The Ballad of Mona Lisa

So… I said was going to write a short story based on The Ballad of Mona Lisa by Panic! At The Disco… (Watching the music video could be helpful. Also, the story is AU/past-verse.)

According to the video, there are six steps for the funeral/memorial service:

Open a window

Close the window two hours later

Stop all clocks and cover all mirrors

Bathe the body

Lay the body in white

Allow the people to wail and lament

On with the show, shall we?

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No one quite knew how Iracebeth had gotten a job in her sister’s palace. Her head and shrunk to a reasonable size, which many claimed to be a trick. Why, of all things possible, would the Bloody Big Head get close enough to her sister to pose a threat? And why would she take an job as a member of the cleaning staff?!

A few other people had believed the former tyrant.  Like Mirana, they sought the good in others and were determined to find it in Iracebeth. Their quest had been a failure so far, yet Mirana still wanted to make peace with her sister.

Despite the varied opinions of her, she wasn’t a suspect when her “former” Knave, Illoslavic Stayne, was found murdered in his bed. His throat had been slashed after he was smothered into unconsciousness. His death had been quick and relatively painless. No screams were heard until Wonder happened up him. Her parents had been invited over for tea and she had wandered off due to boredom.

The first people to respond to Wonder’s screams were her parents. Alice gasps, her eyes wide, and bends down to comfort her daughter. They walk out of the room, the girl’s cries echoing throughout the hallway. Tarrant responds by removing his hat and stepping closer to investigate.

Soon the queen herself arrives, followed by a group from her court. Iracebeth is nowhere in sight. Mirana steps closer to the Hatter. 

“Tarrant? What do we have here?” Disgusts crosses her face as she glances down at the Knave. 

Tarrant glares at the door before someone shuts it. He leans over the body and whispers, “Throat was slashed. Not by a sword or butter-knife…” A nod from Mirana and he continues, “There are pillow fibers.” He points them out.

Mirana’s eyes widen. “Who would want to murder the Knave?!”

Tarrant gives her a look of annoyance. “Tae better question would be; who wouldnae?!”

The Queen sighs before walking over to the door. “Alice.” She says, opening the door. “Can you two come here, please?”

Alice places a hand on her daughter’s back and leads her over to the room. Wonder sniffles and wipes her nose on her hand. The girl, only six-years-old, shouldn’t have seen that. Her eyes have gone wide and appear to have no iris. That was one of the traits she had inherited from her father; the color of her eyes depended on her emotions. Her curly hair was tucked behind her ears and rested just below her thin shoulders, stripes of orange running through it. She was wearing a light purple dress that rested above her knees and had wide straps instead of sleeves. Her shoes were ballet flats and she was also wearing black leggings. If it weren’t for the fear and sorrow on her face, she might have been happily humming and exploring the palace.

Mirana walks up to Wonder and kneels before her. “I need you to tell me what you saw. How’d you find the body?!” Despite the softness of her tone, there’s a sense of urgency in her brown eyes.