It was winter, and snow fell like soft feathers. A young queen sat sewing by her ebony window frame. When her needle pricked her finger, three drops of blood fell onto the white snow. She wished for a child with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.

Soon, a daughter was born, just as the queen had wished. They named her Snow White. Her skin was white as snow, her lips red as blood, and her hair black as ebony. But sadly, the good queen did not live long to hold her precious child.

Years passed, and the King remarried. His new wife was a dazzling, proud, and cold woman. She owned a magical mirror that always spoke the truth. Every day, she would ask, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?'

For years, the mirror always replied, 'You, my queen, are fairest of them all.' But one morning, its answer changed: 'Snow White is the fairest now.' Rage stormed through the queen’s heart. She declared, 'That child shall vanish like a snowflake in the sun!'

The furious queen called for a kind huntsman. With cold eyes, she commanded him, 'Take Snow White deep into the forest and kill her. Bring me her heart as proof.' The huntsman bowed, but sorrow weighed heavily on his kind heart.

Deep in the vast forest, Snow White knelt before the huntsman, her tears trembling on fallen leaves. 'Please, let me live,' she pleaded. The kind huntsman could not bring himself to harm her. Instead, he let her flee, and slew a young fawn, taking its heart back to deceive the cruel queen.

The huntsman, heavy with sorrow, wandered deeper into the forest until he came upon a gentle young deer drinking by a stream. He drew his knife with trembling hands, for he must bring proof to the queen. When the deed was done, he wrapped the small heart carefully in a cloth. Returning to the castle, he bowed low before the queen and presented it to her. “This, my queen,” he said softly, “is Snow White’s heart.” The queen’s eyes gleamed with cruel triumph. She believed her envy was at last at peace—unaware that, far beyond her reach, Snow White still lived beneath the green and golden boughs of the forest.

Snow White wandered alone through the towering pines of the deep forest. Owls blinked from the branches, and moonlight shimmered on silver puddles. At last, she spotted a tiny, charming cottage tucked away, covered in moss and ivy.

Inside the cottage, Snow White found everything in sevens: seven tiny plates, seven cups, seven chairs. Exhausted, she ate a crumb from each plate and sipped a drop of wine. Then, she fell asleep on the smallest bed, dreaming of safety.

Later, the seven dwarfs returned home from their mine. Their lamps revealed a sleeping girl with hair as dark as night. 'Heaven bless us,' they whispered, astonished by her beauty. They agreed, 'Let her stay; she shall keep house while we mine the mountains.'

Back in her grand palace, the Evil Queen asked her magic mirror once more, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?' The mirror replied, 'Snow White lives in the forest with the seven dwarfs, and she is fairer still.' The queen gasped in disbelief and rage.

Disguising herself as an old peddler woman, the Evil Queen journeyed to the dwarfs' cottage, carrying bright ribbons. 'Pretty laces for a pretty girl,' she cooed to Snow White. Snow White let her in, and the lace was pulled so tight around her bodice that she fell breathless. The dwarfs returned just in time to cut it free.

The very next day, the Evil Queen returned, disguised again, this time with a gilded comb. 'Let me smooth your lovely hair,' she offered. The moment the comb touched Snow White's dark hair, she fell senseless once more. Again, the dwarfs found her and revived her, warning her never to open the door.

'Now she shall truly die,' the Evil Queen hissed, dipping a beautiful apple—half red, half white—into deadly poison. Disguised one last time, she offered it to Snow White. 'Taste, child, only the red side.' Snow White bit into the apple—and fell without a breath.

The dwarfs found Snow White, still and beautiful. They could not bear to bury her in the cold earth. 'She is too beautiful,' they wept. So, they built a magnificent coffin of crystal glass, placed her inside, and set it upon a green hill. Day and night, they watched over her.

One day, a prince hunting nearby saw Snow White within the glass. 'I cannot forget her face,' he said, mesmerized. He begged to take the coffin with him. As his men lifted it, one stumbled; the coffin shook, and the piece of poisoned apple flew from her throat. Snow White opened her gentle eyes, her breath soft as dawn.

The prince took Snow White to his castle, and soon they were married. All were invited, even the Evil Queen. When she saw her magic mirror dark and silent, she trembled with dread. At the grand feast, she stood before Snow White, who was radiant with kindness and forgiveness.

Snow White lived a long and peaceful life, her heart always gentle and her beauty shining from within. Each spring, where her glass coffin once lay on the green hill, wild roses and snowdrops bloomed. The wind through the towering pines whispered her name, 'Fairest of them all.'