Mirrored Snow [short story]

Empty

I closed my eyes and pictures the queen's study: a long, horizontal mirror hung behind a mahogany table which looked more like a judge's stand than a desk. When I opened my eyes I could see the back of the queen's tall chair and, more importantly, I could here her cold voice issuing an order to the guardsman stood on the other side of the desk. 

"This has gone on long enough. He needs to be taken care of." She stood up and lent forwards on the table, I shrunk back in the frame, hoping desperately that she wouldn't look behind and spot me. 

"Taken care of, Your Majesty?"

"Don't play coy with me, Talbot. You know exactly what I mean."

The guard sifted his weight ever so slightly, but didn't say anything for a moment. "When?" he said at last, his eyes fixed on the desk. 

"Tonight."

"But the ball-"

"Is the perfect excuse. It will just look like he drank too much then wandered off and got lost." The slight crease in the guard's brow suggested he still wasn't entirely comfortable with this idea, but no one argued with the queen.

He nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he said stiffly, before leaving the room. 

I remained frozen in place, although I wasn't the least bit surprised that she was willing to kill Snowdon just because he had been deemed fairer than her - she had murdered for far less in the past. She always had to be the best. But that didn't mean that I had to like it. I just wasn't sure what I could possibly do to stop it. 

"I know you're there." I was pulled out of my panic by the sound of the queen's voice. Her back was still to me and the room was empty, so I wasn't sure who she was speaking to. "Mirror, have I never told you it is rude to eavesdrop?"

Oops.

"How did you-"

"I always know, Mirror. Now go back to where you belong until you are needed again. I'm not interested in speaking to you until you have a more acceptable answer to my question."

"But do you really need to kill him?" I asked desperately. 

"It is none of your concern."

"Couldn't you just... maim him? There are ways to stop him from being the fairest without murdering him. Maybe Talbot could-"

"Mirror, you are neither a queen, nor the ruler of this realm. It is not your job to question my decisions. You simply do not have the ability to comprehend them. You are a mirror. A reflection. Empty. Now leave before I consider making you disappear permanently too."

Yes, Your Majesty." I closed my eyes without really concentrating on a destination. I was just desperate to be gone. 

I was surprised, therefore, to find myself back in the hustle and bustle of the ballroom, once more watching Snowdon and Murphy. 

"I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Snowdon said to Murphy quietly as he stretched his back and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Get used to it, Snowdon. One day soon, this is going to be your life." I choked back a sob at Murphy's casual remark. Snowdon didn't have 'one day soon'. The queen's words were still ringing in my ears. Empty. That was all I was. Snowdon was going to die and there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

Oblivious to his fate, Snowdon pulled a face. "Do you think they are all this boring? All they talk about are parties and money. Maybe the villagers will be more entertaining."

"It's a shame that you are stuck in here, while they are all having a raucous time in the tavern." The smile on Murphy's face quickly vanished when he saw Snowdon's own face light up. "No, Snowdon. You can't-"

"No one will notice we're gone..."

"Absolutely not. You go if you really want. But boring or not, I'm not leaving this party to wander dark paths in search of adventure. I'm perfectly satisfied with ballrooms and free-flowing wine."

"Which leaves you perfectly placed to cover for me if anyone asks where I am. Good plan, Murphy!"

Murphy gave Snowdon a look which showed he realised he had just been played. He was stuck either way. 

"Go on, have your fun. I'll tell anyone who asks that you have a nasty headache and have gone to lie down. Or maybe I'll tell them you drank too much and are now puking in some bushes..."

"You're a great friend, Murphy," Snowdon said, clapping him on the shoulder. 

"Don't take too long, Snow. The longer you're gone, the worse my excuses for you are going to get. I might tell Marianne you are off cavorting with the kitchen maids!"

"You would be doing me a favour if you did! See you later, Murphy. Enjoy the wine!" Snowdon put his own, barely touched glass in Murphy's hand and started to weave through the crowded ballroom towards the exit. 

{Thank you so much @MulanJiang for the gorgeous image. I can't stop looking at the pretty font!}