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Mirrors continued from page 8
Figure 7 - Seeking mirror |
The final mirror that was in the witch's ownership was not strictly hers at all, nor did
she order its construction. This is the last of the great Traveling mirrors, also with
glass of pure quicksilver, so it too has sentience of a sort, a guiding willpower that
directs the dimension to which it will take the user. Although there are voice commands
that can be used to redirect the location of the mirror's exit portal, the main control
is a catch on the lefthand side of the golden frame (Figure 8). The catch, like the
rest of the frame, is decorated with a cross with curving arms that has since antiquity
been the Dwarven symbol of good fortune in travel.
Like its twins, this Traveling mirror was constructed in the early days of Queen
Cinderella's reign, when curiosity and a yearning to travel caused the Royal Dwarves to
experiment with different ingredients and spells upon quicksilver. Sadly, the other two
Traveling mirrors are lost to us forever--one lies on the bottom of the Great Northern
Sea, and the other was smashed by Anthony the Valiant who, though a hero of the Nine
Kingdoms, is quite inept, clumsy, and idiotic. The one that remains was stolen from a
vault in the palace of Queen Rapunzel of the Sixth Kingdom and spirited away to Queen
Lydia's palace in the Fourth Kingdom. Presumably this was to give her an escape route
should matters go awry--and a locale from which to draw her successor. The only world
that has so far been reached by way of the Traveling mirrors is the land of Anthony the
Valiant and Virginia the Fair, which they call, interchangeably, Earth, the United States,
America, and New York. The three foul offspring of Relish
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the Troll King proclaimed the world to be the Tenth Kingdom, a name which this historian thinks suits the world perfectly. Great study must still be performed on this mysterious world, which I can only hope will be carried out by me, as I am an expert on the subject of Traveling mirrors.
I would caution, however, against any inexperienced historian or apprentice wizard
attempting to study or use these magic mirrors. If it is not made clear by my
dissertation, they are quite dangerous and deadly, even the Traveling mirror, for the
passage to the other dimensions is through a series of endless mirror frames, each of
which is a doorway to another realm. If the wrong path is accidentally taken, one could end up anywhere...and trapped there forever. It is also possible to enter the Lethe mirror or the Mirror of Mnemosyne and never emerge. Because of these dangers, I have not revealed the commands that control the Queen's mirrors to the general reading public. (These commands were set in place by the Stepmother when they were created, but they are not needed for one of her blood or the blood of her successor.) Only the most trustworthy, cautious, and astute of wizards and historians shall be permitted to know the commands. It is far better that way; intriguing and wondrous the mirrors may be, and they may hold keys to many mysteries as well as information about the Golden Age, but they are also diabolical instruments that I strongly advise His Majesty King Wendell to keep locked in a secure place in his castle, there to remain for generations hence. [End]
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Figure 8 - Traveling mirror
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