Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less. Just enough to tantalize your literary taste buds!

Last week I wrapped up the first chapter of my reimagined fairy tale, Snow, based on, you guessed it, Snow White. Only in my version Snow White is a prince. The prince in question, Gabriel, has just returned home after a long absence. He’s about to meet with his brother Tristan for the first time since the death of their mother and the elevation of Tristan to king. Their relationship is stormy, and Gabriel doesn’t know what to expect.

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The bright tents clustered in Greenswale meadow gave off a sullen air, their flaps closed tight against the very forest the occupants had come to plunder. Servants dashed about with large pitchers of wine and platters of meat and fruits, but scarcely a noble hunter was to be seen. They were all huddling inside the drooping, mist-drenched tents.

The fog had a way of worming its way through the thickest of wool, and Gabriel’s cloak and tunic were not thick. He’d come from Craigmoor to the north, which had been enjoying a temperate autumn, what the locals called a “Fairy Fall”. Fairies were known for casting about rays of sunshine to lure folks deeper and deeper into the Black Forest, where they would get lost in the shadows and freeze to death, if they weren’t eaten by goblins first, that is.

Gabriel’s winter cloak, along with his other clothing, were in one of the satchels tied to Webster’s horse, who was now being led away to the castle, his rider incapacitated by a bee sting. Gabriel spared a moment of worry for his servant; Webster had looked rather puffy and blotchy, before focusing on his upcoming encounter with his brother.

Tristan was a fickle creature, at one moment brimming over with the bonhomie of brotherly affection, the next, laid low by jealousy and spitefulness. And what did the older son—the king—have to be jealous of?

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Blurb-in-progress for Snow, a reimagined fairy tale:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

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Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book.