A Grim Fairy Tale

Chapter Forty-Five

Desdemona was not pleased to learn that Niffty had somehow escaped. The very first thing she did was declare before the entire kingdom that Niffty was a traitor to the crown and that she be captured dead or alive. Once that was done she quietly slipped away into the castle dudgeon where she was supposed to meet with Striker. She had a secret room in the dudgeon where she would practice witchcraft or have secret meetings, a place where she could do as she pleased and none of the servants would find out.

"Did anyone see you enter the castle?" She asked the alp cautiously. "Were you followed?"

"No and no." He replied.

"Is Charlotte dead?"

"As a doornail." He lied.

"And her heart?"

He produced the small wooden chest she had given him, opening the lid and inside the queen could see a heart. She grinned and excitedly took the box from him.

"Excellent." She said. "Excellent. Your efforts will be richly rewarded, but be warned if you mention a word of this to anyone, it wil be the last word you ever speak."

"I hear you."

"Now be gone."

"Not so fast, I want the twenty pieces of silver in my hand in my right now."

"You'll get your reward."

"I want it now lady!"

"Don't you trust me?"

"You hired me to kill your husband's daughter, what do you think?"

"Very well." She scoffed, placing the box on her vanity and pulling a black cloak over him. "Follow me to the royal vault."

They stepped out of her chamber and she placed a key in the hole, turning it three times to lock it. She pulled the door and turned to lead Striker to the vault. However the door only moved slightly and it didn't close, it was left open a crack. A little while later, Vagatha came by to speak Desdemona about Charlotte's disappearance.

"Mother?" She called pushing the cracked door open. "Mother forgive me if I'm intruding, but I think that maybe we should try to find Charlotte ourselves."

She entered the chamber but saw no trace of her mother. She saw only the queen's bed, her wardrobe, her vanity, and her many mirrors. She thoughtlessly walked around the room and looked at herself in each mirror. She often wondered how someone could become so obsessed with their looks. Of course she knew that it happened and she knew that her mother was guilty of said obsession, she just didn't understand what drew people into that obsession in the first place. After all, Vagatha didn't think her looks were that great.

"I wonder what Mother thinks when she looks at herself in these mirrors everyday." Vagatha said to herself as she gazed into the queen's most prized looking glass.

"She thinks that she is the greatest beauty that ever lived."

Vagatha jumped back when she heard the unseen voice answer her question.

"Who said that?"

She looked around the room to find whatever person could have entered the room. But there was no other person here. When she turned back to the mirror, she saw her own reflection change into the image of someone who resembled both her and her mother.

"What the...What is this?" She asked.

"I am the spirit of your family bloodline." The image spoke. "I can only speak through this looking glass and only those who share your blood may hear my words."