Another Hannibal Artblog: Hannibal fairytales

This story is written by @hchannibloom (visit also her A03 for more beautiful fanfictions!)

-+[SNOW WHITE]+-

Once upon a time there lived a good king named Jack who had a beautiful wife named Bella. They lived in a lovely grey stone castle, covered with honeysuckle vines. Jack was a handsome and fair king who was dedicated to the safety and happiness of his subjects and most especially to Bella. Bella was so called because she was a great beauty, her ebony skin and thick curls inspired trend after trend throughout the land. However Bella’s great strength was that she was as beautiful on the inside as on the outside and loved King Jack just as devotedly as he loved her.

Unfortunately, the couple had trouble conceiving a child until one day Bella pricked her finger while sewing. When her blood fell on the snow, she prayed she would have a child with lips as red as blood, hair as dark as ebony and skin as white as snow.

Her prayer was answered, and in due course she gave birth to a daughter who became known as Snow White, though her real name was Alana.
Unfortunately Queen Bella died shortly after Snow White was born, and her husband King Jack remarried the beautiful but cruel Bedelia. He had always had a soft spot for beautiful women, and was blind to the fact that Bedelia was not a lovely person like Bella in her heart.

Bedelia was fair and her presence commanded attention, which is how she had caught King Jack’s interest in the first place. Her hair was the colour of straw and curled around her shoulders, and her pale skin was punctuated by rosy cheeks and full pink lips. She was very vain and had brought with her to the castle a magic mirror (for she was a witch also). She liked to ask:

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?”

And the mirror would always reply:

“You are my queen”

And this made Bedelia happy because she knew the magic mirror could not lie.

Snow White grew to be as lovely as her mother. She was a great beauty with her crimson mouth, delicate skin and shock of dark hair. Piercing blue eyes looked out of her face, drinking in the world around her, for she was as intelligent as she was beautiful, mind rarely at rest. Though she did not physically resemble her parents, Snow White had inherited her mother’s kindness and generosity, and was just and strong as her father.

One day when Snow White was sixteen years old, Bedelia asked her mirror:

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?”

This time, the mirror responded:

“While you are fair my queen, the fairest of all is Snow White.”

This angered Bedelia, because she was so vain she could not stand to have another be more beautiful than she was. She decided she had to get rid of Snow White, so she summoned the huntsman and instructed him to take Snow White into the woods and slaughter her.

The huntsman obeyed her, however when he reached the woods with Snow White he couldn’t bring himself to kill her, so he set her free, killing a boar and taking its heart back to the Evil Queen as proof he had killed Snow White.

Bedelia was satisfied, so she smugly asked her mirror:

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all.”

The mirror replied:

“While it is true you are beautiful, my queen, Snow White is still a thousand times more beautiful than you.”

The Queen was upset by this, and decided to have a think about her next move.

Meanwhile, Snow White had fled far through the woods, and as night began to fall, she stumbled upon a little house. She was tired and hungry, so she went inside, where she found seven little plates upon a table and seven little beds. Snow White took some food from the table, and then curled up to sleep in one of the beds.

When she awoke she was surrounded by seven near-identical little men with round noses and rosy cheeks. After some conversation Snow White learned that they were all called Frederick and were impossible to tell apart. They were known as The Chiltons, and loved to be the centre of attention. They said if Snow White would cook and clean for them, she could live with them in the little house.

Snow White had always had an independent streak, so the idea of domestic servitude didn’t really appeal to her, especially for a bunch of dwarves as annoying as the Chiltons. However she didn’t feel she had much choice, being cast out of her home and status in the kingdom. So she agreed to their offer.

One day, after Snow White had been working for the Chiltons for a few weeks, an old beggar woman came to the door with a basket of ripe and juicy looking apples. She was bent over with age, hair as white as snow.

“Buy an apple dearie?” She said, offering the basket to Snow White.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t got any money” Snow White replied. She felt sorry for the woman, but didn’t see what she could do to help. But she knew she really wanted one of the apples.

“Never mind” the old woman said with a cackle “Have one anyway.”

Snow White smiled her thanks, but as she bit into the apple, she started to get dizzy, and she saw that the old beggar woman was in fact Queen Bedelia. Then she fell down dead.

When the dwarves got home, they were heartbroken, mostly because it meant they would have to do their own housework again. They put Snow White in a glass coffin, but didn’t bury her as she was still as beautiful as she had been when she was alive.

Queen Bedelia returned to the castle triumphant. She raced up to her room and asked her mirror:

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

And the mirror confidently replied:

“You are, my queen.”

And Bedelia was well pleased.

Meanwhile, two princes from the neighboring castles were out hunting together in the woods. Prince Hannibal and Prince William were very close friends and shared everything. In fact, they were lovers. Prince Hannibal was tall and fair haired, and walked with a confident swagger. Prince William, or Will as he was called, was less sure of himself, although he felt much safer in Hannibal’s company. He had dark curls and a beard, and didn’t like to look directly at anyone but Hannibal.

They chanced upon the little house and Snow White’s body lying in the woods and were taken with her beauty. They could tell by looking at her that she was the princess who was supposed to have been tragically killed a few months prior.

“What should we do?” Will asked Hannibal.

“She would make a beautiful ornament in my home. But look at the dates on the glass, she looks awfully fresh for someone who’s supposed to be dead.” Prince Hannibal observed, leaning over the coffin. “Here Will, help me move this glass.”

With some effort, the pair removed the lid of the coffin. Hannibal knelt down beside the body, leaning over Snow White.

“Hannibal, what are you doing?” Will hissed “You can’t kiss a corpse, that’s gross!”

Hannibal looked up at Will for a moment with a faint smirk “Trust me, it’s not the most distasteful thing I’ve done to a corpse.”

As Will’s mouth hung open, Hannibal leaned over and kissed Snow White’s inviting scarlet lips. He pulled back in surprise. “She’s still warm. Come here, Will.”

Will rushed over. Snow White’s mouth had parted where Hannibal had kissed her.

“Go on” Hannibal urged, placing a hand on the small of Will’s back.

Tentatively Will leaned over Snow White “I’m only doing this for you” He told Hannibal.

As Will’s lips touched hers, Snow White jerked awake, causing Will to pull away in shock.

“Oh don’t stop” She said wantonly, propping herself up in the coffin and tossing her dark hair over one shoulder. “I was enjoying that” Alana reached for Will, then Hannibal, kissing them in turn.

“Now will you take me away from these fucking dwarves?” She requested.

“It would be my pleasure, Snow White” Hannibal said, putting his arm around her.

“Oh please, call me Alana, I want to leave Snow White behind me. Being a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, you know.” She replied as Will helped her onto his horse.

Together the three of them rode back to Hannibal’s castle and adjourned to his ornately-decorated bedchamber. King Jack was pleased to have two intelligent and attractive sons-in-law and he banished Queen Bedelia from the kingdom when he learned what she had done to Alana. Hannibal, Alana and Will lived happily ever after.