Irene Tildyth: A Short Story
Prologue
Her twin girls were beautiful, very much so. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t live to watch them grow up. Her last gift to them would have to be their names. Rose-Red Shadow for one, with the moon-shaped birthmark, after her rose-red lips, and Snow-White Tempest for the other, with the snowflake birthmark, after her snow-white skin. Then she was slipping…slipping away.
Her twins were in the care of her husband now, a weak man with almost no money. He was forced to marry Irene Tildyth, the daughter of a duke, to make ends meet.
Irene was a selfish woman who had run away from her father because he was too strict. She was living a life of luxury only because she had inherited a large sum of money from rich relations. She, however, had never …show more content…
She was much older than she seemed and only appeared pretty because of a magic mirror that enchanted her. Every morning she would ask who was the fairest lady in the land and every day, the mirror would answer with her name.
But the mirror could only keep Irene youthful for so long. Soon her beauty began to deteriorate while Rose-Red’s grew. And then came the day when the mirror answered Irene’s daily question with the name of Rose-Red. Irene flew into a temper, ordering the huntsman to kill her and serve her heart and liver for supper. But Rose-Red was such a sweet child that the huntsman could not bring himself to do it. Thinking that she would be finished by wild animals anyway, the huntsman let her go into the woods and served a goat’s heart and liver instead. And Irene was fooled until the next morning.
But the mirror still answered with Rose-Red! Irene brought the huntsman to her, and he confessed his actions. But Rose-Red was far away from them now, having been employed by seven dwarves. She did chores for them, such as cooking, cleaning, and washing, but only ate leftovers and slept in a tiny attic. On her twelfth birthday, Rose-Red quit the job. And then the hardest part of her life
Her twin girls were beautiful, very much so. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t live to watch them grow up. Her last gift to them would have to be their names. Rose-Red Shadow for one, with the moon-shaped birthmark, after her rose-red lips, and Snow-White Tempest for the other, with the snowflake birthmark, after her snow-white skin. Then she was slipping…slipping away.
Her twins were in the care of her husband now, a weak man with almost no money. He was forced to marry Irene Tildyth, the daughter of a duke, to make ends meet.
Irene was a selfish woman who had run away from her father because he was too strict. She was living a life of luxury only because she had inherited a large sum of money from rich relations. She, however, had never …show more content…
She was much older than she seemed and only appeared pretty because of a magic mirror that enchanted her. Every morning she would ask who was the fairest lady in the land and every day, the mirror would answer with her name.
But the mirror could only keep Irene youthful for so long. Soon her beauty began to deteriorate while Rose-Red’s grew. And then came the day when the mirror answered Irene’s daily question with the name of Rose-Red. Irene flew into a temper, ordering the huntsman to kill her and serve her heart and liver for supper. But Rose-Red was such a sweet child that the huntsman could not bring himself to do it. Thinking that she would be finished by wild animals anyway, the huntsman let her go into the woods and served a goat’s heart and liver instead. And Irene was fooled until the next morning.
But the mirror still answered with Rose-Red! Irene brought the huntsman to her, and he confessed his actions. But Rose-Red was far away from them now, having been employed by seven dwarves. She did chores for them, such as cooking, cleaning, and washing, but only ate leftovers and slept in a tiny attic. On her twelfth birthday, Rose-Red quit the job. And then the hardest part of her life