The to-be queen was supposed to be arriving any minute. Everyone was bustling around excitedly. The castle guards were lined up on both sides of the room at full attention and many of the castle’s help was in attendance as well. Kurt was present but kept more closely to the back of the crowd. He leaned against the wall and stared at the large doors at the front of the throne room.

“If you stare any harder your highness, the door may catch fire.” A soft voice sounded from beside him. Smiling, Kurt turned to see the kitchen’s cook and his once childhood nanny.

“A fire may be more than welcome at this moment, Carole.”

Her eyes grew softer, “Kurt you know this has to be done. You would lose your noble title if your father doesn’t remarry.”

“I know, I know.” He sighed deeply. “That doesn’t mean I have to like this though. Who is this woman anyway? What do we know about her?”

“I’ve heard the maids’ gossip and they say that she goes through extensive beauty treatments. The word is she stopped by one of the villages outside of the castle to acquire a carriage load of lotion.”

Kurt laughed; the sound was like bells chiming in the wind. “How is it that maids hear so much?”

“Oh, they buzz around like bees after honey the way they talk and gossip.” Carole leaned on the wall beside Kurt. Sighing, her eyes found one of the guards across the room. “My poor boy has been quite the popular topic as of late.”

Kurt examined the boy as well. His face was completely covered by his helmet but it was unmistakably Finn. The tabard that draped around his body was askew, his knee plate was upside down, and he held his sword in the wrong hand. Shaking his head, Kurt frowned at his friend’s lack of coordination.

“How is the great ogre? I haven’t spoken to him much since he joined the guard.”
Carole’s lips turned up into a proud smile. “He is doing a fantastic job! His training commander recommended him to be a member of New Directions.”

Wow, Kurt thought, that’s impressive. The New Directions was the special group of soldiers who showed the most promise. The members of the regime were the most agile, flexible, topnotch marksman, and strongest of all Lima’s subjects. The New Directions did not see age or gender; if you were the best, then you were the best. There were a few women in the force and the people knew better than to mess with them. One, Kurt recalled her name was Quinn, was so angry at one of the soldiers that she hung him upside down with her whip from the clock tower in town. Kurt never found out what the poor man did but he knew he never crossed the line again. There was far too much drama, but they were certainly the best. They were the ones who looked after Kurt and his father when they left the castle. Kurt was particularly fond of Sam and Noah, or Puck as he called himself. They were the swordsman of the crew and were the two who usually jumped at the chance to escort Kurt anywhere outside. Their favorite pastime when at Kurt’s side was trying to hook him up with one of the few gay bachelors in town. Even though they were skilled in the art of deception, they failed at being subtle when they crossed the path of a fair looking man. They made animal noises and rude gestures towards other men and then blamed it on the young prince.

Kurt found their antics childish but they were dear to him all the same.

“What is the gossip, then, of Finn? You made it sound like it was bad earlier. Has word not spread of his appointment? I would imagine many of the ladies flocking to him like a pigeon after a bread crumb.”

“Oh, many maidens are very attracted to the idea of him being in New Directions. No, his name is slandered in a love triangle unfortunately.”

“Love triangle? With who?”

Carole’s body fell solemnly, seemingly defeated. “The noble lady Rachel, your friend, and Quinn Fabray. Leave it to my boy to get himself in such a mess.”

This was certainly news to Kurt. Rachel was always twittering in his ear about the latest gossip and her numerous relationship woes. In fact, he was with her just the other night having a sleepover. Strange, she never once mentioned anything about Finn. Which was abnormal since she drawled on and on about his friend.

Kurt’s train of thought was interrupted when the trumpets sounded outside the room. Groaning, Kurt slid off the wall and stood straight up, waiting to see his new mother. The large wooden doors opened to a small fleet of men dressed in the most horrid colors Kurt had ever seen. The men were wearing yellow coats over bright orange trousers.

“Welcome to your new home, darling.” Burt announced loudly.

The woman whistled in appreciation as she entered the throne room. Burt followed close behind her with hearts in his eyes. It was like all he could see was the fair maiden before him and nothing else. It was very reasonable, Kurt admitted. The woman before him was a very attractive one indeed. Sue’s hair flowed in golden locks against her shoulders, her complexion was even and her skin smooth, her eyes were a piercing green, and she was tall with curves in all the right places. In every physical respect, Sue was incredibly beautiful. Kurt could see the appeal. Kurt also noticed the future queen’s delectable fashion choice. Her immaculate dress put the extravagant décor to shame.
Every eye was on the woman as she made her way around the room, examining each bit of wall with a judgmental eye. Her skeptical eyes landed on Kurt, her face falling for just a fraction of a second before a bitter smile took root on her lips. Her eyes raked up and down Kurt’s thin frame with such scrutiny that he felt oddly subconscious all of a sudden. Beneath the mask of purity and pleased beauty, the young prince detected some sort of hate in those old eyes. It made his skin crawl.

“Well, aren’t you a handsome young man.” The woman breathed.

“The fairest in all the land, madame.” Carole beamed.

The woman shot her a cold look, “an opinion I suppose.”

Burt clapped a hand down on his son’s shoulder, shaking it proudly. “Sue this is my son, Kurt.”

“Pleasure.” It came out as more of a hiss than it did a greeting. “I’ve heard about you, outside in the towns. They did say your skin was as white as snow, but I see you more as a porcelain doll. Your skin reminds me of the flawless face of one I had as a child. Pray tell me what lotions you use.”

“I don’t your highness.”

That was the wrong thing to say he realized as her eyes squinted into a glare. “Of course you don’t.” Carole’s hand came to rest on his elbow. It seemed they were the only ones who caught the act. The maiden schooled her features before turning to his father, “Darling, be a dear and give us a minute. I would like to acquaint myself with the boy who is to be my son.”

Burt’s face split into a bright smile. He nodded furtively, “of course my queen. Everyone tend to your chores immediately. Knights, I wish to see you in my war chambers. You’re all dismissed.” The burly man turned back to Sue and kissed her cheek. From the corner of his eye, Kurt could see Carole’s eyes sadden ever so lightly. “My advisors and I will discuss the plans for the masquerade ball before the ceremony. It will be quite the event having Dalton and Carmel in the same room.”

“Very well dear.”

And with that the whole castle seemed to disappear into thin air. Carole gently squeezed Kurt’s arm before retreating out one of the hidden doors to the kitchen. Oh how he wished he could escape at this moment. The woman before him seemed to transform instantly. The train of her head dress slinked behind her, creating waves in her wake. She stalked up to the boy as a lion would to its prey. Her hand snapped up and her fingers coiled around his chin. She held it firmly in place as she scrutinized him.

“The fairest in the land, HA! Your skin is as white as the dead, pasty even. Your eyes are the shade of swamp water and you’re much too tall for a reasonable dance partner.” Her voice was distant, as if she were speaking more to herself than to him. For a split second Kurt could see a shift in the woman’s looks. Her shoulders slumped and wrinkles appeared around her eyes. Kurt’s eyes drifted to the hand that held him. He could see the faintest of sun spots there. She snatched her hand back with fire in her eyes.

Leaning in close, she spat, “now listen to me Porcelain, if there is one thing I know its beauty. You are nothing in the definition of the word. Just like a porcelain doll, you are fragile and I can break you in a heartbeat. Now while I am living here, you will stay out of my way. I don’t want to see you; I do not want to hear you. Is that understood?”

“And why is that?”

“Because my dear boy, “her voice dripped with tainted honey, “as any simpleton does, I do not wish to see something so undesirable as you. I fear I may catch a physical disease from you. Now leave.”

Her voice was so cold and so piercing, Kurt found himself moving towards the doors without a thought.

The tunnel curved slightly to the right and she was stepping into a large room where a waterfall once fell. A bowl had been eroded out of the ground where the water had pooled. It was now barren and bone dry. In the farthest reach of the room, in a small alcove, a bulge of a man was grunting. Something tall and very thin was in his hands. It was tilting this way and that as he fidgeted with the object. Standing with her arms crossed, Sue watched as he finally settled on a placement. She rolled her eyes and placed the torch on a wall stand. 

“Huntsman. Enough fiddling around.”

He sighed. “It wouldn’t stand anywhere else.”

There was a table in the center of the room. Bottles containing multicolored potions lay about in an ordered fashion that only Sue seemed to understand. She had begun to pour some of the contents into a bowl. A cloud of purple smoke rose up from the mixture once she added the last vile. A wicked smile crossed her face. It dropped just as quickly as it came once the skin around her knuckles darkened, wrinkled. It aged by ten years it seemed. A gasp echoed throughout the chamber and it came back to her she was not alone.

“And what are you still doing here, Karofsky?”

“I thought maybe you-“

“Leave me. Now!”

Without looking up from her hands, she could hear the quick shuffle of feet move up the tunnel until the only sound left was the movement of water. One would suspect that it was coming from the moist walls. The woman’s eyes slowly turned up to the curtained object the man had just placed down. The curtain was rippling in a draft that didn’t reach the rest of the room. In one final blow, the covering fell to reveal a large mirror. The surface was vibrating within the crystal frame. Sue didn’t move, instead she waited patiently for what she knew would come. Deep within the depths of the mirror a figure was taking place. The murky structure rose to the surface as if it were about to step out of the mirror but it stopped. A face erupted from a cloud. It was only a face but it moved around like it was cracking a neck, like it was stiff from sitting in a position for too long.

The figure was of a man, elegant looking with his blonde hair gelled fully back. Gray eyes, which looked right into Sue’s, were full of wisdom and ageless insight. There was no color in the mirrors face, just a murky white fade.

When he spoke, it was no more than a whisper.

‘My Queen, you let your feelings run wild
Like that of a child
You have let your colors show too soon
Your indignant words have caused the prince a scarring wound’

She sighed indignantly, “Well if it hadn’t have been for that weasel looking maid I wouldn’t have said a word to that little fairy.” She lifted the potion mixture to her lips, the liquid flowing down her throat like burning air. Once it was finished the skin around her fingers tightened and was bronze once again. “He’s too pretty. In all the land I have never dealt with such a beautiful man as he. On most occasions it is the daughters or the common maiden I must deal with. But this one… he is different. I fear that- no he may be beautiful but he cannot be as fair as a woman. It just cannot be.”

The mirror rippled and seemed to ponder her tirade.

‘A man and a woman can be just as fair
Just as a stallion can have the same slick coat as a mare’

“But beauty and fairness are different for a woman!” She all but shouted into the empty cave. The mirror seemed unfazed by the outburst. It simply stared back at her with mock interest. “To be fair, a woman must have the perfect skin tone, hair that flows like a stream down her back, eyes that can bore a hole into a stone wall, and skin that is more beautiful than the sun. Things of which he has not!”

The face in the mirror shifted and it seemed to roll its eyes.

‘My queen, you waste breath with mindless jargon
Ask now, the obvious burning question’

Sue smoothed out her waist line and approached the mirror slowly. Her angry features morphed into worry. Her confidence was as high as ever, but this question always caused worry to rise up in her heart. She dreaded it with every fiber of her being.
“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” Sue’s voice quivered on the last word in fear.

The surface of the mirror rippled and the face grew opaque for several moments before it came into focus once again.

‘You, my queen, are fair tis true
And no one is as fair as you’
A smug smile appeared on Sue’s lips.
‘But beware the eyes of the beholder
For every day you grow much colder.
Soon someone comes to the castle
And will see that you are too much of a hassle.
He will look upon another
Between them love will gather.’

“Who?” The face did not answer. She sighed, “When?”

‘You will know in due time’

The face said no more as it receded into the depths once more. Stomping her foot in agitation, Sue retreated to the table of potions. She placed her palms flat on the wooden surface and stared down at the contents. “Cryptic bastard.” The words were spat. She groaned, “how am I to know who it is then? He said soon, which could mean the wedding… so it is a guest. But which one?”

The list of guests was longer than she cared to admit so narrowing it down would be difficult. Sue would just have to wait until the night of the masquerade to find out who she was to be competing with. When she did, she wouldn’t have competition for very long. Sue would make sure of that.