"Francis! Millie!" I called, dashing through the Great Hall while trying to catch up with my friends.

They stopped as I called their names and turned around, waiting until I was standing beside them. I let down my skirt that I had hitched up while running and struggled to regain my regular breathing.

"Hey Zoë," Francis said, eyeing me before letting a small smile grace his face. It was rather cute, to be honest.

…Wait. No it wasn't. He isn't cute.

Putting those thoughts out of my head (hopefully forever), I smiled back and gave a quick, "hello", in greeting to both of my friends.

"What's got you in such a hurry this morning?" Millie asked me.

"Papa is trying to convince me to let him buy me a new, fancier dress. I really don't want to argue with him about lace and frills, because I know I'll lose, so I'm avoiding him." I explained hurriedly, trying to push them towards the door.

"So you expect us to help hide you, and keep you company so you don't have to wear a poofy dress?" Millie asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want you to do."

"Sounds like fun!" said Francis. He linked his arms with me and Millie and the three of us dashed out of the castle, heading into the swamp.

"Hey guys," I said, earning a teasing glare from Millie. "I mean guy and girl." I quickly changed before continuing. "Did anyone think to bring any food with them? Maybe some bread?"

Francis stopped skipping rocks into the water, and Millie stopped fidgeting with her dress.

"No," Millie said. "I thought you would have packed something. This was your idea after all."

I groaned. I hadn't thought to pack any sort of food for us today, and my stomach wasn't going to be able to take it much longer.

"Why don't you just turn into a bat and eat some bugs to tide you over while I go looking for some real food?" Francis suggested.

I nodded, and in a puff of dank air I was a bat. I flew into the air and paused long enough to say goodbye to my friends before taking off in search of some tasty bugs.

It didn't take me long to find some. I'd been to the swamp often enough, I knew where all the good spots were.

I'd been spending a good half an hour lazily catching and eating my fill of insects. My stomach was starting to feel better already.

As I was taking a rest on a tree branch, something shiny caught my eye. After getting a better look, I saw it was a dragonfly.

I smacked my lips and prepared myself for the chase that was sure to ensue. Flapping my wings, I took off, chasing after the delicious looking insect.

Just as I had gotten close enough to catch it, and had opened my mouth to swallow the thing whole, it turned around in a shriek of surprise and I stopped dead.

This was no dragonfly.

I had just attempted to eat a fairy.

Oh no, was I in for it now.

The fairy huffed at me and in a poof she was her full size again, glaring down at me in my tiny bat form.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" she asked me, her intense glare making me want to shrivel up inside of myself.

"I – uh – I'm so sorry, ma'am. I thought you were a bug, and I'm hungry…" I tried to explain, but I had a feeling I wasn't winning any points with my words.

"And you eat poor unsuspecting creatures often, do you?"

"Well, not when I'm a human, no." I said, still shaky from the fairy's presence, but determined not to show it. I didn't want her taking advantage over my weakness.

"Pray tell me, were you planning on eating me for your lunch?" She shifted her hands onto her hips, and fluttered her wings so she was even higher above me.

"…No. I swear I wasn't!" I said, knowing how terrible fairies can be when they're angry.

Her eyes turned to slits as she stared at me.

"You not only try to eat me, but you have the nerve to lie about it?" she boomed, anger radiating off of her, causing the air around me to sizzle.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I promise-!"

"You shall pay for what you have done.

In a tower, sealed with care

Far away and out of sight

For your evils, you shall stay there

Locked away and sealed up tight

Your hair shall grow to seventy feet

A curse made just for you

Until true love – a knight, maybe

Can come and rescue you."

I was going to comment on the fact that she just rhymed "you" with "you," but I couldn't. Her spell immediately made everything go fuzzy, and I felt myself being carried away.

When the fog cleared from my mind, I realized I wasn't in the swamp anymore. I was sitting in the middle of a huge room with stone floors and walls. It was circular, and furnished with only the bare necessities – a small bed, a chair and table, a mirror, and a wardrobe. I was also a human again.

I stood up, and felt an enormously heavy burden pulling down my head. As I looked down at my feet, I noticed a pile of hair surrounding my feet, trailing up to the top of my head.

That fairy, I thought angrily. She locked me in here just for being hungry!

Thinking about being hungry I had been made me wonder if there was even food in this place. I did a more thorough look around the room and noticed a big chest I had missed earlier.

Stumbling and tripping over my own hair, I made my way to the chest and opened it up. I looked inside and was relieved to see there was food inside. I took out an apple to munch on, and immediately the apple was replaced.

At least I won't starve.

As I wandered around the tower, I tried to come up with ways of escape.

It wasn't long before I had come up with a plan.

Smiling I realized I could outsmart the fairy and escape. I just had to turn into a bat and fly home!

I attempted turning into a bat like I usually do, but there was only a burst of dank air. I was still human.

I tried again… and again. After the fifth try, I finally gave in to the fact that she had purposely made the tower magic-proof to prevent my escape.

Feeling a light breeze, I turned around and found a window that was slightly ajar.

I walked to it and opened it fully. It led out onto a small balcony. I climbed out and leaned against the railing.

I looked down and the height of the tower was enough to make me queasy. I stepped back from the railing, refusing to look down again.

It was odd, seeing everything around me so normal, yet I was trapped up here with no way out.

Climbing back inside, I shuffled to the bed and flung myself onto it. I was exhausted. Letting out a small sigh of frustration I drifted off to sleep, hoping that maybe my dreams would help me find a way out of this mess.

I awoke to the bright sun filling the whole room. Despite what I'd hoped, I still had no ideas of how to get out of here. I felt utterly useless. After all, I was Princess Zoe. I could handle snow monsters and dragons (not to mention my best friend, Millie), but I couldn't get myself out of a stupid tower? It was like being in one of those horrible fairy tales where the girl has to wait for her knight in shining armor to show up…

Oh no.

That's what had to happen; it was all part of the spell. I wouldn't be freed from this tower until my 'true love' rescued me.

But that could take years! Heck, it could never even happen! I wasn't even in love. How did the fairy expect me to get out of here within the next century? Especially if nobody knew I was missing?

That was when I had an idea. I couldn't get out of the tower, but that didn't mean I couldn't communicate with people outside of this prison.

Taking out my special crystal ball which was connected with Millie's, I rubbed it several times and asked to speak to Millie.

Her face showed up in the tiny ball, and I was filled with immense relief.

"Zoe?" she said. "Zoe, where are you? Francis and I have been looking for you everywhere!"

"I have a bit of a problem…" I began.

"What happened?"

And so I told Millie the whole story, leaving nothing out.

"…and now I can't leave this tower. I have to be rescued by my true love. Oh, Millie, I'm never going to get out of here!" I was so frustrated, I was close to tears.

Millie didn't say anything, but I could tell by her face that she was thinking about something.

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"I have an idea, but you're just going to have to trust me, Zoe. Just try to stay calm and don't do anything stupid." She said.

"Wait, what's this idea?"

"Listen, I can't talk right now. It will all be fine. Just trust me." She paused. "I have to go now."

I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye before her image disappeared from the ball, leaving me alone again.

I let a single tear trickle down my cheek before wiping it away and standing up tall, my shoulders back. I wasn't going to let my situation weaken me. There was still hope. I just had to bide my time until I heard from Millie again.

I made my way to the wooden chest filled with food. I grabbed some bread and cheese, and found some water before sitting at the table and eating my meal.

"That fairy is going to have to answer to me when I get out of here." I said, to no one in particular.