Once upon a time, a long time ago, Eris, the goddess of Discord, crashed a wedding.
Bitter at her lack of an invite, she brought along a piece of mischief to vex the other deities present, and the poor mortal bridegroom: one of the legendary golden apples, inscribed with "For the Fairest..."
Once upon a time, a long time ago, but not as long as that first story, a little girl was born. Her hair black as a crow's wing, her skin pale as a snowdrift, her lips red as fresh blood. And as she grew to adulthood, she was known as the Fairest of them All... and she had an apple to contend with, too.
Mixed media: paper, paint, and ink on canvas.
Copyright Casteen O'Neill, 2008