The soft hues of this golden morning previewed a rare coincidence of the Super Moon and Blood Moon. The eclipse would begin around two o'clock the next morning, continue for three hours, and never be seen again for a hundred years. For practitioners of witchcraft, it was a special event, and so the drawing room of Lady Gothel's castle was warm and electric.
Presently, she brought in a breakfast for two. Her sister, the Sorceress, was waiting for her, having arrived an hour earlier with an urgent request. Queen Grimhilde had sent for the Sorceress to recast the spell in her Magic Mirror. Recently, it had been repeating her daughter's name and wouldn't stop. The Queen was in a rage, and only calmed down when her advisors reassured her that the magic was in disrepair. The vain and jealous Queen agreed. However, no-one could remember the original spell.
Lady Gothel was happy to help, and went to her bookshelf to fetch a grimoire. She selected a heavy, leather bound book with the title, "Arcanum Sylvanum: The Elven Mystique" carved into the spine. It contained her own transcriptions of powerful elven spells. As the grimoire's magic resonated with her own latent energy, she heard the echo of a familiar voice.
"Dare to guess it, and you'll win the game!"
Returning her focus to the present task, Lady Gothel joined her sister for breakfast. They were having sweet cinnamon tea, bread, and butter. Lady Gothel dipped her buttered bread into her tea and took a bite. At that moment, the humble meal reminded the Sorceress of something.
She said, "Did I tell you what I did last summer? The French King had planned a costume ball where the Dauphin would choose a bride. I reversed a glamour spell on the invitations. So, on the evening of the ball, nobles from all over France arrived at Versailles, believing they were wearing beautiful costumes."
"But in fact, they had no foundation, face powder, or wigs on; and their costumes were the most threadbare, moth eaten garments you had ever seen."
Lady Gothel was not expecting to hear that, and nearly choked on her bread. She started coughing.
Her sister continued, "Musketeers arrested a hundred aristocrats, and beat up many others."
"Oh no! How dreadful," rasped Lady Gothel. Then she burst into peals of laughter.
"It was pure chaos. And the King was furious. The Dauphin, believing that real commoners were storming the Palais, confessed to a court journalist that he was in love with a housemaid named Cinderella, and wanted to marry her."
"A delicious plot twist," replied a coughing Lady Gothel. "I love it."
Annoyed by the loud cackling from the witches, a black cat jumped up on the table and stared at them. Its piercing blue eyes observed the two women with a strange intensity.
The Sorceress sipped her tea and asked, "And who is our lovely guest?"
Lady Gothel replied dryly, "That, my dear, was an intruder I found climbing out of a tower window last evening. His curiosity led him to such heights. Let him see what good it had done for him."
The Sorceress asked, "Do you mean to leave him like that?"
Lady Gothel replied, "No. He and his horse will be making their way home by noon."
The Sorceress smiled sweetly and said, "I trust he shall be too relieved, and not come back."
The cat jumped off the table in a fright when Lady Gothel suddenly clapped her hands. She had an idea.
"What if we imbued the Magic Mirror with a version of your invitation spell? There should be no harm in letting the Queen believe that the mirror is showing her true reflection."
The Sorceress liked the idea. The drawing room mirror was perfect for testing a new version of the spell. Staring into it, she said:
"Magic Mirror, upon the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Grimhilde, her beauty will it fade, but in your reflection never shade. The older she grows, the brighter her grace, her image shall you forever embrace."
As the Sorceress reworked the incantation, the enchantment took hold, and the mirror began to glimmer. The sisters were relieved. Soon, the Magic Mirror would have a new spell. And once again, it would tell the Wicked Queen the "truth": that she was the most beautiful woman in all the world.
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