When Bright Shimmer returned to the burrow, the seven Kingfishers were already making their way home from the mine. She raced to the back door and pretended she had been there all along. Bright Shimmer had never told the kingfishers her real name or that she was a princess, so she didn't inform them of this new update, she just thought about it herself and eventually devised a plan.
Bright Shimmer had heard of the magic mirror the queen consulted every day and thought it would be the perfect target for a sneak attack. So that very day she told the kingfishers that she would be leaving them soon. They all beseeched her to stay but Bright Shimmer knew that this had to be done.
The next day Bright Shimmer waited until the kingfishers were gone, then she snuck out of the burrow and headed toward the castle. First, she went to her father's room to make sure he was OK. When she reached his room, her stepmother was there as well. She waited at the door and heard a few snippets of speech she heard Grenta assure him that if he obeyed her in everything it would all be OK. Bright Shimmer heard a flutter of wings and ducked back into the shadows as Grenta left the room. She made sure she was gone, then went in herself to see her father. He was sitting in the middle of the room staring absently at the wall. Bright Shimmer went up to him. He was muttering something about doing what she said and no more child. Bright Shimmer tried to get his attention but he just stood there, unmoving. She finally realized that Grenta had hypnotized him, so she gave up for now and started making her way to the queen's tower.
She finally reached the queens tower and opened the door. When she stepped inside she was greeted by the most peculiar scene she had ever seen. Shelves covered in bottles lined the room. Bundles of herbs hang from the ceiling. And on the far wall was a very ornate, ash wood, mirror.