Twenty-one years went by. It was early fall at sunset and the sound of the breeze was broken by the sound of clanging in the training room. Two sword fighters, one taller than the other, battled were battling with each other. Each one was able to outmatch the other with one fencing move after another. Eventually, the shorter knight used the sword to knock it out of the taller one's hands and landed in the wall.
"Well played," said the tall one. He removed his helmet. The man was prince Once-ler. He's grown into a handsome young man with eyes blue as sapphires, skin white as snow, and short banged hair black as ebony. Excluding the short beard stubble and light mustache stubble, he was the spitting image of his deceased father.
The other knight removed the helmet, but it wasn't a man. It was a young woman. Her name was Norma. Behind her glasses, she had brown eyes that matched her curly hair. She was also princess of Greenovan. "Looks like I beat you this time."
"Best two out of three next time," said the prince.
"Once-ler!" The both turned and faced Charming. "Yes, dad?" Once-ler asked.
"You two take off the armor at once. Your mother needs you."
"Yes, dad."
"And your carriage is waiting, princess."
"Yes, your majesty," replied Norma with a courtesy.
The king scoffed. "A princess in armor. Honestly." And he left.
"What does your mom see in him?" she asked. With her armor off, she wore a bright yellow dress.
"He knows how to win her with his charm," he answered. "What charm, I'll never know." With his armor off, he wore black leotards and a green-striped jopula. He opened the window and picked two apples from one of the apple trees growing around a castle. "Care for one?" he asked handing one to her. "No thanks," declined the princess. He was eating one care-free as they walked through the grand halls, throne room, and out of the palace gates where his parents and both horse-drawn carriages waiting for the couple and the princess.
They both greeted the queen at once.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, your majesty."
"I'll be out in two weeks," said Helen. "I need to negotiate with the King and Queen of the Southern Isles. If not, we could face a war."
"Is one of the sons instigating it?" Once-ler asked.
"He did try to kill a queen from another kingdom," Norma added.
"I don't know," the queen said. "But the point is we need to compromise some things to prevent a war." She faced Charming. "Charming will be in charge while I'm gone."
Once-ler and Helen hugged each other. "Good luck, mom. And stay safe."
"Goodbye, Once-ler." She then hugged Charming. "Goodbye, Charming."
"We'll be counting the day until your return, my queen," Charming said, stroking her chin. Then Helen noticed something and smirked. "Do you have glitter on your lips?"
"Cherry flavored," he puckered. "How about a taste?" She giggled as they kissed.
"Take care, your majesty," bowed Helen.
"Thank you, princess Helen."
With a blush, Once-ler held Norma's hand and kissed it. "Stay safe, Norma."
"With our practicing in the training room," she said with a sly smile. "You wouldn't have to worry about it. And same to you, Once-ler. Thank you."
The queen got into her red carriage and Helen in her blue carriage and their coachmen steered their horses off the white path out of the gate. The king and prince waved their goodbye to the ladies as they disappeared.
When they were gone, the king's smile quickly dropped as the men walked back inside into the throne room where a few servants were waiting for them. "Now remember what your queen said," warned Charming. "I'm in charge of the castle while she's gone, and what I say goes as your king." Then stared daggers at Once-ler. "And as your father. Am I clear?"
"Yes, dad."
"Yes, your majesty."
They knew now they were under his iron-fist control. "I shall be having my beauty rest, so no one is to disturb me." He then smiled at Once-ler. "After you, son."
Once-ler was confused at the sudden attitude change, but he knew better than to point it out. "Uh, thanks, dad." Then Charming left. However, when he was out of sight of the servants and the prince, he hid at the side of the wall to listen to what the servants were saying.
He could hear a woman swoon lightly. "Oh, prince Once-ler sure has grown."
"I'll say," a man laughed. "He's a beanpole, he is."
"Must be his big taste for apples," said another.
"With his sapphire eyes, snow-white skin, and ebony hair, Charming may have competition," another man said.
"And he and Norma make such a lovely couple," said another woman. "They've known each other since Worcestershire."
Charming's heart turned green with envy as he sneered at the gossiping. With a silent huff, he marched back into the royal bedroom.
That night, when everyone was asleep, he treated himself to a home kit spa at calm his nerves by the fireplace: feet in warm water, bath robe, and champagne. He finally moved his mirror on the wall with Helen gone. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who in the land is fairest of all?"
The pink face appeared before him; however, she would have a different answer. "Charming, you are fair and handsome, 'tis true, but Once-ler's a thousand times fairer than you."
Charming was nodding at the mirror's remark. "Of course, he's fairer than me." He drank his champagne, but then he noticed the mirror's different answer. Eyes shooting open, he did a spit take, and coughed from almost choking on it. "What?!" He shouted, seeing red. He got out of the chair and, with wet feet, marched towards the mirror. "What did you say?" he asked menacingly, grabbing the mirror's frame.
"I said, 'Charming, you are fair and handsome, 'tis true." Then the image of Once-ler playing a lute in his bedroom. "But Once-ler's a thousand times fairer than you,'" she repeated as her face appeared again. "Do your ears need cleaning, as well?"
"My own scrawny stepson," he whispered then turning into shouting. "Fairer than me?! Don't lie to me!"
"Each time we magic mirrors lie," she informed. "We'd crack in shame. I'm still in one piece, so it's the truth I proclaim," she finished smugly.
He made a frustrated growl. "So those rumors were true. That scrawny imp was secretly trying to steal my spotlight."
"Alright," informed the mirror. "A: no one knows about this, including Once-ler, and B: you wanted the truth, so you got it."
He was about to protest but stopped at midpoint. "Yes," he said. "You are designed to tell the truth, so resolve this is to make sure the truth is changed." Then he made a sick smile and leaned at the mirror face to face. "He won't be the fairest of all...if...he's...dead."
"You might want to be careful on that," warned the mirror. "Remember our deal."
He took a deep breath. "You're right. I did sell my soul to you to be the fairest in the land."
"You have four chances to kill your competitor," she said. "It wouldn't count if you got someone else to do it. If your opponent survives the three murder attempts, and you should have a duel between you too. However, don't shed his blood in any other attempts. Only in combat battle. You lose your soul if you shed his blood the first three times. You'll also fail if he defeats you."
"Right," he remembered. "I've had a few close calls to my other competitors, but I'll make sure to always be the fairest. Each of their deaths keeps my youthful face."
"So as usual," said the mirror.
Charming cut in. "I need a professional to take care of the job. And hunting season tomorrow will be the perfect timing so no one will know."
The mirror nodded. "That's the idea." Then she vanished.
He retrieved a paper and wrote a small note with a feather pen, rolled it up, opened a window and tied it up to a robin's leg. "Tweet this message to the best hunter in the world." Then the bird flew away.
He closed the window and faced at their previous family portrait, but mostly at the prince. "Fairer than me," he murmured with envy. "Ha! That's soon to change."