The Adventures of Maggie Marvel
"Once Upon A Time"
Chapter 1 – Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
In an older and darker world, still full of dragons, ogres, trolls, and many other monsters, there were many magical kingdoms peppered across the lands. There were adventures to be had, quests to be taken and damsels to be rescued. The lands were vast, and what was not claimed as a kingdom, was left undiscovered by humans until a soul brave enough would seek out adventure in these lands and claim it as a part of his kingdom.
Every kingdom had their own king, and like in most fairy tales, these kings were brave and noble rulers - men who ruled their subjects with integrity and good intentions. Yet, in the universe there always needs to be a balance. So it was that pure evil lurked in these lands as well, and this evil was now ready to make its presence known.
In this world, kings and warriors would announce themselves by name, and depending on how well known their name was, would often times mean how successful a warrior they were, or how beloved a king was by his people. There were other ways to make a name for ones self, and such was the way of evil. This evil's name was King Rustin, and all who spoke his name, spoke it in fear.
No one ever saw him, and they said to see him or address him meant certain death.
He was consumed with what could only be described as an unquenchable thirst for power…and lots of it. King Rustin was already rich beyond anyone's imagination, no one knew how, but he already had more than enough gold for anyone's lifetime when he began conquering other kingdoms.
King Rustin did not have a queen, nor did he have a son to be his heir. Most assumed that the king had killed his queen, because he did have many beautiful daughters. It was said that each of these daughters had a special gift, and that they were the ones who that helped King Rustin expand his rule over many lands.
The desire to keep all of this attained power, as well as pure spite, consumed King Rustin, and he ordered that all male heirs in every kingdom be killed or turned over to him. Then it would only be a matter of time before he and his daughters would rule all of the lands. Sadly, many kings and kingdoms complied. Others decided to fight, sending out their best knights, warriors, and even the princes themselves.
The lucky ones died quickly, the rest were left to fates worse than death, and none were heard from again.
This is where our story begins…
Once upon a time…in a forest so bleak, the trees bore no leaves, and only the faintest of light ever found it's way through to the forest's lone path…the full moon gave off an eerie glow, and illuminated the forest's sole pedestrian.
A girl with a hood strolls down the path. She seems to struggle with what looks like a very full basket. She notices that the night has become wrongfully quiet. The wind has ceased to howl, and even the crickets have stopped chirping. She pulls her emerald-green cape a little tighter for warmth. The girl stops to acknowledge a branch snapping behind her. She whips her head around, but there is no one there.
As she continues on her way she can hear someone, or something, panting. The heavy breathing gets closer, and once again, she turns to see what is behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a silhouette moving back into the bushes. She's sure of it; something is slowly stalking her. Hesitant, she stops and reaches into her basket.
That's when the creature from the bushes pounces! The girl looks up in time to see a massive werewolf falling down upon her. Far from helpless, she pulls a sword out of the basket, and slices the beast's belly. The creature yelps and falls to its knees.
The werewolf looks up at her. A primal rage paints its face. Already, the gash in its belly begins to heal, and once again the werewolf attacks the girl. Her movements are swift, and coordinated, and her sword is but a blur. She makes the creature bleed, and it howls in frustration, grabbing its wounded shoulder.
Frustrated, the werewolf charges the girl, its arms outstretched and reaching for the hooded head. She thrusts her sword upwards, and chops off one of the monster's hands. The werewolf now falls to its knees, whimpering.
Finally, the girl speaks, "I'm sure your hand will grow back, creature. Although I can only imagine that it must hurt terribly."
Enraged, the creature howls and runs away.
The hooded girl gives chase, but she is no match for the werewolf's supernatural speed. Even in its wounded state, the werewolf is able to get a sizable lead.
While she loses sight of the werewolf, the girl does not give up. Using broken branches and an occasional spill of blood on the dirt, she is on the trail of the monster.
As she closes in, she is surprised to hear someone crying. These woods were not a safe place for the bravest of knights - let alone what sounded like a young girl, very near to her own age.
There on the path ahead of her, is another hooded girl. Her blood-red hood and cape look haggard and torn.
"Are you okay, my friend?"
The red-hooded girl wipes at her tears and shakes her head, "No."
"What happened here?"
The crying girl sniffs and says, "It was a monster. It took my basket. A basket that looked just like the one you're holding."
The green-hooded girl puts her basket down and her sword to her side.
"Are you hurt?"
The red-hooded girl nods, all the while hiding her hand.
The green-hooded girl thinks that this is an awful coincidence.
"Would you like me to look at your hand?"
"No" comes the other girl's reply.
Odd though it may be, the green-hooded girl chooses to ignore the girl's hand…for now.
"Do you live near here?" she asks the crying girl.
The girl replies, "Yes, not far."
"I have been led to believe that a horrendous monster terrorizes this forest. Is that what stole your basket?"
The girl wipes her tears away and stands. "Yes, but that was such a long time ago."
"That's odd; you said that it just took your basket. Did you not?"
The girl ominously walks towards the green-hooded girl, at a slow but deliberate pace.
"No. I merely said that it took my basket, you made the assumption that it had just happened."
The green-hooded girl cautiously raises her sword.
"I'm sorry, friend. I didn't get your name. Yet, now that I see your attire, I have a pretty good idea of who you are."
The girl who had been crying stops, and she pulls out what the green-hooded girl thought had been an injured hand, but it was perfect, not even a scratch. The crying girl oddly inspects her own hand. It seems as if she is admiring it for the first time. Then she slowly lifts her head and removes her hood.
"Please forgive my manners. My name is Red Riding Hood."
The green-hooded girl is speechless.
Red Riding Hood continues, "…And who would you be, stranger?"
The girl replies, "My name is Magenta, Maggie to my friends."
Red Riding Hood doesn't immediately respond. She glares at Magenta instead. Finally, she answers dryly, "Well, Magenta…why would you wear a green hood? Isn't magenta a reddish color?"
Maggie pauses, "The hood belongs to my father."
"Your father wears a green-hooded cape?"
"Among other things, yes," Maggie says proudly. "This is special to me. It was his when he first met my mother."
Red Riding Hood mocks her, "How sweet. Sickening, but sweet."
Maggie doesn't like this girl, and wonders how someone who had moments earlier seemed so frightened, could instantaneously become such a witch! Maggie kept her wits about her though, and decided to see what else she could learn from Red Riding Hood.
"Hasn't your father ever given you anything?"
Red Riding Hood lets out a hearty laugh, "My daddy has given me many things…this forest among them."
Maggie responds, "That's funny. My father gave me a forest too, but he also gave it to everyone in our kingdom. It was for us all to share."
"My father and I share nothing. We take what we want and keep it for ourselves."
"Well then, perhaps when I get back from slaying this forest's monster, I shall return to teach you how to share?"
Red Riding Hood becomes livid.
"Why pray tell, are you here in my forest with your father's hood, that basket, and looking for a monster, Magenta?"
"I have been told that this was once a lush and providing forest; one whose path makes travel much more convenient and much faster. Yet there's been so much evil done here. Many knights and princes have entered through those trees to combat that evil, and they've all disappeared. My brother among them."
Red Riding Hood giggles. "Ah. I see. You know, I've met many of these knights and princes that you speak of. In fact, I've killed several of them myself."
Maggie had been nervously playing with the handle of her sword. Now she unsheathes it, and points it at Red Riding Hood. Her anger boils the blood in her veins.
"Do not test me, Red Riding Hood. This is not something I wish to share a laugh over."
Red Riding Hood's eyes glow yellow.
"I have no intention of sharing anything with you, Magenta. This is our forest, and daddy says we don't like visitors!"
"Your daddy being King Rustin, I'd bet."
Red Riding Hood smiles and nods, then teasingly says, "You know, it's such an old habit of mine, but one I can't seem to shake; I am absolutely dying to know what's in your basket."
Maggie shrugs, "Just a few things."
Red Riding Hood smiles, "Well, if you were to share the basket with me, and everything inside, then maybe I'll kill you quickly…maybe."
Maggie says, "Did you not just say that you weren't fond of sharing?"
Red Riding Hood snarls, "Only when it works in my favor. I guess you could say that I'm somewhat spoiled in that way. Last chance, are you going to yield your basket?"
Maggie raises her sword, "Never."
Red Riding Hood tears the hood off of her head, and begins a transformation.
Maggie can only stare in amazement at the horror unfolding in front of her.
Red Riding Hood completes her metamorphosis. Where there was once a beautiful young woman, now stood the towering werewolf that Maggie had fought earlier.
Maggie is scared. While she had stood her ground against it only minutes before, to see the actual transformation unnerved her. She still manages to ask, "So. You're the big bad wolf that roams this forest?"
Red Riding Hood snarls, "I can't take all the credit, my grandmother passed this gift onto me many years ago."
Maggie removes her hood as well. "Gift? I would say it's more of a curse."
Red Riding Hood howls and takes a swipe at Magenta with one of her razor sharp claws. Maggie ducks under the attack, and then back-flips away from another assault.
Red Riding Hood is relentless, and continues flailing away at Maggie. Maggie uses her sword to block the attacks, and sparks fly off of Maggie's sword, as it collides with Red Riding Hood's razor-sharp claws.
The two combatants separate for the moment.
"You caught me by surprise the first time, Magenta. You aren't going to cut me with your sword again. Besides, as you can see, I heal very quickly."
Maggie inspects her sword, and says with false bravado, "I tend to learn from my mistakes."
Red Riding Hood smiles at Magenta's fear, her big teeth dripping with drool.
Maggie slowly backs away, "My…what big teeth you have."
With that statement, Red Riding Hood leaps at Maggie. Maggie throws her sword at Red Riding Hood, trying to slow her down. The werewolf catches the sword, but Maggie was able to get a head start, crashing off of the path, and heading into the deep forest. All the while, holding onto her basket.
Red Riding Hood gives chase, her animal instincts telling her exactly where Maggie has gone, and her powerful hind legs launching her forward to where Maggie would be. Trees fall before her, and Maggie can hear Red Riding Hood getting closer. Tears start to well in her eyes, she might die here and no one would ever know what happened to her.
If only she would've told her parents what she was planning.
Just as Maggie starts to feel sorry for her self, she feels something else well up from inside of her. Anger. It told her not to give up. Never give up.
Inevitably, Red Riding Hood catches up with Maggie and pounces on her, knocking her down. Maggie lands on her basket, crushing it. She scrambles backwards, afraid for her life, only to have Red Riding Hood press her claws down against Maggie's shoulders, pinning her to the ground.
"Goodbye, Magenta. Like the rest of the poor souls who have come into this forest before you, no one will ever remember you."
Then Red Riding Hood lifts herself off of Maggie, her fangs bared. With the werewolf off of her, Maggie painstakingly reaches into her crushed basket. It feels like her ribs are broken, and every breath burns her insides.
Maggie pulls out a silver stake, and as Red Riding Hood crashes onto her, Magenta raises the stake, thrusting it directly into the werewolf's chest.
Gritting her teeth in pain, Maggie triumphantly says, "You did say you wanted to share my basket. It wasn't cheap, but I brought this silver especially for you."
Red Riding Hood screams out in agony, and falls in a heap next to Maggie. Her last breaths were ragged, and she reverts back to human form. Maggie was now able to crawl out from under her.
Maggie brushes herself off, removing most of the grass, yet smearing a lot of Red Riding Hood's blood on her hooded cape. She picks up her basket, and solemnly puts the hood over her head once more.
Maggie was proud of herself. This was her first adventure without her father, her mother, or even her brother, and she came out victorious. Maybe she really didn't need anyone else? Maybe this was something she could do alone?
Maggie was no fool, though. She knew that there were many more adventures to come, and that her next adventure could always be her last. Determined, she gets back onto the forest path.
She looks back and says to no one in particular, "My name is Maggie Marvel, and very soon, everyone will know my name."
With that, Maggie begins to walk out of the forest, oblivious to the dark figure leaning over Red Riding Hood's corpse.
End of Chapter 1
Chapter 2 – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Maggie sleeps near a campfire, her sword against her chest. A bloodcurdling scream wakes her, and she jumps to her feet, looking for the source of the scream. It comes from the dark tower on the horizon. The tower is why she's here. It's huge. Its apex reaches upwards and touches the clouds. There is a lone light in a window near the top of the tower, and after a second scream, the light immediately goes out.
Maggie feels a new chill in the air. That tower was evil. She had felt the evil in Red Riding Hood's forest, but this felt worse. Maggie wouldn't be able to sleep the rest of the night. No matter, she would simply get an early start in the morning. There was no way she wanted to be in that tower when it was dark.
At daybreak, Maggie puts out her campfire, and packs her belongings into a bag. Her basket had been damaged beyond repair in the scuffle with Red Riding Hood. No matter, because the basket was instrumental for her last adventure, she wouldn't need it again.
The hike was a long one, and it took Maggie most of the day. When she finally got to the tower, Maggie realized yet another problem she had not accounted for – the tower had no doors, and therefore no stairs. Maggie looked upwards into the dizzying heights, and up close, the tower appeared to be swaying. Maggie couldn't see the window from the bottom, but she did hear a scream for help.
Maggie stepped back and tried to figure out how she was going to get to the top. As if in answer to her question, what looked like a massive rope fell down the side of the tower. Cautiously, Maggie approaches the rope and looks up again, waiting to see if anything else was about to come crashing down.
As Maggie got closer, she saw that the rope was in fact hair! The tresses were wound tightly in a braid, and it led all the way to the top of the tower. Maggie slowly reaches for the hair, and she noticed that the hair seemed to be pulsating. More accurately, it seemed to breathe, and it seemed to be waiting for Maggie to grab hold of it.
Maggie's curiosity of the hair exceeded her repulsion of it, and she reaches for it. As her fingertips make contact with it, the hair instantly retreats from her. It pulls back and Maggie can't help but to feel that the hair seemed disgusted by her.
Before she can form another thought, the hair pulls itself upwards and back into the clouds. From above, she hears an angry, almost demonic scream of, "No!"
Maggie can only imagine what kind of horror would make someone scream like that. She steps back to think. Once again, she had no way of reaching the top.
She lays out the bag of items that her father had always deemed necessary when he went on an adventure: a sword, a couple of knives, a bow, a quiver full of arrows, some rope (but not nearly enough to climb this tower's great height), and a wooden staff.
Other than the rope, the rest of these items were weapons, and not much use in a rescue. She wanted to be angry with her dad, but he had always had her best interest at heart, and besides, he didn't want her to leave. She packed this bag on her own and left.
What would her dad do?
She sighed. Her dad would pick up the bow along with the quiver of arrows. He loved his bow, and always said that a bow and some arrows could get him out of any situation. What would he do with it in this situation? Shoot some arrows at the tower?
Maggie laughed at herself and such a silly thought…or was it?
Maggie grabs the bow and her quiver, and like lightning, she shoots six arrows into the tower. She was a great shot, and took a moment to admire her work. She had given herself a pretty good start at a ladder. As long as she spaced them out far enough, she might have enough arrows. All she had to do was get close enough to use her rope.
She laughed again at the usage of the bow and arrows, and the newfound simplicity of it all. She silently mutters to herself, "Thanks, Dad."
The climb had taken longer than Maggie had thought, and the sun was going down. As Maggie pulled herself into the window, she could feel the chill from the previous evening returning. Her whole body shivered, and Maggie suddenly wanted to climb back down.
The smell coming from the room was nauseating. Maggie held her breath as she stepped into something that crunched under her foot. Her first thought was that she was glad she listened to her mother and left her dresses at home. Those silky things would definitely have been ruined by whatever she was standing in.
She looked down and instantly wished that she hadn't.
At her feet, and in fact littered across the whole room, were bones. She could only guess that these were the remains of all the princes and knights who had come here before her. There was no doubt they had all been here with the noblest intentions of rescuing the fair princess, Rapunzel. Maggie on the other hand…hold on, what was that at her feet?
Maggie looked down in time to see the snake-like hair wrap around her ankles, lift her up, and throw her against a wall. The world around her slowly began to fold, and eventually went dark.
Maggie dreamt. In her dream, she was reunited with her parents. On occasion, her father would teach her the finer points to fighting, while her mother, an accomplished fighter herself, would cheer her on.
In this particular dream, Maggie was fighting her dad atop an old tree that had collapsed over a stream. Her father was a master of many weapons, and on this day, they fought with their wooden staffs. Her father would laugh as Maggie did her best to block all of his blows.
Maggie was confident, but her father moved faster than humanly possible, and he used his staff to trip her, knocking her off of the log.
Her mother would politely clap for her husband's victory, but deep down, she always rooted for Maggie. Maggie's father hoped that Maggie would one day beat him as well, but he did not see any advantage in letting Maggie win. He looked over the side to fish Maggie out of the stream, only to see Maggie hanging on to the side of the log, smiling.
Before he could react, Maggie reached up and pulled him down into the stream. Maggie and her mother laughed, and her drenched father could only shake his head in wonder. She would never forget his words on that day, "Maggie, you are truly a marvel."
Maggie slowly regained consciousness, and the smell of the room made her gag. She opened her eyes to see a very beautiful princess, with very long and golden hair.
Then Maggie realized that she was tied to a wall.
"Princess Rapunzel?" Maggie asked.
"That is my name, stranger" replied Rapunzel, "and who are you?"
Just as when she met Red Riding Hood, Maggie is nice to Rapunzel to a fault. Hoping that she was not only rescuing Rapunzel, but also making a new friend. "My name is Magenta - Maggie to my friends."
Rapunzel is offended by the word 'friends', and does not hide her disgust.
"Why are you here, Magenta?" she asks.
Maggie looked at the ropes that bound her and asks, "Why did you tie me up?"
Rapunzel was annoyed, "Dear, Magenta, don't you know it's rude to answer a question with a question?"
Maggie was now somewhat annoyed herself, but remembered that even though her father had trained her in the ways of a warrior, her mother had also taught her to be a lady. "Forgive me, fair Rapunzel. I have forgotten my place. Shackles digging into your wrist will do that to you. However, I am on a quest, and that quest has taken me across many lands, and led me here to your castle. I think I am here to rescue you."
Rapunzel laughs, and her cackling upset Maggie.
"You're here to rescue me? Why, whatever from?"
Maggie keeps Rapunzel talking, all the while using a tiny tool hidden in her bracelet to cut her shackles.
"From whatever monster that has done this to these fine men scattered at my feet."
In much the same way it had done earlier, Rapunzel's hair comes alive, whipping towards Maggie, and slashing into her shoulder. Maggie cries out in pain.
Rapunzel begins to pace, "These fine people? They are nothing more than thugs dressed as knights, and brats dressed as royalty."
Exhausted, Maggie asks, "More dead princes?"
Still pacing, Rapunzel's features begin to change. Her lovely locks of hair slowly flake and scale, each individual strand now hissing at Maggie.
The snake-like visage of Rapunzel hisses, "What would compel these foolish men into such meaningless acts of heroism?"
The fear continues to build in Maggie as she watches yet another transformation - first Red Riding Hood, and now Rapunzel. Coincidence? Scared, she speeds her efforts in cutting the shackles that hold her. She still needs time, so she tries to distract Rapunzel.
Maggie replies, "Because it is the right thing to do!"
The demonic Rapunzel counters, "No! The right thing to do would have been to accept my father as the ruler of all of these kingdoms! Though it matters naught, because my sisters and I have been removing all traces of royalty. One prince at a time."
Maggie finally frees herself, and reaches for her sword. She stands against Rapunzel, ready to fight.
"Silly, Magenta. What can you do so differently from all of the warriors before you? Speaking of which, why would your kingdom send a girl, rather than a prince?"
The comment upsets Maggie, and while she doesn't have to, she answers Rapunzel, "No one knows I am here. I have done this all on my own!"
Maggie slices each snake-strand of hair as it whips out at her, cutting off piece after piece. Yet no matter how valiantly she fights, another strand of hair replaces the one she cut off, much like the mythological Hydra.
Rapunzel laughs, "Many others have tried the same as you, and it all just results in a minor haircut for me. You may want to watch out for my bangs, they're quite unruly."
With that, the front serpents of Rapunzel's hair shoot forward, and Maggie has to muster all of her speed to slice those strands off as well.
"You are yet another daughter of the evil King Rustin, are you not, Rapunzel?"
"Yes, King Rustin is my father, but I see nothing evil about him."
"I would call murdering all of these men evil, and if you are doing so in his name, then he is responsible for your actions!"
As Maggie continues to fight off the living locks, Rapunzel explains to her, "Don't worry. I didn't kill any of them right away. It gets so lonely in this tower that I always play with them first. Eventually though, they all beg me to kill them."
Maggie has been backed up to the tower window. "Are you saying that you have no way out of here as well?"
Rapunzel uses her hair to push Maggie to the edge of the window. "As you did, all of my playmates find their way up to me, why should I leave? Speaking of which, Magenta, my hair has felt the touch of your hands, and I know you're a princess. So now you have to die too."
With that, Rapunzel's hair pulls Maggie's sword out of her hands, and shoves Maggie out of the tower window. Maggie screams on the long way down.
Rapunzel laughs maniacally. She kicks a skull out of her way and peeks out the window. Looking down, she sees that Maggie has used a knife to wedge into the tower, stopping her fall. With a second knife, Maggie reaches up and beheads the demon Rapunzel.
With her dead, and her head falling towards the ground below, the serpents once again become real hair, and the length of it races downward past Maggie as she climbs back into the tower. Seeing the last strands of it, Maggie grabs a handful, and tangles it up into the stones the tower was built of. She hears a thud from far below, and the hair pulls taut.
Maggie takes one last look at the carnage surrounding her, and slowly begins to climb down Rapunzel's beheaded hair. It's dark now, and all she wants to do is rest. When she leaves the next morning, she is still very tired, but she knows that she has to keep moving.
Fatigued, she fails to notice that her arrows are no longer lodged in the tower walls.
End Chapter 2