Author's Notes: Welcome, everyone! So lately, I've been enchanted by Grimm's book of fairy tales, so I decided to write my own rendition of many popular fairy tales starring Team Phantom! Not all of the tales will be specifically from Grimm's Book of Fairy tales, and I may even throw in a few of my own if I see fit. If there are any you wish to see, then by all means just let me know. First off, we shall begin with a time-honored classic, my absolute favorite of all...

DISCLAIMER: Danny Phantom and all related characters are property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. Story Lines are properties of their respective owners, be they the Brother's Grimm, Disney, or the original novelist. I am merely borrowing them. Interpretations of these stories are my property.


"Welcome, dear friends, to a world of enchantment. The stories I am about to tell you have been collected over the long years by many people, and I believe it is my duty to be sure their legacies live on. So, it is with this sentiment that I shall do my best in the retelling of these records, in the hopes that someday, you may tell them to your children, and they will tell them to their children, so that these stories will live on through the generations. Now, settle in, and we shall begin."

That was how Clockwork always began his retellings. He looked to the children and adults alike that sat before him by the hearth, watching him with fascination. As his muscular adult form shifted to the frail body of an old man, a smile crossed his lips. "Alright, children, what do we want to hear first?"

Little hands shot into the air at this request, all of them shouting out the names of stories they wished to hear.

"Little mer-"

"I wanna hear cinderella!"

"Hansel and Grettle!"

"PICK ME!"

He caught snatches of their words, and in turn began to chuckle. "Calm down, children, one at a time. We'll get to everyone. Now, who gets to choose first..." he muttered to himself, his eyes sweeping over the children sitting before him. "Ah, how about little Boxlunch?" he said, hoisting the young child into his lap. From across the room, he saw the broad smile of the girl's mother. She tapped her chin as she thought, her tongue protruding from the side of her mouth in her concentration.

"I know!" she exclaimed at last, her eyes lighting up like the sun. "Mister Clockwork, can you tell us the story with the seven dwarfs?" she asked in a small voice.

He chuckled again. "Of course child. Now, as you all know, the stories I tell you are much different from the stories you see in the movies. So, I shall tell you all the story... of Princess Samantha and the seven ghosts."


Princess Samantha and the Seven Kindly Ghosts

Once upon a time, long ago in the middle of the cold winter, a beautiful queen sat at her window beside the hearth, sewing contently as she watched the lovely crystal flakes fall from the sky through the ebony-framed glass. And as she sat there sewing, she saw through the snow-covered garden a single lavender rose against the brilliant white of the snow. And so she thought aloud to herself, "If I could only have a child as white as the snow, and lavender as the rose, and black as the ebony wood..."

Months passed, and soon the queen's belly began to grow, and before long, she had a little daughter with skin as pale as the morning frost, and eyes as lavender as the lovely rose, and hair as black as the ebony wood. She named the child little Samantha, feeling it was a beautiful name for a beautiful child. And after the girl was born, the queen passed away.

Though grief-stricken, after only a year the king took another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but she was also vain and haughty and couldn't bear to see any lovelier than she. The queen had a wonderful looking glass, and when she would speak the words, "Looking-glass upon the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?" the looking glass would reply with, "Thou, o queen, art the fairest of them all."

And so it was for ten more happy years, until one day...

"You stupid mirror, if you are lying to me-"

"My queen I cannot lie, I cannot even cease speaking in rhyme. What I have spoken is quite true, the princess Samantha is fairer than you."

The queen slammed the doors closed on the mirror, fuming as she stomped around the room. How was this possible? That her own stepdaughter had become more beautiful than she? In the girl's early years, she'd been awkward and fumbling, and could certainly not have surpassed her in beauty. But now... now as she was beginning to grow up, it did seem as though she was beginning to blossom into a rare and lovely flower.

"Penelope!" came the voice that shook her from her thoughts. She turned to see Jeremy, her husband the king, entering the room with a smile. "Are you ready, love? The king from Gheist will be here soon with his wife and son, and I do hope to perhaps strike a bargain with them regarding the children," he said and took the queen's hand. "Today's the day!"

As the couple descended the grand stairs, the queen's eyes fell upon the girl who she now loathed with ever fiber of her heart. It was true, she was quite lovely, even for being so young. And that was why she hated her, because deep in her heart she knew that as the years passed, she would become even more beautiful. It was simply something she couldn't have, but for now, she would just have to bide her time. After all, perhaps the girl would have a tragic accident?

Samantha stood awkwardly and then moved to stand beside her father, wringing her skirts with nervousness. She'd never met a boy before... well, other than the kitchen boy, Tucker, but he didn't really count. Several long agonizing minutes passed, in which she imagined her father promising her to all sorts of hideous and terrible men, each of them more and more disturbing with every thought. And at long last, across the room, the great front doors began to open and the steward called over the crowd of nobles that had gathered, "My Lords and Ladies, may I present to thee King Jackson, Queen Maddison, Princess Jasmine, and Prince Daniel of the kingdom of Gheist."

Samantha arched an eyebrow as she watched the royal family moving up the room to the throne, where the king, so named Jackson, donned a broad smile and shouted, "Jeremy! It's been too long!" and drew her father into a rather masculine hug.

"Indeed it has, Jack! You must tell me everything of Gheist... after you introduce me to your children! My specters it's been that long!"

The King Jack smiled and placed a hand on a shoulder of each of his children. The first, a girl with long copper hair and lovely turquoise eyes gave the king a very delicate curtsy while the boy bowed, his face burning red for some reason. "This pretty girl here is Jasmine."

"Jazz, please, your majesty," she said serenely, nodding as she spoke.

"And this strapping lad is my boy, Daniel!"

"Danny, your majesty. Daniel makes me sound old," he said sheepishly, his eyes on the ground. Samantha had to smile at this. He was so shy, even for a prince, that she couldn't help but smile. He looked to be around her age, maybe a year older. He raised his crystal orbs to gaze at her, then gave her a goofy half-smile that made her own shy grin broaden.

After some exchanged words between the adults, none of which the eleven-year-old princess cared to listen to, her father raised his hands for silence amongst the crowd and said in his deep voice, "Let us retire to the ballroom then, shall we? I believe we have a cause for celebration!"

Samantha simply quirked an eyebrow up at her father, who simply smiled and led them all into the grand ball room. It was a beautiful room, with deep red curtains lining the tall windows and beautiful tapestries covering the walls. She used to play in here quite often, dancing by herself in the way she saw the party guests waltzing. She loved being able to see her reflection in the gleaming floor. She didn't notice the scathing glares the queen was repeatedly sending in her direction, instead focusing on twirling around once to watch her deep violet skirts billow out around her.

While Samantha didn't notice, Danny did, and quirked an eyebrow at the vain Penelope's back. He didn't understand why she was giving her stepdaughter those heated looks, but he didn't want to say anything, for fear that her wrath might be directed at him publicly. He moved away from the angry queen to stand beside the young girl, his hands clasped behind his back. She glanced up at him and offered him a smile, then looked back to the mirror-like floor. When her eyes rested on his reflection, something flashed... his eyes, for a brief moment, had appeared to be brilliant green. She looked quickly at him, studying his face for any traces of what she'd seen.

As she studied him, she couldn't help but giggle at that quirky smile he gave her. "What?" he asked her at last, arching an eyebrow innocently.

"Dances are boring... let's sneak outside," she whispered, smiling mischievously and grabbing his hand. She led him outside, and for the next several hours, after meeting up with the kitchen boy in the gardens, the three romped and played until the sun began to dip below the far western horizon.

The three were sprawled out in the grass, staring up at the sky and giggling about random oddities. "Hey Sammy, you think we'll get to see each other again?" asked the young prince as he stared up at a passing cloud.

"Yeah, I think so. It's not more than a half-day's hard ride to your kingdom... at least, that's what my father said, so we could probably see each other if we wanted."

"Me too?" asked the dark-skinned kitchen boy.

"You too, Tuck," the princess said with a giggle.

-x-0-x-

The crisp autumn turned to a bitter winter, and winter turned to spring, and as the seasons changed, the princess grew. True to her words, she, the young prince of Gheist, and the kitchen boy would sneak off in the night to meet mid-way from their homes. Friendship blossomed between the three, and soon, they were inseparable. The days flew past, transforming the awkward young prince into a strapping young man, while the princess only grew more and more beautiful with every day.

The queen, however, grew more and more spiteful of her stepdaughter, the envy and loathing that had seeded in her heart growing like weeds and twisting the woman until she had no peace, day or night, for she could think of nothing else than the beauty of her stepdaughter that had surpassed her own. And through the six years that passed, the intensity of her hate multiplied like a virus in her blackened heart. It was shortly after the girl's seventeenth birthday that, at last, the vain queen snapped.

"Looking-glass upon the wall-"

"Pardon me, my queen, for interrupting, but after all this time, why do you bother asking?" was the mirror's response, the smoky face within the glass simply giving her a look that said 'please-stop-asking-me-that-question-you-already-know-the-answer.'

She stared darkly at the mirror and slammed the closet doors shut, storming from the room and into the war-chamber, where her memory turned to a time when husband was consulting with his generals. In the six passing years, tensions between their kingdom of Amity and the neighboring Kingdom of Phasma, ruled by the wicked and ruthless King Pariah, had reached a breaking point, until just one month earlier, the dark King Pariah had declared war on the kingdom of Amity and all of her allies.

"Your majesty, they're approaching the capital city fast, I don't think we'll be able to stop them unless we muster a counterstrike in the next forty-eight hours," one of the men suggested, bowing deeply to the king as he spoke. Jeremy stroked his beard as he thought, nodding at last to the soldier's statement.

"I think you're right," he said at last. "We'll ride at dawn to meet them in battle..." he said, but the queen didn't stay to hear the rest. Her husband the King would be expected to ride to war with the men, and to fight with them as well. That meant she would be here alone to attend the castle, alone with the servants and the damnable Samantha... She didn't think she could bear the girl any longer. It had been almost six months since then, and she knew her husband was still alive, and found that she no longer cared what he would do if Samantha simply vanished from the earth.

While the queen stewed in her own hatred, Samantha and Tucker had sneaked away from the castle, riding quickly to their well-known meeting place within the woods that connected Amity with Gheist. The found their way to the small clearing, where the smiling Prince Daniel was already waiting for them, leaning against a tree with his arms folded. Sam swung down from the horse, having borrowed a pair of Tucker's breaches and a tunic for the ride. She'd learned years ago that riding quickly in a dress was no easy feat.

"Any news from your side of the war?" she asked as she draped her cloak over the ground to sit on. He shook his head.

"No, not really. Same as it was last week... still haven't heard from my father, but hey, they say no news is good news, right?" he said with a shrug and moved to sit on one of the stumps. Tucker sighed loudly as he unbridled the mare and let her graze in the clearing, then moved to sit beside his two friends.

They turned their talk away from the war and on to less depressing subjects, like the mustache Tucker had marked on Queen Penelope's portrait. As the trio laughed and exchanged stories, the sun began to set, splashing the sky with lovely hues of red and gold. At long last, it was time to return home. Tucker stood, stretching, then moved to saddle up the mare, who'd been standing protectively beside her masters. "Coming Sam?" he asked after bridling the horse.

"Yeah, in a minute Tuck, I'll be right there," she said as she stood, shaking the dirt from her cloak and draping it over her shoulders. "So, same time tomorrow, your highness?" she asked with a smirk.

"Of course, milady, wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, his smile fading as he stood close to her. "Just... be careful, okay?" he whispered softly, his eyes softening from their usual brilliant fierceness.

Sam blinked, feeling her heart flutter in her chest. "Alright," she breathed in return, her eyes meeting him for a brief instant before he drew back, gave her that goofy smile that made her heart melt, and mounted his own steed and sped from the clearing. Sam's face was still tingling when she joined Tucker on her mare and made way for their home.

By the time they arrived, darkness had fallen. Samantha quickly slipped into her room and shut the door, while Tucker rushed to the kitchens to finish his chores. Neither spoke a word as the parted ways, only flashed one another a swift smile before vanishing.

While the pair were slipping quietly back into their places, in the tallest tower of the castle the hateful queen was pacing, her face flushed. "This cannot go on, I refuse to allow it to go on!" she snarled at the mirror, which simply remained silent, save for the irritable sigh it released. "How is it possible that she just keeps growing more and more beautiful? How?" she whispered almost madly to herself, trembling with rage. At long last, after more insane ranting, she paused, her eyes lighting up in a way that made the mirror fear for its safety.

"I know..." she whispered at last. She peered her head from the door, glancing this way and that. "Valerie!" she shouted, and the girl dashed up to meet the queen's beckon call.

"Yes, your majesty?" she asked, bowing deeply.

"I want you to summon the huntsman to my chambers immediately."

"Yes, your majesty, right away," she responded, then dashed back down the stairs again and to the lower levels. She rapped on the wooden door to the huntsman's room, waiting silently for him to answer.

"Enter," came a voice from within, and she slowly did as commanded. She knew of the huntsman, and he terrified her. He scared most other people as well, she remembered, so she supposed it wasn't so bad. She entered the chamber and immediately bowed low, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Sir Skulker, the queen as requested an audience with you," she said.

"Very well, child. You're dismissed," he murmured and strode past her. She exhaled deeply and returned to her work, now more unnerved than she had been upon being called by the unstable queen.

The huntsman entered the queen's chamber, dropping to one knee when he drew close enough. "You summoned me, my queen?" he asked, his eyes averted in respect.

"Yes, I did Skulker. I have a very specific task for you that no one may know about, not even the king. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, my queen. What is it that you would have me do?"

From her vanity table the queen drew a beautiful gem-encrusted box. "My trusted huntsman, I would have you take the lovely Samantha from this castle, deep into the woods, and kill her."

Skulker's eyes shot back up again, confusion obvious on his visage. "My queen? Kill the princess?"

"And as proof you have killed her, you will cut out her heart and bring it to me in this box. If you do not do this, I shall know, and you shall be exiled from this country on pain of death," she said harshly, her piercing eyes boring into his.

"Yes, my queen. It will be done."

With that declaration the huntsman left the queen's chamber, moving for his own and preparing for the bloody deed he would have to perform come dawn.

When morning did arrive, Samantha bathed and dressed quickly, moving to the gardens and sitting peacefully amongst the roses. From behind the bushes the huntsman emerged, watching the princess silently as she hummed to herself. There were so many thoughts and emotions sweeping through the hunter's mind, and the one that stood out amongst them all was guilt. Guilt at taking the life of a child for a mad queen.

It was around then that she took notice of the hunter, and offered him a gentle smile. "Good morning, Skulker. Lovely day, isn't it?"

He merely nodded. "Your highness, would you walk with me? I have something I wish to discuss with you." The young woman agreed, and walked with the huntsman to the edge of the wood.

"What is it you wish to speak with me about?" she asked, arching an eyebrow and turning to face him. Her eyes fell upon his hand as he began to draw his knife, and they went wide with shock and mingled fear. "Skulker, what are you doing?" she asked, a faint trembling in her voice. He raised the weapon and closed his eyes. In that instant, with the flashing of light on the blade, she felt as though her entire life were streaming before her very eyes... or perhaps those were tears, she couldn't be sure.

He paused, looking into her face for several long, agonizing moments. His hand began to waver, his resolve crashing down around him. "I... I can't do it..." he said at last, lowering his hand and dropping the blade to the ground. "Your highness, your life is in grave danger. Your stepmother the queen has ordered you be killed and your body disposed of."

Sam's eyes drew wider still, so that she thought they might fall out if she opened them any wider. "But... why would she want to kill me?" she asked almost angrily.

"She never did say, your highness, only that you are to be killed." He fell silent. "Run. Run far away from here and hide. Don't look back."

She stepped back and nodded. "Thank you, Skulker," she whispered, then turned and dashed into the woods.

The day wore on, and after only a few hours, Tucker began to worry. It was nearly time to meet the prince in the far wood, and Sam was nowhere to be found. Even when the time came to leave he couldn't find her, so hoping that she had gone on ahead, he left for the clearing.

He arrived after the long ride, and when he saw that the prince was alone in the clearing, his heart fell.

"Hey Tuck," the prince said in greeted, jumping down from the branch he'd been sitting on. "Where's Sam?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. The dark-skinned boy shook his head.

"I was hoping she was here... I can't find her anywhere at the castle. In fact, I haven't seen her since this morning when she went out to the gardens."

The other boy's face visibly paled at the news, and he bit his lip nervously. "Do you think she's okay?" he asked, suspicion lurking through his mind. Something wasn't sitting well about this, and he had the sneaking suspicion that he knew who might be behind her sudden disappearance.

Tucker simply shrugged. "It's anyone's guess. I just hope she's not hurt."

Danny nodded, silent as he contemplated just what to do. "Tuck, you have to do something for me, okay? When you get back, try and keep an eye on the queen. Something didn't sit right with me about her."

The other nodded quietly, and the two parted ways, each of their hearts heavy with worry.

-x-0-x-

Sam didn't know how long she'd been running, only that she couldn't stop. By her guess, it'd been hours since the huntsman had spared her life. The hem of her dress was tattered and torn, and her hair had fallen out of the elegant knot it had been in behind her head. The trees around her were growing dark and menacing, almost so that she was afraid to even look at them.

But she was out of breath, and very tired, so her sprint slowed to a walk. She had no idea where she was, only that by now she was very deep in the forest and very lost. She started to despair, drawing her arms around herself, as it was very cold, and wishing to herself that she only wished she'd been able to tell someone where she'd gone, so that at least if she were lost, they might come and find her.

But it was far too late, and she was already too lost to find her way back. She was almost sure that the forest had swallowed up the tracks she'd left as well, making it nearly impossible to follow her through. That did her mind some ease, knowing that if her stepmother wanted someone to try and kill her again, they'd have a hard time of it.

She stopped short, her eyes falling on a tiny cottage in the middle of the woods, one that was rather quaint and far removed from civilization. She stepped forward, shivering tremendously, and tapped gently on the door. There was no answer, so she thought that perhaps it was abandoned. When she entered, it certainly looked as though it'd been abandoned. It was a downright mess, and that was saying something. Dishes were scattered over the table, clothes lay here and there, and it looked as though no one had picked up a duster in a good fifty years.

Even through her inspection of the cottage, she began to yawn. She'd never stopped running once Skulker had bade her run for her life. She was exhausted. Once clearing a way to the stairs through the mess, she made her way up, and found a row of seven beds, each of them unique. Sam was far too tired to investigate further, and collapsed onto the closest one and fell asleep.

-x-0-x-

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" came an angry shriek from somewhere nearby her. It was still dark, and she was rather disoriented.

"Johnny, calm down, would ya? It's just a girl," came another voice, this one far more feminine than the first one.

"She's pretty," chimed a child-like voice from the other side of her. She yawned and stretched, and heard each of the voices in the room jump.

"I don't care if she's just a girl, she's a trespasser!" the first voice complained.

"Let's stuff her in a box!" a new voice shouted. She rubbed her eyes, hoping to clear the grogginess from them. Faces around her were beginning to swim into her vision.

"Oh good, she's awake," said another feminine voice, this one silkier than the other.

"Maybe she's lost?" asked one of the figures standing around her. He had large glasses and sounded as though he were speaking with his nose plugged.

"Tell us, child, from where do you hail?" asked a wiry young man from beside her, who also wore glasses but had filled out far better than the scrawny boy beside him.

She looked at them for a moment, unsure if she ought to trust them. Then again, she had intruded into their home and fallen asleep in one of their beds, so she did suppose she owed them that much. "M-my name is Samantha, Sam for short. I'm the daughter of K-King Jeremy of Amity..." she began, and was cut off immediately by the gasps and strange looks from the figures around the room.

"The princess? What on earth are you doing in a dark place like this?" asked the first feminine voice again, which belonged to a young woman with flaming blue hair.

"I... I'm not sure... this morning, my stepmother tried to have me killed, but the huntsman told me to run and don't look back..." she murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I'm afraid that she'll try to do it again if she learns that I'm still alive." She sighed heavily.

"The queen tried to kill you? That's awful!" exclaimed the second feminine voice, which belonged to a lovely harem girl.

"We should keep her here!" came the youngest voice, which belonged to a boy who's hand was a jagged hook.

"I agree," said the frail boy with glasses.

"Yeah? Well I don't really care!" said the angry first voice, which belonged to a man who's name was apparently Johnny.

"Shush up, Johnny, you don't get to decide here," said the woman with the flaming hair. "Sweetie, if you wish it, you may stay here. My name is Ember. My friend here is Desiree."

"A pleasure," said the harem girl, giving her a slight bow and a smile.

"Likewise," the princess said, returning the bow.

"This kid here is Youngblood. He's the youngest."

He clambered up onto the bed, eying her with avid interest. "Are you really a princess?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in a way that desperately miss her friends.

"Yes, I am," she said with a smile.

"Over there you have Ghost Writer, and beside him is Sydney Poindexter."

Each of them gave her a swift bow. She smiled broadly and returned their gestures.

"This floating fool here is The Box Ghost. Just ignore him, he can get annoying at times. And lastly, that cranky-ass over there is Johnny."

He gave her a stiff nod and folded his arms.

"I'm pleased to meet all of you," she said, standing from the bed and offering them a curtsy. "And I'm very grateful to you for helping me. In return, I'd like to do something for you, if you'll allow it."

"Certainly," Desiree said kindly, sitting at a nearby table and crossing one leg over the other.

"I'd like to clean up this cottage just a little... if that's alright. It is a little messy... and I could cook for you, if you'd like."

Ember tapped her chin while she thought. "You know, a little cleaning might be refreshing. Alright, you can do that if you like. There is just one thing you must do for us."

"Anything," she said fervently, looking from face to face.

"You must promise that unless you know who it is, you will let no one into this cottage. Your stepmother is bound to figure out that you're still alive, and she'll try to kill you again if she gets the chance. Let no one in."

Sam nodded. "I swear to you I won't let in anyone I don't know."

-x-0-x-

"It is done, my queen," Skulker said quietly, kneeling before her and offering the box. She took in gingerly, and opened the lid to peer into it's contents. There lay a heart, which she believed to be Samantha's, and she cried out in terrible glee.

"AT LAST!" she shouted madly, dancing around the room with the box held high above her head. She set it nicely on her vanity, where she might see it every morning when she woke and know that she was once again the most beautiful in all the land. Of course, she had to know this truth for herself, so she dismissed the hunter and opened the closet doors that hid the magic mirror.

"Looking glass upon the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?" she asked happily, her heart swelling with pride.

And the mirror replied, "Oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see, but through the woods, where the seven ghosts dwell, Samantha is still alive and well, and none is so fair as she."

The queen's face paled and she stared, shocked and horrified, at the smoky face in the mirror. "W-what? How is this possible? That wretched huntsman betrayed me!" she shrieked, throwing the gem-encrusted box across the room and screaming loudly. From below her window, Tucker sat, his eyes wide with shock. The queen had tried to have Sam killed? And for what?

He didn't stay to question the matter further, instead dashing into the servants' wing of the castle. "Valerie!" he called when he arrived, and the girl peered up at him over her book.

"What?"

"Cover for me for a few hours! I have to go somewhere."

She sighed in resignation. "Fine, but when you get back, you better tell me what the blazes is going on," she said irritably and stood, making her way towards the kitchens.

And with that, Tucker ran, scrambling onto his horse quickly and riding hard towards their meeting place. Danny had to know what'd happened. If anything, the young prince might be able to do something about it.

Danny was waiting for him when he arrived, sitting against a tree and staring up at the deep blue sky with a look of worry in his eyes. When he saw Tucker approach his eyes fell on the boy and he asked, "Any news?"

"Yeah, and you're not gonna like it," he said wearily, breathing heavily and sitting beside his friend. "It's the queen. She tried to have Sam killed for some reason, and told the castle huntsman to bring her heart back in a box!"

The normally-warm pallor in Danny's face faded to a pale one and he gulped. "Please tell me there's good news to this," he said quietly, almost begging.

"I guess the hunter decided he couldn't do it and let her go. No one knows where she is, just that she ran off into the woods to some cottage owned by seven ghosts."

Danny heaved a sigh of relief and nodded, slumping back down against the tree. "Okay, good. Just... send word my way if something happens, okay?"

Tucker nodded, and once again the two parted ways.

-x-0-x-

Weeks passed with Samantha in the care of the ghosts who she'd come to grow so fond of. Every morning they left for their jobs in the forest, some to the copper mines, some to the jewel mines, and some to the lumber yards. When they left for their work, Sam would then set to work cleaning, humming to herself as she did so, and before they returned home, she would prepare a lovely meal for them all to share. It wasn't exactly the life of royalty she was accustomed to, but she was still alive, and that was what counted to her.

While they were away in the fields, she was left at the cottage quite alone. Every morning before leaving, Ember would give her the same warning: "Do not let anyone into the cottage. Your stepmother could have gotten to anyone, and you aren't safe around anyone but us."

And every time, Sam obeyed. Thus far, no one had come calling, so it really didn't matter too much. However, one day, that changed when a kind old peddler woman came to call.

"Trinkets to sell! Very cheap!" sounded the old woman's voice. Sam peered out the window, her eyebrow arched. The woman didn't look dangerous, so she thought nothing of it and, rather than letting the old woman in, she went out, wiping her hands on her apron.

"May I look?" she asked cautiously, brushing a stray lock of ebony hair from her eyes.

"Of course, my dear, have a look!" she said with a toothy (or not-so-toothy, as she was missing several teeth) smile. Of the objects she was carrying, the one that caught the young woman's eye was a lovely necklace, made of fine lace and silver and woven around a beautiful violet gem.

"What about this one?" she asked, holding it up to admire the quality. "It's very pretty."

"Then it is yours for the price of... oh, what about three silver pieces?"

"That would be wonderful! Here you are," she said, dropping the coins into the old woman's outstretched hand.

"Let me put it on you properly," said the woman, and then clasped it gently around the girl's neck. Sam smiled gratefully to her and returned inside the cottage, while the old peddler woman rushed off through the woods.

As Sam stood at the basin, washing the dishes, she felt almost as though the necklace were growing tighter and tighter around her neck, until she couldn't breath. She staggered back, holding her neck, until the lack of oxygen finally took her and she collapsed onto the floor, seemingly dead.

It was quite fortunate for the lovely princess of Amity that the old peddler woman had decided to visit her in the evening, around the time the ghosts would return. She might have rushed out to greet them like she normally did, where she not laying on the ground unconscious. That was the first thing the ghosts notices when they arrived at the cottage.

"That's odd..." Ember muttered to herself as she approached the door, peering around the woods to be sure that they were truly alone and no one intended to ambush them when they entered the cottage. "There's not a sound, and normally she comes out to meet us, doesn't she?" she whispered to the others, holding up a hand for them all to be as quiet as they could.

Desiree entered the cottage first, peering around for anything out of the ordinary. And then her eyes fell on the ground, where the princess lay, and she screamed.

The others dashed in immediately, looking to see what had frightened the harem girl so, and saw it to be the young princess laying on the ground, seemingly dead. Ghost Writer dashed forward, propping her up in his arms and looking for something that might revive her. Ember knelt down beside him, and her eyes came to rest at the necklace she wore around her neck.

"What in the blazes is this?" she muttered, reaching around to unclasp the lace from around her neck. It fell to the ground and shattered to dust, and Sam began to breathe once more, sputtering and coughing as though she'd inhaled water.

A collective sigh of relief swept the room, each of the ghosts breathing easily once again. Even the constantly angry Johnny seemed at ease once more.

"What happened?" asked Poindexter, who came to kneel before them.

Sam rubbed her throat, looking from ghost to ghost for a moment and trying to recall just what had happened. "I'm not sure," she said after a few moments, unable to recall the old woman or the necklace.

"Come on, dear, let's get you upstairs to rest a bit before we make dinner, alright?" Desiree offered, helping the young woman to her feet and leading her up the stairs.

-x-0-x-

The queen emerged from the woods, tearing off the disguise she wore and slipping quietly back into the castle with a mad, gleeful smile plastered to her wane face, for it was obvious that the envy and loathing in her heart had kept her from any sort of peaceful rest. She returned to her tower room and paced, chattering quite madly to herself.

"The lace should have done the trick. She should be quite dead by now," she murmured to herself, then began to groom herself for her question to the mirror, just to be certain that she would indeed still be the fairest of them all. She threw open the closet doors, looking quite pleased with herself, and said, "Looking-glass upon the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?"

The mirror was silent for several moments, and at last replied, "Oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see, but through the woods, where the seven ghosts dwell, Samantha is still alive and well, and none is so fair as she."

Again the queen began to scream, this time with more intensity of a thousand wailing banshees, and frightened all those who could hear her. "HOW is that little brat STILL ALIVE!" she shrieked, slamming the closet doors shut once more and making quite a wreck of the room in her anger. At last she calmed, running a hand through her fair red hair to steady herself. "It's no matter, then, I'll just have to try something else," she whispered to herself, sitting once again at the vanity table and staring into the mirror, looking for some answer to her dilemma in her reflection.

"Perhaps... perhaps it's time... that I used the darker arts for this problem... yes... no one will suspect a thing..." she whispered to herself, looking wildly around her room. She descended from the tower and into the lower levels of the castle, into a hidden chamber she never revealed to others, and shut herself up within it's chambers and began to plot once again.

-x-0-x-

Danny paced his chamber, staring at the ground and chewing his lip apprehensively. He didn't like not knowing if his best friend was alive or dead, nor did he like that her own stepmother had been the one to take out a contract on the girl's life. He'd seen the hatred in her eyes those many years ago, and it pained him that he hadn't done something sooner. Of course, there wasn't much that he could do right now, aside from pace his room and hope for the best.

The door creaked open and the head of his sister moved through the gap. "Danny, you should rest. You're going to worry yourself to death," she said gently, sitting on his bed and watching him as he paced.

"I know... but I can't. I know that since we haven't heard of her death so far, that probably means she's still alive. But I still can't shake this feeling that something horrible is going to happen if I don't do something about it."

Jazz nodded, feeling something close to pity for her brother. "I'd like to know why you're so worried about the princess. I mean, aren't you just friends?" she asked somewhat mischievously. He shot her a heated look and leaned against the window, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yes, we're just friends. That's it. That doesn't mean I can't be worried about her... Tuck's worried too."

The young woman nodded. "I know, I was just asking, little brother. Just... make sure you don't invest too much energy into worrying. Father's supposed to be home within a week or so. I'm sure he wouldn't want to come home to you all burned out as you are." With that she left him to his thoughts.

-x-0-x-

The weeks drifted past, the warm summer turning into a crisp autumn, and the leaves of the trees began to turn all shades of amber and red and began to fall. There had been no further incidents at the cottage, which was quite fortunate for its ghostly inhabitants and their guest. Things had gone rather smoothly after that, with all of them growing more and more fond of one another as the days went by.

Samantha stood at the water basin, washing up what was left of dinner and then moving to the sitting room, where she opened a book like she did every night and prepared to read to the others. They listened to her voice as she read to them another chapter from one of her favorite stories, which told of a beautiful young maiden trapped up high in a tower and the prince that came to rescue her.

"...and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented. The end."

"Read us another!" chimed the small Youngblood, who had sat in the young woman's lap as she had read to them. She smiled sweetly at him and closed the book, setting it on the table beside them and stood, scooping up the child as she went.

"I think it's quite time to get some rest for you," she said with a chuckle and carried him up the stairs, followed by the other six ghosts. Each of them in turn fell into sleep and she descended into the sitting room, where she'd made a bed for herself over several chairs and quickly fell asleep herself. In the morning when she woke, the others had already gone off, and so she set to work with that morning's chores. It wasn't long after she'd finished her sweeping that she heard the calls of a child from the woods.

"Help! I'm stuck!" called the child. Sam, in her worry, rushed from the cottage and out to the child, which she helped untangle from the roots.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking at the little girl with growing concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, miss," said the child, beaming up at her with gratitude.

"Oh it was nothing. You should run along before dark comes. You're quite a long way from home."

The child shrugged. "For saving me, I'd like you to have this," she said, drawing from her pocket a small, lovely barrette with lavender roses painted over it.

"It's very lovely... I couldn't possibly," she said, smiling serenely.

"Really, I wish you to have it," the child said. "I'll put it into your hair for you!" she said excitedly and beamed at the young princess.

"Alright then," Sam finally agreed, ignoring the nagging feeling in her gut. The girl stood up on her tip toes, sliding the accessory into Sam's hair and clipping it into place.

"That looks very pretty. Thank you again miss!" the little girl exclaimed and dashed off into the woods.

Sam stood and smiled, returning once again to the cottage to finish her chores. As the hours wore on, she began to feel week and disoriented, and suddenly the breath left her lungs and she collapsed once more, seemingly dead. She lay there for several hours before the ghosts returned to the cottage, and just as before, they were suspicious the moment they arrived.

"Okay, this can't be good," muttered Ember. Poindexter dashed ahead, throwing the door open to the cottage and rushing inside.

"She's here!" he called back, kneeling beside the fallen princess and lifting her head gently.

"We must catch who is doing this and shove them in a tiny box!" shouted the Box Ghost, shaking his fists wildly.

At the sight of the young woman, Youngblood immediately dissolved into tears, wailing like a banshee in the doorway. Desiree picked up the child and rocked him, looking around for some clue as to just how someone seemed to keep getting to the young princess.

Johnny knelt down beside the studious Poindexter, looking over the young woman quickly. "What's this?" he said at last, pulling the clip from her hair and dropping it. Upon touching the floor, the hair accessory shattered to dust and the girl began to breathe again, sputtering and gulp down air as though she'd inhaled water.

A collective sigh of relief went around the room. Youngblood squirmed out of the harem girl's arms and dashed to Sam, tackling her with a hug.

"We thought you were dead!" he wailed, squeezing her. While the girl comforted the child, the others ascended to the upper floor, where they closed the door to discuss just what was going on.

"I don't think she'd be stupid enough to let the old hag in twice. There's foul play at work here," Desiree muttered.

"Agreed," Ember said, folding her arms and sitting on the bed. "If it's the queen, she's got to be the world's greatest master of disguise. That girl's not thick."

"Maybe the queen's a witch?" suggested Poindexter, who was stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Ghost Writer nodded. "That would explain her disguises."

"And the POISON!" shouted the Box Ghost, who threw his arms into the air at this declaration. They all shushed him at once, and he clapped his hands over his mouth.

"So what, do we tell her she can't even go outside?" asked Johnny. "Somehow I don't think that'll help, especially not with a witch."

"I guess we just hope she learned her lesson and remembers not to touch anything that came from someone she didn't know." Ember shrugged and leaned against the headboard of her bed.

-x-0-x-

The Queen returned to the castle after having cast of the glamor she'd shrouded herself in. Once again she dashed to her room, and once again she groomed herself in preparation for speaking with the mirror. Surely this time they wouldn't discover what had happened until it was too late.

She opened the closet doors and waited for the mirror to rouse, after which she asked, "Looking-glass upon the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?"

The mirror sighed in resignation, then replied, "Oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see, but through the woods, where the seven ghosts dwell, Samantha is still alive and well, and none is so fair as she."

This time the queen was so shocked that she swooned and fainted upon her bed for several hours. She didn't awaken again until darkness had fallen, and when she did, she started to scream so loud that she might give a siren a run for her money. Tucker jumped when he heard the sound, clapping his hands over his hears to block out the horrible sound, and once it died away, he slipped outside to sit below the queen's window once more.

"She STILL lives? How is that even possible?" she growled, turning things over violently and breaking all she could reach, save for the magic mirror. It was true that by now, she was quite mad with loathing and envy that not even the king himself, should he return, could keep her in check. It was that thought that made Tucker's skin crawl.

He heard her storm from the room and followed closely, but out of sight so that the raving queen wouldn't know she was being stalked. He stood beside the door she vanished into, listening through the wood to her odd words.

"This time, she's not going to come back to life, I'll make certain of that," she growled, pouring liquids from vials into a bubbling pot. "Not when she eats this... no antidote is strong enough to counter this poison!" she babbled, and began to cackle like a wicked old crone.

The dark-skinned kitchen boy felt his heart leap into his throat. She was going to poison Sam? He turned and bolted, running right into the scullery maid.

"Valerie!" he said in surprise, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again.

"Alright Tucker, spill it! What in specters is going on?" she snapped, putting her hands on her hips stubbornly. Tucker grumbled and dragged her up the stairs and out to the gardens, far away from the door the queen was raving behind, and looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"Okay, the things is that... you've noticed the princess hasn't been around lately?"

"Yes... but didn't the queen send her away to some boarding school in the south country?"

"That's what she's telling everyone, but she didn't. Sam never when to a boarding school. The queen tried to have her killed."

The scullery maid stared at him for several long minutes, trying to discern whether he was joking or not. "Right..."

"Valerie, I'm serious! Right now as we speak, she's cooking up something to poison her! And if we don't do something soon, the princess is going to die!"

The girl's face paled. "So what are we supposed to do, go running in there like heroes and stop her?" she asked with an eyebrow quirked.

"No, just for suggesting she's using witchcraft she can have us put to death. I'm gonna try and get to Prince Daniel and see if maybe he can't do something about it, maybe get to Sam before the queen does."

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked.

"I don't know, stall her somehow. Stall her for as long as you can so I can get to Danny."

"Since when are you on such good terms with the royalty as to call them by nicknames?" she asked suspiciously.

"Never mind that right now, there'll be time for that later, just go! I'll try and get to the prince."

-x-0-x-

"Who is it?" came a voice from within the chamber. The prince hadn't left his room in days, save to eat, bathe, and speak with his sister when necessary.

"There's someone here who wishes to speak with you, your highness."

"Is it Tucker?"

"Er... no, your highness, it's the girl from the village... the one that tackled you last month."

Danny groaned inwardly. She was truly starting to get on his nerves in a way that no other human being possibly could. He opened his door slowly, grudgingly, and gave the girl on the other side a half-hearted smile. "Paulina... why are you here?" he asked, narrowing an eye at her as though trying to read her mind.

"I just wanted to drop by and say hello, your highness," she said with a broad smile that attempted to be seductive. He sighed.

Just as he was about to tell her she was wasting her time, another of the servants bolted into the room, flashing a hand signal at Danny that told him Tucker was here, and it was urgent. It was well past dark, which was odd, since Tucker usually only visited him in the day, and so he was already worried by the time he reached the stables.

"Tuck, what's going on?" he asked, closing the stable doors behind him. Tucker stood there, looking a little worn from the journey and giving the poor steed he'd ridden in on some water. The poor beast looked about to collapse.

"It'sthequeenDannyshe'sgonnakillherwehavetostopher!" he blurted, his words running together in a hardly coherent sentence. Danny placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, calm down and tell me what happened," the prince said calmly and listened as Tucker recounted exactly what he'd heard. When the other finished he found his brain stunned. "Where is she? We need to hurry," he said, trying to keep the calm from leaving his voice.

The pair saddled up on fresh horses and left, riding as fast as their horses could gallop back to Amity in hopes that they might prevent the queen from committing homicide.

-x-0-x-

Three days passed at the little cottage without further incident, which was a blessing to its ghostly inhabitants. The princess recovered wonderfully, and went back to her daily routine as though nothing had happened. However, she knew something was wrong. Why had she been bewitched twice in a row? Had her stepmother hired a witch to do off with her? Or did she have more enemies than she realized?

After stranger thoughts than these chased one another around her mind she sighed heavily and pushed them aside, figuring it best to simply ignore such strange musings until later. Instead, she found herself thinking of home, and the friends she'd been forced to leave behind because of her stepmother's insane agenda. More than anything, she found missing those nights when she and Tucker would sneak out to meet Danny in the forest and they would just lay beneath the stars and talk...

The prince's face swam into her mind and she found herself blushing. The last time they'd spoken, he'd been so near to her she could almost feel the heat from his body. She scolded herself for having those thoughts and immediately went back to work for a few moments before deciding to rest for a few minutes. What harm could it do, after all?

It was only a few moments later that she heard rustling from the woods outside the cottage and then the voice of a man as he rapped on the door. She peered out the window to see who it was and found it to be a kindly, elderly old farmer carrying a bushel of apples that appeared to be far too full.

"Can I help you?" she called through the door, biting her lip nervously. She didn't know this man, but the person she was hiding from was a woman, and so she opened the door. "Come in and sit for a moment. You look tired."

He chuckled. "Yeah, this basket is a trite too heavy," he said wearily and dropped the bushel on the porch, sitting in a chair beside the princess and mopping his brow with a handkerchief. "You know, it might help me out if you took a bunch of 'em. I have no need for so many apples, but it seemed such a waste to just leave 'em like that, so I tried to grab 'em. Here, just grab a few," he said, hoping that his offering to let her choose the apples would sate her suspicions.

It appeared that it had, and she picked four of them from the pile. The man flashed her a winning smile and the pair talked for a long time, until the sun began to move towards the western horizon.

"Well, lass, I ought to be heading to the farm. You have a good night, now, ya hear?" he said and tipped his wide-brimmed straw hat to her after picking up the considerably-lighter basket. He turned and headed into the woods, then vanished into the trees and left the young princess alone in the cottage.

-x-0-x-

Danny nearly fell off the steed as they drew up to the castle, his anxiety overcoming him as he dashed up the castle steps to find the wicked queen. Valerie rushed out to greet them, her face belying her emotions.

"I tried to stall as best I could, but she just took off! She went into the forest and followed one of the older paths, that one there," she said, pointing it out. In his desperation, Danny completely forgot about anything and everything else, including the fact that he had a horse, and dashed into the woods as fast as his legs would carry him. He spotted a trail of apples through the brush and roots, something that struck him as rather odd since these trees didn't appear to bear fruit, and it was nearly the winter months as it was.

His heart was pounding in his chest, and not due to exhaustion. He knew that if he didn't run, he was going to lose his best friend and there would be nothing he could do about it. It was right about then that he tripped, hitting the ground hard. He sat there, panting, when he heard a rustling through the trees and peered up. There was a strange old man there, looking around for anyone who might spy him. When he was satisfied, he tossed the bushel of apples to the ground and heaved a sigh of relief, then began to laugh something wicked.

Before the prince's eyes, the old man began to change, until his appearance was that of a haggard old woman. He gritted his teeth and waited until she'd dashed off deeper into the forest before standing and starting after her, careful not to make too much sound so he wouldn't alert this vile witch.

But she vanished through the trees, and he was left wondering exactly where she had gone. The sun was beginning to set in the western horizon, and soon it would be far too dark for him to find this cottage before Sam ended up in a coffin.

-x-0-x-

She hid outside the window, watching as the girl finished her chores and sat down to rest again. Sam eyed the apples, feeling hunger clawing at her belly and knowing that just one apple wasn't going to kill her. So she stood, walking across the room to the kitchen and picking through the pile of apples she'd picked out. One of them was so perfect she picked it up. It shined like a polished ruby and looked like it might taste quite good.

The queen watched, her breath held, as she slowly brought the apple to her lips and opened her mouth to take a bite. She heard rustling through the trees behind her and her heart began to race. She was short on time, and if this failed she didn't know what she was going to do. The ghosts would be here soon, and she couldn't risk their interference again.

"SAM, NO!" came a shout from behind her, but she smiled with glee when she saw it was already too late. Sam had bit into the apple, and it was not two heartbeats later that the queen saw her face pale as she began to sputter and cough. From the other side of the clearing she heard angry shouts as the ghosts arrived on the scene, spotting the woman through the bushes.

Behind her, the young prince of Gheist broke through the woods, sprinting for the cottage at break-neck speeds. She threw up her hands in victory and shrieked in glee, dancing around as though she'd just won a long, bloody war.

Danny dropped to his knees beside the fallen princess, scooping her up into his arms and pressing his forehead to her cold one. The ghosts filed into the house, kneeling down around them and peering at the girl.

Ember searched her for anything enchanted, while Desiree swept the area for anything out of the ordinary.

"Damn you... why'd you have to do it..." Danny mumbled, cradling the fallen girl in his arms. Beside him the youngest of the Ghosts was sobbing, rubbing his eyes and muttering incoherently.

"I found something!" called the Ghost writer from the kitchen, picking up the apple the princess had taken a bite out of. He sniffed it gingerly and then held it away from himself, plugging his nose in disgust.

"Poison," confirmed Johnny, who grabbed the tainted fruit and threw it out the window. It was then he spotted the rejoicing old hag, and his anger swelled to the surface once again. "Hey! It's her!" he roared, dashing out the door, followed closely by Ember and Poindexter. They rushed after the old hag, shouting curses that no one paid any heed to.

Desiree knelt beside Danny and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking her head sadly. "If only we'd arrived a moment sooner... maybe she'd still be..." she trailed off, finding the words too painful to complete.

The Box Ghost hung his head, rubbing his own eyes as he stared at the lovely girl. "I'm going to make her a box!" he said at last. "We can't put her in the cold ground, that's too dark a place for her! I shall make her a glass box so that all may see her beauty even in her final sleep!" he shouted through tears and floated off determinedly.

Danny gulped down the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him and simply cradled the girl for awhile, until his blood began to boil with rage. The old hag would have to pay for the harm she caused, queen or not. He stood, bringing Sam with him and laying her gently upon one of the beds. His eyes had become a dangerous shade of green, which caused both Desiree and Ghost Writer to draw back in shock. The prince bolted from the room, dashing after the ghosts that had vanished into the wood.

It had started to rain, he noticed. Well that was just his luck, wasn't it? It didn't matter, he was going to finish it one way or the other.

-x-0-x-

Tucker stood beside Valerie, now sick with worry. He hadn't chased after Danny, mostly because he knew he couldn't catch up, and partly because if the queen did return, he'd be able to catch her before she got too far. He hadn't more than thought the last word before she came crashing through the woods, her disguise melting away as she dashed up the stairs, mad glee spreading across her drawn face. Her mad jealousy had taken its toll on her but it mattered not to the wicked queen. She'd completed what she'd set out to do.

The two servants nodded to one another and split up, Valerie to wait for the others that were sure to follow and Tucker to make sure that the queen didn't leave the tower. The rain was pouring down in sheets now, and overhead the clouds began to rumble. This was sure to be a bad omen, but the kitchen boy paid it no heed for now. There would be time to worry about that later. He waited for the queen to vanish into the tower and sat below the window once again, listening to the sounds floating out the open window.

"At last! AT LAST!" she cried, twirling around and dancing through the room. She laughed harshly and sat down at the vanity table to groom herself before she once more asked the question that had driven her to madness to begin with.

"Looking-glass upon the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?" she asked gleefully.

The looking glass sighed in a resigned fashion, and replied, "Thou, o queen, art the fairest of all."

She shrieked in her happiness, then pranced around her room once again. It made Tucker's blood boil, knowing how close Danny must have been to saving her, and knowing that when Danny returned, he was going to be far past irate.

"Say it again!" shouted the queen, who was sneering and laughing like a hyena.

The mirror sighed once more. "Thou, o queen, art the fairest of all."

She threw her head back and laughed again. It was true, she had completely lost her senses, Tucker could tell, and so she was probably quite dangerous. This unnerved him quite a bit, since by now she probably figured that she could kill anyone she wanted and get away with it.

"You! Where's the crazy hag?" demanded a man with scraggly hair and angry eyes. Tucker simply pointed up, seeing his two companions and their ghostly complexions. They vanished into the castle. The rain came down ever harder.

Not ten seconds after they vanished into the castle did Danny come crashing through the woods, his eyes blazing a fierce shade of green that unnerved Tucker more than the mad queen. He repeated his previous action, pointing up to the tower the queen occupied. The enraged prince vanished into the castle, leaving Tucker alone outside.

From the corner of his eye he saw Valerie approach, chewing her lip apprehensively. "You saw him too?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

She nodded mutely. "Does that usually happen when he's mad?" she asked quietly. Tucker only offered a shrug in response and led the way into the castle to escape the rain.

-x-0-x-

Danny bolted through the castle, evading servants and guests who were milling around the halls. The castle was a grand thing, and far too large for any single family to live in. Somehow, he didn't think any one man had a right to build something this large unless he put maps in each hall, lest some stray guest were to be lost in the labyrinth-like halls.

He found his way well enough, though, and dashed up the steps to the tower the wicked queen was dancing around. He paused outside the door, hearing commotion already coming from within and gritting his teeth as he pushed through into the room. Three ghosts already stood there, the ones that'd chased after the old hag after spotting her in the brush near the cottage.

"How could you do that, you wicked old hag!" snarled Ember, her hair aflame.

"We ought to throw you out that window right now!" growled Johnny, advancing on the queen.

But the queen didn't appear neither startled nor frightened. On the contrary, she looked rather entertained. A dark, sinister thing of a smile spread across her face and at last she spoke.

"I feel no remorse for the little rat! She deserved every bit of what she got!" she shouted, her eyes flashing dangerously. "She had no right!" She twirled around again, and her form once again changed so that she was nothing more than a great black fiend of a spirit with gleaming red eyes. "I AM the fairest of all! She had no right to change that!" she began to shriek, her hands becoming something like claws.

Some invisible force rose up and shoved around the room. Danny dashed behind the door at the last possible second, avoiding the same fate as the ghosts in the room. They were each forced from the room via the window, and it appeared rather painfully at that. He reemerged from behind the door, drawing the blade he carried at his waist.

Before he could strike the queen dashed for another window, shoving it open and clambering out onto the balcony. Danny followed close behind, jumping onto the balcony and looking around to see where the mad woman had gone. She'd climbed out onto the roof of the castle, attempting to escape the gleaming metal Danny was bound to skewer her with.

He followed close behind, trying to avoid slipping on the wet shingles as the water came down in buckets from above. A streak of lightening shocked past them, followed shortly after by a rumbling clap of thunder. It was dangerous, being up here so high in the middle of a storm, but Danny didn't care. That woman, who had just killed the girl he... he refused to admit it to himself, even now that she was gone, but the queen had to be stopped.

At length the evil the queen had turned into stopped, turning to stare the prince down with those gleaming red eyes.

"You hope to kill me, little prince?" she hissed, smiling wickedly. "Did you love that wretched little girl?" she taunted. Danny didn't give her a verbal response, instead opting to confront her head-on. He brought up the blade, but she backed away, ducking this way and that as she avoided the sharp metal edge.

All in one instant, the queen slowed for a fraction of a second, and the tip of the blade grazed her left arm. She howled out in pain, the lurched forward and belted Danny square in the jaw, sending him toppling down the roof and coming to rest on a higher balcony. She leaped down to finish what she'd started, her clawed hands outstretched to impale him directly in the chest.

He rolled away not a moment too soon and she smacked uselessly against the stone. She swiped at him once again, growling at him for evading her so easily. She caught him in the side, tearing easily through the fabric of his tunic and the top layer of flesh. Another claw swept across his chest, the trail of blood following after her extended claws. She drew back once more.

"No one shall ever surpass me! NO ONE!" she roared, and therein Danny found his opportunity. She rose her arms one last time to bring a devastating blow around his head and he thrust the blade forward, catching her in the belly. She stopped, her breath caught in her throat, then staggered back, sliding off the blade's tip and toppling over the edge of the balcony.

Her screams echoed for only a few moments as she plummeted to the earth, and then they ceased altogether.

The young prince dropped to one knee, panting with the effort he'd set forth, and then he began the treacherous climb back to the safety of the ground.

The rain had slowed, but only a little, just enough for him to find his way down from the towers and to the ground. He heaved a heavy sigh when he arrived nearly half an hour later, leaning heavily against the wall. Tucker attempted to persuade him to allow him to bandage Danny, but the young prince refused. Instead he started for the woods, followed by the three ghosts who'd quite recently returned to consciousness.

If anything, he wanted to say goodbye one last time.

-x-0-x-

She had been moved since he'd left. It was still raining, but that didn't stop the ghosts from laying her upon a bed of flowers in a small nearby clearing. She'd been settled inside a rather lovely glass coffin, which had been made by the Box Ghost, who'd remained true to his word. Her name was scribed on the glass lid in gold, and below that her status. Danny knelt down beside the coffin and covered his eyes for a moment, then stared into the fallen princess' face. She didn't appear to be dead...

Slowly, uncertainly, he pushed back the glass lid. He could feel the box ghost bristle with anger.

"Calm down... I just wanted to say... goodbye... one last time..." he choked, brushing her hair from her face and running one hand across her cheek. She was cold, far too cold, and it made his heart lurch.

"I'm sorry, Sam... I'm sorry I wasn't there in time to save you..." he murmured, looking into her lovely face so as to impress it upon his mind forever. "I never got to tell you... that... I l-love you, Sam..." he stammered, then slowly, carefully, pressed his warm lips to her cold ones.

It was then, all at once, that her flesh became warm and her chest began to rise and fall, causing Danny to jump in surprise. He looked down, seeing her eyes flutter open, staring into his crystal ones with innocent curiosity.

"D-Danny?" she said quietly. "What happened?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. He began to laugh, a relieved, happy, thrilled laugh and scooped her up in his arms.

"I'll explain on the way home," he murmured softly, then turned to the cheers of shouts of joy from the ghosts as they jumped with glee upon seeing the princess stir. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm okay." Her smile broadened as he carried her through the woods.

-x-0-x-

The king had returned to the castle only an hour after Danny had departed into the woods for the final time, and once he'd heard the news from both Valerie and Tucker, had broke down in a display of emotion at the news of his daughter's demise. It was not ten minutes later than the steward dashed into the room, his face flush red and a broad grin on his face.

"Your majesty! It's a bloody miracle!" he shouted, nearly dancing in place as he beckoned for them to follow him. They dashed after the antsy steward to the balcony that overlooked the woods and glanced down. Tucker felt his jaw hit the ground as he watched Danny emerge from the trees, carrying a smiling Samantha in his arms. The couple was greeted by the whoops and hollers of joy from the servants and the guests, and the king melted in a display of happiness.

Tucker, Valerie, and the heavily relieved King rushed down to greet them, barraging the pair with all numbers of questions. Danny chuckled to himself.

In celebration, the king threw a grand ball that night. The seven ghosts had been invited as well, and they attended gladly, congratulating the pair as they passed by. Sam thanked each of them graciously for their help and bowed to them all, and without warning, drew them all into a tight hug.

Danny slid up to her, his hands clasped behind his back and that half-smile on his face. "May I have this dance, milady?" he asked, offering her one hand and lowering into a bow. She smiled, offering him a curtsy and taking his hand in return.

"I would love to, good sir," she said and he led her out to the dance floor. They spun through the crowd, laughing and talking as they went. It'd been nearly three months since their last meeting, and he was just grateful to have her back alive.

At last the music slowed from bouncy and wild to slow and serene, and Danny pulled the lovely princess close to him. She lay her head gently on his shoulder, and then whispered into his ear, "Danny, did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" was his curious response.

"Did you mean what you said? Do you really love me?"

He smiled broadly, snaking a hand up into her hair and drawing back just a bit to study her face. "I meant every word. I love you Sam," he murmured, then leaned in and kissed her once again. Nothing had ever felt so right in all his life, and in that moment, he swore never to let her go again.

They danced on into the night, smiling happy, and remained as such forever more.