Just to make myself absolutely clear.

A/N: This story is not the original version, for example many of you might've noticed that Runo's a mermaid And she receives a bottle with "Drink me" on it. This might be contradictory because that "drink me" is from Alice in wonderland… That is an example of what I intend to do, I'm gonna mix everything together, you see, that means things may happen to the characters that are related to other fairy tales and not the one you may expect.

I hope I've cleared everything up…If you find this confusing let me know please. But for the major part all you have to do is read.

One Fairy Tale Too Many

crystal-mist

Chapter 3

Shun sighed as he looked at the line of women who were waiting for him to descend.

He brushed the long strands of hair behind his ear and put on his green mask and one by one started descending the steps

All the princesses started squealing… He gulped as he reached the second last step.

He drew in a deep breathe.

Almost as if by accident Shun ran into a girl who wore a beautiful purple gown. She didn't look too eager to dance with him… It looked more like she was a bit uneasy when he bumped into her.

Shun found this reaction favourable, so he smiled. "May I have the pleasure of this dance Madame?" he questioned, in a very charming tone.

She seemed extremely doubtful; her brown eyes gazed at him with a very embarrassed expression. But it would be extremely bad manners if she turned down the prince's offer to dance so she accepted.

But there was this sort of stubbornness in the expression on her face.

*~~X~~*

Runo the mermaid was excited. She was not only on land but was attending a grand party… It was wonderful.

Julie had told her to feel free and wander around. And so she did… She had made her way to the garden outside…It was beautiful and it was lit up gorgeously.

She stood there for a bit. Seeing no one around there she took in a deep breathe and decided to get accustomed to her new found legs. She extended her arms to both her sides and twirled. Her gown floated about gracefully as she did so.

As she was twirling for about the third time her leg wobbled a bit and she was sent hurtling down to the ground. But then she realized that she had fallen onto someone.

It was Joe. Her aqua eyes widened as she saw him.

"Hello sweet mermaid." He muttered with a flattering smile on his face.

She bowed a little since she couldn't talk. She considered the situation for a bit, should she thank him for the potion or whack him on the head for not telling her what exactly it would do to her voice and her tail.

He extended his hand out to her. "Care to dance? I'll lead."

Runo deliberated for a bit but then took his hand and danced in tune with the music…She had to admit, it was fun to dance like this, to have feet.

After the course of two songs Joe parted from her.

When he did, she found another bottle in her hand. This one contained orange goo in it. She looked at it… The words "Drink me" was printed on it in bold font.

She looked at Joe; she supposed it was the antidote for the earlier potion

'What does this thing do?' she wrote on the mud with a twig.

"It will allow you to escape the dilemma of human beings." He answered.

She raised an eyebrow at him. 'Where do you get these from anyway?' she wrote once again.

"Once the secret is revealed then the magic disappears with it." He said, the smile still on his face.

'Why are you here?' wrote Runo on the mud. It was tiresome but it was the only mode for communication.

"You can see the stars from here." He said pointing to the sky.

Runo looked at the sky, her eyes widened as she saw the cloudy sky…She couldn't see a single star amidst the dark clouds.

But when she had turned to Joe, he was gone… It was all very mysterious, he disappeared just as suddenly as he came.

She sighed and carefully stashed away the bottle he had given her.

*~~X~~*

Shun was meanwhile dancing with the mysterious girl. He danced flawlessly; the girl however trod on his feet very often and muttered apologies in the shiest tone.

He would chuckle…. It was strange, the way she acted, a typical tom-boy. At least, that was the conclusion Shun drew from watching her closely.

Mira's words echoed through his mind.-"Something will lead you to the introduction of your one true love…"

He wondered if this was the girl he was destined to marry, So far, the only distinguishable detail about her were her brown eyes.

"Do I know you? Is there any way we've met before?" he asked her, trying to make conversation.

"Not really…" she replied.

"Well then I…" he was cut short when her eyes fell on the clock that showed the time 11:59 p.m.

"I'm leaving…" she said pulling herself away from Shun, she seemed in a hurry.

"What?" Shun exclaimed…

"I said I have to go."

Shun held onto her hand. "Not just yet…" Mira said that he would meet his true love. Granted, he didn't feel anything special- no rapidly beating heart or blushing face- in her presence. But if she was his true love by any chance he wasn't going to let her get away.

She turned around to face him. She smiled widely then stomped his foot with her high heels and took the opportunity to run away.

As she ran down the steps of the palace, her glass shoe was left behind.

Shun reached there and saw her shoe there. He picked it up.

"My shoe! Give it back." she exclaimed as she stopped in her tracks.

He gaped…."No way, if you want it back come here and get it…" Shun was an adult, his comebacks were that of a 12 year old.

"Miser!" she said again.

"Oh just come back and get the shoe…Please…" he remembered Mira's words. "You are my one true love." He cried out.

"You just met me; you freak." She yelled as she ran away…

Shun was left there standing all alone with nothing but a purple glass slipper in his hand, his mouth wide in amazement.

"She is….unique." he muttered, not knowing if he should laugh or feel disgraced at being called a 'miser' and a 'freak' by a girl.

After he reached back in the palace he told Billy of the girl he had met. And what Mira, his 'general fairy Godmother' had told him.

Billy looked at him wide-eyed. "And you don't know what she looks like?... "

Shun shook his head from side to side…Wait, so did this mean that he was going o remain alone and unmarried for the rest of his life, not that it bothered him, but it wouldn't be good for his reputation.

Just then a great crash echoed through the ballroom and Shun was on the ground with something lying on top of him. Something oval-shaped, white and seemingly heavy.

A massive over-sized egg – there was no mistaking it- it rolled off Shun and a crack shown on it. . Little bits of its shell lay scattered across the room.

Shun was still lying no the ground with stars orbiting his head. Apparently that massive egg had hit him on the head.

Then a mouth, eyes, hands and legs appeared on the egg and it started singing

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,

All the king's horses and all the king's men,

Wouldn't put Humpty together again.

Why, you ask this utter prejudice?

Because, I seem to have crushed the prince."

And then, just suddenly as it appeared it ran away. Even the bits of the shell that lay on the ground grew feet and scurried away before he could get 'arrested' or 'hard-boiled'; whichever term may be appropriate.

The gathering in the ballroom looked on with shock as Billy carried the now unconscious prince up the stairs and into the private quarters.

"Hey Shun…You alright?" he asked, shaking the prince a little.

Shun groaned a little.

"I wonder what that giant egg was…Where did it come from? Was it enchanted perhaps?"

After about two hours Shun regained consciousness.

Billy realized that Shun had caught a mysterious case of amnesia. He couldn't remember anything that had happened that day. He could remember the previous day and also that he was supposed to meet his true love on the day of his birthday. But he couldn't recall even the minutest detail of his birthday.

Billy sighed; there was nothing he could do. And the worst thing was that Shun hadn't told Billy of the glass slipper that was left behind before the egg hit him.

*~~X~~*

Alice had managed to reach home before twelve… She leant on the wall, she was grateful to Mira for helping her… The palace was just a wonderful place with so many gorgeous things.

Although, she didn't know why she felt restless the whole day, she'd been extremely fidgety and jumpy when she was in the palace.

She shook her head from side to side as she opened the door and went inside her home –if you could call it that- and waited for her 'family' to return from the ball.

*~~X~~*

Dan sat in the streets with this exasperated expression on his face… "That was close." He muttered.

"Hm…" Ace, the genie sniggered as he stood leaning on the wall in the corner. "Now don't bother me for two days numb-skull." He added before he disappeared into his lamp.

"I am so going to get you for that…. GENIE." shouted Dan, shaking his fist at the golden lamp.

*~~X~~*

Thanks for reading. Please do tell me what you think.

Alright, so I know that the Humpty Dumpty thing was unexpected… *smiles innocently* Just a strange idea I got from one of my crazy dream… In my dream, my best friend is the on who gets crushed by the massive egg. LOL.

REVIEW please.

Thanks.