24. The Enchanted Mirrors

The Enchanted Island of Yew

by L. Frank Baum

Presently Prince Marvel and his party arrived and paused before
the doors of the castle, where the Red Rogue stood bowing to them
with mock politeness and with an evil grin showing on his red
face.

"I come to demand the release of the Lady Seseley and her
companions!" Prince Marvel announced, in a bold voice. "And I also
intend to call you to account for the murder of Baron Merd."

"You must be at the wrong castle," answered the Red One, "for I
have murdered no baron, nor have I any Lady Seseley as prisoner."

"Are you not the Red Rogue of Dawna?" demanded the prince.

"Men call me by that name," acknowledged the other.

"Then you are deceiving me," said the prince.

"No, indeed!" answered the Red Rogue, mockingly. "I wouldn't
deceive any one for the world. But, if you don't believe me, you are
welcome to search my castle."

"That I shall do," returned the prince, sternly, "whether I have
your permission or not," and he began to dismount. But Nerle
restrained him, saying:

"Master, I beg you will allow me to search the castle. For this
Red Rogue is playing some trick upon us, I am sure, and if anything
happened to you there would be no one to protect the little High Ki
and our other friends."

"But suppose something should happen to you?" inquired the
prince, anxiously.

"In that case," said Nerle, "you can avenge me."

The advice was so reasonable, under the circumstances, that the
prince decided to act upon it.

"Very well," said he, "go and search the castle, and I will
remain with our friends. But if anything happens to you, I shall
call the Red Rogue to account."

So Nerle entered the castle, passing by the huge form of its
owner, who only nodded to the boy and grinned with delight.

The esquire found himself in the great hall and began to look
around him, but without seeing any one. Then he advanced a few steps
and, to his surprise, discovered a large mirror, in which were
reflected the faces and forms of three girls, as well as his own.

"Why, here they are!" he attempted to say; but he could not hear
his own voice. He glanced down at himself but could see nothing at
all--for his body had become invisible. His reflection was still in
the glass, and he knew that his body existed the same as before; but
although he yet saw plainly the hall and all that it contained, he
could see neither himself nor any other person of flesh.

After waiting a considerable time for his esquire to reappear
Prince Marvel became impatient.

"What have you done with Nerle?" he asked of the Red Rogue.

"Nothing," was the reply. "I have been here, plainly within
your sight, every moment."

"Let me go and find him!" exclaimed King Terribus, and rushed
into the castle before the prince could reply. But Terribus also
encountered the enchanted mirror, and the prince waited in vain for
his return.

Then Wul-Takim volunteered to go in search of the others, and
drew his big, sharp sword before entering the hall. But an hour
passed by and he did not return.

The Red Rogue was overjoyed at the success of his stratagem, and
could scarce refrain from laughing outright at the prince's
anxiety.

Marvel was really perplexed. He knew some treachery was afoot,
but could not imagine what it was. And when the pretty High Ki
declared their intention of entering the castle, he used every
endeavor to dissuade them. But the twin girls would not be denied,
so great was their curiosity. So the prince said:

"Well, we will all go together, so that the Ki and I may be able
to protect you."

The Red Rogue gladly granted them admittance, and they passed
him and entered the great hall.

The place appeared to them to be completely empty, so they
walked along and came opposite the mirror. Here all stopped at once,
and the twin High Ki uttered exclamations of surprise, and the twin
Ki shouted, "Great Kika-koo!"

For there in the glass were the reflections of the three girls
and Nerle and King Terribus and Wul-Takim. And there were also the
reflections of the twin High Ki and the twin Ki. Only Prince Marvel's
reflection was missing, and this was because of his fairy origin.
For the glass could reflect and hold only the forms of mortals.

But the prince saw the reflections of all the others, and then
made the discovery that the forms of the Ki and the High Ki had
become invisible. No one except himself appeared to be standing in
the great hall of the Red Rogue's castle! Yet grouped within the
glass were the likenesses of all his friends, as well as those of
Lady Seseley and her companions; and all were staring back at him
earnestly, as if imploring him to save them.

The mystery was now explained, and Prince Marvel rushed from the
hall to find the treacherous Red Rogue. But that clever trickster
had hidden himself in an upper room, and for the present was safely
concealed.

For a time Prince Marvel could not think what to do. Such magic
was all unknown to him, and how to free the imprisoned forms of his
friends was a real problem. He walked around the castle, but no one
was in sight, the Rogue having given orders to all his people to keep
away. Only the tethered horses did he see, and these raised their
heads and whinnied as if in sympathy with his perplexity.

Then he went back into the hall and searched all the rooms of
the castle without finding a single person. On his return he stopped
in front of the mirror and sorrowfully regarded the faces of his
friends, who again seemed to plead for relief.

And while he looked a sudden fit of anger came over him at being
outwitted by this Red Rogue of Dawna. Scarcely knowing what he did,
he seized his sword by the blade and struck the mirror a powerful
blow with the heavy hilt. It shattered into a thousand fragments,
which fell clattering upon the stone floor in every direction. And
at once the charm was broken; each of his friends now became visible.
They appeared running toward him from all parts of the castle, where
they had been wandering in their invisible forms.

They called out joyful greetings to one another, and then all of
them surrounded the prince and thanked him earnestly for releasing
them.

The little Lady Seseley and her friends, Berna and Helda, were a
bit shy in the presence of so many strangers; but they alone knew the
prince's secret, and that he was a fairy transformed for a year; so
they regarded him as an old and intimate acquaintance, and after
being introduced by him to the others of his party they became more
at ease.

The sweet little High Ki maids at once attracted Seseley, and
she loved them almost at first sight. But it was Nerle who became
the little lady's staunchest friend; for there was something rather
mystical and unnatural to him about the High Ki, who seemed almost
like fairies, while in Seseley he recognized a hearty, substantial
girl of his own rank in life.

While they stood talking and congratulating one another outside
of the castle, the Red Rogue of Dawna appeared among them. He had
heard the noise of the smashing of his great mirror, and had come
running downstairs from his hiding-place to find his cunning had all
been for naught and his captives were free.

A furious anger then took possession of the Rogue, and
forgetting his personal weakness he caught up a huge battle-ax and
rushed out to hurl himself upon Prince Marvel, intending to do him
serious injury.

But the prince was not taken unawares. He saw the Red Rogue
coming and met him with drawn sword, striking quickly at the arm that
wielded the big ax. The stroke was as sure as it was quick, and
piercing the arm of the giant caused him to drop the ax with a howl
of pain.

Then Prince Marvel seized the Red Rogue by the ear--which he was
just tall enough to reach--and dragged him up the steps and into the
castle, the big fellow crying for mercy at every step and trembling
like a leaf through cowardice.

But down the hall Marvel marched him, seeking some room where
the Rogue might be safely locked in. The great curtain that covered
the second enchanted mirror now caught Prince Marvel's eye, and,
still holding his prisoner by the ear, he reached out his left hand
and pulled aside the drapery.

The Red Rogue looked to see what his captor was doing, and
beheld his own reflection in the magic mirror. Instantly he gave a
wild cry and disappeared, his body becoming absolutely invisible,
while his coarse red countenance stared back from the mirror.

And then Prince Marvel gave a sigh of relief and dropped the
curtain over the surface of the mirror. For he realized that the Red
Rogue of Dawna had at last met with just punishment and was safely
imprisoned for all time.