The Power of a Name:
Once upon a time, there was a strong and handsome prince named Endymion. He ruled over the planet earth, but he was lonely. He had searched all of earth for a bride, but found the princesses dull and talentless. He send out a message to all the galaxy, stating that he would take as his bride, the princess with the most unique talent.
Serenity, Queen of the Silver Millennium on the moon knew that her young daughter, Princess Serenity, had secretly longed for the Earthen Prince for many moon cycles. Her daughter had no unique skills, so she invented one, stating that the young princess was able to spin silver thread from the moonlight.
When Endymion reviewed all of the proposals from the princesses of the surrounding moons and planets, his attention was caught by the talent of Serenity. He had always been entranced by the moon and thought that nothing would be quite so beautiful as thread made from the light of the moon. He invited her to visit him on earth, but knew that he had to test her talent before offering his hand. He gave her a beautiful suite in his palace, but barred the door so she could not receive any aid.
That night, the princess fell to her knees in a pool of moonlight and wept, knowing she could not spin the requested thread. She looked up at a beautiful mirror in a gilded frame and her image wavered on it's surface. A moment later, she was looking at a beautiful woman with black hair styled in the same odango she wore, but falling in thick raven waves down her back.
The image in the mirror leaned forward and stepped into the room, startling the tearful princess. "Who are you? What do you want?" she asked, backing away from the dark figure.
"I have come to help you out of your trouble, dear princess," she spoke, reaching out and plucking several hairs from Serenity's long pigtail.
"Oww!" cried the princess, reaching a hand up to her smarting head.
Before her eyes, the mysterious woman transformed the pale silvery hairs into gleaming silver threads that shone like the moonlight. She held them out to the princess, but when Serenity reached out her hand, they were pulled back out of reach.
"I am a queen from a distant land. I can watch over royalty with my precious mirrors. I saw that you were in trouble and came to help you. I ask for only a small token in exchange. What can you offer for the silver threads?"
Serenity's hand strayed to her forehead. "I have only my tiara, but it is worth more than three threads of silver."
The queen agreed and tore a handful of hair from the princess' head, waving them in the moonlight to alter them. Serenity rubbed her aching scalp, but handed over the tiara.
The next morning, Endymion came to visit Serenity, unbarring her room as he entered. She offered him a skein of silver thread, fine as silk, shimmering like the full moon. The prince was overcome by the beauty of the threads as well as the princess who offered them. In return for the threads, he gave her a beautiful golden star locket.
But once again that night, Endymion locked Serenity in her room and requested that she produce more silver thread. He had to be sure it was really her talent that had produced the treasure. When all was quiet, Serenity went to the mirror and called for the mysterious queen to return to her. Moments later, she stepped from the mirror and asked what the princess required. The queen said that she was glad to help but asked what her payment would be. Serenity had only the golden locket, but decided that it was worth giving up for a lifetime with her prince. She gave up her hair, tugging it free herself, and, when it shone like the moon, she traded it for her locket.
In the morning, Endymion came to visit Serenity again, thrilled with the gleaming thread she offered. He fell to his knees before her and offered his hand in marriage. Serenity accepted. But when evening fell and the prince escorted her to her room, he made one last request. He asked that she make one more batch of silver thread. Together with what she had already produced, it would be used to make her wedding gown. Serenity agreed, leaning heavily against the door after he had left.
She had nothing to offer, but called on the mirror queen anyway. The queen insisted that she could not work without payment. When Serenity claimed that she had already offered everything of value, the queen slyly suggested that she would accept the princess' firstborn. Serenity looked around the room frantically for something else to offer, but the queen insisted that nothing else would do. Desperate to be with the prince she had watched for so long, Serenity agreed, plucking the hair and shedding tears that had little to do with her burning scalp. When the queen stepped back into the mirror, she lifted a dressing stool and threw it at the mirror, breaking it into thousands of pieces, sealing the scheming queen away.
The next morning, the princess made her final offering and the prince set their marriage in motion. For one year, all of Serenity's dreams came true. She married Endymion and they grew to love each other deeply. At her request, Endymion had all of the mirrors removed from the palace. In time, they came to expect their first child, overjoyed that they would be parents. On occasion, Serenity would remember her promise to the queen, but she put it from her mind, recalling the pile of shattered glass below the gilded frame.
When her time came, Serenity was delivered of a beautiful rosy cheeked daughter, with glistening white hair, tinted the softest pink. They called her Small Lady Serenity and the Kingdom rejoiced at news of her birth. The small princess was just three days old when Serenity opened a baby gift to find a beautiful white framed hand mirror inside. Before she could register the danger, a familiar voice spoke and the mysterious queen stepped out of the mirror.
"I have come for my payment," she spoke with a lilt to her voice.
Serenity held her daughter to her breast and begged the queen to reconsider. After many tears, the queen offered an alternative to her taking the child.
"If you can tell me my name in the next three days, I will let you keep your daughter." She stepped back into the hand-mirror, but her voice echoed from it's depths, "And don't even think of destroying this mirror- I will only answer you here, but there are still many mirrors in your kingdom where I can find entry to your world," and with a cackle, she was gone.
Serenity held her daughter tightly and sobbed. She could ask no one for help as it would require her to admit her deceit. She could think of no solution that would allow her to keep her child. If only she could discover the evil queen's name.
"Is it Maleficent?" she called out in desperation.
"Guess again," returned the mirror. Serenity nearly dropped the thing in surprise. Setting it carefully on a small table, she began reciting every royal sounding name she could think of, always hearing a negative response from the small looking glass.
"Grimhilde? Gothel?"
"No and no."
"Carabosse? Ursula? Cruella? Medusa? Yzma? Anastasia? Drizella?"
"No, no, no. You will never guess my name."
Serenity collapsed in tears. Every day for three days, Serenity would call out each and every name that came to mind, but always it was rejected.
On the third day, Serenity was staring hopelessly into the small looking glass when she caught a reflection deep within the mirror. Bringing it up to her face, she saw the dark queen standing before a long mirror, appearing to be deep in conversation with a child who closely resembled her. As she concentrated, Serenity was able to make out the queen's words.
"Poor little Nehelenia, you just want to be loved. A baby will love you unconditionally."
Taking a chance, Serenity whispered, "Is your name Nehelenia?"
With a wild roar, the queen turned and spun toward Serenity. "How did you know? Who told you?"
"You did," whispered Serenity, daring to hope. "You just said it yourself."
The Queen raged around the inside of the mirror, throwing everything she could lift. Serenity jumped when a chair flew toward her within the mirror, breaking the glass from the inside. She dropped the empty frame which turned to dust in mid-air.
With a cry of joy, she raced to her daughter's cradle and lifted the tiny princess into her arms. "You are safe now, my darling." She wept tears of joy, soaking the infant's rosey tresses. "It's all over now, and you are safe."