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out of sight, came through the open doorway and joined her on the steps.
    The queen, always so controlled, could not contain her gasp. He stood eight feet or more tall and wore a bright purple suit with a silver trim, the colour almost an exact match to the gems adorning the princess. A painted mask covered most of his face.
    ‘May I introduce Agard, Prince of the Far Mountains, home of the Giants.’ She smiled again and took the enormous man’s hand, leading him into the party. Dresses rustled as men and women pulled away from them creating a path, not entirely out of politeness. The queen wasn’t the only one who was shocked. No one had been near the Far Mountains for as long as she’d been alive, and probably not in the generation before either. How could Snow possibly have…?
    ‘We’ve been communicating by dove since I found one injured in the forest with a message attached to its leg and restored it to health. The prince wanted to reach out to distant people, and he found me.’
    The strange couple moved further and further into the room, taking remarkably short steps given the man’s height, the queen noticed. Was he compensating for Snow White? How could he possibly have got into the castle without one of her spies telling her? And how could she have possibly fallen in love with this giant, as it seemed clear she had?
    Her eyes fixed on their progress, Lilith tried to relax. It didn’t matter which man Snow White chose. In fact, this creature might be a blessing in disguise. The king would surely disapprove of their union – what monstrous children would they create, for one thing? – and it was unlikely that Snow White would ever be allowed to return from the Far Mountains. The girl was embarrassing herself, but she was also doing all of Lilith’s work for her. She needn’t have wasted time and money inviting all the princes to a grand ball. Perhaps she should have just called for a circus or a freak show and given her step daughter more to choose from.
    As they approached, she walked forward to meet them and then curtseyed deeply at the giant’s feet. Snow’s curtsey might have been sensuous but the queen’s was elegant and flawless, her back remaining perfectly straight. She made the gesture seem so effortless, but hours of training and tears had gone into it when she was four years old. The backs of her knees had been bruised and bleeding from the thwacks of the ruler her instructress used to inflict if she didn’t do it perfectly. Her father, the king, would not accept less than a perfect princess for a daughter. She had become one for him, despite herself. Even if magic ran in her veins as well as royal blood. It was a man’s world and she had learned to play the game. What else could a woman with beauty and brains do?
    ‘Your highness,’ the queen said. ‘Welcome to our home. We are honoured to be the first of the kingdoms to receive a visit from the people of the Far Mountains, and I hope it shall not be your last. We have heard so much of your strength and generosity of spirit.’ Her words were clear and humble although most of what she’d heard of the giants was that they were clumsy, stupid and greedy and spent most of their time fighting each other. Legend said that whenever rocks fell in the low lands, a giant in the Far Mountains was stamping his feet because he couldn’t get his own way. But she was a queen and she would behave like one.
    ‘Thank you, your Majesty.’ The giant’s voice was gruff but not as resonant as she expected. But then what did she really know of them? Nothing. Their guest began to lean forward to bow. The movement started well and then suddenly he wobbled, losing his balance and tilting dangerously sideways. The queen stepped backwards as two courtiers rushed forward and took the giant’s hands to stabilise him.
    It was only then the queen noticed how small the hand was. How could a giant…?
    Before she could finish her thought, the giant’s middle