Chapter One- Not Like Other Fairytales
The dark gray of the crumbling stone castle was crawling with creeping ivy and water ran through the groves carved out through decades of neglect. The massive gate surround the citadel has folded in on itself making pushing and moving open near impossible, forcing all outsiders the think twice before attempting to enter. The broke jagged edges of stone jutting out of the mist covered stagnant waters outside the gates. Remnants of the drawbridge shattered and scattered across the weed infested ground. The once beautiful palace of Merveilles left in ruins was the dark deities used their evil magic to cast a curse upon the prince and princesses within.
No one has dared to pass through the Roze Herzen Forest in over one hundred years due to the dense fog and poisonous man eating plants that the demented silver witch placed in there to dissuade potential heroes from trying to revive the rulers of Merveilles. The Caballeros Blancos, ten giant statues resembling chess pieces, which used to stand guard outside the Roze Herzen Forest, no longer fueled by the magiks of Merveilles have crumbled into piles of shining ash. Instead the bloody bad wolf has placed his army along the border to patrol, even after all these years they still fear and uprising.
The seer Valack as prophecies an uprising on the horizon from his confidents in the land of Echoes that has causes an uproar with in the dark community. He could not predict the exact time but he knows it is closing in and he knows that Merveilles will return and the light powers will return to rescue their followers before the dark ones can corrupt them all and break threw to the human world.
All the heroes of the old world have been imprisoned leaving only the serfs to tend the lands and lords to tend the serfs. Any peasants who remotely glance up from the ground when a dark lord is passing is punished, the people live in fear, so it is hard to fathom who would have the courage to step up. Any magicikal being had been put on notice, if any witch was found out they were flayed, any werewolf shifted they were tanned, any banshee screaming her voice was removes]d, and if anyone's eyes flashed to show power they were considered a threat and first their eyes were removed and then they were killed in a public setting to make an example of them.
But just out of sight in the Colli Anialwch there was such a band of heroes. Hidden deep beneath the golden sands of times searching for their way to restore this once majestic land. The dark ones dare not set foot on the sands of Colli Anialwch, even though they were a supposedly all powerful band of thieves, they still feared the curse the sand places upon those this dark hearts. The Curse of Croen Hen did not settle well with their vain sensibilities, the fear of aging made the desert sands a safe hide a way for the future heroes.
The caverns underneath the hot sands offered plenty of shelter and storage for them to practice their abilities and survive without getting thrown into own of the dungeons. They heroes tended to lose track of time under the sands in their endeavors to try and resurrect Merveilles, only knowing what time had passed when they would enter into nearby towns for supplies and food. Their water source was an underground river that comes from the Mountains of Oglinzi Sparte. Water from the mountains used to flow through every fountain in the grand court yard in Merveilles, the waters were said to keep your souls pure of evil.
- {::}-
"Hood! Come quickly!" A beautiful red headed young woman comes rushing into a big opening in the intertwining tunnels of the caverns. Her beaten golden leather pants form fitting to her body and her white blouse bellows out from underneath the tighter fitting blue leather vest corset combo. Her knee high riding boots match her blue top on the hard soles crack the ground of the tunnel in a summing motion as she looks around.
She purses her perfectly pale pink lips and looks around playing with the silver and gold locket around her neck with a bird in flight upon in. Her earthy eyes narrow as she clicks her tongue against the top of her mouth. "HOOD!"
"Hold your pretty little horses I'm coming." The voice echoes sarcastically all around her and she drops her hand from her grandmother's necklace and places both her hands on her hips. She finally hears scuffing noises coming from her right and she turns to see a young man a head taller than her walking out.
He had a mess of dark hair on top of his pale head, his lips just as pink as hers and nearly as plump. He lifts his big amber eyes up and looks at her giving her a cheeky smile. His red leather riding jacket complete with hood was buckled around his thin but toned torso. His brown leather riding boots nearly blended into his pants that there almost the same color.
"So what do I owe the pleasure Beauty?"
"Gen has found a way into Merveilles. Or so he claims. I thought I would come and get you, he says he can only take two with him. And if you want it to be use we need to be back now. You know how persuasive the Warrior and Fox are." She glares at him.
"Then what are we waiting for?" He grins and hook her elbow dragging his hand down to hers intertwining their fingers and dragging her down the tunnels to where he knows the Genie likes to stay.
They round the corner into the well lit room and there are several colorful rugs lining the sides of the cave walls and the floor. The Genie loved to have color surround him, which is why he always used his magik to keep various colors of fire burning in his section of the cave. He was currently sitting on his mound of brightly colored pillows he called a bed. He was playing with a gold tassel connected to a giant purple pillow under his arm as the fox talked to him.
He's blue eyes light up as he sees Hood and Beauty walk into the room. He shifts and stands up, he was by far the tallest member of the resistance and towered over the Fox and the Warrior. Hood can't help but quirk up the sides of his lips as he watches him walk over to him. Unlike everyone else who tended to be clad in leather, Genie wore loose fitting clothing that was easy to maneuver in since his kind were used to be constricted within a bottle.
Beauty embraces him and places her hand gently on his bare chest on the inside of his vest feeling his heartbeat. "Tell him your idea Gen."
"You know how we have been desperately been trying to find a way through Roze Herzen?" Gen smirks.
"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes it's so frustrating." Hood says.
"Well I think I have a solution what is we went over it?" He grins and Beauty smirks glancing over at Hood's gaping mouth.
"Now you're just talking crazy. None of us have that kind of magik." He glares at both of them.
"That is true but on this my friend, we can make is to Merveilles. " Gen raises his hand and snaps his fingers and a carpet begins to rise up off the floor. He hovers in the air before floating over next to him. "It can support three people. Us Hood…" He motions to Hood and Beauty, who is grinning.
Hood appears to be debating looking over at Warrior and Fox, who look ready to jump if Hood turns down the chance to go with Beauty and Gen. Hood knew Gen would pick Fox over Warrior, who wanted to go on a journey with their sister. Beauty purses her lips and looks at Hood expectantly, He rolls his eyes. "Well what are we waiting for? Like I would give up a chance to see the inside of Merveilles."
Gen smiles and claps his hand and holds his one hand out to the side and the carpet rolls back up and into his arm. He grabs his colorful cloak hanging off a jagged rock and walks with Beauty and Hood to the entrance of the caves. Warrior and Fox not far behind them. Charming and Lancelot were waiting for them by the entrance way, since it was their watch.
"What's going on?" Charming asks as Genie wraps the clock around his skin protecting it from the desert sands.
"My brother has found away into Merveilles and is taking Beauty and Hood with him. We are to wait here for them." Warrior rolls her eyes. "I think I am better equipped for this journey than Hood. Why do you need two brains."
"Sis…Allison…please… " Gen turns and looks at her his blue eyes locking on hers. "He has better knowledge of Merveilles terrain and Beauty has knowledge of the spells."
"I know that Isaac….but what of a fighter?" She narrows her eyes at him. "You are leaving all the strongest fighters here."
"You think I cannot handle myself. I can. I trained with you. It is just my magik far exceeds yours do not worry big sister. The dark ones are getting braver and sending their troops further and further out into the deserts, we need you all here to protect them. Boyd…please protect her." Isaac aka Genie turns and looks at Lancelot.
Lancelot nods and wraps his arm around his little brother. "Charming and I will not let anything happen to our people. Isn't that right Mason."
"Please….Charming. You all need to stop using real names so much like Genie said the dark ones are getting braver we don't need them over hearing from any of their spies who we really are.
"Good now if everyone will listen to the youngest among us we can get going." Beauty said impatiently as Genie shakes his head and tosses out the carpet and snaps his fingers making it float again. Hood helps Beauty up and into the center of the carpet.
Isaac gets on the front to drive the carpet and Hood hops on the back. The carpet starts to ascend quickly as Isaac grabs a hold of the front of it and pulls up. Beauty grips onto Genie's hips and leans onto his back her red hair flying back into Hood's face as he mimics the action only onto her. He turns his head and looks out as they pass over the white and golden sands of the desert, sometimes the vivid edges of Isaac's clock flicking in front of his face.
It was a sight to behold and he leans further over to take in the green of the trees as they start passing over Ville de Thé. The town they got most of their supplies from. He could hear Genie yelling at him to sit straight from the front of the carpet as they went up high into the clouds for protection. Hood straightened himself up and could feel Beauty laughing at him due to his tight grip on her.
He did release one had to run it through the clouds as they flew in and out of them. He jerks his hand back in when he felt the bluntness of rocks. He hears the rocks he knocks falling. He looks at his hand and focuses his magiks on healing the shattered mess. He sighs completing it, placing it back on Beauty's hip. She is looking over her shoulder at him in concern. He smiles at her and nods. She turns her head back around and rests in on Genie's back.
They were moving through the southern stretch of the Mountains of Oglinzi Sparte. Isaac was navigating them smoothly he had been studying the maps for weeks and now Hood knew why. The air was getting thinner the higher up they traveled. Hood feels a little dizzy as the bound over the tip of a mountain and drop down the other side. Hood clutches Beauty's waist and holds onto her tighter as they descend so quickly. He gasps as they pull up above the waters over a river that has carved out its home in the mountains.
Isaac follows the river to the north quietly. Beauty sits back and leans back in Hood's arms and watches the birds in the sky and the clouds float by. It had been forever since she could simply see the sky and enjoy nature. She relaxes as Hood strokes his fingers through her hair. Genie lets the carpet glide for a minute to remove his cloak from around his face. He runs his fingers threw his curls and grips the edges again causing the carpet to rise again.
"How much longer Gen?" Beauty sits back up off Hood.
" Roze Herzen is over the peak." Isaac points to peak in the distance. "From there it will get dangerous. We will be passing over dark ones' territory. I will have to push the carpet to its limits so you will need to hold on tight."
He feels her grab a hold of him and then Hood's hands brush his lower back as he grabs ahold of her. He pulls back more on the carpet and it begins to moves faster. He steers it up and over the peak and just over the mist covered trees of the Roze Herzen forest. Fire and streams of purple haze began shooting out at them and Isaac did his best to dodge them as he urged the carpet to go faster.
"Not to alarm anyone but we are on fire!" Hood calls out from the back off the carpet.
"I was afraid of this we are almost…there….hold on." They bounced and scraped over the tops of the trees the carpet snagging and tearing. One branch ripped through the center of the carpet and the speed caused them to spin about and be flung through the air.
They reach out and grab one another hands. The use one burst of conjoined magik to bounce themselves over the last of the trees. The crash down onto the ground and roll getting covered in mud and grass. Beauty slides further and nearly slides all the way into the moat and onto the broken rocks. Hood and Genie jump up quickly and run after her barely grabbing her before her head connects with a rock. Isaac wraps her up in his arms as they look around at each other. No one had ever been this far in over one hundred years.
The carpet was burning on top of the trees, smoke bellowing up, giving away the fact that they were there. Beauty pushes away from Isaac. "Quick we have to get inside. They will be moving on us soon."
They all nod and carefully cross the moat carefully. Hood looks over and sees the man eating plants gathering along the edge of the forests waiting for commands from the silver witch. "Quicker the dark ones won't take long."
Gen helps Beauty over the crushed gates and down into the courtyard. Hood jumps down and they all tear through the court yard heading for the giant wooden door. Hood and Genie push it open as Beauty walks between the doors looking around holding her locket between her fingers. The boys joined her at her sides as they walk through the halls.
They stop by the fireplace in the grand hall, looking about at all the bones that are littering the ground. There are still some full skeletons but there are a lot of broken ones. Beauty bends down and reaches into the fire place and runs her hand over the bone the is jutting out from the ash within frowning. "This isn't how the books describe it at all. Everything is supposed to be perfectly preserved."
Hood moves up to the throw and looks at the half elongated muzzles skull connected to bones with decayed cloth hanging off of it. " I don't believe this is like our fairytales." Hood runs his finger along one of the canines.
Isaac looks down one of the halls and all he sees is more bodies like that as Beauty joins him, neither of them noticing the bones in the fireplace humming with movement. "Lydia how are we suppose to fix this. Will a kiss still awake the royals and save us all?"
"One way to find out." She grins and they turn around to see Hood studying the muzzle of the beast in the throne. "Stiles kiss it."
"What?! I am not kissing this!" He turns and looks back at her.
"I am not joking and all the books say we can only awaken the royals with a kiss. What if this is a deterrent. To stop us from kissing them. That is on a throne. Kiss it." Lydia explains.
"No you do it."
"You're closer."
"Gen…Isaac you come do it…"
"Did you guys hear that. I think the dark ones minions are on the move. Hood just do it." Isaac glares at him.
"Oh MY GODS!" Stiles holds up a finger at Isaac and Lydia then throws his hands up in defeat. He moves forward and places his perfectly plus lips to the cold bone and teeth of the muzzle. He closes his eyes and lets out a breath.
Lydia and Isaac gasp as fire burst forth from the fire place and the call of a loud bird could be heard echoing through the halls. Isaac looks down and points to the bird on Lydia's locket as it glows. He touches it lightly as all the touches light up in the castle.
The doors slam closed behind them and they whip around to see a tall man standing there. He starts to slowly move towards them, his eyes glowing a dark orange, like nothing they had never seen before. His muscles rippled under his skin and the soot that covered it. He stops before Lydia and takes her in for a minute his eyes dropping to the necklace for a minute.
"Beast…" Her voice was barely a whisper but his head tilted as looks her over again. His eyes softened and he lowers his head bowing before her. When he arises he is dressed in pants that matched the previous mentioned eye color, black boots, and a black waist coat. He had dark golden and silver buttons adorning his coat that matched Lydia's necklace.
"Phoenix, too be more exact." He voice rough from misuse.
""If you're a Phoenix how come you hadn't risen before now?" Lydia questions biting on her lower lip.
"Silver witch cursed me, since I couldn't be killed. I couldn't rise again until he did." He points behind them. Lydia and Isaac turn and look at Stiles who look just as confused as them. Hood goes to move away from there throne when a boney hand reaches out and grabs him.
Stiles screams and Lydia and Isaac move forward but Phoenix grabs them and pulls them back and holds them by his side. They watch as the muscles and skin begin to reform around the bone, the body starts to make itself whole. Stiles watches with wide eyes as the muzzle shrinks making the skull seem more human. Hood lets out a shaky breath and watches the tan skin begin to form all over the muscular form and the dark hair sprouting up.
Hood bits in on his lower lip as it becomes clear to him that the creature he kissed was beautiful. The pink lips, high cheek bones, firm body, and he damn near melted when the eyes shot open, piercing their way into his soul. Finally everything cracks into place and the body rolls and releases a roar that would shake the foundations were they not made of stone.
"That…was…Awesome!"
Taking a few deep breathes the man under Stiles looks up at him and smirks, shaking his head. He stand up looking over at Phoenix. Phoenix nods and clothes appear upon the man in front of Stiles, who all but whimpers. The man turns his head looking at Stiles raising a questioning eyebrow and he stops the noise.
"Majesty…they have awakened us." Phoenix says as he moves quickly over to the King of Merveilles.
"How long has it been?" He questions, never quiet taking his eyes off Stiles as he speaks.
"Over a hundred years." Says Hood as he moves down the steps and over to Genie and Beauty. "We risked our skins to reawaken you to help defeat the dark ones and restore the world. Will you help us?"
The King looked at the bird of resurrection and then at the young heroes. "I'll think about it." He smirks as Hood's jaw drops.
"Such a stupid Sour Wolf." Hood grumbles.