Author's Note: Yay! Chapter two! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you like the new chapter! Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rosalina, and I don't own Shadow. But the storyline was my idea, and 'The Presence' is mine too.

"Hello." Said a small, high pitched voice.

Rosalina opened her eyes and looked around. She was standing in what seemed to be a ball of blueish-white light. Standing next to her was… Shadow? Why was she next to him? She barely knew him at all. He was glaring, but not at her. It was then that she realized that there was something else in the room. It wasn't a person, an animal, or a Pokemon. It was just a presence.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your thoughts, but would you mind if we get started?" there was that voice again.

"Who are you?" asked Shadow. "And where are we?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. But you are in my game. The Fairy Tale Game. Your goal is to go through the Fairy Tale, adding twist and turns that happen because you are not the Fairy Tale characters."

"Look, I don't have time for this. The faker will be here any moment, and when he gets here I can leave."

"I'm afraid that you cannot leave until the game is over.

"Says you!" said Shadow, powering up his skates. But before he could do anything, the blue light was swirling around and around, and the colors were changing.

"Shadow!" cried Rosalina. She reached for his hand, but before she could grab him, she was thrown back into a swirl of colors.

"Good luck." Said the voice. And the young girl smiled.

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a beautiful princess. Her name was Rosalina. Her skin was pale, but had a glow to it that reminded everyone of a full moon. Her eyes sparkled like the stars, and her hair shone like the sun. She was beautiful. And as much as she was beautiful, she was kind. She was always willing to lend an ear, and was always happy to help in any way possible. But one day, young Rosalina's mother died. For weeks, her father couldn't look at her, for she looked just like her mother in every way. Rosalina, confused and scared, clung to her big brother for protection. Time went by, and the king was able to look his daughter in the eye without feeling a pang of sadness. Rosalina was happy, for her father and brother were smiling again, and she believed that her mother had gone to a wonderful place for her kindness.

About two years after the death of Queen Lilith, the people began to wonder if King Philip would ever remarry. The king was furious, but his royal advisor convinced him to make a contest. The king would court any woman who could prove he was as kind as she was beautiful. Time passed, and many woman tried and failed.

But then one day, a woman came, and she proved herself. The king courted her, as was his degree, and fell in love. They married, and she became Rosalina's stepmother. She was truly a kind woman, but she had one fault. She was vain. However she had hidden this well, for she had a mirror. Each day she asked the mirror who the fairest maiden in the land. And each day since the queen had died, the mirror had answered:

"You, my dear, are fairer then all."

And the new queen was pleased. Time passed on, and Queen Matilda was able to keep her vanity hidden by asking the mirror her daily question, and getting her daily answer. But then, on the day of Princess Rosalina's 16th birthday, the mirror did not give its usual answer. Instead, this is what it said:

"Dear Queen Matilda, fair as you are, Queen Lilith was always more so. And now as her daughter Rosalina turns 16, she becomes as fair as her mother, in beauty and in kindness. She is the fairest in all the land."

And the queen was angry.

"How dare that little witch be more beautiful than me! I'll show her!"

The queen used her magic and, disguised as a peasant woman, went to town. She went to the woodcutter's house and knocked on the door.

"Hello?" said the woodcutter.

"I'm sorry, but could I please come in? I am very poor and I have no money for food."

"Most certainty you may come in!" replied the woodcutter.

The queen smiled, and walked inside.

"I shall go prepare a meal at once!" said the kind hearted woodcutter.

"That will not be necessary." The queen lifted her hand. The door and windows locked, and the curtains shut themselves. The queen transformed back into her usual self. The woodcutter was astonished.

"Y-your Majesty!" He cried, kneeling down in front of her. "Please, to what do I owe this amazing honor?"

"I have a task for you. My magical mirror has informed me that Princess Rosalina is the fairest maiden in the land, and I will not stand for it. I will send her to the edge forest at 6 o' clock this evening. You are to take her to the heart of the woods, and there you are to kill her. You will bring me her heart to prove you have done the deed."

"Your Majesty!" gasped the woodcutter.

"If you do as I have asked, you shall be rewarded handsomely. If you fail, you will pay with your life." And with that, the queen disappeared, leaving the woodcutter aghast.

Meanwhile, in a different land far far away, Crown Prince Shadow was sitting on his throne, bored out of his mind.

"Prince Shadow!" said an old Koopa with a green shell.

"Hello Madame Churn." Replied the prince, sounding very bored indeed.

"You do realize that you must figure out how to solve 100 different problems in exactly five minute? You're 16 today, and that means no more acting like a child!"

"I'll fix it."

"Thank you dear." Said Madame Churn happily. "But how did you know?"

"You only get like that when I don't look my absolute best, Madame Fashion."

One quick fix up later…

"Announcing Crown Prince Shadow helping those with problems, or those who simply wish to give their thanks to the Royal Family! Bring in the first person!"

"Hello, Your Majesty." It was a small child. She had tanned skin, and big brown that just screamed of innocence. She wore a long green dress with a pink sash with a large pink bow. Under that she wore a light blue slip, but the slip was longer then the dress. Her hair was long, strait, and black. She wore a green headband, had a flip that didn't cover her eye, but for some strange reason, it made him think of a girl he had been recently been seeing in his dreams. But he put that thought aside and focused on the little girl, who curtsied and said: "I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't have a name. And I don't have anyone to name me, either."

The Chief Advisor to the king snorted.

"That is your problem? You have no name because you are not worthy of one. This is not a worthy problem for Prince Shadow to deal with the very first time he must deal with the problems of the people alone!"

The little girl trembled, and then she burst into tears.

"You shall say no more, Waluigi, or you shall leave, and you shall not return. Stop crying, Child."

The little girl looked up, defiant despite her tear streaked face. "I'm not a child!"

"Your name. It will be Child."

"Child, huh? I like it." Her smile returned, and she curtsied again. "Thank you Your Majesty."

"You're welcome Child. Come back again anytime. And if anyone teases you about it…" He took a piece of parchment from the table beside him and wrote a note. He then stamped it with the Royal Seal. Show them this. I'd like to see the look on their faces when they see it."

"That was a disgrace, Your Majesty! An absolute-"

"Shut up, Waluigi. I don't like you."

An hour and fifteen minutes on the dot later…

"Hello, Your Majesty." Said a pretty girl coyly, curtsying. "I simply wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful things you do."

"You are welcome, and I thank you."

The girl curtseyed again, and then left.

"There! Now that was a presence worthy of your time!"

"That was anything but." Replied Shadow. He stood up and walked to his room. As he left, he heard a slap and Madame Churn yelling. He smiled.

"Shadow!" cried a small voice. It was a little girl who looked an awful lot like him, minus the hair and chest. "How did it go?"

"Eh. Pretty well. I don't know why dad keeps Endon around sometimes though."

"Okie dokie smokie!" replied Alicia happily.

Shadow smiled as he watched his little sister skip off humming and continued to his bedroom.

About five minutes later he flopped onto his bed, and wondered about that mysterious girl from his dream. The one with the eyes that sparkled like stars.

*************************************************************************************Author's Note: Hooray for Writer's Boom! I hope you liked the chapter! I may not get the next one up so quickly, because I really need to get some more of my entry for my friend The Smart One 64's contest. So I'm going to make myself do some of that before I start on chapter three. Write ya soon!

GrossGirl18

Over & Out

=D