Story Saturday: The Queen's Lapdog (Once Upon a Time)

"The Queen's Lapdog"

Once upon a time, there was a wolf who longed to be as beautiful as her keeper, Queen Cecily. The wolf, whose name was Moonbeam, was fiercely loyal to her master. She was willing to do anything that was asked of her, even if it meant fending off the queen's enemies from time to time. Cecily was no ordinary queen. She possessed an enchanted mirror that she used to enslave her enemies, but only if she believed they posed a threat to the kingdom. Moonbeam had always been curious about the mirror's powers, especially the one that granted its users the ability to transform into those who were trapped within it, an ability that Cecily rarely used.

One day, Cecily came to greet Moonbeam with a thrilling announcement. She had found a new king for the land! Her royal guard, Sir Peter, had been courting her for some time and finally asked for her hand in marriage. Cecily was beyond thrilled. She pet Moonbeam's muzzle and brushed her fingers through her fine fur with glee. Moonbeam was not nearly so excited about the match. She knew that Sir Peter had his eyes on the throne for years and did not care about Cecily at all. As a wolf, it was difficult for her to communicate this to her master, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. For the first time in her life, Moonbeam lashed out against the queen. She bore her teeth and began to growl, frightening poor Cecily into submission. With a great heave of her furry head, Moonbeam pushed Cecily into the magic mirror, trapping her there so she could take advantage of the mirror's unique ability. Howling the incantation she had overheard Cecily recite once before, Moonbeam's fur melted away, and her posture shifted to two legs instead of four. She was now a perfect replica of Queen Cecily.

Cecily banged upon the inside of the mirror, shocked by Moonbeam's betrayal, but it did no good. Moonbeam had already made her decision. For the next few days, she continued to impersonate Cecily, planning a grand royal wedding and keeping an eye on Sir Peter to find proof of his ill will. Yet, Peter only responded to Moonbeam with suspicion. He knew immediately that there was something wrong with his beloved queen. At first, he suspected illness, but the false queen was far too energetic for that, basking in the thrill of becoming human. She spent countless hours swathing her new body in luxurious gowns and jewels in her new massive wardrobe. To be human was a wonderful feeling indeed!

On the eve of the wedding, Sir Peter was convinced that the woman he was about to marry was not the queen. He found his way into the private corridor where the queen hid her enchantments. Moonbeam tried to stop him by baring her fangs and lunging at him, but none of these things had the same effect as they once did now that she was no longer a wolf. In fact, she found that she was rather powerless in this form, having so little time to get used to it.

When Peter entered the hidden chamber, he found Cecily crying for help on the other side of the mirror. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her dress was tattered, and it was clear she hadn't eaten in days. Moonbeam tried yet again to claw at Peter and keep him away from her master, but her paws were now a soft pair of hands, and her claws had shrunken into thin fingernails. She began to think that maybe being a wolf wasn't so bad after all. Peter raised his sword to the mirror as Moonbeam looked on in horror, powerless to stop him. The mirror cracked, and all her evil was undone.

Peter was very surprised indeed to see the imposter queen grow fur and shrink down to all fours as the true Queen Cecily escaped the confines of the mirror into her the arms of her brave guard. A few of the kingdom's enemies escaped the mirror with her, but those who had survived were so happy to be free that they no longer posed a threat. Cecily determined that Moonbeam had learned her lesson as well when she saw her whimpering on the floor in fear of her master's wrath. From that day forth, Moonbeam decided she never wanted to be human again. She held the train of Queen Cecily's wedding dress in her teeth as she walked down the aisle to live happily ever after with Sir Peter.