modern-day fairy tale

I. The porcelain princess hides behind her starchild prince who takes great care in keeping her polished as though to make her shine like his stars

II. "En garde, world!" she exclaimed to her toy soldiers, with glass rapier in hand in a wilted salute to Her Majesty, which she called herself

III. All it took was one push lightly on the shoulder, above the collarbone to tip the red queen over, over her self-made empire of dirt, crashing into a million wretched pieces

IV. "It was an accident, I swear." The jury finds it to be innocent. It was merely passing by at the time without any motives, none at all. So Truth lived on for another day

V Her fragments were tessellations puzzle-pieces meshing with the ash she kept inside herself, like an urn; an open secret (she spewed it as she spoke)

VI. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put her back together again because they couldn't stop laughing