Fairy Tale: Sleeping Beauty
Rating: T
The king and queen of a far away had long wished for a child. It'd been nearly a decade since their marriage and the entire kingdom feared the young queen might be barren. Desperate to conceive, the king summoned every being of science and magic to his court, but one dark figure stood out among them. He was a sorcerer, fearsome and powerful, and he took command of the court with his seductive voice, promising in such simple words that a child would indeed be born to the couple the following year if they chose to accept his spell.
They did, and sure enough, come late spring, a darling little princess was born. The kingdom rejoiced and a grand celebration was held for her christening, the sorcerer of course being in attendance and eager to see the product of his spell.
"Ah, she's a fine child," he chuckled admiringly as he was permitted to hold the babe.
"How can we reward you, my Lord?" The young queen asked since the sorcerer had put off accepting a reward until the child had been born.
"I desire only one thing in return," he smirked calmly as he handed the child back to her adoring mother. "You will wed her to my son when she comes of age."
"Wh-What?" The queen tightened her grip around the bundle and stepped back behind her husband.
"My daughter will not be some prize for a sorcerer!" The king shouted angrily. While grateful, the notion was still insulting, especially given this particular sorcerer's family governed the dark lands in the high mountains, kingdom cut off from theirs by thick thorns and briars.
"I do not think it so unreasonable. I have many sons who need suitable brides, and since this child's life was granted by hand, it's only fair you give her to me when the time comes."
"We are grateful to you, Lord Dormaeus, but we cannot betroth her to your son. You may have any riches, any knowledge—"
"I already stated what I desire, but I see you'll need further incentive," he raised a glowing hand and flicked a small spell to the princess' forehead, stirring her from her sleep and causing her to cry.
"What have you done?!" The king demanded, turning to try and comfort his daughter with his wife.
"If she is not wed to one of my son's by the eve of her sixteenth's birthday, she will perish from a mere prick to her finger! That is the price of your selfishness!" The sorcerer declared before vanishing in a flash of green smoke and light.
Horrified with the fate instilled upon their newborn daughter, the king and queen once again sought the aide of magical beings to undo the curse, but alas it was too powerful for any other to break. For a time, there was no concern over the curse, but as the years rolled by and the princess grew into a fair young maid, the issue of her hand in marriage and the curse began to resurface, causing all within the palace to speak in whispers when the girl was around, and for the princess, who'd never been told about the curse as not to worry her, found it curious how odd everyone acted around her.
"I wonder if it's because it's my birthday soon…" Princess Elle wondered to herself as she ticked off another day on her calendar. She'd be sixteen in less than a month now, and knew her sixteenth would be a larger celebration than usual. She could graduate from the youthful blush of pink gowns into the calm grace of blue and princes would start their requests for her hand in marriage. She was a bit anxious about that latter, but given her parents had always been too strict to let her travel, the option to marry a man from a far away kingdom was an enticing offer.
She went to bed that night with dreams of her prince charming, but it did not last. Thick vines pulled him from her arms and into darkness, an all consuming pitch that soon had her surrounded as well. She was scared, but nothing happened to hurt her. Instead the black swirled into a mass in front of her, slowly taking human form and extending a hand out for hers. She couldn't see his face, but she was drawn to the mystery of him, and slowly reached out for him.
She woke the instant they touched, like she'd been shocked by a jolt of electricity and struggled to catch her breath, eventually succeeding and calming herself back to sleep with the assurance it was only a dream.
The following morning, Elle went about her usual exploration of the castle since it was the only bit of adventure she ever seemed to have. The garden was her favorite and the last stop on her way before her afternoon lessons. Usually she might find a gardener or two in her company, but today it appeared she was alone, or so she thought until she noticed a figure seated on one of the far stone benches.
She didn't recognize him, and the sight of him sent a shiver down her spine, but his presence was captivating and seeing as she was royalty, there was no need for her to be intimidating by whoever this lower class man was.
She took a deep breath and approached, "Excuse me, sir? May I ask who you are and why I find you here in my garden?"
He lifted his head and smiled at her, stepping to his feet to bow with the added swoosh of his cloak. "My dear princess, you may call me Mias, and I've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?" A strange thing to say. Elle knew many people and admittedly had probably forgotten a few faces over the years, but a face like his she knew would have stuck out in memory. He was terribly handsome what with his swept back raven hair, tan skin, and dark eyes set against peculiar marks.
"You'll come away with me now," he said, straightening his posture and extending his hand for hers.
Elle had a flash of memory regarding her dream the previous night, only this time had the feeling she ought not take his hand.
"Do not be afraid. I won't harm you," he grinned, reaching for her hand and grasping it before Elle could pull away. He drew her closer, his cape winding around them, concealing them in a whirl before shrinking into nothingness.
It happened in an instant, whoosh of wind and a moment of darkness ending with Elle peering out from under the cape and finding herself in a place she did not recognize. She stared at the stone walls and carvings surrounding her before her attention shifted back to the torso she was held against. "Y-You're a…!"
"A sorcerer. Very astute, princess," he smirked, releasing his hold to have a better look at her. "My, my. Father made his promises, but you're not quite what I had in mind."
"Wh-Where have you brought me? Return me this instant!"
"Now if I did that, we'd have quite the problem," he tutted her. "Let me guess, your parents didn't tell you anything, did they?"
"Tell me what?"
"Typical. Ignorance may be bliss, but you'd think you'd want your life or death to be your own decision. How selfish."
"What are you talking about? I demand an answer!" Elle stomped her foot.
"You're fated to die on the eve of your sixteenth birthday, my dear," he told her flatly.
"…What?"
"I do so hate being the bearer of bad news, but it's the truth. It was my own father that placed the curse on you. After he was generous enough to let the king and queen conceive you, they did not see fit to reward him with what he desired thus he placed the curse on you as punishment."
"I… I'm going to die…?" Elle squeezed her hands together, not sure if he was telling the truth or not, but if he was… that meant she only had a few weeks left.
"Unless," Mias continued.
"Unless, what?" Elle asked.
"Unless you marry me," he smiled slyly, loving the many expressions she was making as their conversation progressed.
"Marry…? You?"
"I know, it's a bit insulting isn't it? Like I couldn't manage to find my own wife, but as my five older brothers already have theirs and I've failed to do any proper courting in the past few years, it'd be a waste to have you expire and let your kingdom fall into ruin. It would be very useful to me to have such resources at my disposal, and I suppose you're not entirely unattractive. Still a bit of a girl, but I reckon I can make you a decent woman—" Mias stopped when her hand cracked against his cheek, striking him hard for his crudeness.
"You will NOT speak to me like that!" Elle said on the brim of tears.
Mias rubbed his sore cheek and reconsidered his words. "My apologies, I'm not used to padding my explanations, but it is the truth. Marry me, or the worms will have you."
When he put it like that, there wasn't much of a choice, was there? Still, she couldn't bring herself to accept his proposal, she had to keep herself from breaking down in front of him.
Mias brought her to a room to let her have some time alone to think about the offer, figuring he couldn't rightfully expect her acceptance so soon after informing her of the curse. However, the girl who greeted him the following morning surprised him. There was no hiding the redness in her eyes from crying, but a resting expression of determination was far more noticeable.
"What is it you want?" She asked simply. "Not your father, but you?"
"Me?" It was a peculiar way to begin a conversation given the circumstances, but he had no reason not to humor her. "I suppose funding for my research and travel is all I require. Why do you ask?"
"I'll see to it you live to be a very old and fat magician on the condition you remove the curse."
He had to crack a smile at her stubbornness, and he certainly would if he were able to. "Alas, talented as I am, I'm still not quite up to par with my father's curses, especially ones that involve taking another's life. It'd take me another ten years optimistically to break such a curse."
Elle's expression began to fall, but Mias snapped her attention back to him with a clap of his hands.
"However! That doesn't mean I am completely incapable of helping you. At best, I believe I can lessen it."
"Lessen it?"
"And I will, but you must give me your word. No favors before payment - new policy."
"You have my word! I'll put it in writing, stamp my seal, whatever it is you need, just please lift the curse!"
In true businessman conduct, they went into Mias' study to write up an official contract, one that Elle's parents couldn't argue with once she placed her signature. If only all sorcerers required a bit more paperwork, she might not be in this position to begin with.
"There," she announced as she finished scratching her full royal name to the parchment. "Is that all you needed?"
"Mhm," he smiled as he stretched out his fingers and cracked a few knuckles. "Now then, if you'd be so kind as to stand still."
"A-Alright," Elle said nervously, forcing her hands to rest at her side rather than fidget with them. She took a deep breath and stood still as he began chanting a spell under his breath, enveloping both of them in a soft, wispy light for a few moments before dissipating. "...Did it work?"
Mias heaved a frustrated sigh. "It's a bit more complicated than I expected. I can't say what I've done will be any more to your liking..."
"Meaning...?"
"You will not die, only sleep. A frozen sleep in which you will neither age nor require sustenance."
"...Th-That doesn't sound so bad. For how long?"
He paused a second before answering. "Eternal."
"Th-That's hardly lessening it! Death would be kinder!"
"It's all you can expect from me! I'm only twenty-three! Name one wizard who was all powerful at twenty-three!"
"At least you got to be twenty-three!" She burst into tears, unable to keep her sorrow contained, and yet, before he could offer her any words of comfort, she apologized through her sobs. "I'm sorry...! I'm grateful you did what you could but I...! I've never been more terrified...!"
It wasn't often Mias was moved by tears, but losing this more selfless member of the royal family would be a detriment to the kingdom, surely, and he had to protect his investments. "Listen... there's still some time. I can't promise you I'll be able to break it, but I may be able to lessen it more."
Elle gradually dialed her tears back down to a sniffle.
"Or we could marry," he reminded her. "Far simpler option in my opinion."
"But you'll still try to lessen it?" Elle asked while wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
"Yes, if that is what you wish - I am your humble servant, princess," he said with an overly dramatic bow, finally causing her to smile and giggle a little.
"You're full of it."
Even if he was, he was still giving her some small hope to cling onto whether than fret her final days agonizing over her fate. The first thing she did was write home to tell her parents she had every intention of staying with Mias until his magical knowledge was exhausted, but she would be home by her birthday, if only to go to sleep in the comfort of her own bed. For now, she tried not to think about the date and put her focus to the sorcerer trying to save her life. She wasn't sure what aid she could provide him, but wanted to help where she could - even if it only meant fetching books for him.
"Are you that bored?" He had to ask about a week into his in-depth research.
"What else should I do? Go home and wait? At least if I'm with you, you can keep trying."
"Yes, but you're distracting me. How am I supposed to work with you hovering over my shoulder?"
"I can't very well relax at a time like this. We have less than two weeks!"
Mias shut the current book he was reading, set aside his papers, and removed his reading glasses.
"What are you doing?" Elle asked, watching him discard the work to stand up and take her hand. "Mias! What are you doing?"
"I'm taking a well deserved break and I might as well take you with me."
"We don't have time—!"
"We do. I'll discover nothing of use if I'm run ragged," he said as he flung a spell towards the door to his study and watched as it burned around the framework. Upon opening it, Elle was blinded by a bright light that caused her to raise her hand protectively. It wasn't until Mias pulled her through the doorway, did she realize it was the sun and what they'd stepped into was in fact a small beach.
"Where are we?" She asked, feeling Mias let go of her other hand.
"Small patch of land on the western coast."
"Then this is the ocean?" Elle stepped towards the water as the waves slowly brought it in and out.
"You've never seen it?"
"Once when I was young, but I was only ever allowed to look. Anything else was 'too dangerous'," she huffed and took a defiant, yet tentative step closer to the water, kicking off her slippers as she drew closer and stopping in just the right spot for an incoming wave to wash over her bare feet. "Ah! It's cold!"
"What else did you expect, princess?"
Elle frowned over her shoulder. "You know, if you're going to keep addressing me so condescendingly, just call me Elle."
"But your title works for better for being condescending," he chuckled, but agreed to drop formalities since there weren't many between them to begin with.
The fresh ocean air was wonderful therapy for clearing his mind and pondering new theories to research. A curse that operated on such unique conditioning ought to have a weak point given the very nature of magic. The more complex a spell, the more stresses it faced in maintaining itself. The problem was the power backing it kept reinforcing the 'stress' points. He could bend them, but they would not break.
"Elle, we ought to think about going back," he called down the shore to her after a few hours had passed and they were losing daylight.
"Already?" She pouted from behind her modest attempt at a sand castle.
"The tide is coming in. There won't be much beach left in another hour," he explained as he approached her humble construction and the mess she made in building it. "You're filthy."
"So? I'll take a bath when we return."
"And what of your gown? Do you think I have women's clothing just laying about my castle?"
"No, but you can link my wardrobe back home to the one in your castle, can't you?"
He eyed her slyly. "Just because I CAN do certain things doesn't mean you're free to abuse my power."
"And you'd have me naked in your halls? My, that'd be an even more abusive use of your power."
He opened his mouth to object, but he decided to let her have the argument. If her time was indeed limited, he didn't want to give her any cause to wallow. He began to wonder if he pitied her along with wanting to protect his investments. It wasn't often he gave much thought to victims of curses since most deserved punishment for crossing his family, but Elle was a genuine innocent - hurting her was the only way to hurt the king and queen more.
He did as Elle requested and linked her wardrobes together, figuring it was easier than bringing in a tailor, and thought nothing more on the matter until she ran into his study the next day in a beautiful blue gown.
"Mias! Look!"
He jumped a bit from the enthusiasm of her entry, but after calming his excited heart rate took a decent look at her. She looked decent he supposed, her blonde hair cascading back in loose curls around her bare shoulders as the sleeves of the gown began at length with her modest cleavage. He thought he'd composed himself from her interruption, but instead felt his heart skip a beat.
"Isn't it lovely? It's my birthday gown. They must have just finished it. I know it's early, but... well, I wanted to wear it," she smiled sadly as she smoothed her hands down the silk skirt and shaking away the negative thoughts. "I'm sure to steal a few hearts, don't you think?"
"I'm sure you don't want my opinion on that matter," he readjusted his spectacles and turned back to his work.
Elle frowned. He could at least give her some compliment since she already interrupted him. "And why not? You're a bachelor. You're bound to have some opinion of women."
"I'm also a fearsome sorcerer. We go to parties are to crash them and put curses on infants, not flirt with nubile women." He did do the latter, but he wasn't inclined to let her have that knowledge.
Elle puffed out one of her cheeks in frustration, before recomposing herself and leaning closer to him. "You may come to my birthday party as a fully invited guest."
"I doubt I'll have any time to enjoy it, Elle. I'm not any closer to finding a solution."
"...If you can't, then... should we marry?" She had to ask.
"Oh my, are you proposing? My heart's all a flutter," he teased and she frowned.
"I'm serious," she said firmly. "I rejected the idea without giving it proper thought. You're not an entirely un-agreeable fellow, and you said yourself you have more to gain having me alive, so I..."
"Elle," Mias rose from his chair and approached her. "You're desperate, and yes, we could marry, prevent the curse, but then what? You don't really want to spend the rest of your life joined to me, do you?"
"If I wasn't prepared to, I wouldn't ask—"
"How naive. I'll wager you couldn't even stand to have me touch you," he said as he extended a hand toward her, watching her initially flinch before glaring at him with those grey eyes of hers. She was stubborn, he'd give her that. He sighed and turned his hand under her chin, raising her head a little higher so she'd maintain eye contact with him as his fingers traveled down her neck.
She turned redder the lower his hand traveled, finally giving it and swatting it away before it could fully cup her breast. "You've made your point!"
He chuckled victoriously. "Then you'll be a good girl and leave me to my work?"
"Fine!" She huffed and marched off. "Pervert!"
He maintained his smirk until she left, then it fell as he went into thought. Why had he rejected her like that? What did he care if it was a good marriage or not? He'd have the world at his fingertips if he married her, and Elle was a pretty thing he supposed. He had no real reason to be unkind to her, other than for playful sport, and even then he didn't think he was too mean. He thought about it now with some amusement, although that too quickly faded when he finally found a bit of useful information during his research.
These curses had a peculiar weakness in the source of a kiss, some texts said a prince's and others argued for true love's. There was little evidence of the later existing and given the assured presence of a number of princes at Elle's birthday party, there was bound to be one worthy enough to break the spell once she succumbed to the sleep.
"That's your grand solution?" Elle sounded doubtful.
"You know a few princes, don't you? Who should I get to administer the kiss?"
"I... I don't know. I suppose we can ask at the party..." She said while blushing.
"...What?" He had a feeling there was something more she wanted to say.
"Does it have to be a first kiss...? I've never done one before so ideally I'd like to be conscious for it."
"Everything I read on the subject gave no specifics. There's some argument for true love's first kiss being the ultimate spell breaker, but how can you call it love if the two don't know each other? Magic is pretty powerful, but having that much insight into the future?"
"I didn't know you felt so strongly about love," Elle teased.
"I don't, only with its place in magic. You tell me how this is supposed to be so powerful."
"Huh?" Before she realized what he was doing, he'd tilted his head down against hers and lightly pressed his lips against hers. It wasn't anything fancy, just a quick peck, but it still left her blushing when he pulled back. "You... That was my first kiss!"
"Your punishment for teasing me," he smirked and poked the tip of his finger against her lips next. "It's not really that special, is it?"
"...I guess not..." Elle realized, bowing her head to touch her lips herself.
"So you understand why I'm befuddled by it."
"Well... love itself is confusing, isn't it? We don't choose who we become attracted to, it just... happens."
There was no room for conjecture there, but he was glad she understood why he was reluctant to put his power behind a rather simple solution. However, they were out of time now. With one swish of his cloak they were back at the palace in full party fashion, surprising the few servants and guard they'd appear before.
"I-It's the sorcerer!" One of the guards finally raised the alarm once he recovered from the shock of seeing the two materialize before his eyes.
"And the princess!" Another said as they turned their halberds toward them.
"No!" Elle interjected. "Lay down your weapons! He's here as my guest!"
"But your Highness—"
"Lay them down!" She reiterated and they finally obeyed. "Now then, if you don't mind, I'm going to see my parents."
Mias smirked and waved his fingers at the guards mockingly as he followed after Elle. He felt at the reunion with the king and queen was a bit awkward, but after informing them of the curse's weakening and their plan to break it completely, his presence was finally tolerated and the party allowed to get underway.
"How long do we have?" Elle asked nervously.
"The curse's deadline was sunset, so we have only a couple hours. Go find one you like."
It was an odd thing to encourage, but Elle left him to mingle while she greeted her guests while keeping an eye out for a suitable prince. Unfortunately as the clock ticked by, she only became increasingly uncertain of who she ought to pick. And with her anxiety growing, she couldn't help but gravitate back toward Mias.
"It's not like you have to marry the one that kisses you. What about the younger Stag prince? He's an amiable fellow."
"Prince Abernos? I do know him... but I..."
"What's the problem? Worst case scenario I'll grab whichever one is closest to me and have him do it."
"But what if it doesn't work?" She asked.
"It'll work," he assured her, putting his goblet of wine aside to take her hand. "Clearly this is all becoming too much for you. Take a break with me."
"To what?"
"Guess," he grinned and pulled her out onto the dance floor to hopefully exhaust her fears. He didn't mind the onlookers speaking in whispers over he was and why he was dancing with the princess, rather, kept his focus on her. "Elle, not that I want to give you any reason to doubt my abilities, but I feel I ought to extend an apology to you for this entire situation."
"No, don't. You've done nothing but try to help me."
"Still, this ought to be a happier occasion for you."
"It's bittersweet. I do wish I could have lived my life a little more fully... but strangely I found my past three weeks with you to be the most fun I've had in all my years. I ought to thank you, really."
He didn't feel worthy of her thanks, but he wanted to be. If she fell into an everlasting slumber because he couldn't save her, he'd never forgive himself.
"I'm still scared..." Elle softly confided with him, leaning her head against his chest as they slowed their steps.
"That's perfectly alright," he kept reassuring her, though he could tell from the angle of the sun coming in through the window, she had only minutes left of consciousness.
"Will you be there when I wake up...?"
"If you want me to."
"I do want you to," she smiled up at him. "Promise me."
"I promise," he smiled, and felt his temperature spike as she pushed herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek as the current musical selection ended.
"Thank you for the dance," she kept smiling and smoothed out the excess material of his cloak around his broach. "I feel bet—OW!"
Mias looked down to see she'd pricked her finger on the broach's fastener, a point he thought for sure he had secured. His eyes quickly went to Elle as she closed hers and her body fell lifeless into his arms just as the sun finished setting. A hush came over the crowd, they'd been informed such an event might take place, but there were still many who did not believe in curses until now. Mias scanned the crowd as he lifted Elle up bridal style. "We need a prince to kiss her! Nothing fancy lads, just a quick peck and this can all be over with!"
A few nervous looking princes stepped forward, the stag prince Abernos being one of the first to rush to their side. "Princess Elle is a dear friend! I'd be happy to help!"
"What are you waiting for then?" Mias scoffed, having to avert his eyes for he did not like the idea of another man putting his lips on Elle's.
Abernos was respectful with just a light peck, confident it'd be enough to do the trick.
It didn't.
"B-But I..." Abernos seemed genuinely shocked it didn't work, as did Mias.
"M-Maybe it has to be a human prince," Mias theorized, looking at the other candidates. "And a first born?"
A crown prince from the neighboring kingdom offered his lips next, but much to the shock and horror of everyone, he too failed to wake her.
"I don't understand..." Mias gripped her tighter. Perhaps the prince was really another man's child? No, he looked too much like his father.
"Sorcerer!" The King, Elle's father, cut through the crowd, his wife following right behind him. "You assured us... ALL of us... you'd break this curse! Why doesn't she awaken?!"
"I don't know!"
"My baby... give me my baby, you monster!" The Queen threatened, having to pry Elle out of his arms to cradle in her own on the floor. "This is all your fault! She was all we ever wanted! Why couldn't your family just leave us alone?!"
"I... Please, let me try—"
"Your opportunities are gone!" The king summoned the guards around them to seize him. "You're only permitted here because she wished it so, but I am not so merciful!"
Mias had to tear his eyes away from Elle long enough to disappear in a cloud of smoke before he could be seized. He returned to his castle, desperate for answers, tearing through book after book and scroll after scroll to find some answer, but as the weeks passed, his hope for finding such an answer was dwindling.
"I should have married her..." He said in regret, raking his hands over his unshaven face and through his disheveled hair. He hadn't slept much since; the weight of her lifeless in his arms being a haunting reminder his own broach had brought the curse to fruition when he could have very easily broken it by wedding her.
It took him a few more days to come to terms with the unfortunate reality that Elle might never wake up, and it stung his heart in a way he'd never felt before. He read over the book of spell breaking kisses one more time and took pause at the entry regarding true love's kiss. It finally dawned on him that he might very well love the girl, and though he had his doubts regarding such a kiss in practice, there was nothing left to lose.
He cleaned himself up for the first time in weeks before discreetly teleporting back to the palace, and Elle's room specifically. He figured she'd be laid to rest there, and sure enough, she was. The vigils for her had stopped apparently, given the fact she was alone in the darkness. He began first by lighting the few candles near the bedside with a spell before sitting down next to her and leaning down to kiss her lips. They were still soft and warm, but as he pulled back and saw no movement from her, he figured they might as well be as ice.
"...I'm sorry," he told her, looking down at her with great remorse. He smoothed away a stray lock of hair and felt his heart clench again. His eyes went blurry as he fought off tears and so he decided to lay his head down next to hers to place a few more kisses to her cheek and forehead. "You stupid girl, how am I supposed to keep my promise to you if you don't wake up?"
She didn't answer him, not that she could.
He sniffled and tucked his head between her neck and shoulder. "Don't be so damn stubborn. There are so many other places I want to take you, but you have to wake up first."
No response.
"Elle, please... I know you love me too, don't you? Don't make me have to live with myself having not ever told you..."
Silence.
Mias took a deep breath to try and compose himself, and then gave her one last kiss that was much more than a peck. He forgot about his doubts, the curse, even hope... just the love he felt for her from the bottom of his heart. He withdrew, convinced the next step was to find some way to move on with his life.
He was preparing to leave when he noticed a slight twitch in her mouth and paused to then see her eyelashes flutter and her eyes slowly open. "...Mias...?"
"ELLE!" He exhaled in relief, practically jumping on top of her as he collapsed next to her on the bed, pulling her right into his arms and kissing her repeatedly.
"H-Hey!" She shouted in between kisses, before realizing it was pointless to fight him, and instead returned the affection as she held onto him until they parted in order to breathe. "How… How long was I asleep...?"
"It's been nearly three months... Forgive me, I should have been here sooner…" He told her and proceeded to explain the rest, only to watch her tear up too.
"I might have never seen you again...!" She cried out and was quickly taken into his arms to be comforted, this time starting with a deeper kiss that had their tongues touching and breath mixing.
"I'm never leaving you," he said after the kiss as he scooped her up in his arms. "You're mine, and I'm taking you."
"Alright," Elle agreed as she put her arms around his neck. "But let's tell my parents first. I don't want them trying to track me down on my honeymoon."
"Of course, princess," he smiled and kissed her once more before leaving the room to inform the royal court of the joyous news.
The End.
Author's Notes: Who else loves Fairytale parodies? I'm doing the classics starring Mias and Elle, but with the twist Mias is both villain and hero (Snow White is gonna be dark...). Sleeping Beauty was the first one I attempted. They're all relatively short and sweet.