The life of a little girl was changed forever in the duration of a single night. She had been innocently sleeping - how could a young child, softly snoring as she held a stuffed teddy bear to her chest, be anything but innocent?
The queen was in tears as she and her husband stood at the door. "Oh, Harold," the queen wept. "Do we really have to?"
King Harold nodded a wordless reply and pushed the door open all the way. Together, the couple walked with quiet steps to the child's bed. Neither made much noise, careful not to disturb the young princess's sleep.
With tears running down her cheeks, the queen wrapped the blanket securely around their daughter's body and gathered her in her arms. As the queen carried the sleeping little princess out of her very first bedroom, the king picked up the teddy bear and followed his beloved out the door.
The kingdom was dark and quiet. The sky was being painted in pastel colors as a new sunrise broke the darkness that stretched over the village. King Harold paused for only a moment's breath to give the beauty above a sentimental glance. His attention returned to the unpleasant task at hand as his wife whispered his name, calling him back to her side. No matter how much he did not want to do what had to be done, he would not let her face the job alone.
Princess Fiona was going away, for years at a time. Upon her return she would be a married woman. It was the norm, and he who rescued the princess from her dragon-guarded tower would receive the king's blessing to ask the princess's hand in marriage.
But the curse awaiting her at the castle was anything but normal.
It was all King Harold's fault. His actions were the reason this was happening. Before Fiona's birth and before he was a married man; he had been only a prince, pining for the beautiful Princess Lillian. He sought out a Fairy Godmother and requested she aid him in wooing this mysterious maiden. The Fairy Godmother agreed to help, on one condition - that the fate of the child they conceive be in her hands.
He took Fiona from his wife's arms as she climbed into the carriage. Then she twisted at the waist and opened her arms; accepting her when he deposited their daughter back into her embrace. He climbed into the carriage and closed the door; and as the noise shattered the quiet night, Fiona awakened.
Disorientated, she peered through the window to see the distance between her and the kingdom growing. Twisting to look up at her parents, the worry in her face lessened, but did not disappear. "Where are we going?"
"You're going away for awhile," the queen said, kissing her daughter's head. "Don't worry, peach. You'll be safe." She pressed her daughter's head to her chest; and to soothe both her daughter and herself, she whispered, "You will return to us. I promise."
Fiona nodded, numb with exhaustion, and sleep claimed her once again. Grief pressed in on the king and queen, and the rest of the journey was filled only with the sound of silence.
_
The sun was breaking over the mountain peak as the carriage rolled to a stop in front of an intimidating tower. A bridge, made only of ropes and boards, led into the expanse of Fiona's uncertain future. Far underneath the frightening bridge boiled a lake of lava.
A woman dressed in black opened the carriage door for the queen and took Fiona from her arms. "Wait, who are you?" Queen Lillian asked, reaching toward Fiona. Holding the princess with one arm, the stranger slapped the queen's hand away. Instead of answering her question, the woman said, "I will bring your little girl into her chamber and see that she has everything she needs. You'd best get back to your kingdom."
"But - " the queen's words were stopped as King Harold broke in.
"Thank you, Griselda," he said simply, and after he shoved the teddy bar into the woman's free hand, he pulled the carriage door shut. As the carriage rolled away from the suspicious-looking woman, Queen Lillian looked in alarm at her husband.
"You know her name?"
"Yes."
"Harold, who is that woman?"
"A friend of mine. Relax, love. Fiona is safe."
The queen sat back, but anger and worry still contorted her face. Raising a shaking finger, she snarled, "If I ever hear otherwise, I'm leaving you, and getting her out of there myself. And you will never have anything to do with her."
"Lillian, I would never put our daughter into harm's way."
The pair fell silent and the ride home was filled with tension.
_
Back at the tower, Griselda eased the young princess onto her cot. Her chest rose and fell with each of her breaths. Griselda plopped the teddy bear onto the child's chest and lifted one of Fiona's hands, curling the girl's fingers around one of the toy's limbs. Stepping back, Griselda took several breaths, then pulled her magic wand out of thin air. Pointing it at Fiona, she began the incantation that would leave the beautiful child forever changed. As she spoke, the wand lit.
"By day one way, by night another.
This shall be the norm;
Until you find true love's first kiss -
And then, take love's true form."
A sparkling, colorful glow shot from the wand and enveloped the child. When the magic had faded, a deceptively normal-looking girl was left in its wake.
Griselda had long since left the tower when Princess Fiona awakened several hours passed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she was shocked to see the alarming state of her surroundings. Instead of seeing her bright, cozy bedroom, filled with treasured belongings; she saw unfamiliar objects scattered messily about a room made of bricks and stones.
Panic flooded her chest and she burst out of the room on quick feet; running down a hallway that sloped downward in a circular shape. This took her into a room that led into more rooms, but had no doors. Instead, it was as if the middle of each wall had been demolished to make the entrances into the other rooms. She was in a complete wasteland. "Mommy! Daddy!" she screamed, but received no response. "Mom! Dad!" she tried again. All was silent, and she collapsed against the wall; allowing herself a moment to cry her grief to the air. Straightening and wiping fiercely at her eyes, she cleared the cobwebs from her groggy mind and gazed around the room in which she stood. So it hadn't been a dream. She truly had been removed from the kingdom.
But why? Didn't her parents love her? Why on earth would they do such a thing? Fiona didn't understand, and as she neared the conclusion that they no longer loved her, a series of deafening thumps pounded through the castle, shaking the entire world around her and chasing away what little remained of her fatigue.
Fiona covered her ears with both hands and sank to her knees, unable to stand on a shaking floor. It felt as if her entire world was crumbling. The floor felt as if it was giving way and she would fall into whatever was awaiting her below.
Then, as her fear built up and enabled a gut-wrenching scream to blow from between her lips; the commotion and the noise just stopped. Fiona quieted and opened her eyes - to see a massive dragon bending down to look at her.
Fiona almost wet herself with the utter fear of being so close to something deemed as myth, and something so frightening when the existence of it was confirmed.
The dragon pushed her nose into Fiona, trying to be gentle; but the force of it pushed Fiona back several feet. When she realized she wasn't going to be eaten, stomped on or burned to death; she tentatively reached out and patted the protrusion of the dragon's long, wide muzzle. Panic turned to wonder, and as it finally became logical thinking, she realized she had to grow up and become an adult - today. Turning, she lifted up her dress and hurried toward the spiralling hallway. "Play carefully, Big Red," she called over her shoulder. "You're awfully strong, huh?"
The dragon made a noise that sounded as if, maybe, she agreed.
Fiona glanced over her shoulder to see the dragon turning and stomping off into another room. Fiona continued up to her bedroom. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, she slowed her steps and walked in. "Okay, okay," she said, using the familiarity her voice to calm her nerves. "Mom and Dad still love me. They just...They..." She paused, realizing that without knowing the reason she was there, she had no way of soothing her own nerves. "Oh, I don't know," she murmured. A sizzling noise drew her attention to the window; under which was the cot on which she had awoken just moments before (though it felt like an hour had already gone by). She clambered onto the bed and used the ledge at the window to pull herself to her feet. Peering down, she saw the dizzying sight of the bridge, swaying temperamentally in the harsh wind. The lava popped and banged; splashing up from its bright orange surface. Gazing into the swirl of brightness, Fiona was soon blinking tears and spots from her eyes. She tore her gaze to the world stretching worldwide on the other side of the bridge.
The handrails were only rope, and the floor was only wood. It didn't seem like a good idea to cross; especially since the ropes to hang onto looked almost as tall as she was. Not even freedom was tempting enough to lure her above all that lava.
She turned away from the window and dropped to her hands and knees. Swinging her feet to the floor, she stood and looked around the room. Maybe it would ease her mind if she were to arrange the room like her own bedroom. With that logical notion, she began the job. It didn't look nice all messy anyway.
The first thing that caught her attention was the teddy bear on the floor. It was Lux - her oldest and favorite. She smiled, picked it up and set it on the cot. Next she grabbed the rug and unrolled it; keeping her feet on the edges so it wouldn't roll right back up. With her feet placed on the rug, she picked up the lopsided chair and set it near her feet. With that accomplished, she walked to the little table. She eyed the little booklet on the table, then grabbed it. The table was very light and easy to move, even for her. She picked up one end and dragged it to the chair.
With the job accomplished, she sat on the chair and flipped the booklet open. A journal. Again, why? So she could record the worst day in her life? Well, if that's what they wanted. She pulled the tape off the pen and began writing.
It was as she was closing the book and setting the pen down that the door to her room blew open. A woman dressed in black walked in.
"Hello, sweetheart," the woman said, smiling down at Princess Fiona.
"Who are you?" Fiona replied.
"I am Griselda. I have brought you your breakfast." The woman set a tray of assorted fruits on the table; bumping her journal to the floor in the process. "I will come here two times a day, bringing your breakfast and supper."
"Is it always the same?"
"No, little one. The fruit varies, and for supper you get toast with it as well. Bon appetit!" All too cheerful, Griselda walked toward the door.
"Wait!"
The woman spun. "Yes?"
"Why am I here? And where are my parents?"
Griselda looked as if she was at war with herself. Finally her kind face hardened into a mask that was as unreadable as it was unpleasant. "I only bring your food, little one. I am not authorized to speak."
Thankfully Fiona was an intelligent girl, and she understood. "Are you allowed to at least tell me if they can ever visit me? Are you allowed to say if I can stand outside? And are you allowed to tell me if they miss me?"
"Of course they miss you," Griselda said, but that was all she said before she stepped outside and the door slammed. Fiona half-expected to hear a lock turn, but all she heard were footsteps. Upon inspection she noticed the door could lock from indoors. Abandoning her fruit on the stand, she slowly pulled her door open to see Griselda hurrying to the exit.
That door Griselda locked. The sound echoed throughout the huge, stone room.
Fiona retreated to the stand and sniffed the fruit. When only the smells of apple slices and lime wedges came to her, she picked up a chunk and bit carefully into it. The lime was sour, and had her face twisting. Thankfully she loved apples. She finished off the lime wedges, deciding if all she would be eating was fruit and toast that she might as well take all that was offered...even if it was nasty.
The day passed slowly and uneventfully. There was nothing to do but sit on the chair, lay down on the cot, and write in her journal. By the time the day was up, it felt as if a year had gone by.
Fiona sighed her frustration aloud, feeling more like a caged bird than the daughter to the king and queen. For what surely must have been the hundredth time that day, she retreated to her cot; stopping and smiling in pleasure at the sunset directly across the window. At least she would see that each night.
A tingling sensation across her entire body - as if thousands of little spiders were running rampant under her clothes - had her quickly glancing down, fully prepared to freak out and swat at herself. Instead, she was amazed to find herself awash in a beautiful, glittering luminescence.
"Wow, I'm magic!" she decreed; twirling happily. Her spiralling steps landed her right in front of the mirror; and as the glow filled her entire world and blocked out everything but the brightness, she squeezed her eyes shut to ease the pain beating within them. She could still see the light of the glow, but it was much less painful against the shield of her eyelids. When the light had faded, she opened her eyes.
And saw herself staring at a monster.
Shock contorted her face. At the same time, the monster in the mirror twisted her expression into an ugly grimace. Fiona realized what she was seeing and slowly, she twisted at the waist. Her body looked plumper now, and her hair appeared shorter because of it. Her skin was green...
"Those nasty limes!" Fiona cried out. "Never again!" She pulled on the odd protrusions and realized they were her ears. "I can't wait until tomorrow. This will all be fixed."
And the next morning, it appeared as if it had been. But, at the next sunset, when she once again began to glow, she ran to the mirror and cried her horror and pain aloud. "I didn't even eat the limes!" she sobbed; and as she collapsed and wrapped her arms around her knees and wept, she remembered that she had vowed to grow up quickly.
Think logically, she told herself. She slowly lifted her head. Tears ran down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. Through the bleariness in her vision she could see the redness in her eyes; making her blue irises stand out and make her look like a monster.
I AM a monster, she countered, as she slowly got to her feet. Placing both hands on either end of the mirror, she stared into the glass, and at the reflection of herself pooled within the frame. I'm cursed.