Welcome to Miror

Red King & White King

The little woman who sits before me in my office looks like she is at wit's end. It is hard to believe she is Queen Merah Muda. I offer her tea, and she sighs, relaxing back as her cotton candy hair doesn't move. The little clockwork birds that reside in it, twitter and tweet, pop out from precisely lain curls.

"Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Primrose," Merah Muda sighs.

"It's Miss, actually," I correct as I sit behind my desk again. "And I am actually quite shocked you would come and see me of all people."

She sighs, tiny shoulders slouching and disappearing into her dress. "I have exhausted every avenue I can think of. To be honest, you are my last hope."

I work for the Offices of Argumental Dissolvement and Resolution Center. Basically, my job is to solve arguments, mend relationships, and problem solve. I have talked people off ledges, assisted marriages, and have even gotten a cat and a dog to become friends. While Queen Merah Muda is here, I am not sure why.

"What is it you need my help with?" I ask her.

Merah Muda sighs, dabbing at her eyes with a fluorescent pink handkerchief. Her pale face is dotted with heart-shaped freckles, and her eyebrows swoop off her face, flourishing out at the points where a pink jewel hangs off each tip.

"It is my sons," she finally answers.

I suddenly am struck with the hard cold reasoning of her visit. It is no secret that the twin princes have been feuding since birth. There is Rosso Rudi, who is known as the Red Prince. He is wrathful and harsh, but a brilliant military leader. He was also known as a protector of the weak, often taking civilians affected by war and finding them a place in the world, as well as his soldiers suffering from the war itself. Then there is Bianco Bumi, who is quite timid and gentle, compared to his brother. He has been a leader in higher education in the kingdom for all, not just the few. He was well as a patron of the fine arts and believed in sharing it with anyone.

The two princes, while nearly exact opposites of one another, had been feuding even while in the womb. Or at least, how most stories go. Rosso believed in a firm grip, while Bianco practiced a soft touch. The two argued over how to rule the kingdom, and it only got worse after their father passed away. It had gotten so bad that the royal palace had literally been split in two. The two brothers cut the castle down the middle and pulled it apart, placing a massive hedge maze between the two halves.

"I have spent so many nights in that damned maze!" Merah Muda cries in frustration. "I just want my children to get along. I want them to be the kings I know they can be. They just need each other to do it. One cannot rule without the other. Please! Mrs. Primrose, I beg you, help me fix my sons!" She throws herself on my desk, grasping my hands tight.

"Miss," I correct her again. "And, I will admit, this seems like a fruitless endeavor. But, I cannot say no to you."

Merah Muda sighs. "Oh! Thank you!"

"If I were to say no, my head would be cut off," I remark.

Merah Muda's expression shifts and she shrugs as a sly smirk spread across her far too pooched lips.

I go with Queen Merah Muda to the palace, knowing I will not be able to leave until I find a resolution for the two princes. I have never been to the castle before, I have only seen pictures. But seeing it sliced down the middle the way it is, I can sense the stress Queen Merah Muda is suffering.

The two halves stand as they always have, just several hundred feet apart. The open sides have been sealed shut by a blanket of vines and plants. From one side, red flowers bloom. From the other, the flowers are white.