Reflections of Self

[Arthur]

*It was a bright and sunny day, the morning sun casting it's glow on the glistening snow. Merlin had been called to the castle for an important meeting with Cinderella, and not having too many chores for once, Arthur decided to tag along. Following his mentor, he glanced around in awe. He'd never been in such a beautiful, lavish castle before...sure there was Sir Ector's castle but that...decidedly needed some repair work, compared to this one. And he'd never been in the one in town, so he couldn't compare that. After glancing at a rather large, pointed sword hanging on a wall, he glances to the old wizard.*

Merlin, have you been to many castles like this?

[Merlin]

Merlin was determined to see Cinderella sooner than later, so he led Arthur in a brisk walk. It was after they passed the guards at the main gate and actually entered the castle when Arthur asked the question. Merlin continued walking, but he leered to the boy to answer. "I've been to several in my time!"

After answering, there was a moment before Merlin stopped, spun and gently stopped Arthur with his staff. His eyebrows furrowed and his face hardened with seriousness. "Now, don't do anything foolish, boy," he demanded. "We're in an esteemed castle, so we have to be in our best manners. Understood?" He nodded.

[Arthur]

*Arthur, whom had been taught great discipline while in Sir Ector's, nods. He wanted to ask what this Cinderella person wanted, but he knew that was probably not any of his buisness.*

O-oh, I know, Merlin. I'll be on my best behaviour, honest I will! But...why do you suppose rulers need castles this big?

[Merlin]

Merlin treated the question lightly; he was convinced that he could answer the boy with ease. "Because, lad, rulers need big castles to..." The wizard stalled; he failed to have an answer ready immediately. His bushy eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes widened, and he stammered while thinking of an answer. "Oh, erm--I..." He stammered some more before coming up with the best answer he could at the moment. "To defend, of course!"

Before Arthur could question his mentor any further, said mentor immediately changed the subject. Merlin brought up his staff and tapped Arthur's head multiple times. "Now come along, lad! We can't waste time on silly questions!" He cleared his throat, turned and walked briskly again. Determination covered his face once more.

Merlin walked much faster than Arthur. So much faster, in fact, that he turned a corner considerably before Arthur could. As soon as Merlin made a turn, he made another turn down the nearest corridor, and then through another, effectively complicating matters. He knew where to see Cinderella before, but then he was confused. "Now, just a minute," he said, but his voice fell on deaf ears. He looked back and saw that Arthur was no longer behind him. "Wart?" he asked aloud. He rubbed his beard with his free hand and turned a full circle as he called for his pupil. "Wart! Wa-a-a-a-art!" After the loud calls, he scowled in irritation. With narrowed eyes and curled lips behind his large beard and moustache, he shrugged and continued. "Never mind him," he told himself. "I'll find him later."

[Arthur]

*Arthur frantically tried to keep up with the old wizard, but to no avail, there were so many twists and turns in the castle the poor boy didn't know what left from right was anymore. *

Merlin?! Merlin!! Hey, wait up!

*He then slipped on the marble floor, stumbling on the smooth marble flooring.*

Whoa, what, OH!

*The boy skidded to a stop in front of a large, dark room. It was quite hard to see anything inside; the curtains were pulled, with just a thin thread of sunlight coming from the seam between the drapes, and faint outlines of what appeared to be clutter of furniture. Cautiously, he steps further into the room, still trying to make out if anyone was inside. Suddenly, there was a slight chill to the air, and he felt somehow, like someone or something was watching him. Nevertheless, he continued to search for his lost compatriot within the huge chamber.*

Merlin? Are you in here? Hello?...

[magicmirror]

It was true that the room had a noticeably colder temperature than any other room in the castle. In fact, the room in general was highly unique. It was too small to hold a kingly ball, but too large to be a mundane, ordinary room. If one were to see clearly in the dark, one would have noticed the elegantly-themed walls, which complimented the castle's interiors in general. But the wall that faced the room's entrance was adorned with a large mirror. With the way this mirror was placed, one would have believed it to be the centerpiece, or even the main purpose of the room. Surprisingly, this was true. The mirror was breathtakingly crafted. It had to have been special; it was much too beautiful and decorated for a mirror, even within a castle.

Of course, Arthur would have required more light to properly view the mirror.

[Arthur]

*Walking towards the small seam, carefully making his way around objects slowly, he reaches the curtain. The young boy just barely managed to pull the heavy velvet drapes open, sunlight flooding into the chamber. He shields his eyes, getting used to the harsh light. He then turns around to see the giant, ornate mirror. Again, being so used to living in squalor, he had never seen something so spectacular. He gently touched the gold edge of it, inspecting the object.*

Wow...what a magnificent mirror. I wonder if this belongs to Miss Cinderella?

*For some reason, he couldn't imagine the princess as being that vain, as Merlin always spoke of her as a kind person.*

[magicmirror]

Soon after the boy's fingers made contact with the mirror's golden edge, the room's temperature noticeably dropped rapidly and sharply. And soon after that, a sudden, inexplicable squall seemed to have emitted from the mirror, and forcefully passed the boy for a few seconds. Under normal circumstances, this would have been impossible. But the truth is this mirror was anything but normal.

During the squall, a lightning bolt from within the mirror flashed. Following that, a tremendous thunder was audible, also from within the mirror. Finally, a wall of flame filled the mirror, but soon subsided and rendered to large gusts of smoke. But after the fire, an eerie, possibly unsettling visage materialized from within the looking-glass. It was a face... or possibly a mask. Its skin tone was somewhere between pale white and moss green. Its mouth, when opened, only revealed the blackness from behind him. Similarly, his sockets lacked tangible eyeballs, and also revealed the blackness from behind. This would certainly seem creepy, perhaps even frightening, to someone not accustomed to magic or the supernatural.

"What wouldst thou know?" the slave in the magic mirror said to the boy. He stared squarely into Wart's eyes. His voice was deep and ominous, and yet did not harbor any malicious intent whatsoever.

[Arthur]

*Using his arms, the boy shielded his face from the winds whipping around him, only moving them when the winds ceased. He watched as the face materialized inside the mirror, amazed, a little frightened, but amazed nonetheless. When it gave him an inquiry, he pauses, not sure what to say to the disembodied face. Carefully he asked a question in return.*

Pardon me um...sir...b-but who are you?

[magicmirror]

After the boy had asked his question, the face in the mirror paused very shortly, but otherwise didn't flinch or change his expression. "I am the spirit of the mirror," he answered. His voice, as well as demeanor, was neither warm nor cold. Supposedly, the slave in the mirror was perpetually indifferent.

After he answered Wart's question, the face asked a question of his own. "Thou hast summoned me. What wouldst thou know?" After his inquiry, the mirror's spirit remained still, although because of the mirror's steam and smoke, the face appeared to be continuously warped.

[Arthur]

*The young boy's mind, in an awestruck, inquisitive phase, was racing a mile a minute.*

H-how long have you been up here in the dark like this? How did you get up here? Does anyone else know you're up here?

*He suddenly realized he'd been asking tons of questions. He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.*

Er...uh...sorry. I didn't mean to ask you so much at once, sir.

[magicmirror]

The eye sockets of the face appeared to expand, but in actuality the 'eyes' just widened. "Through expanse of land and the sea, I reside here by royalty." The sockets returned to normal. "I come not from this palace; but a queen with heart of malice. After her demise, I remained still... and remained in solitude until... I was brought here to stay. 'Tis my destiny to answer what thou wouldst say."

The eerie face stared at the boy in silence after his answer in rhyme.

[Arthur]

*After the being in the ornate mirror finished speaking, it took a few moments for the young boy to comprehend what exactly he was saying. He didn`t understand ALL of it, of course, but he got the gyst of it...mostly.*

Oh...so y-you`re forced to answer to others wishes?

*Arthur was all too familiar with that...*

Don`t you want to be free?

[magicmirror]

"Nay, I do not yearn to be free. To answer thy questions is my destiny." A chilling silence passed through the room because the slave in the magic mirror ceased talking. But after a moment he asked again, as calm and collected as ever. "Wouldst thou know more?" His eye sockets stared directly into the boy's hues.

[Arthur]

*The young boy pauses, thinking. Did he have anything he could possibly ask the enchanted object? He glances at the mirror yet again, inquisitively.*

Hm...well...do you think you could tell me...if Sir Ector will lighten his workload on me at all in the future? It's just...I never have time to play with my friend, Alice.

*Arthur frowns, but looks hopeful, folding his hands behind his back, respectively.*

[magicmirror]

After another dramatic pause, the mirror answered the boy's question.

"Trying is thy life, boy. But hold; a noble future I see. Of moral duty thou wouldst act; and Alice, she wouldst be friend with thee."

Not once did the slave in the magic mirror's patience grow short, nor indicated any of the sort with his voice.

[Arthur]

*Arthur blinks, unsure what to make of the mirror's prediction. Perhaps Merlin would know? He looked to the mirror quizzically, unsure of what to say.*

Er, well....um...I...

[Merlin]

Behind the Wart came a sound. It was Merlin entering the room. "There you are, boy!" he hollered impatiently. He hurried to the boy and yet managed to stamp his feet with every step. "I told you to stay close, Wart!"

When the old wizard approached his pupil, his eyebrows furrowed and the portion of the beard in front of his mouth tugged. "What in blazes were you doing here, by yourself?" Merlin looked to the mirror behind Arthur and saw just that, a mirror. Nothing more. Merlin then returned his eyes to the boy.

[Arthur]

*Startled by Merlin's sudden appearance, the boy spun around in shock.*

I-I'm sorry Merlin, I tried to keep up, I really did. But the castle has so many paths, and...I just wound up getting lost. Then this mirror started talking to me, and when I touched it, he appeared and...

*He glances at the mirror to find the disembodied face gone. He looks dissapointed.*

Wh...but he was just here! I, oh...just...nevermind, Merlin, either way...I-I'm sorry.

[Merlin]

Merlin looked to the mirror behind Arthur again, but he only saw their reflections. It was a rudimentary mirror, as far as he was concerned. He was unimpressed with the boy's attempt for an excuse, but his face did loosen after the apology, and he comforted Arthur by placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly pushing him to talk.

"Here, here, that's all right. Now, come along, we have to hurry!"

Merlin once again walked briskly, but this time he made more of an effort to be in close proximity to the boy at all times, in the castle.

[Arthur]

Arthur nods in agreement.*

Y-yes, sir.

*The boy then followed the wizard closely, only giving pause once to glance behind him at the mirror. When it was apparent the face wasn't reappearing, he turned and left, taking great care to keep up with his mentor.*