Throwback I might throw this on an 8-track

Let’s start with you. 

The daughter of a wealthy merchant family kept as perfect as a porcelain doll.

You didn’t have any siblings, what with your mother being as delicate as you

You were her fourth child and the only one that lived past infancy

Even so, you were still rather sickly and your legs grew weaker as you aged

Most times you were pushed about the manor in a wheelchair by a maid

You didn’t have to worry about school, you received weekly lessons by a private tutor

You never saw much of the outside world, only your family’s estate. 

That didn’t mean you didn’t keep up with the world around you, you read newspapers and knew that trouble was brewing at your nation’s border. 

The Red Country to the north, Mistletoe, was becoming increasingly more aggressive in their border patrols, a war would be inevitable and your country, the Blue Country Valeria wasn’t particularly known for its military prowess

Even with the current state of your household and country, you tried to keep a smiling face through it all, knowing your happiness brought comfort to your parents

Despite your joyful facade, you often wept quietly in the observatory 

Reminiscing to your childhood, when your legs were stronger and your family wasn’t as concerned with the looming threat of attack, was bittersweet 

It seemed as if your family was set on happiness until Mistletoe started their own war campaign, annexing Valeria’s northern territories before coming to push against the national border

While your legs were weak, you loved to sit in the aging observatory in your house. It was more attic than observatory, and much of it was filled with old furniture and other belongings

You would often have your maid push your wheelchair to the base of the observatory stairs, and then slowly begin your ascent up to the top

You preferred to stay up in the room for hours, and while it was lonely it offered you some solace at night when you could peer through the ancient telescope. 

In the corner of the room, an antique mirror was kept, it’s ornate detailing covered by a protective cloth

One day, you decided to take the protective cloth off and you were astonished at the intricate metalwork on the mirror

“How could something so beautiful be kept up here, in the observatory among the old furniture?” you murmured

And so you began to spend increasingly more and more time in the observatory, gazing at the elegant silver mirror

One night, as you gazed up into the night sky through the telescope, you heard a faint tinkling of bells

Curious, you followed the sound as it became stronger ending up near the silver mirror

Sitting in front of it, you gazed at your reflection before turning to look at yourself, from your navy dress to the white stockings that covered your frail legs

As your eyes trailed back to the mirror, you’re shocked to find a pair of legs instead of your own reflection

Gazing up, you’re met with a boy, raven hair, doe eyes, looking down at you

Smiling, he raises a finger to his lips, before introducing himself

“I’m Mark, a magician, and wishes so happen to be my specialty,” he said softly

Looking over his outfit once more, it wasn’t like anything you had ever seen

Slowly, you lifted yourself to your feet, and with the boy’s curious gaze following you, you reached a hand out to place it on the cool glass of the mirror

He raises a hand to meet your own, and through the coolness of the mirror you feel a warmth before his fingers reach through to intertwine with your own

Looking into his eyes, a shy smile graces your face

“I’m (Y/n), by the way,” you breathe out, “how did you get in there?”

The boy, Mark, laughs softly, “it doesn’t really matter, what matters is that I’m here to grant every one of your wishes, whatever you desire”

“Truly?”

“Truly.”

You gulp, glancing down at your legs. “Can you...can you help me walk again?”

When you lift your head back to Mark, you notice an almost sorrowful look in his eyes

“Of course”

And with a wave of his hand and a flash of red light, you find yourself standing taller, the slight buckling in your legs vanishing

With a sharp intake of breath and Mark’s soft, sad eyes watching you, you start to walk around the observatory, gradually taking bigger and more confident steps before your walk turns into a run

You turn your head to look at Mark, joy radiating off of you despite your misty eyes

Approaching the mirror, you once again go to put your hand against it

“Thank you, Mark”

Mark grins at you, the wistful look in his eyes not matching the toothy grin on his face

You reach your hand out, looking at him expectantly. 

“Can you come through the mirror?”

Mark’s grin falters, his eyes darting nervously 

“I—to be honest, I don’t know,” he admits with a sigh, “I don’t know if i can get my whole body through, even getting my fingers through was a surprise.” 

A small giggle brings his eyes up to your face, your eyes sparkling at him

“Well, since you’re a magician, I think I’ve found a loophole,” you replied

“Mark, I wish that you could come through the mirror,” you stated proudly

With another flash of red light, Mark looks up at you tentatively, before slowly taking a step out of the mirror

Truly face to face with him, you leap towards him, almost knocking him down, to give him a hug

“Mark, I have a question, not a wish” you murmur in his ear.

“Anything,” he says back.

You detach yourself, a tinge of red coloring your cheeks

“I wonder… if I were to call you my…  ‘first friend,’ would it be okay?” you ask softly, but your words don’t miss his ears

“I’d be honored,” he smiles down at you, backing up to give you a mock bow before raising his head, that stupid grin back on his face

He reaches into his pocket, bringing out a silver pocket watch and flipping it open, grimacing slightly

“I have to go now, but can I see you again tomorrow?” there’s a hopeful lilt to his words, causing another smile to erupt on your face

“I would love that.”

And with a flourish of his capelet, he disappeared into the mirror, leaving only your reflection staring back at you

As you descend the stairs, you notice that your maid has been waiting for you with your wheelchair, dozing beside it

Practically skipping over to her, you softly shake her awake, only for her to jump to attention, ushering you to your wheelchair

You assure her that you’ll have no need for it anymore, and with her bewildered gaze following your form, you head down the hall towards your room to retire for the night, visions of the beautiful boy with sad eyes filling your dreams

The following night, the windows of the observatory were filled with a warm glow as Mark worked his magic

Mistletoe withdrew its declaration of war, your parents trading sales were booming, and every day you found yourself wanting Mark to stay longer each night

You didn’t know much about Mark, but god did you wish to

He always managed to avoid your questions, so instead, you settled for the quiet friendship and solace you found when you were with him

He was cute, of course, you had never been courted before, so there was little experience on your end, but he was cute and awkward sometimes and he had a soft laugh and even though his eyes always held sorrow in them you sometimes caught a glimpse of the dreamy, starry-eyed boy underneath them

While Mark’s nightly visits continued, some feelings blossomed as well, making your heart flutter as you climbed the observatory stairs

Your wishes changed in nature now that life was happy and peaceful

One night you wished that the old observatory be turned into a grand ballroom, and Mark and you danced the night away

Other times it would be a picnic under a meteor shower, champagne and giggles and a soft kiss on the cheek as you parted 

That one kiss seemed to set off a chain reaction, as Mark grew bolder with each encounter and kisses on the cheek turned to pecks on the lips, and pecks on the lips turned into full-fledged kisses

You couldn’t wait for nightfall, as Mark stepped through the mirror, a shining ring in hand

“This isn’t a marriage ring but a promise ring, can you make a promise with me darling?” he asked, head cocked and doleful eyes glimmering 

“Anything for you, Mark,” you breathed out, eyes locked on the small ring

“Can you promise me that no matter what, you’ll always be happy?” he questioned.

“If it’s with you, I don’t think I can ever be unhappy, I can promise you that,” you told him as he slipped the silver band onto your finger

“Then I, Mark Lee, promise to always stay with you as long as I can.”

 Weeks pass, and you’re lying beneath the stars with Mark again

“Mark, let’s run away together”

He sat up immediately, staring at you. 

“What?”

“I mean it, we don’t have to get married, but I want you to be my forever, I want you to be the one who calls my name every morning, I would go to the ends of the earth for you Mark,” you said in earnest

“Please tell me yes,’ don’t say ‘no,’” you pleaded when you didn’t get an immediate reply.

“(Y/n), I—” you cut Mark off

“Why can’t you stay Mark? I love you but why must you always check that damn watch and then leave at midnight?” in a small fit of rage, you rip his pocket watch from its spot on his hip

Mark’s reaction was instantaneous, you almost didn’t see his hand move to grip the wrist that had his watch

“(Y/n),” his voice was calm, “that watch is currently what’s allowing me to move from the mirror into your world. I need you to let go of it.”

Letting your hand open, the watch drops, hanging from the chain still entwined with your fingers.

There in the starlight, the official crest of Mistletoe glimmered

Mark winced at the betrayal on your face as you observed the watch’s now eerie glow, the red light that was once magical to you strange

“Mark, while an explanation is due, our time together tonight is coming to an end, so while we’re together right now, could we just stay like this? Basking in the starlight and not caring about a thing in the world?” 

You were too distressed but also so enamored with the boy that even if the magical world you had created with him was crumbling, you at least wanted him with you for what could be your last moments together

“Can you just stay until I fall asleep, we can talk tomorrow, promise?” you ask, before lying back down and giving Mark his watch

Mark only nodded at you, dreading what was to come. But tonight, it was about you two, so he laid beside you and pulled you close, cherishing the time he had left

The next night, you two sat in front of the old mirror in the observatory, and Mark began his tale

“Beyond the mirror, in my world, it’s set in reverse. In my world, Mistletoe has conquered and annexed Valeria. Our destinies are intertwined, but we should have never met,” he explained with a sigh.

“When you were younger, you were happy, right? You could walk, for the most part, your family’s business was doing exceptionally well?” Mark confirmed

You furrowed your brow, “well, yes, that’s all true, but how do you know this? I had no knowledge of your existence yet you know so much about me?”

Mark gave you a sideways glance before looking back at the ornate mirror

“Let’s just say that, while you were living a happy childhood, mine wasn’t so rosy. I was sickly and miserable and no one pitied me, everyone seemed to hate me actually.”

You turned to look at Mark, who always had a softness about him that drew one in, how could he be so despised? Especially as a child nonetheless, was he a thief? An urchin?

“One day, a mysterious man came to me and told me that my unhappiness was a direct cause and effect of your happiness. So, I wished to take that from you, and I became healthy and beloved by the people. But years later, he came back and showed me your suffering, suffering that I caused,” Mark explained.

“He showed me all of this through a small hand mirror, which I had a piece of taken and fashioned into my pocket watch. It’s what helps me connect to your world.”

“I regret what I’ve put you through (Y/n), everything that I’ve given you, I gave to repay you for my happiness, but now I give to you out of love. So please, don’t forget me,” Mark said, reaching over to hold your hands. 

“What do you mean ‘forget you’ Mark? I could never forget you, you’re my first friend and my first love,” you answered. 

“That’s the thing, this magic that I cast, it’s not made to last forever. Everything you’ve wished for will have to return to the way it was before we met.”

The look on your face was almost enough to break Mark, telling you everything hurt him more than he could have imagined, he fell in love despite knowing that he’d have to leave, and now it felt like someone had placed a weight in his chest, one that only grew with each passing minute

“Please don’t cry, I don’t think I could handle it if you cried again,” he pleaded, reaching up to cradle your face. 

“Mark, it’s okay, I just want you to stay, I don’t need your magic, even if you didn’t have any magic to begin with I wouldn’t want it,” you hiccuped, tears starting to roll down your cheeks.

Mark hushed you, moving to press you in between his arms and hold you, placing soft kisses on top of your head, so that you wouldn’t see the redness in his eyes

“Let’s make a spell with your tears so that you won’t cry again, promise me that I’ll always be in your memories” he cooed, tightening his hold on you

“I promise”

And so, after Mark had painstakingly wiped the tears from your eyes and given you a goodbye kiss, he cast his final spell

A flash of blue light lit the windows of the observatory, and you were left alone, looking at the reflection of your red cheeks and puffy eyes in the mirror. 

You wanted to cry, scream, you wanted to break the accursed mirror, but when you tried, no tears would come

As you got up, your legs wobbling beneath you with an unfamiliar weakness, a small thud sounded on the ground

Reaching down, you held a small pocket watch, this time, with the crest of Valeria on it

Opening it, you found a mirror, but instead of a watch face, staring back at you was a photo of you and Mark smiling without a care in the world

And so, you continued to polish the old mirror and visit every night, hoping that one day instead of your reflection

You’d find a handsome boy with sad eyes smiling back at you