"Lady Helen," the young servant girl said. "Compliments of the King."
"Come in," Mary replied, showing a tiny smile.
As the servant girl placed the basket of apples on the table, Mary picked one of them up. The king knew how to fascinate her in so many ways. He could take away so much from his people but could also give the same amount to one of his guests. She observed the apple in her hands, wondering what exactly the king did in order to obtain the fruit.
She sank her teeth into the ripe apple and took in the sweet taste. She never had anything so sweet, so juicy of all the years she has lived.
"So sweet. How will I ever repay him?"
"When he hears you sing. Well, that will be more than enough won't it? I'm really looking forward to the performance," she said excitingly. What a beautiful, naïve girl she was.
"So am I."
"I love singing, you know. I sing all the time. My betrothed says I have the voice of a fallen angel."
As soon as the young woman whipped the clothe off the mirror, an old woman stared back at her. Through paralyzed shock, the servant stared into the mirror and slowly looked back to the old witch in the beautiful maiden's body. She started going after the door, but before she could reach it, the disguised woman reached out her hand and grabbed hold of the girl's wrist. Before the young girl could free her hand, she was slowly loosing life and eventually fell to the ground.
The old witch gazed back at her real reflection in the mirror. She couldn't help but remember when magic could be used, when people like her would live in harmony with families and would live their lives without any sense of harm. A place where people were able to learn the beauty of magic and would be highly respected for it.
This was the present, though, she thought, and only she could bring back what used to be. She turned around and walked through the door.
She was going to do what was right for the whole kingdom. She was going to take revenge on the man who took her son and her magic away from her.