or not, I believe she will find a happy ending for everyone.
Christopher: You expect a lot of her.
Oriana: She’s my princess. She is Rose. She is worthy of such expectations.
Christopher nods as he begins to fade away.
Christopher: May she fulfill your expectations, Oriana.
Oriana: Thank you, Happily Ever After.
She makes a slight bow to him as he disappears.
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