Mirrors and Ashes: A Snow White Retelling

A Princess for the people, that was Ember's title. She is well known for being deeply involved with all people, using trust, honesty and friendship to rule. Prejudice towards the lowest of the low—the dwarven workers—does not sway her and she considers them to be the dearest of friends. But being a Princess of the People is not the same as being a Princess of the Court, a fact that puts Princess Ember and Queen Helga at constant odds. All Ember's efforts to please ultimately fail because her values do not align at all with the Queen's. Ember's mother has her own priorities: riches, status, and lasting power. The Queen will go to any means necessary to carve the Princess into the heir she needs. A chance visit from a neighboring kingdom brings the Queen the chance she has been waiting for: an alliance with royals that comes with riches, status and even the magical aid of Fae—one that eliminates the need for an heir. She'll stop at nothing to secure the alliance. When Ember's dwarven friends give her warning of the true danger an alliance with a Fae presents with the Queen, the Princess finds her own life at risk from the very woman she calls Mother. With nowhere to turn, her only sanctuary lies with the dwarves. But safety alone does not sit well with a Princess of the People. With the men, women and children of her kingdom under the will of a woman that was willing to betray her own daughter for power, Ember is faced with a daunting task: go back and set her people free. But to do that, she must confront her mother, the only person she is truly afraid of. But the pains of a childhood striving to be perfect leave deep wounds and in order to succeed, Ember must not only confront her mother but her own deep-seated doubts as well. Will the love she has obtained from her Dwarven family be enough to render a bright reflection or will her spirit shatter in a thousand ashes?