Snow begins to fall in the pitch black screen, and the Magic Mirror shows itself.

What does the Mirror show you? What do you see?

The Magic Mirror slowly zooms in as images of battle came into view upon it...

An oft-told tale, that of the Prince of the Moors; how he vanquished the evil queen

The Magic Mirror shows images of Queen Ravenna and Loki in their final battle...her dagger being blocked while striking down, just before he stabbed her with his sword...

But, there is another story, one you have not seen. One that comes long before "happily ever after"...

A warm fire showed in the background as the whole scene came into view: a chess piece moving forward, a pawn. Queen Ravenna and her latest husband play their game of life and death in chess, until she places a finger upon the king piece. "A queen takes a king", she darkly said to him until beginning to put pressure on the piece's top, making a red liquid form around it. Ironically, her husband made a gasp of pain upon a pain in his chest. Ravenna leaned forward towards him, "And you thought this was a game", she whispered before tipping over the king's piece. She let go and sauntered her way towards the mirror. A thud sounded in the background: the king falling over, dead.

With the Mirror at her command, Queen Ravenna was invincible. She took her kingdom as she had taken others before it. And, she would take others again, and again. With her sister, Freya, at her side...

Sitting at a chess table, the two sisters play their game, until Ravenna moves the rook aside, making an easy path for her little sister to win her king. "Easy path, little sister. Take it", the eldest encouraged her. She always let her win...

Looking at her pieces still on the board Freya watched as her sister, Ravenna make her move within their match of chess. She noticed the opening, wanting to use it. But she noticed her sister's words, like she was wanting her to do it, letting her win. Looking up from their game to her sister, a smile on her lips. "Are you letting me win sister?" She asked, noticing what she was doing.

Ravenna looked at her youngest sibling with a warm, sincere smile. "You are my weakness, little sister. And for that, yes, I am letting you win. I always do", she chuckled heartedly before slowly tipping over her black King, for her sister had won. Leaning back in her seat, Ravenna placed a finger to her lower lip, as she gazed amusingly at Freya. "You're carrying his child", she softly commented, slightly astonished.

Freya couldn't help but smile and giggle a little at the compliment. She though from hearing Ravenna comment on how she was pregnant with the Duke's child. Looking slightly astonished herself though smiled warmly to Ravenna. "I'm surprised you knew sister. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know when the best time would be."

Ravenna made a internal frown when she heard her sister say that she was astonished herself. However, she kept her warm smile on to mask it. "No reason to tell me", she softly reassured her youngest sibling before swiftly rising from her seat. "I saw how he looked at you. At each other", Ravenna commented from her observation, seen earlier in the day. "Little sister", she began with a soft grim in her voice, but with her small smirk still there, before beginning to slowly walk around the table and kindly tower over Freya. "He's going to betray you", she said slowly and suddenly towards her, as if it was a sad warning. "You want to be strong? Love is your weakness. It's a lie", the eldest sibling told her.

Though Ravenna told her that there was no reason to tell her, Freya still felt bad. Feeling she should have told her anyway. She was her elder sister after all. Watching her sister rise from her chair, telling her how she noticed, observed. Seeing her come over within her direction, towering over her, noticing the soft grim tone in her voice, seeing the small smirk on her lips. Hearing her warning, Freya didn't expect it, looking at her sister with confusion. "Betray me? Sister, I do not see how that will happen. But how can love be a weakness, a lie?" She asked curiously, wondering why her sister was telling her all this.

Ravenna was now gazing amusingly at her confused little sister with her sneer still there. The now-Queen chuckled softly in amusement. "How? The race of Men are vermin, Freya. I have seen many things regarding them and love. They're greedy with envy. I was a victim of it, little sister. I don't want to see you fall to that", she informed her softly, with the same warning tone in her voice as she walked away from towering over her sibling. "It's a sin", Ravenna added grimly as she sat back in her own seat. "Save that newborn child, and prevent yourself from falling to this weakness. I only wish to see you become strong. Like me".

Freya looked to her sister, thinking about all that Ravenna just told her. She wondered though if that was true, men being vermin, greedy, envious, and love being a sin? She understood Ravenna cared, but to care this far to where Freya shouldn't love any man? Freya didn't really understand. Looking toward the chess board, Freya also wondered what her sister meant by saving the newborn child and prevent fall to love's weakness. She looked to her sister with widened eyes while her sister sat back in her seat. "What? What are you saying? That I not let this child be born?" She didn't understand what Ravenna was telling her. She didn't know what to do other than to let this baby grow, let this baby come into a world where it could be happy.

Ravenna gave a heartfull chuckle as she watched her little sister become slightly paranoid of what she was telling her. "You have no reason to fret about the child. Let it grow, but leave the Duke out", she softly reassured her youngest sibling, before her voice began to turn stern. Almost inwardly rolling her eyes in slight annoyance of Freya not getting to what she was saying, Ravenna abruptly stood up from her seat. "He is going to betray you, little sister!", she shouted as silence surrounded them once more, except for the queen's panting of having to raise her voice.

Freya had not expected this sudden abrupt behavior from her sister. What would you expect from Freya? She was being vague at first, she hadn't said anything about leaving the Duke out of the childs life and she hadn't said how the Duke would betray her. They obviously loved each other and she had seen no hints leading to him going against her. Freya though stood from her seat, her composure coming back to her. "If you are so sure sister, I wish to know how. I cannot just sudden keep him out of the childs life if I have no way to know." She said before abruptly leaving the room that her and her sister played their game of chess.

Ravenna sat back down swiftly and slowly once her youngest sibling countered the arguement. She didn't show any weakness on her face, and all she kept on was her neutral one. Finally seeing her leave the room, the now queen made a small smirk on her face. "I'm afraid, sister, I do know", she softly said to herself as she looked to the Mirror in the distance.

Freya did not believe her sister. For love blinds even the clearest eye. And when her daughter was, but a few weeks old, Freya's trusting heart was rewarded at last...

When the child was indeed born a few months later, all was happy for the new mother. A maid walked in with a letter and gave it to her. "You have a message, milady", she said with a smile. Unknown to them, Ravenna was half-way watching them from the doorway...

Her lover had sent word. He would defile his family and marry Freya in secret in the royal garden. They would gather their child and flee the kingdom to begin a life of their own. Except that incoming night, wasn't all true of light

Freya felt like the happiest mother she could ever be with a new born daughter. She felt her life renewed, always holding her newborn daughter, her eyes always lit up when she would come back from whatever she needed to do.

Upon seeing a maid come into the room that was her newborn baby's, Freya looked from her Daughter to see a parchment that was sealed. Having taken the message, Freya opened the parchment with one free hand and noticed this was from the Duke, her love. She felt her heart rise and swell with excitement.

Freya went on the night that the Duke said they were to meet in the gardens. Freya could feel her heart beating in her chest, a smile on her face as she walked through the grounds, hoping not to be followed. Almost reaching the gardens, the young sister, turns to go look to where her new daughter's room was when she saw the unspeakable. Feeling her heart drop, her eyes widen in fear hoping this was some sort of trick. Freya abandons all other thoughts but to run back to the castle as fast as her legs would let her, her lungs trying to compensate for the sudden rush that Freya was putting them through, her mind racing in many directions.

Running into the castle and soon to be a hastened walk as she nears her daughter's room to see what she did not want to comprehend. What she hoped was a illusion that would vanish to show her daughter safe and sound. She looked not only to the crib, but for who ever was in the room now.

Ravenna smiled to herself as the task was completed: the threat was far from prophesized. Walking out of the room, she put a neutral face when she saw her little sister frantically approaching the chambers. "Freya, don't-", the eldest sibling began to tell her, but Freya didn't stop, bumping her shoulder as she ran past her sister and into the chambers.

With the smoke coming from the crib, not only was the daughter gone, but the fiancé before her. He looked confused as he looked around, as if not knowing how he got there. Seeing his lover enter the room, he tried to keep himself composed. "I had no choice", he only spoke, in order to explain himself. "I had no choice, Freya"

Freya looked at her lover, feeling her heart shatter, her body not wanting to cooperate, her eyes water with sorrow, fear, hatred. She could not believe what she was seeing, her body shaking, growing cold. Why?...How could he?....His own flesh and blood....his child....her love...Ravenna was right. He had done the one thing Freya did not expect of him.

"NOOOOOooooooo!!!" Was all that was able to say, able to shout. Ignoring everything about her, feeling only the negative emotions and the cold that she felt now surround her. Her hair turned from a golden blonde to being as white as snow, her skin now pale like the coldest winter, her eyes as blue as the ice. As this change happened, a row of spiked ice rushed toward the Duke and covered him from toe to head to where he was hardly recognizable. But with so much force also sent the ice figure toppling over, smashing into thousands of piece, a Duke no longer where he once stood. Freya lost within her sorrow and rage, collapsed from the sudden change.

Ravenna did not expect such change upon her sister, and neither did she expect to see her in such a state. In astonishment, she watched as Freya somehow froze her lover head to toe, before it tipped over, shattering. Noticing her beginning to collapse, Ravenna dove down as she let her sister fall into her arms, unconscious. Realizing that this was an outcome, Ravenna didn't say a word, only to gaze in shock and realization.

Consumed by grief and anger, Freya left her sister to seek a kingdom of her own in the land, far to the north. There, the people would come to fear her very name.

Meanwhile, in the peaceful realm of Alfheim, the light elves had their society ethereal and bright, with the lights on the trees lighting the twilight of their kingdom. A young boy, possibly at twelve years old, stood in the training area of the kingdom, where archers and sword-dwellers went to advance their combat skills. Staring at the target in the distance of him, a few yards from where he stood, he had his eyes slightly narrowed as if it was a prey meant to be caught. Holding the bow and arrow in his hand, he lifted the weapon and tried to aim it carefully to the target before him. Taking a few deep breaths for calmness, he allowed the arrow to fly.

From within the trees, bushes, grass and flowers, a pair of young green eyes that belonged to a young boy sleeked back raven black hair that was at least a year or two younger than the boy that his was watching as the boy held a bow and a notched arrow. He looked with curiosity, caution for he knew he should not be here. He watched the boy aim, take calm breaths before letting the arrow fly. Watching the boy from beside a tree within the grounds of the training field. He seemed shy, innocent to the world around him as most children are. Dark green, black and white attire that made him seem like he was not from Alfheim. What the raven-haired boy didn't expect was to suddenly lock eyes with the boy that shot the arrow.

The arrow made its mark, but it wasn't all perfect; just landing a few inches from the middle. The dark brown-haired boy didn't react, but he kept his neutral gaze upon the target where his arrow landed. It may not be perfect, but he was getting close. The evidence was just yards away. Looking down at the ground for a moment: it was his thinking face. He finally moved from his aiming spot, and placed the bow back on the rack, where the others were. Thinking of heading back to where he originally took sanctuary, he was stopping short when he noticed a figure in the distance of him. His eyes narrowed once again calmly in his gaze. It wasn't predatory, but curiousity in his eyes. Eric didn't want to scare the newcomer, plus the seemingly Raven-haired boy looked inches shorter than himself. Looking behind him for a minute to make sure no one was watching, he tilted his head a little bit to the side when his gaze returned. Taking a few cautious steps towards the strange boy before him, he didn't want to make it threatening.

The young raven-haired boy watched the other, emerald eyes feeling extremely nervous feeling he maybe in trouble. He didn't know what to do, seeing the boy look behind him, his head tilt a little and taking steps toward him, the younger flinched back. He didn't know what to do about this, so feeling he was possibly in trouble since he wasn't suppose to be there and the boy coming closer, he pushed himself away from the tree that he hid some of himself and took off into the trees and foliage that soon helped in his disappearance.

Watching the strange boy in the distance, the older brown-haired boy made a confused face, as to why this young newcomer ran away. Again, tilting his head, he didn't expect strange-looking knights to come up from behind him, and block his eyesight, after placing a pouch over his head.

Horses ran through the kingdom quickly, as men in dark armor fired arrows at the Light Elven guards. "Kill them all! Burn it!", the commander shouted as different people from each race scurried and screamed. "Burn it!", throwing torches of fire on their beautiful, lantern-lit trees, before actually ripping children of Men away from their killed parents, covering their faces with sacks, and placed them in a cell-like cart. "Come on, runt!", with Eric struggling in the knight's grip, he was forced into the cart, along with a few other children, with the sack still on his head.

With villages burned, and lives lost, Freya turned the kingdom of Alfheim into a frozen wasteland, where she built her fortress, to raise an army. Forcing the Elvenking into exile, she ruled as the Ice Queen of the North

The cart coming to a stop on the snow-covered grounds, the Knights escorted the children out one by one, before removing the sacks that were blocking their vision. Forcing them into the now-frozen palace, they stood before the throne, which was now covered in icicles and frost.

The young blonde felt the sudden burning brightness from having the sacks removed, after having tried to adjust though not given enough time before forced into a frozen like castle where no sun tried to blind him. Having now being forced into a large room, the young boy looks to see scared, unsure, timid children around his age. He looks at what once was a beautiful and magnificent throne he had once seen before, now covered in icicles and frost. He remained brave, calm unlikes some of the kids, waiting for who now will be sitting on the throne.