a/n: ahahaha...hi...

so this is me, trying to juggle two multi-chapter fics at the same time. unlike TFTOS, this one probably won't last any longer than maybe five parts or so, but we'll see. updates might come a bit slower than usual, since most of my attention is currently on my other fic. But I will persevere! =3=;;

this was inspired by all of the lovely Snow White and the Huntsman, as well as Tangled, crossovers on tumblr. oh, and Jotun Loki.

-unedited and written at three in the morning. mistakes, which are certainly inevitable, are all my fault. Dx

part i.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom wherein a King and his fair Queen lived. The King was one loved by many, but the same could not be said for his wife. Cold, vain, and greedy, she was the opposite of her husband in every way imaginable and resented by nearly every villager in the kingdom. But despite that, she loved her husband very dearly.

It was expected of her to procure an heir for the throne. The thought of having a child did not please the Queen, but it made the King always so delighted whenever he spoke of the possibility of a son or a daughter to care for. Wanting to see her husband happy, the Queen pushed aside her own displeasure, and each year they tried for a child. Each year, they were met with disappointment.

Word of their failed attempts to procure an heir spread through the kingdom quickly and, as they hated her so, the villagers began to talk of the Queen being no good. Useless, she would sometimes hear in their hushed whispers as she walked through the market, it would do the kingdom good if the King were to replace her with another, someone who is kinder, who is gentler, who is fertile and able to birth a successor of the throne.

For fifteen years this went on, and as time passed, the Queen became increasingly frustrated - not only at herself, but at the villagers for daring to speak of her in such a way. But as much as she tried to brush off their words, they still clawed at her mind, at her heart, and eventually reached a point where sometimes, she would catch her husband staring at her, and she would think, Perhaps he has begun to consider replacing me.

She and her pride could not have that. Another year passed, and still they had no child. The Queen was beginning to turn desperate.

It just so happened that a sorceress was passing through their kingdom - or, at least, that was what she called herself. Others referred to her as more unkindly names: witch, trickster, fraud, fake. One day, as the Queen was taking her regular stroll through the countryside, she was approached by the strange woman who claimed that she had the answer to her problems.

"I hear that you are having difficulty conceiving a child," rasped the stranger, and immediately the Queen's interest was piqued.

She would be able to give her one, the sorceress said. She knew of a spell and would be willing to cast it - in return, she wanted to be the one to assist the birth of the child. The spell could have had side effects, she explained, and she wanted to make sure that the child was born safely.

The Queen, so caught up in her desperation, did not hesitate and agreed to the terms. She missed the triumphant smile that crossed the sorceress's face.

The spell was cast, and a month later, it was announced that the Queen was indeed with child.

Elated, the King ordered a celebration, and for a whole week, the kingdom rejoiced.

In the months of her pregnancy, the Queen's feelings toward her unborn child changed. When she felt the first kicks, her heart soared - and that was when she began to look forward to the day when she could finally hold her baby.

Eight months later, she went into labor. As per requested, it was only her and the sorceress in the room, and the sorceress was the one to bring the baby into the world.

"It is a boy," crooned the woman, stroking the crying child's damp cheeks.

"Let me hold him," said the Queen as she laid back in her sheets, weary but smiling. "Let me hold my son."

But when he was wrapped in a bundle and finally handed to her, she was horrified to find that his skin was a deep shade of blue and his eyes were a stark shade of red.

The smile immediately fell from her face. "What is wrong with him?" She touched a blue cheek, only to recoil as pain immediately shot up her hand. She pushed the baby back into the other woman's arms, eyes wide. "Where is my son?"

"That is your son, my dear Queen," replied the sorceress, and she did not try to hide her smile.

"That is not my son!" the Queen cried. "You have taken my son and replaced him with that...that monster!"

"You wanted a child, and so a child I gave you," said the sorceress quite calmly. "This is your son."

"Liar!" shrilled the Queen, jabbing a finger wildly at the woman. "Witch! Thief!"

It wasn't long before her cries were heard by the guards, and they burst into the room with their swords drawn. But they were too late, for the room was now empty save for the Queen, who sat among blood-stained sheets, wailing into her hands. The window was ajar, and the sorceress and the child were gone.

The Queen told her husband that the sorceress had kidnapped their child and disappeared into the night. Outraged, the King sent the guards to scour the whole kingdom, looking for the deceitful woman, but after weeks of fruitless searches, all attempts were eventually dropped.

The kingdom despaired for the lost child. The Queen never told anyone that it had been a monster she had given birth to, and that it was for the greater good that it had been taken away.

The King and the Queen did try again for another child, but none ever came. During a particularly harsh winter, an illness overtook the King, one that, no matter how many healers came and went, could not be cured.

And eventually, still stricken by the grief of his lost son, the King passed away, and the Queen was left to rule the kingdom.

During the day, she was a heartless, embittered ruler who was not afraid to execute anyone who dared rise against her. During the night, she tossed and turned in nightmares of her dead husband and monster of a child.

The once healthy, prosperous, jovial status of the kingdom regressed.

But meanwhile, past the dark forests and hidden in a secluded valley, the sorceress raised the child as her own. "Your name will be Loki," she whispered to the infant in her arms, and caressed his small fingers as the blue from his skin faded and turned into a regular skin tone.

Years passed, and Loki grew to be a lean, mild-mannered young man, with the sharp green eyes of his father and hair the silky black of his mother - two facts that only the sorceress knew and kept to herself.

Loki spent most of his days reading and learning magic from his mother. A quick learner, it wasn't long before he had mastered how to control fire and water, as well as several spells that he could use to defend himself if needed.

When he turned sixteen, his "mother" told him of his most unique trait: how his skin had the ability to turn blue and then his simple touch could send a person to their death. She taught him how to control this, of course, but also told him that because of this, he could not venture out anything further past their little valley.

"You do not want to hurt anyone, do you, child?" the mother inquired softly as she stroked his dark strands of hair.

"Never!" answered the boy solemnly.

"Then promise me that you will never, ever leave our home without my permission."

Green eyes, bright and intelligent, stared at her from the mirror. "I promise, Mother."

But, you see, fate had a different plan.

Each year, after the fall's harvest, there would be a time when the sorceress left for the market in order to sell their crops. "I will be back in three days' time, my dear," she said with a smile, stroking his hair. "I trust that you will behave in my absence?"

"Of course I will, Mother," replied Loki with a small chuckle.

"Good." She kissed his forehead affectionately. "I must leave early in the morning - would you mind helping me pack for the travel?" she requested, one which Loki went to comply to.

At the same time, the Queen finally decided to act on her hatred. There had been rumors and sightings of the sorceress, claiming that she was living just on the other side of the mountains. The Queen ordered her finest men to search for her, but none could get past the expanse of the dark woods surrounding their kingdom.

As it happened to be, there was a huntsman. Said to be a drunkard and a brute, but also as one who had crossed the dark forest many times, the Queen deigned to seek his help.

"Find and bring me that wretch," she said to him as she sat high atop her throne. "Preferably alive, so that I may see to her death myself." Her tone softened somewhat as she moved on to the second part of her offer. "Do this, huntsman, and you will be rewarded."

A sack of coins was tossed to the ragged man's feet.

The Queen met his gaze evenly, and continued, "Greatly so."

Thor contemplated this, but it did not take him long to decide. He kicked the bag back towards the throne and turned, intending to go back to prepare. He glanced over his shoulder and told the Queen, "I will collect my reward once I have returned."

The next morning, he would set off for the forest, at the same time the sorceress would leave Loki for the market.