The Mirror
The events in this poem,
I can say for sure,
Happened right after
The experiment’s failure.
Regina now had nothing left.
She wanted the kingdom to herself, by all means.
But for now, she decided
To act as a quiet and good-natured queen.
For now, we will shift focus
To Regina’s husband, King Leopold,
Whose purity, generosity, and kindness
Never grows old.
King Leopold was taking a walk
Along a sandy beach ramp
When he saw that the tide had washed in
A golden and oddly shaped lamp.
He picked it up,
And like a curious kit,
He rubbed the shiny lamp
With his hand a bit.
Purple smoke encircled the lamp.
It was anything but teeny.
Before the king appeared
A well-dressed genie.
He said, “I am the genie of Agrabah.
I will grant you three wishes.
It can be anything, from granting you gold
To cleaning your dishes.”
The king replied,
“I have everything that I require.
I have a good life. The kingdom is healthy.
There is nothing I desire.”
“Then maybe you
Can do something for me.
A genie’s job is tiring.
Can you wish me free?”
“With the power
Vested within me,
I so wish for you, Genie,
To be free!”
Smoke encircled the gold bracelets
On the Genie’s wrists.
Now he could do all of the things
That were on his to-do list.
“Your Majesty, I thank you
For setting me free.
Though, I still am not the happiest
That I could be.”
“I wish with all my heart,
As my second wish,
To bestow upon you
My third and final wish.”
The lamp was now back
In the Genie’s possession.
He could use the wish
For any little want or obsession.
“Genie, for your generosity,
I grant you a place at my palace.
You will be safe
From any forces of malice.”
Genie accepted the invitation to the castle.
The king had become his friend
And he would stay by his side
To any length’s end.
Time passed at the castle,
So much that Snow was now a young adult.
In my opinion, though,
She was still a wretched little dolt.
Regina survived through every tedious day.
Being good was really boring.
She never really fit in and was slightly shamed
By everyone, even the king.
One day, there was a feast.
Regina entered the dining hall in a beautiful white dress.
The food upon the long tables
Appeared to be a scrumptious mess.
Genie happened
To be at this feast.
He had only expected everyone
To be eating like beasts.
This was the first time
That Genie actually noticed the queen.
He took a shine to her,
If you know what I mean.
It was the high point of the feast
And people were busy meeting happily.
This is the moment
That Regina chose to leave discreetly.
Genie saw
Regina leave.
He decided to go after her
For it would make him unhappy if she were to grieve.
He found her in a courtyard
Next to an apple tree.
Regina jumped in surprise
As Genie spoke, “Pardon me.
I saw you leave.”
Genie did not kid.
Regina said, “No one in there ever notices my absence.”
Genie said, “I did.”
Regina looked up and stared into Genie’s eyes
With awe on her face.
She smiled. In her life,
Genie had found a place.
“I grew this tree,” said Regina,
“In my childhood garden.”
She became serious for a moment
And her heart hardened.
“This tree and I have two things in common,”
Her words were like a mournful song.
“Neither of us can leave the castle
And neither of us really belongs.
I don’t feel for the king.
I don’t intend to be mean,
But I know that he will never love me
Like he did his first queen.
I feel trapped.”
Genie could understand.
“Of all people, I know what it’s like to be trapped.”
He held out something in his hand.
It contained a handheld mirror.
“Here is my gift to you
So that you can see yourself
The way that I see you.”
Regina accepted the mirror and held it
So she could see her reflection.
“How do you see me?”
She was trying to make a connection.
“I see you as
The most beautiful creature in all the land.”
Genie was obviously infatuated
And Regina had things in motion for schemes she had planned.
The next day,
The king called Genie to Regina’s chamber while she was out.
“Genie, there is someone of a matter
That I need you to scout.
I have called only you here
Because I trust you.
Now here is the thing
That I’ll have you do.
Read this entry in my wife’s diary
And you shall see
What has me so
Terribly worried.”
Genie was given the diary
And through it he read
An entry that half-filled
Him with dread.
It read, “Last night
By my apple tree,
A man I had never seen before
Walked up to me.
We spoke for but a moment,
Yet, his words held me dear
And he gave me
A small mirror.
Though it was but a simple mirror,
It stirred up feelings in me that had long been forgotten.
He had treated me much better than the king,
Who makes me feel nothing but rotten.”
The king said, “I never would have thought
That the queen would betray me like this.
Genie, I need you to find the man who gave my wife this mirror
And bring him to me. You cannot afford a miss.”
Genie replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
But what was he to do?
It would only be a matter of time
Before King Leopold saw him through.
Until the culprit was found,
The king locked Regina in her room.
Genie knew that he would need help to free Regina
And he would need it very soon.
Genie went to Regina’s courtyard
Where he met Henry, Regina’s dad.
He hoped that Henry would have a way
To help Regina out a tad.
Henry was holding a box and said,
“What’s inside will work for sure.
The content of this box
Is the only thing that can free her.”
Genie took the box
And Henry handed him the key.
Genie knew it was his duty to deliver the box to Regina.
It was the only way to set her free.
“Genie, King Leopold trusts you.
You can gain access to Regina with ease.
You must do this to free my daughter!
Do this task for both her and me, please!”
That night, Genie went
To Regina’s room.
He ever so hoped what was in the box
Would free Regina from her impending doom.
Regina was sitting
In front of her mirror.
She turned to face Genie.
“Oh! You’re here!
Why are you here at this hour?
You could be caught by the king!”
“For you,” said Genie,
“I would risk anything.
Your father instructed me to give you this box.
He told me its contents would free you.”
“Ah, yes,” said Regina,
“I think it will do.”
Genie set the box on the table
And Regina turned the key.
The objects inside the box
Were a sight to see.
Regina slowly opened the lid
And as if following a piper,
Two scaly, green heads poked out with a hiss.
Genie gasped, “The Agrabahn Viper!
It’s from my home country, Agrabah,
And is the deadliest of all snakes.
It can kill with a single bite,
Leaving chaos in its wake.”
Genie realized in an instant, “Death is your freedom?!”
Tears were streaming down Regina’s face.
“It is my only escape
From this wretched place.”
“If you are to die,
Then I will die, too.
My life is nothing
Without you.”
Regina slowly slid her finger
Towards the deadly snakes.
It was inches above the vipers’ heads when Genie grabbed it.
“Stop! I can’t let you make this mistake.”
“But I cannot
Possibly stay.
Genie, there is
No other way!”
“Oh, but there is
Another way that we could try.
What if the king
Was to die?”
Regina smiled. “That might just work,
But you have to be sure.
You can’t let this plan
Become a failure.”
“My queen,
Soon, you shall be free,
And then we can
Live happily.”
Genie went to King Leopold’s chamber.
He was sleeping soundly in his bed.
In a few moments,
He would be dead.
Genie went to the foot of the bed
And set the box down.
He moved swiftly,
Making little sound.
He opened the box
And the vipers looked at him.
They recognized his Agrabahn blood and awaited orders,
No matter how grim.
Genie pointed at the king.
The vipers understood.
Genie believed that what he was doing
Was for the greater good.
The vipers slithered under the blankets.
Their figures moved up the bed.
You could see murder in their eyes
When they got to King Leopold’s head.
The king awoke and stared at Genie.
There was pure innocence in his eyes.
It made Genie feel guilty
For the king’s surprise.
The vipers hissed and striked
At King Leopold’s neck.
Genie knew now
There was no turning back.
The king’s face was turning purple.
The venom was taking effect.
The look that was now on the king’s face,
Genie would never forget.
“I am the man who gave your wife that mirror.”
The king’s expression was the worst he’d ever seen.
“Just as you freed me,
Now I must free your queen.”
The king was gasping for air
And choked out his last words with much anguish.
“I never should have
Made a wish.”
King Leopold was silent.
The dark deed was done.
Genie fled the dead king’s chamber.
Regina had won.
Back in Regina’s room,
Genie came rushing in with quite a fuss.
“I have succeeded in killing the king
For the both of us.
Now,
Both of us are free,
And neither of us
Has a reason to flee.”
“You’re wrong.
You have to go
For a dire reason
You’ve forgotten so.”
Genie knew that something
Was troubling his queen
And he asked,
“Whatever do you mean?”
“The guards will find the vipers in his bed
And they’ll know that it was you.
You have to escape
While I see this situation through.
I’ve arranged for a boat to be your transportation.
It will take you far away,
But the castle is a place
Where you cannot stay!”
“I don’t understand.
We could leave and be together!
What happened to being
Together forever?”
Genie realized, “It wasn’t a coincidence that you chose the Agrabahn Viper.
You knew it was from my homeland.
You wanted the king’s murder to be traced back to me.
This was all planned.”
“I never loved you,” Regina stated boldly.
“What?” Genie said.
Regina repeated it a bit louder, “I never loved you!”
Genie wished that he could be dead.
“You should be grateful that I’m granting you the option
Of safe travel.
Otherwise, you would be buried
Underneath the gravel.”
“No. There is another way.”
Genie took the lamp in his hand.
“I am certain that I must use this wish.
I completely understand.
I wish to never
Leave your side.”
Purple smoke encircled him
And he was gone like the tide.
Regina looked left, right, and turned around,
But Genie wasn’t there.
Then, she heard something
Crying out in despair.
She looked down at the mirror in her hand.
It was in the perfect place,
But instead of her reflection,
Regina saw the Genie’s screaming face.
Regina grinned and thought,
“This adds perfectly to my plan.
I’ll use this to my advantage
In any way I can.”