Mirrors are dangerous objects. They reveal all that is true, laid bare without filter or editing. But they also, by their very nature, distort the truth. One who looks into even the most perfect mirror will see themselves reflected back upon themselves in reverse, and not in the way that others perceive them with their own eyes. Imperfect mirrors can also warp our perception of reality, their uneven faces making small things appear large and vice versa. And if one were to stand between two mirrors then we receive a glimpse of infinity reflected back at us.
All of this to say that although mirrors can reveal much about the world around us, we should never completely trust what they tell us. For even a truth which looks as plain as the nose on your face, can be warped by our perception into something which reflects a lie.
- - -
The second marriage of King Wulfus II of Voldiva was a joyous occasion celebrated across the land with fetes and carnivals and all manner of toasts and blessings to the new couple. His royal bride was Duchess Anya Baratov of the neighbouring kingdom and once wed to the king she would become both Queen and step-mother to the King's daughter from his first marriage, the beautiful princess Snowdrop. Snowdrop's mother had tragically died of a fever two winters back and the palace had been decked out in black mourning colours for months afterwards.
But now, It was time for the king to take a new wife and cement new noble alliances across his kingdom and beyond. The new Queen Anya was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her long dark brown hair was tied respectfully behind her head in a sensible woven pattern, but untied would have fallen nearly to her waist. Her skin was pale and pristine, almost alabaster in perfection as if she had been carved from the stone itself. Her eyes were as dark and lustrous brown as her hair and her lips were the perfect pouted rose-bud of a practised half-smile. On the day of her wedding she wore a long velvet dress dyed in the exorbitantly expensive colour purple with a long red cape flowing behind her. She was tall and stood perfectly upright, the effect of which was to make her appear imperious and more elegant than anyone else in the room, a perfect queen.
Many of those present stated that Queen Anya was the most beautiful woman that they had ever laid eyes on and marvelled at how lucky their king was to have a woman like her as his bride. That was of course if you discounted the beautiful princess Snowdrop, although this was said casually and jokingly, as if comparing the cuteness of a puppy to the elegant power of a hunting dog.
Nobles and dignitaries came from all across the land and from lands beyond to celebrate the wedding of Rufus and Anya. They brought gifts of fine jewellery, magnificent artworks, fine spices and perfumes from distant sun-baked shores, and of course enchanted magical objects to dazzle and delight their recipients.
Of these magical objects, a certain special one from the Sultan of Harquabithstan would draw the eye of Queen Anya. It was a beautifully constructed hand mirror made of quicksilver sandwiched between two perfectly cut layers of crystal. The whole thing was probably no more than a hand's width wide but when sunlight shone on it, the whole room blazed with dazzling fragmented refractions. When it was revealed, the display merited a round of applause from the gathered guests in the throne room after the wedding and the king and queen smiled in gratitude that their union merited such a delightful gift.
The dignitary delivering the gift also explained to the queen that the mirror was enchanted and would answer any question that was asked of it truthfully. This merited another round of applause and the dignitary bowed and took a step back to allow the queen to demonstrate. A little nervously, Queen Anya looked into the mirror and saw herself reflected in the perfect liquid metal and asked the question...
'Mirror mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?'
A small chuckle went up from the assembled guests, for they all surely knew who the most beautiful woman that they had ever seen was, and it was the queen herself. The quicksilver in the mirror swirled like a whirlpool and then a beautiful voice like cut crystal rang out in reply.
'Thou, queen, art the fairest in all the land.
'Thou art fair and beauteous to see.
'But one day Snowdrop, in beauty, will surely surpass even thee.'
A delighted chuckle and polite round of applause rippled around the room and Princess Snowdrop, who was seated at her father's left hand, blushed in embarrassment but smiled sweetly. Queen Anya smiled too, placing the mirror down on the table before her, she clapped along with the audience and only for a moment did her eyes flash sideways to her step-daughter with a look of pure venom. Jealousy is a twisted and dangerous emotion and on that day, its ensnaring vine began to twist its way around the Queen's heart.
- - -
Although the wedding of King Wulfus II and Duchess Anya Baratov was a joyous occasion for everyone involved, the next few years were sadly tinged with tragedy. Despite their best efforts, the King and his new Queen were unable to conceive a child to cement the royal bloodline and Snowdrop remained the king's one and only heir. On top of this, Snowdrop's father began to fall prey to a wasting lethargy which often left him confused and morose. He retreated from public life as his mind and body slowly wasted away, and poor Snowdrop was forced to watch as the man who had been her father diminished.
In public, Queen Anya made a great show of taking the young princess under her wing and being a surrogate mother for her step-daughter as she ruled as Regent. But in private she was often distant and cold to Snowdrop, never cruel or unkind, but certainly not the mother she purported to be. There were rumours amongst the staff that the Queen dabbled in black magic and that she used spells and hexes to weaken the king so that she could rule in his stead. Snowdrop never saw any evidence of this rumoured witchcraft, but she did keep the enchanted mirror close to her at all times.