(original fiction) a fairy tale [part 2]
Part 2
***
Princess Blanche was becoming more agitated by the man who decided to come along with them. He did nothing but flex his muscles and smile at Lucille and all she did was swoon at everything he did.
She rolled her eyes for the hundredth time, “Do you really know where we’re going Leon?”
“As I’ve told you your Whiny-ness, I know these woods like the back of my hand. There is no need to worry as long as I am here,” he struck a pose once again.
It wasn’t long before they bumped into another boy. He was a tall but scrawny boy who looked a little bit lost in the woods.
“H-hello,” The boy shyly said, “are you… the princess?”
Blanche was surprised. She didn’t know that news had spread so far of her conquest.
“I knew it,” the boy smiled, “I knew I’d find you here.”
Leon pushed the boy aside and poked him in the stomach, “what do you want from the princess?”
The boy cowered in fear, “I merely wanted to help her. She seems so gallant, coming out to save her prince but… being a princess, you would hardly know where to go and where to look. I just wanted to be here and help her through that.”
“Well you shouldn’t have bothered. The princess has Leon with her and she needs no one else,” he then shoved the boy away making his frail body fall to the ground.
Blanche scoffed and glared at Leon, helping the poor boy up, “I don’t need anyone to decide for me.” She then addressed the boy pushing the other man aside, “of course you may join us. We already have a buffoon along they way, might as well have someone like you. But… what is your name?”
“Ayden, miss.”
This was when Lucille finally took action, “Princess? Do you think it wise that we have another stranger tag along?”
“I don’t see why not. You let that idiot come and join us, why can’t I have a companion of my own?”
And that was the end of that.
***
Prince Antoine woke up again.
The first thing he noticed was the fact that the only thing he seemed to be doing was waking up, falling unconscious and waking back up again. He also felt groggy at the said time, after all the sleep he had but felt that he was somehow freer and looser than he had been before.
He rose from the bed to notice that he was no longer tied down to it.
He placed both his feet firmly on the ground and stood up.
He quickly crumpled to the floor and fell unconscious once again.
***
Ayden proved to be a very enjoyable companion for the princess. Once he got over his initial bashfulness, she found that there was an intelligent and kind soul in him. The feeling of attachment quickly settled in her heart and she knew that there was someone to keep an eye on her at all times.
It was now Lucille who was ill contented with the presence of Ayden. Somehow, she did not trust the quieter man’s attitude but felt that telling Blanche about it would break the princess’s heart and spirit.
But still, there was something suspicious going around. An enchanted forest was not likely to be safe, but they were simply not being attacked by anything. And somehow, it had something to do with both their companions.
***
What Lucille should have noticed was that Ayden liked to go off on his own whilst the princess was resting. He would disappear about the time she falls asleep and reappear the moment she opens her eyes. She did not appear to mind that he was acting very suspiciously, merely that she was not comfortable in his presence.
She was too preoccupied with the tall tales of one Leon to care much about anything at all. It was as though Leon had thoroughly enthralled her. It was as though he was her proverbial knight in shining armor. She even felt growing disdain for her princess because of the haughtiness she showed to the man. But still, she felt that it was duty to ensure the safety of the princess.
Somehow, she just never noticed.
***
Princess Ophelia looked on with a bored expression on her face.
It did not entertain her that Prince Antoine had not regained consciousness. There was nothing fun about waiting.
She knew that it would take his frail human body a long time to cope up and adjust with the wolf inside of him. She had seen it before happening to her father’s servants but that didn’t mean she liked it.
She stared at the prince willing him to wake up. When that didn’t happen, she went to her crystal ball and gazed into it.
It unnerved her to see that Princess Blanche was getting nearer her castle. Her minions were certainly very confusing and underhanded. She became glad that they obeyed her rule rather than rebel against her. She shook her head. She should’ve made her orders clearer though, they were having too much fun playing around with the enemy.
“B-Blanche?”
The prince’s voice broke the silence of the room.
Ophelia turned to look at him. He was sitting up in bed with a dazed expression on his face. She raised her eyebrow at the name but tried to keep her temper under control.
“Good Evening Antoine.” She said.
“Was that? Blanche?” he whispered, looking deep into Ophelia’s eyes.
She breathed in deeply and let out the air very slowly, “that really is highly perceptive of you.”
“Is she… doing well?”
It was with this question that Princess Ophelia blew her top.
“Is she well? Of course she’s okay. I haven’t done anything to her yet. There’s nothing to be afraid of. But don’t worry, when she comes, I’ll lock her up and I’ll have you tear her up into pieces,” she banged her fist on the table, “won’t that be nice of me? She’ll die in the hands of the one that holds her dearest to his heart.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“I’m fed up with this. You always keep on thinking about her. She’s always on your mind. Even after I slipped that potion into your drink. I ensured that the draught was strong enough so that you wouldn’t even have had the space to think of anybody but me. But even though you were completely enamored with me, your eyes would stray towards her as though she was your beacon of light.” Princess Ophelia crumpled onto the floor, seemingly exhausted, “Don’t you know how hard I’m trying?”
The princess’ tears started to flow with those last few words.
She didn’t see the prince stand up, nor feel his hands coming closer until she was pulled up into his arms and was held in an awkward embrace.
***
Queen Sophie looked at her tired husband.
The rumors about her daughter and the prince were still circulating and some of them were getting more and more outrageous.
The stories about the princess’ plight were taking its toll on the King. He had not slept for days in worry for his daughter.
Sophie held Laurent close to her. She was worried that some of the rumors may be true and that their precious child would not find her way back to them.
She could only pray for the safe return of both the children.
***
Princess Blanche had never felt more relieved as when Ayden told her that they were drawing nearer the castle. The journey was wearying although there were no obstacles along the way. Somehow, she knew that it was Ayden who had protected her along the way.
She noticed that Leon was not being his usual braggart self. He had no more loud protestations of their whereabouts; in fact, he turned into a pensive fellow. Even Lucille had begun to notice this.
After a few more minutes of trudging around, the group caught a glimpse of the façade of a dark castle. The princess shivered at the sight. She then sighed.
“How would we ever get in there?” Lucille asked, saying the question that prevailed in the princess’ mind. At the corner of her eye, she saw that Leon’s face had darkened while Ayden smirked.
Ayden plopped down on ground and his smile widened, “any of you heard of secret passage ways?”
***
Ophelia sighed as she put her hood back on and opened the door to her chamber. She cast a last longing look on the prince and shook her head. Despite the emotional crisis that she was facing for now, she still had a kingdom to rule and appointments to attend. She steeled herself as she closed the door and made her way to the throne room.
She remembered what had happened earlier on with her and Antoine.
After the embrace, he set her down and placed her in a chair. She thought him wonderfully handsome then.
He kneeled in front of her and he clutched her face in both hands and whispered that he didn’t deserve such love from anyone, especially not from the princess. He continued by saying that his heart already belonged to someone else and although he was deeply moved by her actions, he would not be able to reciprocate.
He hugged her once again and stood up, going back to the bed and stayed there.
She sighed once again. She knew though that no matter what words were exchanged between them, she wouldn’t be letting go of the prince without a fight.
***
Leon disappeared just before entering the castle.
Princess Blanche knew that he was blowing his own horn a little too loudly and dismissed the man as a coward. She could not help but laugh at the accuracy of her instincts.
Ayden signaled to them to move closer and as they climbed the stairs of the castle, she couldn’t help but shiver. Something didn’t seem right with the picture.
***
If Lucille were suspicious of Ayden in the enchanted forest, she was deathly afraid of him now.
How can he know so much about the enemy’s castle? He must be one of them if he can lead them so stealthily throughout the maze of hallways and stairs.
He knew the castle inside and out and it was scaring her. She wondered if she and her princess would make it out of there alive.
He pulled each lever deftly as though he had walked through those halls a million times or more and confidently turned each corner.
She looked at him disbelievingly then shook her head.
She continued to follow him through the torch-lit halls.
She didn’t see the hands that reached out and grabbed her out of nowhere.
***
“Lucille?” Blanche asked as she looked behind her. There had been a muffled shriek a moment before and now there was simply silence.
“Oh… no…” she heard Ayden mutter beside her. She turned to him and her eyes raised a question she couldn’t seem to voice out. “It’s… It’s nothing.”
Blanche’s eyes widened. “What do you mean nothing? Where’s Lucille?”
Ayden shook his head, “we must go on. We will find her later, first we need to save your prince.”
Blanche glared and folded her arms, “I don’t want to go anywhere with you. You need to explain all of this to me first.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Then you should know we’re not going to go anywhere until you tell me something,” she replied back
stubbornly. To make her point, she sat down on one of the steps of the stairs.
Ayden sighed and sat down beside her.
“You see, “ he started, “this is my castle. I live here.
“I am Prince Ayden of the Black Kingdom, the younger brother of one Princess Ophelia. She is the heir apparent and I am merely something to be kept from the outside world.”
Blanche’s eyebrows met in the middle of her forehead, shooting a question through her eyes.
“I am a lycanthrope. The lowest form of magical creatures and not one to be respected either. This is because we only become magic once every twenty-eight days. On other days, we are but ordinary mortals. Being a lycanthrope also signifies that there is nothing special about us. Anyone can become a werewolf.
“My father detested my presence but adored Ophelia. She was a witch from the start and could brew the strongest potions even at a young age; I never could have done that.
But don’t get me wrong my sister always treated me with some kind of respect. She was the only one who would help me, talk to me or smile at me. She was the only one who cared.
“So growing up, I was left to my own devices. No one would notice me, not even the house help. They would merely give me food or follow my orders, but they would never talk to me. I was free to roam these hallways and the only good thing was that I was free to find all the secret passages.”
He sighed, “Do you even want to know more?”
She smiled, “Of course I do. But I doubt that now is the right time for more heart to heart talks. We need to save Ant and Lucille.”
“We?” He asked perplexed as to why she was not afraid of him.
“Of course it’s we. We’re a team now and sides, I couldn’t have gotten this fair without you.”
They both shared a smile before going back forward.
***
Lucille found herself in a dungeon.
It was cold and she found herself hating it.
She blinked as she tried not to move around so much. She didn’t want herself to touch anything undesirable. She shuddered at the knowledge that something might be lurking and she wouldn’t be able to see what that thing was.
That was when she heard a whisper of sorts.
She looked around and saw herself completely surrounded by darkness and she shuddered.
“Lucille,” it was Leon, she could have pinpointed out his voice anywhere, “are you all right?”
She smiled and was about to open her mouth when she felt a hand covering it.
“Don’t speak,” he whispered close to her ear, “they’ll hear you.” Her eyes widened as she nodded her assent. “Good. The prince is in the princess’ bedchamber. I’ll take you there but you must not breathe a word of it.” She nodded again. She heard him sigh, “I’m sorry about all of this. I know the whole thing must be confusing but I can offer no explanations.”
She felt something draping her body. “I just want to tell you that I’m sorry for everything that’s happening and that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
And then she found herself falling.
***
Ophelia threw the goblet at the shadows with such ferocity that the object shattered into dust. Somehow, the group managed to come inside the castle undetected. She glared and yelled out one single word, “Leon!”
The shadows flickered and formed the man known as Leon, “You called Your Highness?” He bowed down low.
“I thought I told you to keep them away!” she demanded.
He dared not move from his position as he murmured, “I would have Your Highness, if only Prince Ayden were not with them.”
Her eyes grew, it seemed that her preoccupation with Antoine came with very serious consequences, “Prince Ayden? He’s with them?”
“He found them on the forest path whilst I was leading them around in circles,” he replied, “he’s been leading them through the castle using the secret passages.”
Princess Ophelia took in a deep breath and waved him off, “you’re free to go now.” She watched him disappearing into the shadows once more. Now one thought remained in her head. How was she going to defeat her own brother?
***
They continued to climb endless flights of stairs and Princess Blanche was indeed getting bored and tired.
The scenery wasn’t changing much and they were climbing at a fast rate. She wanted very much to complain about all the walking they were doing but decided against it. She would keep her chin up even though she wanted to sit down or give up.
Ayden kept looking back at her as though he was afraid she would disappear without a trace just like Lucille did.
And then he stopped.
***
“Lucille?”
Lucille quickly stood up, ignoring her sore bottom as she glanced around the room, searching for the voice that called her name.
She felt relief when she saw that Prince Antoine was safe and rushed to attend to him, “Prince Antoine, sir, are you feeling well?”
He looked away, “Is she here with you?”
Lucille blinked confusedly, “Who?”
“Blanche.”
Lucille frowned, “Of course she is Your Highness, why wouldn’t she be here?”
Prince Antoine refused to look at Lucille and he sighed, “She shouldn’t be here. It’s too unsafe.”
Lucille’s frown deepened at his reaction, “You should be glad that the Princess came for you at all. Do you even know how much trouble she went through?”
“I never asked for her to do it though.” He whispered, “I thought she would have been glad to have gotten rid of me.”
Lucille growled in frustration, “I thought you would have understood though. It’s not easy for her to show her feelings.” She folded her arms, “she’s a spoiled brat that one, and having something that she can’t have frustrates her. You should know that, you grew up with her.”
“Lucille, you should show me more loyalty than that.”
***
She laughed at their reactions.
They had been so funny, with their mouths opened wide gaping at her as though she was a ghost.
She was happy to be standing there, looking at the both of them again. She thought that she had lost them forever.
She walked over to where they were and beamed.
“I’m so glad that you’re both safe,” she said. Her smile faltered when she saw that neither of them was too happy to see her there.
“Where’s Ayden?” Lucille asked with a clipped tone.
Blanche put both of her hands on her hips and looked up. “Well, he said he had to deal with a few things and then he’d come back.” She focused her eyes back on them, “What’s wrong with the two of you?”
Lucille replied, “I think that you need to talk.” She then disappeared through the door leading to the bathroom.
The princess shrugged her shoulders and promptly sat down on the bed looking expectantly at the prince. “So, is there anything you need to tell me?”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why have you come for me?” Antoine whispered.
“Isn’t it obvious? I came here to save you and bring you back home,” Blanche answered, nodding her head as though it made perfect sense.
Antoine shook his head, “I thought you didn’t want to get married to me. Your father would have found you someone else if I hadn’t returned in a few days.”
“Are you kidding me? They’re all beside themselves in worry. And you’re the one who told me that I should be glad that I’m betrothed to someone I know.” She laughed, starting to worry why his manner was so harsh.
“I don’t want to go back.”
Blanche’s eyes widened, “what?”
***
Ophelia stared.
“Hello Ophelia,” the calm voice of her brother washed through her.
“Good day we’re having. Don’t you agree?” She replied, “May I ask why you went through all the trouble to seek me out?”
Ayden tapped his finger on her chin, “It worries me dear sister that you’re interfering with lives you’re not supposed to be playing with.”
She smiled at him coldly, “And who are you to say what I should do?”
He stepped closer to her, making her take a step back. He bared his fangs at her.
“Ever since father died, I’ve taken it as my personal mission to help you keep yourself away from trouble,” whispered, “I can’t believe that you’re doing this to a thousand year old kingdom and its people I might add.”
She folded her arms haughtily, “I never asked for you to be my keeper. And besides, we’re magic. What can ordinary mortals do to us?”
“You’re playing with fire Ophelia. You don’t kidnap the neighboring kingdom’s prince, especially when he’s already betrothed to another kingdom’s princess.” He shook his head, “Especially when both of those kingdoms have allies.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, we’re magic Ophelia, but there’s strength in numbers. We can’t fight all of them at the same time.” He sighed, putting both of his hands on her shoulders, “I know you’re mad at me right now, but you should have thought before you acted.”
She pouted her lips, “I’m older than you and yet you treat me like a child. How could I not have been infuriated?”
Prince Ayden chuckled, “I’m glad you’re coming back to your senses. Now, will you let them all go? I promise we’ll find you another suitable prince as soon as they leave.”
Ophelia turned her back and went to sit on her armchair facing the fire. She began to sulk. She then heard the door close behind her and she wondered why her brother always had so much power over her.
***
“What do you mean you’re not going back with me?” Blanche cried out.
Antoine winced as he detected the aggravation in her tone. Still, he did not answer her question.
“I don’t believe that you don’t want to go home.”
“This is my home now,” he answered back quietly. His control was slowly waning and he did not want to think about it anymore.
Blanche screamed in fury.
The sound of the door opening made them quiet down. Ayden came in and smiled at both of them. He nodded at Antoine and took something from the drawer beside the bed. After that, he sat down beside Blanche on the bed, facing the other prince.
“Are you experiencing pain?” He asked. Antoine shook his head. Ayden nodded his head slightly, “good.” He held out his wrist towards Antoine, “bite.”
Antoine looked surprised, as did Blanche.
“Fine. Do you want me to explain?” They both nodded, “My sister transformed Prince Antoine into a werewolf.” He smiled a little at their confusion, “well, she used my blood to make him that potion. This is one way to cure it.”
Antoine looked astonished, “you mean… I can be healed?”
“Of course, you haven’t even transformed into a wolf yet,” he extended his wrist again, “now bite.”
Antoine now did as he was told. Slowly, his eyes closed and he fell unconscious once again.
Ayden took the handkerchief and placed it on the wound, “he really isn’t physically strong, is he?” Blanche shook her head and tried to laugh.
“I’ll call Lucille now, I think she’s fallen asleep in the bathroom.” He said.
***
Ophelia called the shadows once more.
She was no longer sulking and felt quite good even though she had been forced to give up. She looked at them with a slight smile on her face, quite ready to force her brother into keeping that promise.
“Take them home,” she commanded.
***
The whole kingdom rejoiced to learn that the prince and princess had returned safely to the castle.
The King was so happy that he threw another party, just to welcome his daughter back home and congratulate her on her successful mission.
No one thought to ask what really happened on the journey though. The only thing on people’s minds were ‘when are those two getting married?’
***
The sun had not risen yet but he was already up.
Antoine decided on taking a walk. He was annoyed and had not slept well for the past few days. He kept hoping to have a chat with Blanche but something always came up.
She was avoiding him.
But with a stroke of good luck, he saw that she was sitting on the swings in the garden. She looked dazed and lost in her thoughts. He finally managed to catch her alone and so he made his way towards her. He snapped his fingers in front of her face to catch her attention and she snapped back to reality.
She glared at him, “what do you want?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
She stood up, “you’re in over your head if you think that I want to talk to you then.” He grabbed her arm and forced her to sit back down.
“You’ve been avoiding me but that’s going to end now.” He whispered when he realized that she wasn’t going to listen to him willingly, he added, “You are, beyond a shadow of a doubt the most spoiled person I’ve known.”
“If I’m so spoiled, then why are you bothering?” she replied, folding her arms and looking away.
“Because I know that if I let you go now, I won’t be able to live it down.”
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me what’s on your mind already,” she yelled, not being affected by his speech.
“You told me once that you wanted romance and all those other things. I’m telling you now that I want to be the one who does that for you.” He kneeled in front of her, “I’ve been head over heels in love with you for so long, I can’t remember where it all began anymore. So tell me, is there any ghost of a chance that you even feel the same way for me too?”
She hit him on the head and glared at him.
“I can’t believe that I went through all that and you still think that I don’t have feelings for you!”
He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. They embraced as the sun rose behind them.
He’d never been happier.
***
“They’ve finally decided to tie the knot,” the man in the tavern yelled out.
The baker’s wife then turned to the seamstress and whispered, “I heard that they’re planning to have a dozen children.”
“I heard that they’re going to build a new kingdom and leave us all behind,” the tailor said to his assistant.
The rumors seemed to fly to and fro until it landed on the ears of a little child.
“Mama, are they going to live happily ever after?” The child asked his mother.
“Of course they will child, Of course they will.”