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APPLE continued. III The Queen was sitting on her throne, Princess Snowhite by her side. Both looked at the Hunter with the apple in his hand, the former with her clear blue eyes, the latter with her deep black ones. The Hunter bowed before each, standing silent before the commanding figure of the Queen. His roving glance absorbed the splendor of the Reception Hall, his heart filled with mild contempt for the necessity of it. Then his wandering eyes fell on the Princess; his heart missed a beat and his face blanched like her own. Then the beating of his heart quickened, the blood rushed through his veins and his face reddened like her lips. Eternity passed before he turned back to the Queen, silently offerring her apple. The Queen took the fruit with a trembling hand and turned to her daughter: "Look, Snowhite; this man has succeeded in the mission and got you that rare treat. Would you like him for a husband?" Snowhite turned her cool stare to the Hunter. He was a handsome man with a solid-looking well-proportioned figure, regular features, light brown, slightly dis-sheveled hair and golden brown eyes. "He's no better or worse than any of the others," the Princess told her mother; "but if you want him for my husband, I shall obay you as always." The Queen gazed at the Hunter. She did not think any girl would refuse him; his golden eyes shone with kindness, his movements were strong and gentle at the same time, and the apple in his hand proved not only his skill but also the purity of his heart. She found no fault in him, even though he was no prince. She sighed. If she wanted her daughter to love, the girl would have to eat from the apple, otherwise she would never be happy. 'And if her heart is of stone and she dies,' the Queen reflected, 'maybe it's for the best, for she could never be happy.' But she still hoped, against so many odds. She got off the throne and signed to her daughter to follow her. The two of them went alone together to the Princess's suite of rooms; the Queen did not want anyone to witness the immediate outcome of Snowhite's eating from the apple. Having closed the door, the mother gave the fruit to her daughter, saying, "You'd better try it, I don't know what else we can do." Snowhite, as usual, obayed her mother. Taking the apple in her slender hand, she held it for a moment, looking at it cooly with her black eyes. Then, without hesitation, she bit into it. There was a pause, the world had stopped its breathing, when Snowhite chewed at her bite; as she swallowed, her knees suddenly buckled, her body sagged and slipped to the carpetted floor. She lay motionless with eyes closed, her black hair spread around her white face; her red lips paled to the color of her cheeks and all life seemed to have left her body. The Queen, alarmed, rushed back to the main hall, calling for help. The ministers peeped in, shook their head and called for the Palace doctor. The man came and checked Snowhite's vital signs; he found her still breathing, though shallowly, her pulse faint and slow. "She's alive," he said, "barely." "What's to be done?" the Queen asked. The physician shrugged. "As long as she breathes, there is hope. But I don't know what I can do. She may rise out of it any moment, or ---" In the reception hall the Hunter was still standing, waiting. No one bothered about him, until the Queen came and told him there was an indefinited suspension in forming any relationship between him and the Princess. "But I would be grateful if you stay in town. In case you have any difficulty, the Palace will supply all your needs." She turned and went back to her daughter's rooms, and he left without a word to anyone. *** Snowhite was laid on her bed, all her bodily function suspended. The Queen appointed trained women to stand guard around the bed, and the room was kept dark but warm. The Queen then returned to her business of ruling the kingdom, but her heart was no longer in it. The strong mental connection between her and her daughter caused her to be unable to eat and drink, making her so weak there was fear for her life. She still had enough sense of responsibily not to allow herself to die, thus to leave both her daughter and the country to an unknown fate. As time passed with no change, the Queen, always a woman of action, decided to take a fateful step. She called for the Hunter, inviting him when he came to the Palace's private rooms. "You are the Princess' destined husband," she said to him, "and you should know everthing." She then took a deep breath and, as if plunging into deep water, explained quickly. "If the Princess's heart had been made of stone, she would have died straightaway from eating the apple. If her heart had been just cool, she would have warmed up toward you. But she fell into a coma, which shows that has been too cold for too long a time to waken easily." She paused, enveloping him with her steady blue gaze. His own eyes, she noticed, had lost some of the golden glitter in them. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, whispering. "Do you love my daughter?" she asked simply. He sighed, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he said quietly, "You know I do. I'll do anything to help her, and you, Majesty." The Queen sighed in her turn. "I don't know what to do about my daughter, but I wish you would take the throne and be King, until she wakes up." He thought for a moment. "I never bargained on being King," he said at last, "but I would be anything for Snowhite. Still, before deciding anything, I would like to see her." "Of course," the Queen answered. She rose and led the way to the Princess's suite. She dismissed the guard before allowing the Hunter to approach her daughter's couch. He stood for a moment, lookin down at Snowhite still figure, sadness pinching his heart at the paleness of her lips. How much he wanted to make them red again! As he was looking, they seemed to tremble, and he could not hold himself back. He bent and kissed Snowhite's lips. The change was slow but evident. Slowly, the blood started flowing in the lax body; her lips turned from white to rose, from rose to deep pink, and her white cheeks assumed a glowing, rosy color which they had never had before. Snowhite opened her eyes, and their blackness glittered with gold, answering the gold in the Hunter's eyes. She looked up at the man who had kissed her, stretched her arms and caught him round the neck. He grasped her waist and raised her from the couch, and they united in a long kiss. The Queen looked on, astonished, her heart beating wildly. When the lovers parted, Snowhite went and hugged her mother in a way she had never done before. With her head on her mother's shoulder, she shed the first tears that had ever flowed from her eyes. The Queen led her daughter from her rooms into the main hall, all the Palace attendants looking in amazement. From behind her tears Snowhite's smile shone at them, and they all cheered in joy. The Princess married the Hunter, and the whole kingdom celebrated. The Queen had abdicated in favor of the young couple, preferring to spend the rest of her life in the company of the grandchildren, who soon started coming, filling the Palace and her heart with unusual merriment. The mother continued to act as a good advisor to her daughter and son-in-law, who had a great appreciation for her wisdom and understanding. The End
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