Snake

As the princess’ eyes remain fixated upon the mirror whilst the bristles of her comb tickled each strand of her luminescent hair, even the mirror would have wanted to step out of its discrete structure to touch such a complexion; as if handcrafted by Aphrodite herself. Born into a four-wall castle room enriched with the presence of golden ornaments, the worth of Glauce has always been weighted higher than that of gold… but Glauce had never thought of exceeding her world sheathed with walls. The commoners— that Glauce was oblivious to — say that the astonishing princess bathes in goat’s milk to maintain the permanent glow of her fair skin. However, if the princess ever left her chambers to find out about this banter, she would still verify their statements although they were not true.

But if only her lustful heart was as fair as her skin. Glauce is not one that needs more love than she already has, yet the ability to thieve any man’s heart is a palpitating passion for this temperamental princess. The kingdom lies beneath her feet, as the princess is aware that the almighty Creon, the ruler of Corinth, is a slave for all the demands of this princess who is enveloped in the mindset that lacks of any reason. She does not feel the absence of her father’s affection, regardless of being born a daughter to a king whom rules a kingdom dominated by men.

Simultaneously, Glauce does not feel the lack of love from men in which she takes interest in; those who do not fall for her looks are guaranteed to be magnetised to Glauce’s status and the thought of the wealth a man can pursue by marrying her. This was how she was able to capture the heart of the married man Jason — the claimer of the Golden Fleece— by her side. Her lust for this man of his status was too blinding for her to see that she may be subjected to an unheard-of scheme.

For once, the self-centred Glauce slips her gaze away from her beloved mirror and over to her husband whom crawls with the agony and regret of choosing a life of rich banquets whilst his sons lived a life of exile. As Jason repetitively gasps “oh, my children!” in distress throughout his sleep, the young and jealous blood of Glauce boiled. Glauce reflected upon their recent argument, as Jason pleaded for his children’s continued stay… however her feelings of anger towards the children was solid as concrete. Having sons —or heirs— in the land of Greece equalled to the ensured the prosperity of a man in the future. But the thought of Jason’s sons with a sorceress growing up with her and Jason’s future sons irritated this vain princess. Each of Jason's gasps pierces through the sensitive heart of Glauce, wounding her pride and passion. Confused, the princess asks why her husband is living in disappointment with her by his side… why does he need the scraps of his old marriage?

The princess rises from her seat in front of the mirror abruptly and storms out of her and Jason’s chamber that is misted with the essence of anything but love. The thought of Jason still loving his children proves the princess as a selfish being for Jason’s passion. Hastily, Glauce stomps towards her father’s chambers, each stomp more vicious with fury than before; maybe Creon’s fatherly love can fill in the gap of the absence of Jason’s passion.

As Glauce entered into her father’s spacious domain, Creon’s eyes are instantaneously fixated onto his beloved angel. His face transforms into that of a puppy, looking at his owner Glauce as she rushes to her father’s knees and bursts into a sea of tears. The puppy’s only mission is to bring a smile to his owner’s face, which is Creon’s only mission at this point. Perhaps the old man had nothing to lose other than the fruit of his union with his late wife. Quite maternal he is, unlike the rest of Athenian men; only Creon’s one and only daughter would win more love from him than his divine country.

Glauce looked up to her dad’s complexion to explain her worries, but words were not needed for her to explain her sorrows as her affliction was recognisable to a parent’s eye anyway…he was

aware of the reason why she was not beside her husband as midnight approached. The cry “banish all those that he loves, do whatever it takes!” from Glauce echoed audibly in the palace corridors, as the king simplistically responded with a nod. Little did the king know that he would be drowning his daughter and himself in dangerous seas… with just a simple nod.

He caressed his demure daughter that ached from her vengeance for Jason’s love. Creon, a man of his word, assured the princess that Medea and her children would be exiled into an abyss the following morning; perhaps robbed into their last breath if they refused to do so. The foolish even knew the error in showing sympathy to his daughter… as he is often one to invite disaster after granting wishes. However he was aware that Medea had been making death threats upon the holy household, and his daughter’s worries added fuel to the monstrous deed Creon was about to commit.

Glauce regained her tall composure as she rose back onto her feet and departed from her father’s chambers with an emotion perpendicular to what she had entered it with. She doesn't know what to celebrate first: successfully manipulating her father into committing a dangerous deed of dealing with a sorceress or finally being able to attract the lacking passion of Jason by removing the children from the portrait of their family.

The cynical princess emerged back into her love chamber and sat back in front of her horrified mirror. She pierced through the mirror with her eyes coloured in a mesmerising blue upon a glance. Yet the mirror did not fail to strike back a pitiful glare upon the princess, after seeing the heartlessness beyond the blue of her eyes. There was only Glauce and her golden belongings within the portrait of the mirror, reflecting that her life was central to nothing else other than a few scraps of metal and herself. The mirror wished it could touch Glauce’s conscience, but preferred that it had the mouth to tell Jason to run away from the grip of this princess…

…From this snake.