Prologue
The East was in a period of celebration. Parades marched through village streets, homes were decorated with colourful banners and wreaths, and blossom petals were thrown everywhere. Each citizen had a huge smile on their face, proud of what they accomplished.
It had taken over a decade for the Sleeping Kingdom to recover from the sleeping curse of the past, but at last, it had restored itself to the nation it had been before. The people of the East charged into the future, reclaiming all that they had lost in the East Kingdom.
A week's worth of celebrations concluded in the great hall of Queen Sleeping Beauty's castle.
It was so crowded the entire kingdom had seemed to be there; many had to stand or sit on windowsills. The queen, her husband; King Chase; and their royal advisor sat at a high table overlooking the festiveness.
A small performance was taking place at the centre of the hall. Actors and actresses reenacted Sleeping Beauty's christening, portraying the fairies who had blessed her and the Evil Enchantress who had cursed her to die after pricking her finger on the spindle of the spinning wheel. Luckily, another fairy reformed the curse, so when the princess eventually pricked her finger, she and the entire kingdom simply went to sleep. They slept for a hundred years and the performers took great delight in re-creating the moment when King Chase kissed her and woke them all.
"I think it's time we dispose of our little gifts from the queen!" a woman shouted from the back of the hall. She stood up on the table and cheerfully gestured to her wrist. Everyone in the kingdom wore flexible bands around their wrists made from tree sap. In years prior, Queen Sleeping Beauty had instructed them to snap their wrists whenever they felt fatigue. The bands helped the citizens stay awake, fighting off lingering effects of the curse.
Fortunately, the bands weren't in need anymore. Everyone in the hall ripped them off their wrists and happily threw them into the air. "Your majesty, won't you tell as again where you learned a trick like that?" a man asked the queen about the bands.
"You'll think strangely of me when I tell you," Sleeping Beauty said. "It was a child. He and his girlfriend, Brick and Blossom, were visiting the castle a year ago. He said he used a band to keep himself awake in school and suggested the kingdom try it."
"Remarkable!" the man said and laughed with her.
"Fascinating isn't it? I believe the most extraordinary ideas come from children," the queen said. "If only we could all be so perceptive, we would find the simplest solutions to the greatest problems right under our noses."
Sleeping Beauty lightly tapped the side of her glass with a spoon. She stood and addressed the eager people.
"My friends," Sleeping Beauty said as she raised her glass. "Today marks a very special day in our history and an even better day for our future. As of this morning, our kingdom's trading deals, crop production, and overall consciousness has not only been restored but has improved since the sleeping curse was cast upon this land!"
Her people cheered so loudly the castle shook with joy. Sleeping Beauty looked to her side and shared a warm smile with her husband.
"We should not forget the horrible curse of the past, but when we look back upon a dark time, let us remember how we triumphed over it," Sleeping Beauty continued. Small tears formed in her eyes. "Let it be a warning to all who try to interfere with our prosperity: The Eastern Kingdom is here to stay and stands united against any force of evil that gets in our way!"
The approving roar was so loud a man got knocked off the windowsill he sat on.
"I have never been prouder to be among you than tonight! Here's to you!" the jubilant queen said, and the room joined in her sipping from their glasses.
"All hail Queen Beauty!" a man in the middle of the hall shouted.
"All hail the queen!" the rest of them cheered with him. "All hail the queen! All hail the queen!"
Sleeping Beauty waved at them, graciously, and took a seat. The festivities continued that night, but just before midnight, the queen was overcome by a strange sensation- a feeling she hadn't felt in years.
"Well, isn't that bizarre?" Sleeping Beauty said to herself, looking off into the distance with a sigh.
"Is there something wrong, my love?" King Chase asked.
Sleeping Beauty stood and headed toward the staircase behind them.
"You'll have to excuse me, dear," the queen said to her husband. "I'm rather sleepy."
She was just surprised to say it as he was to hear it because Sleeping Beauty hadn't slept in years. The queen had made a promise to her people that she wouldn't rest until the kingdom was properly restored; now, looking around at all the joyous faces in the hall, both the king and the queen knew that the promise had been fulfilled.
"Good night, my love, sleep well," King Chase said and kissed her hand.
In her chambers, the queen changed into her favourite nightgown and slipped into her bed for the first time in over a decade. She felt as if she were being reunited with old friends. She had forgotten the feeling of the cool blanket against her legs and arms, the softness of her pillow, and the sinking sensation as she settled into the mattress.
The sounds of celebration could be heard in the queen's chambers, but she didn't mind: They were actually soothing to her. Sleeping Beauty took a deep breath and fell into a very deep sleep.
When King Chase joined her later, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his wife peacefully sleeping. He hadn't seen her look this way since the day he saw her for the first time.
In the great hall, the celebration finally concluded. The lamps and fireplaces were extinguished throughout the castle. The servants finished cleaning up and were dismissed to their quarters.
All was finally quiet in the castle. But few hours before dawn the silence was broken.
Sleeping Beauty and King Chase were awoken by thunderous banging on their chamber door. The king and queen instantly sat up.
"Your Majesty!" a soldier shouted from the other side of the door. "Forgive me, but we must come inside."
The door burst open and the royal advisor ran into the room, followed by a dozen suited guards. They surrounded the bed.
"What on earth is going on?!" King Chase yelled. "How dare you barge into our-"
"I'm so sorry, Your Highness, but we must get the queen to safety immediately," the advisor said.
"Safety?" Sleeping Beauty asked.
"We'll explain on the way there, Your Majesty," the advisor said. "But right now we must get you into the carriage as fast as possible- only you. Travelling alone will be much less conspicuous than transporting you and the king."
The advisor looked at her with frantic eyes, begging her to oblige. The queen froze.
"Chase?!" Sleeping Beauty said and looked to her husband she wasn't sure what to do.
The king was at loss for words. "If they say you need to go then you must go," was all that he could muster.
"I cannot leave my people," Sleeping Beauty said.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, you're no good to anyone dead," the advisor said.
Sleeping Beauty felt the pit of her stomach drop. 'What did he mean, dead?' she thought.
Before Sleeping Beauty knew it, the guards had lifted her out of bed and onto her feet. They quickly escorted her and the advisor out of the door. She didn't even get to say good-bye.
They rushed down a spiral staircase to lower the levels of the castle. The stone steps were rough on the queen's bare feet.
"Someone, please tell me what is happening!" Sleeping Beauty shouted.
"We must get you out of the kingdom as quickly as possible," the advisor said.
"Why?" she asked, starting to fight off the guards escorting her. "No," one replied. She stopped, almost immediately, in the middle of the stairs, solid as a rock. "I won't move until someone informs me! I am the queen! I have the right to know!"
The advisor's face went pale.
"I don't mean to alarm you anymore, Your Majesty," he said, his jaw quivering. "But shortly after midnight...after all the guests had gone home...two soldiers on duty near the front of the castle witnessed a bright flash of light and a spinning wheel appeared out of thin air."
Sleeping Beauty's eyes grew wide and any sort of pigment faded quickly from her face.
"They didn't think it was anything serious- a foolish prank to spoil our party this evening, perhaps," he continued. "The soldiers went to inspect the spinning wheel and it burst into flames. As soon as it happened, something else occurred."
"And what was that?" she asked with a straight face
"The vines and thorn bushes that covered the castle during the sleeping curse- the plants were cleared out and dumped in the Thornbush Pit- are growing back quickly," he told her. "I've never seen something grow so fast; nearly half of the castle is covered already. The plants are consuming the entire kingdom."
"Are you telling me that the curse in the Thornbush Pit has spread throughout the kingdom?" Sleeping Beauty asked.
"No, Your Majesty," the advisor said with a heavy gulp. "...That was just an old witch's curse. This is a dark magic...a very powerful dark magic...The kind our kingdom has only been exposed to once before."
"No." Sleeping Beauty gasped and covered her mouth. "You don't mean..?"
"Yes, I am afraid so," the advisor said. "Now please cooperate with us! We must get you out of the kingdom as quickly as possible."
The guards grabbed hold of the queen again and they travelled deeper into the castle; this time she did not fight them. They ran down the stairs until there were no more stairs to descend. They shot through a pair of wooden doors and Sleeping Beauty found herself in a castle of stables.
There were four carriages in front of her. Each was circled by a dozen soldiers on horses and ready to depart at any second. Three of the carriages were a bright white and golden, but she was escorted to the fourth, a small, dull, and boring one. The soldiers surrounding this carriage weren't dressed in armour like the others, they were disguised as farmers and townspeople.
The guards lifted the queen inside it. There was barely enough room for her to sit but she managed.
"And my husband?" Sleeping Beauty asked as she put her hand out to prevent them from shutting the door behind her.
"He'll be alright, ma'am," the advisor said. "The king and I'll be travelling as soon as we send out the decoy carriages We've had this planned in the event of the castle being under attack. Trust me; it's the safest way."
"I never authorised such plans!" Sleeping Beauty said sternly.
"No, it was your parents' order," the advisor said. "It was one of the last things they instructed before their death."
This news made the queen's heart pound even harder. Her parents had spent their majority of their lives trying to protect her death, and even in death, they were still trying.
"Where am I going?" she asked in a soft whisper
"The Fairy Kingdom for now," the advisor said. "You'll be safest with the fairies. The decoy carriages will be going in other directions as a distraction. Now, you must hurry."
He gently pushed her inside and shut the carriage door firmly behind her. Even the dozens of guards surrounding her did little to comfort her. She knew the situation was beyond their ability to protect her.
The advisor nodded to the decoy carriages and they set off. A few moments later he nodded to her driver and, like lightning, the queen's carriage was gone in a flash, the horses galloping at full speed.
Through her carriages tiny windows, Sleeping Beauty saw the horrors that the advisor had described to her.
Scattered all across the castle grounds she saw soldiers and servants fighting off the thorn bushes and vine that were growing around them. The plants grew straight out of the ground and attacked them like snakes wrapping around their prey. The vines crept up the sides of the castle, breaking through the window and pulling people out, dangling them hundreds of feet in the air.
Thorns and vines shot out of the ground toward Sleeping Beauty's carriage, but the soldiers were quick to slice them with their swords.
Queen Sleeping Beauty never felt so helpless in her life. She saw villagers -some within reach of her carriage- fall victim to the leafy monsters. There was nothing she could do to help them. All she could do was watch and hope she could find help once she reached the Fairy Kingdom. The guilt of leaving her husband and kingdom behind weighed heavily on her, but the advisor was right: She'd do no good to anyone dead.
The castle grew smaller and smaller behind her as the carriage travelled away from the devastation. Soon they were passing through a forest and all the queen could see behind her were dark trees for miles and miles.
Even after an hour of travelling, Sleeping Beauty was as scared as ever. She kept whispering to herself 'We're almost there... We're almost there' though she had no idea how close they were.
Suddenly, a high-pitched whooshing sound came from the trees. Sleeping Beauty looked out the window just in time to see a soldier and his horse thrown high into the forest beside the path. Another whooshing sound swooped toward them, and another soldier had been thrown except they were on the other side of the path.
Every other second was filled with terrifying cries of the soldiers and horses being flung into the forest. Whatever was out there, it was picking them off one by one.
Sleeping Beauty crouched down, trembling, on the floorboard of the carriage. She knew it was only a matter of time before all the soldiers were gone.
One final swoop took the remaining horses and soldiers with it; their cries echoed into the night. The carriage crashed onto the ground falling off its side, and skidding until coming to a stop. Everything was quiet in the forest now. There wasn't a sound of wounded soldiers or horses. The queen was all alone.
Sleeping Beauty crawled through the carriage door and carefully made her way down to the ground. She was limping and clutched her left wrist but was so frightened she barely felt her injuries.
Was the attack over? Could she safely call for help or search for survivors? Surely, if whatever was out there wanted her dead, she would have been killed by now.
Sleeping Beauty was just about to call for help when a blinding flash of violet light filled the forest. The queen screamed covering her face- but the flash only lasted a second. She smelt smoke and then realised the whole forest was ablaze and in the centre of the forest there was a spinning wheel.
There was no denying it now the kingdom's greatest fear had come true.
"The Sedusa," Sleeping Beauty whispered to herself. "She's back."