Alrighty my lovely readers! Since you were sooo good about getting those reviews in, here's your reward!!! The long awaited chapter 1!!! And for those of you actually reading this, please check out the TNAB website (link on my profile) and click on the 'Stories' tab. Scroll down to The Nightmare of Her Dreams and there you can check out Amelia's new sorceress costume! Plus an updated summary that gives you a further look into what's to come! ;D Thank you all so much!!!
A young woman of about nineteen years or so walked through a dense forest in the late evening, the sun's setting rays lighting her way through the trees. She was fairly tall and slender with layered golden brown hair that hit just below her shoulders. Her facial features were gentle, yet had an air of wisdom about them. She wore a stunning silver dress, with almost a metallic shine, which came down to barely at her ankles. It was tattered at the bottom to reveal the black sheer layer underneath, also torn at its ends that brushed against her silver boots. Around her waist was a dark midnight blue belt with a white spider-web pattern, clasped together at the back. From her collar to the side of the dress were black lacings that came down to the belt, the ends tied in a simple bow. It held the outfit together, giving it almost an Asian style. One of the long belled sleeves was attached to the dress with similar lacings while the other was whole yet had the same black ties for decoration. Her long, almost batwing-like collar was attached to the top by a circular metal neckpiece, along with a matching choker. At the base of the collar was a dazzling blue pendant, the same as her vivid eyes. The young woman was quite attractive with her grace and light beauty, even despite her peculiar attire which, however, oddly seemed to be perfectly appropriate for her.
She approached a circle of trees with strange looking bark, and a small smile graced her pale pink lips. She stepped into the center to see that the trunks of the trees had strange pictures drawn on them, each depicting a certain holiday of the year. Her smile brightened when her gaze fell on the tree with a wickedly grinning jack-o-lantern. Slowly, she reached out and turned its nose, which then acted as a door knob, and pulled it open. She was met with the inside of a hollow trunk, but then a low howling sound was heard that suddenly began to grow louder and louder. A black wind carrying vibrant autumn leaves shot out of the trunk and wrapped around the woman. She didn't flinch nor panic as the frightening gust sucked her into the tree, the pumpkin shaped door slammed shut behind her.
She had ventured into a strange dimension unknown to the mortals, save for her. Though, this particular young woman wasn't exactly a normal human.
Light appeared beneath her in what had seemed to be eternal darkness. She was now in an entirely different realm and gently floated to the ground, the soft crunch of the colorful leaves beneath her feet.
"For once I actually landed standing up!" she exclaimed gladly.
Her bright blue eyes then gazed to the dark warped town in the distance. Her expression was a mixture of happiness and relief as she stared into the horizon.
"Finally…" she breathed, "I'm home." Her voice was melodic, almost hypnotizing.
With an excited, hurried pace she quickly made her way down the old dirt path that led into the town off in the distance. She finally made it to the main gate and waved her hand in the direction toward the tower next to it. The giant gear that jutted out of the tall structure began to turn and the old, iron gate slowly rose, allowing her entrance into the city of creeps and crawls. To her surprise, as she walked through the town square, there was no one around. Not a single soul, ghoul, monster, or nightmare in sight.
"Well this is strange, even for Halloween Town." She said aloud as she raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Little did she know that behind her, slithering on the ground was a flat black mass quickly approaching her. As she looked around baffled, the dark substance rose into the air, taking on a tall and slender silhouette. A shadowy, claw-like hand reached out toward her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Amelia…" its voice was barely above a whisper, soft enough to almost not be heard. The woman turned and her eyes widened in shock.
"SURPRISE!" the entire town shouted with Jack as he suddenly appeared out of the dark figure, his trademark grin spread wide across his face.
Amelia gasped when she heard many loud popping sounds all around her then suddenly black and orange streamers were everywhere. All of the citizens stepped out of their hiding spots, a few of them blowing horns, and all cheering "Happy Halloween!" The band began playing and everyone was celebrating.
"A surprise Halloween party?" Amelia giggled as she asked.
"For you of course!" Jack exclaimed happily. "It's been exactly ten years since you "dropped in" on our most horrible holiday." He let out an oof when she pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thank you so much!" she released him and turned toward the citizens. "Thank you everyone!"
"It certainly is terrible to see you again Princess Amelia." A stout man with a tall top hat greeted as he approached the royal.
"Likewise Mr. Mayor." She beamed. "It certainly is awful to be back!"
"That's the Halloween spirit!" Jack stated and then turned to proclaim to the town. "Alright everyone, it's time for the banquet to begin!"
They all cheered and hastily made their way toward Town Hall.
"A banquet? You certainly went all-out, didn't you?" Amelia smiled putting a hand on her hip.
"Well why not? It's been three years since your last visit, and ten since you stumbled upon Halloween Town. It's the perfect cause for celebration!" He pointed out. His expression changed to surprise when he finally took in her appearance. "Well, well. It seems that our Little Terror has grown since we last met."
"I had a belated growth spurt," she shrugged and beamed up at him, "not that I mind." She then crossed her arms and glared at him playfully. "Though, I don't like the fact that I still have to look up to you."
"Not much I can do about that." He shrugged, giving her his signature grin. One eye elongated, implying that he was raising an eyebrow. "You cut your hair." He said as he curiously lifted a few strands.
"Yeah," she giggled, "my long hair was such a hassle that I decided to chop some of it off.
"It looks good on you." He said and he pulled his hand away.
"Thanks." She smiled as a light pink blush appeared on her cheeks.
Jack then politely offered his arm to her, "Shall I escort her highness to the banquet?"
"Yes you may," she laced her arm around his, "your majesty." They laughed at the mild joke and began walking toward Town Hall.
'My, she certainly has grown up.' Jack thought to himself when they averted their gazes from each other. 'Nineteen years old and becoming a fine young woman. What am I saying? She is a fine young woman.' He smiled proudly. His thoughts were interrupted by Amelia's sincere voice.
"I've really missed you Jack." She hesitated a moment before adding, "And all of Halloween Town."
"We've missed you too, Amelia." He kindly said, "And absolutely thrilled that you're back." His expression changed as a thought occurred to him. "Oh! I almost forgot." He snapped his fingers and suddenly he was in his old masquerade costume.
"Much more fitting for a formal gathering, don't you think?" he asked with a wink.
"Oh sure," she rolled her eyes and smirked, "you just like having the coat that acts like a cape."
"I resent that." He glared playfully, acting hurt. "I merely haven't had the chance to wear it again."
Amelia just laughed.
Inside Town Hall, the long seats were moved out and replaced with several tables, perpendicular to the stage except for one at the front of the room reserved for the Halloween royals and guests of their choosing. Jack and Amelia were seated next to each other in the center, in everyone's view, Doctor Finklestein and the Mayor sitting opposite of them. Also at the head table was the vampire quartet, the two witch sisters, the werewolf, the harlequin demon, a devil, and the clown with the tear-away face. As they were waiting for the food to be brought out, the Doctor decided to make conversation.
"So Amelia, what have you been doing lately in the human world?" he asked trying to hide his curiosity with just mild interest.
"I'm mainly focusing on my studies." She replied, "I'm attending my town's community college."
"Really now?" when it came to a matter of learning, the Doctor was always intrigued. "What are you studying to be?"
"Well, something music related." She laughed sheepishly, "But I'll probably go into music education. Right now I'm attending the community college to get the mandatory classes out of the way before I move onto a university."
"A university eh?" the genius, if slightly mad, scientist laughed. "Not one to turn down a challenge are you? Music is one of the hardest fields to go into is it not?"
"Yes indeed it is." Amelia nodded. "But I am more than willing to work for it."
"Should expect nothing less from our most brilliant heir." The Mayor declared happily.
"Nah." She waved it off being modest, "It's just that music is what I have a passion for."
"Well whatever the case," Jack piped in, "I'm confident that you'll do great."
"Thanks." A light blush splashed across her cheeks, "I need all of the motivation I can get really."
"Come now Amelia, you mustn't doubt yourself," He stated, acting like a mentor, "especially with such an astounding musical talent like yours. Why, you should have nothing to worry about at all."
Her blush intensified a little at his compliment, though she didn't get a chance to respond. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out across the room but no one even flinched. A raspy voice announced that dinner was served and several zombie waiters flooded into the room carrying silver trays with covers. They simultaneously placed one in front of each person at every table and removed the covers to reveal the first course, soup. Then placed cups down and poured a dark colored liquid into them. Then almost as soon as they had come, the zombie waiters quickly filed out of the room.
Before everyone could dig in Jack stood up, immediately gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He then lifted his cup and cleared his throat.
"I would like to propose a toast to Miss Amelia Brave." He proclaimed, "I thank the day she stumbled upon our atrocious holiday for Halloween Town would not be the same without its horrific Princess. To Amelia!"
"To Amelia!" the crowd responded and raised their glasses. Amelia's face went red with embarrassment but was grateful for his kind gesture, even if he was a bit too open about it for her taste.
"Let the banquet begin!" Jack declared and everyone began to eat. He sat back down and was about to dig in when he noticed Amelia's rather peculiar expression.
Amelia had sipped a spoonful of the soup, and looked about ready to gag. However she tried to keep a straight face as to not insult anyone and swallowed hard. Jack had to stifle a laugh. He gave her props for trying but he knew that she had always absolutely despised Halloween Town cuisine, though her expression of obvious distaste was just too humorous.
"Worm's wart!" Doctor Finklestein exclaimed happily as he began to practically gulp down the soup. "My favorite!"
"How do you like it Amelia?" The Mayor asked after tasting it himself.
"I-It's…good…" she managed to say, trying to keep her smile from faltering. Jack struggled not to let out a chuckle.
She quickly grabbed her cup to wash the soup down, but nearly spat it back out at its horrible taste. However, she forced it down her throat and shuddered, coughing a little. A laugh had escaped the skeleton man beside her, who then quickly covered it up by clearing his throat, pretending that it didn't happen. Amelia just glared at him, knowing he found the entire thing amusing. The Mayor and the Doctor exchanged confused glances.
"What's the matter Amelia?" Jack turned toward her with a mischievous smile, "Don't you like the beetle juice?"
"It's not that," she coughed some more, "just went down the wrong pipe." She tried to hide her disgust with a smile. However, he had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying a comeback knowing that he was teasing her.
The elected official and the slightly mad scientist blinked but then shrugged the whole matter off and went back to their soup.
'Ok, trying to be polite and eat the horrid stuff obviously isn't going to work.' Amelia thought to herself, 'So I guess now would be the appropriate time to put one of my new spells to work.'
She focused on the worm's wart soup and after a moment she blinked and it flashed the color yellow before quickly returning back to its sickly green. This went unnoticed to everyone else at the table except for Jack, who caught her out of the corner of his eye. He had recognized the trick immediately. The sorceress smiled brightly and gladly took another sip of the soup.
'Chicken noodle, so much better!' she thought to herself as she proceeded to finish the dish.
'I don't believe it!' Jack mentally exclaimed. 'She mastered the swapping spell!? She must have greatly improved her sorcery skills in the time she's been gone.'
He continued to finish his soup and noticed yet again an example of her more experienced powers. Amelia performed the same spell, this time focusing on the juice. She blinked and the liquid inside was clear for just a brief second before returning back to its dark color. She then happily took a drink out of it.
'Water beats having that beetle juice any day.' She mentally commented to herself.
The Pumpkin King was just astounded by how effortless it was for her, and she didn't even have to mutter the incantation. It was a sure sign that she was definitely a lot stronger than she used to be.
The rest of the night continued much of the same way. When the other two courses were brought out, Amelia would be respectful and try the food but always ended up changing it into something she considered edible. Jack had to give her props for living up to her name and attempting to eat the food he knew she despised.
Casual conversation continued between the Halloween Town royals, the Mayor, and the Doctor, however most of their talk centered around Amelia's human life. Doctor Finklestein proved to have an insufferable curiosity when it came to the human world. Who could blame him? He was a scientist after all, even if slightly mad.
A while later, everybody had finished their meals and were now casually talking amongst themselves. So, Jack then took it as the opportunity to make his next announcement. He stood up, automatically gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
"Well I do believe that was a most satisfying dinner," he grinned, "so what do you say we let the ball begin?" All of the citizens cheered and took their cues to start exiting Town Hall and enter into the square.
"A b-ball?" The Halloween Princess blinked in confusion as she looked up to Jack.
"But of course!" He beamed and offered his hand to the sorceress to help her out of her seat. "The citizens loved the one you threw and have been dying to have another."
"R-really?" she was in absolute disbelief as he pulled her up.
"Certainly Ami!" he reassured her, happily using her old nickname. "You know, even the Doctor complimented you on such a successful Halloween."
"Yes, but I never thought—"
"Now don't be modest." He said as he took her hand again and began to lead her out of the building. "You are everything this holiday needed, and more. So don't doubt yourself so much and have a good time. It's your party after all." He gave her his signature grin.
"R-right." Amelia had blushed when he grasped her hand, and even more so when he gave her such a wonderful compliment. She honestly didn't think she deserved such high praise, especially after almost ruining the Halloween holiday, twice.
And that's the end of chapter one! I hope you all liked it ^_____^ And if you want to see what Amelia's costume looks like (or if my really long description confused you) then scroll up to the author's notes at the top with instructions on how to see it on the TNAB website! Speaking of which, we're always accepting new members! If you'd like to see your fanart on the site then become a member and all you have to do is ask! =D
Thank you all so so so so much!! The readers are the ones who drive me to write! :D