THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR
CHAPTER 10
On the day of his release, Marc was immediately brought to the King's office where he was told, "We'll forget all that has passed so far. Go and get ready for the feast that starts at noon. My daughter is impatient to have the first dance with you."
Marc looked at the Princess Eleanor staring vacantly at the opposite wall. She always did this, just sitting there like a pretty doll. She didn't seem to realise anybody was in the room. She always smiled sweetly but never talked and never seemed to hear what people said. Only when somebody touched her arm did she react to the world about her, still with the same smile, still with the same dead doll's eyes.
The Queen had started giggling, or perhaps she was crying. It was difficult to tell. She was rubbing her hands and nervously looking around, like a mouse waiting to be pounced upon by a cat. Marc thought the whole royal family was seriously weird, unsettlingly so.
"At least SHE might be there," Marc told himself, not realising this was to be an engagement party for him and Princess Eleanor.
While Marc was getting ready, Roughus was giving Hannah the usual advice.
"I have another dress for you Hannah. You have your own voice now and your own legs but remember, your youth is still only on loan."
"Roughus, I know that Marc destroyed two of the magic objects. Can't I just destroy the last one myself?"
"No, you can't Hannah. Your part is to be patient and wait. Destroying the last object yourself would undo what has been done already and make all three curses permanent, Marc wouldn't recognise you and the witch would have won after all. I know it is difficult Hannah, but all you can do is hope."
"I will, Roughus," Hannah said. "I will hope and wait and be patient. But it isn't easy."
"I know, Hannah. Just remember that I'm your friend. All I want is to get us out of here in one piece and destroy every remaining spell of that blasted witch."
As soon as Hannah entered the ballroom, Marc took her by the hand and danced with her, forgetting he had promised the first dance to Princess Eleanor. It didn't matter. The Princess was dancing with some man who happened to touch her hand as the music started and smiled and nodded, nodded and smiled to everybody around her.
Meanwhile Hannah was in seventh heaven dancing with Marc and he just looked at the youthful beauty in his arms. He realised he wanted her forever; there was just one thing to do.
"My beautiful, mysterious girl; please, be my wife forever," he said.
Hannah wanted to cry out, "Yes, Yes, of course I will!" but she heeded the bird's words and answered, "I can't be your wife. This beauty you love is not my own. I only borrowed it for tonight."
Then she ran away. Her heart was pounding with fear. She wanted Marc to break the last object. She wanted that curse to be broken as well. And yet, she feared the anger of the King.
When Hannah was gone, the bird informed Marc, "You know that beauty is entirely hers don't you. It was taken from her like all the rest and only the destruction of the magic mirror that is now in the Princess' room can restore it to her."
Marc only hesitated a moment then he left the ballroom. He never heard the King calling for his daughter and the hero and liberator of his kingdom to come forward. When Marc didn't arrive the King shouted out, "Find him!"
While everyone was looking for him Marc had gone straight to the Princess' room. The door wasn't locked so he went in. The mirror was standing practically right in front of him. He picked up the first heavy object he saw – a bronze elephant on a pedestal near the door – and hurled it at the mirror.
With a deafening crash the mirror broke into a thousand pieces. So loud was the noise that the whole castle had heard it. It upset the Queen so much that she ran straight to her room to hide in her bed under the blankets, shaking with fear. The King was the first on the scene and nearly burst a blood vessel when he saw the destruction of his last prize. The Princess had arrived immediately after her father but didn't seem to be interested in the mirror. She just picked up the bronze statue, checked it and finding it undamaged, put it back on the pedestal. It was the first time since the liberation of the castle that she showed a real interest in anything.
That is why the King said to Marc, "You are lucky that you didn't hurt my daughter's feelings. Still, I will have to punish you for this act of vandalism. I hope a year 's imprisonment will cure you from this ungrateful behaviour."
So, again Marc was sent to the dungeon. Like the two times before he could look out through a barred window. There he could see Hannah who sang to him, danced for him and talked to him. He could look into her eyes now. His mystery girl was there every day, sometimes only for a moment, sometimes for hours on end. The more Marc saw her and talked to her, the more he knew that she was the only woman he wanted even if he didn't know her name. Instructed by the bird, she never told him.
"He'll remember you as soon as the witch's enchantment has really gone," Roughus said. "Look at the castle, Hannah. It is still not a 'magnificent White Castle' and the gardens don't grow in 'luxuriant abundance' yet. "
Hannah saw that Roughus was right. The walls were not quite white, not as white as the passing clouds for instance. And the gardener complained that there were still patches in the garden where nothing would grow. She continued to wait patiently and told Marc (and herself) that all would be well one day.