The Tale of Tales

Chapter 7

Now we return to present time. It's the night of the grand ball and Queen Minerva was doing everything she could to look her best for this occasion.

"You look fabulous your majesty." Rogue said.

"Rogue I haven't even begun to get ready." She said.

"Well if this is how you look before you get ready then I can't imagine how you would look-"

"Shut up Rogue."

"With pleasure."

"Now if you'll excuse me my treatment is ready."

"Your treatment? Oh no not again. With all due respect your majesty, don't you remember the last time you tried this?"

"That allergic reaction to the bees was a one time thing."

"But do you have to use the wooden corset? You nearly suffocated last time."

"I'll breathe when I'm married again."

And so Minerva began a series of extremely painful and uncomfortable beauty treatments much to the concern of Rogue. Sometimes her obsession with her looks made him very worried for her. Especially when it came before her health. He knew that mirror was to blame. You see Rogue was one of the very few who had heard the legend of the evil spirit trapped in the mirror and he feared that it was slowly but surely corrupting the queen with each passing day. He only hoped that somehow, someway, she could be saved before it was too late.

"She's doing another one of those treatments isn't she?" The maid Cana said.

"What do you think?"

"I think that this time the wooden corset is going to crush her ribs."

"Oooo." He seethed.

"So is it true that she's going to try to marry the prince?"

"Yep."

"But he's twenty and isn't she forty?"

"She'll take it to her grave that she's twenty nine but yes."

"That's not going to end well."

"You think? What's worse is she doesn't take rejection well and she normally takes it out on me."

"That's rough. Wanna go to the tavern and get drunk?"

"Sure."

...

Now don't worry we haven't forgotten about Lucy. Let's get back to her now. Lucy was sitting by the fire place reading her book Utopia while at the same time remembering all the wonderful times she had back when she was a child. She remembered how before bed her mother would comb her hair and her father would read to her. It would always bring her to tears. After a few hours she put down her book and once again went to visit the graves of her parents. Tonight was Queen Minerva's ball and even though Lucy was irritated with most of the people attending this royal affair she could not help but wonder what it would be like to go there. To dance to the music under the chandeliers, maybe even win the affection of a young man. She sat under the hazel tree and began to fantasize that she was there, wearing a beautiful dress and dancing with a charming gentleman. She never asked for true love but if she had to say who she wanted her true love to be. She would say that she wanted him to be sweet, honest, funny, and understanding. But what were her chances of ever meeting someone like that who could ever love her?