Believe(A Mirror Mirror AU)(Possibly slow updates)

Chapter 1: Girl in the Tower

Asuna POV
I gazed out at the sprawling city below me from my window. As high up as I was the buildings looked like colored blotches on a canvas, just waiting to resolve into a full image. Today's the day, I'm finally going to do it. I thought with determination as I stared out at the world below. Seeing as it was my eighteenth birthday I figured that there was no way that even my stepmother could possibly deny me the chance to leave the palace, after all now I was officially of age I was afforded all the same rights as her. I heard a fanfare from down stairs and realized that my stepmother must be having one of her parties. Perfect, there's no way that she would be able to bring herself to shatter her usual facade if there are any other people watching. I thought as my determination turned into enthusiasm and hope. I made sure that I was presentable and made my way to the fiftieth floor, where my stepmother held her parties. No backing down Asuna, it's now or never. I thought when I finally arrived.

I hovered nervously at the doorway and listened to what appeared to be a conversation between my stepmother and a king of a much smaller kingdom.
"Queen Quinella, as the ruler of a neighboring kingdom I feel that I simply cannot allow you to spend another day without being informed of what your merchants are saying." The king, a tall man in green robes and an ostentatious crown nestled in his blonde hair.
"Oh? And what exactly are they saying?" I heard my stepmother ask in a venomous but honeyed tone. I couldn't see her yet from where I was sneaking in but I imagined her lounging on my father's throne and shivered at the sound of her voice. Keep going Asuna! You can't quit! I demanded myself trying to stave off the creeping weakness that was beginning to gnaw away at my resolve.
"Well my dear queen they say that your kingdom is all but destitute, they fear that by this time next year they won't even have so much as two coins to rub together. Of course Alfheim is more than happy to share our meager but growing wealth, perhaps a deal can be arranged, mayhaps even one involving the combination of our two great houses in marriage." He stated glancing over at her with a leering smile before ordering one of the integrity knights that was seemingly playing out a mock battle to move.
"Not there you idiot don't you know the difference between left and right?!" He yelled glaring at the knight who I heard apologizing from the inside of his helmet.
"Hm! Now,now Oberon, you can't really believe those silly rumors can you? I appreciate the information however." Purred my stepmother, her voice barely hiding a layer of menace. King Oberon muttered a response that I didn't hear and I felt my whole body go rigid as I watched my stepmother rise from the throne, her silver hair falling around her like a sea of starlight. She wore a long lavender dress that completely enveloped her feet and gave her the appearance of someone not walking but gliding along the floor.
"Bercouli," She began in a smooth, chilled tone. The knight who stood at the foot of her throne immediately turned to her and bowed.
"Yes my queen?" He asked in a slight monotone.
"I want you to issue a decree." My stepmother stated her silver eyes shining darkly.
"Of course my queen, what would you like to say?" Bercouli asked and I flinched at the knowing tone in his otherwise empty voice.
"Anyone caught stating, discussing, or even thinking slander or misinformation such as the financial state of the kingdom will be charged with treason and put to death." My stepmother stated in a decisive manner, earning a confused and slightly concerned look from Oberon to Bercouli who simply shot him a nearly imperceptible shrug.
"I will be sure to distribute it to the surrounding villages at once your majesty." Bercouli stated with a stiff bow. Just then as my stepmother moved to return to the throne her blade-like silver eyes fell on me and I felt my courage and strength desert me like waves pulling away from the shore.
"Asuna Yuki is there some kind of emergency?Because I can't find any other reason for you to be out of your room." She whispered to me her eyes boring into my own.
"No stepmother, I simply wanted to speak with you, as it is my eighteenth birthday-" She cut me off with a delighted cry.
"Oh my dear child! How could I possibly forget?! Of course it is, however I still don't understand what exactly that has to do with the fact that you are here at one of my parties when you know that you are meant to be in your room, if you truly wanted to talk to me you could have waited until after." She crooned menacingly. I gulped and loosing what was left of my nerve I murmured, "I had hoped that I could attend, that way you would have no need to have any sort of celebrations on my behalf." Of course I can't do it...... who did I think that I was fooling anyway? I thought despondently staring at my feet.
"I see, well  I suppose that's a reasonable.... Perhaps I should consider allowing you to stay. After all you've always been such a good and obedient child." She mused before shaking her head.
"Unfortunately I just can't abide this blatant act of disobedience. I thought I'd made it expressly clear that you weren't to leave your room let alone the upper floors when I was hosting." My stepmother reached out and gripped my jaw in a seemingly gentle but iron grip and hissed, "You are not to sneak into another party again or I will lock you into your room and break the key in the lock you insolent little snipe." I shook with terror as her silver eyes burned with disdain and hatred. Then releasing me to shoot off a command to one of the other integrity knights who effectively dispatching King Oberon's head knight by bringing their dulled training sword down onto their head.
"Honestly Oberon, you never even had a chance," My stepmother drawled before turning her eyes on me and once again taking my chin and purred, "It's important to know when to quit when we're ahead, no?" I nodded timidly, my eyes burning with fearful tears.
"Bercouli, see to it that Asuna Yuki makes it back to her room. I don't want to have any more distractions for the rest of the day, is that clear?" She asked in her simpering, but lofty tone. He bowed and wrapped an arm around me from the side, guiding me out of the throne room. Instead of going back into my room however he brought me out to the integrity knights' main training room where I was met by a sea of smiling faces and my closest attendant and the closest thing I had to a real mother, Vice Commander Fanatio who was holding a small cupcake with a red and white candle out to me.
"Happy birthday Asuna!" Everyone chorused with bright grins. I felt more tears prick my eyes as I felt a rush of warmth at the gesture. I wiped my eyes and blew out the candle. Fanatio drew me to the side as everyone else went back to training and she asked me, "Do you want to know what I- no, what we all wished for you when you blew out that candle?" I took a bite of the cupcake and held back the laugh that bubbled up in my throat. There she goes again, making ridiculous statements. I thought shaking my head.
"Vice Commander Fanatio you know that you can't make a wish for me, it's my birthday." I said with a wry smile. She tossed her head in slight annoyance and said, "Oh fine, then consider it a gift instead," I raised an eyebrow in confusion as she motioned with her head to two knights in training, who I quickly recognized as Linel and Fizel, who rushed over with two packages wrapped in brown paper. I opened one of them to reveal a red riding hood. I gasped at the sight of it.
"Fanatio you can't mean-!" She cut me off and told me to open the second package. I almost reverently peeled off the wrapping to reveal my mother's old rapier.
"I had someone in town fix it up for you." Fanatio said with a tender smile as I ran my eyes along its sharp edge.
"Fanatio .... What would I even do with these...?" I asked glancing between the sword and cloak.
"It's about damn time for you to see what Underworld has become under Queen Quinella's rule." She said with a cold glare on her face. I took a deep breath and took the cloak in my hands, running my fingers along the material.
"Well.... I do suppose that she'll be distracted with the king for a while....." I mused as I felt a slight glimmer of hope. 
"But... no I shouldn't. If the queen finds out that I'm gone it'll be bad for everyone, besides I don't know anything about the outside world, I'd probably just get into trouble and then be caught by the castle guards......." I murmured shaking my head. Fanatio glared at me and she gripped my arms.
"Asuna the queen has you and the entire kingdom convinced that you are nothing more than a pathetic shut in incapable of living your own life beyond her rule. If you don't show your people, your kingdom that she's wrong now then you never will." She paused before adding, "The queen has bled your kingdom dry, it's only a matter of time before your people die of starvation in exchange for her vanity and greed." I took a sharp breath. It can't really be that bad can it? After all if the queen- no if my stepmother was so desperate to fill her own coffers then she couldn't possibly allow the kingdom to fall to ruins...... I thought frantically before remembering what the king had said.
"Well my dear queen they say that your kingdom is all but destitute, they fear that by this time next year they won't even have so much as two coins to rub together." I squared my shoulders and looked at Fanatio.
"Help me with that cloak."