Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come
That night, after dinner, which even Thea had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Lana what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Thea playing the organ that Lana saw earlier.
Barbara then walked up and smiled.
"I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm." She sang. "You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them."
Everyone then chuckled at the choke and sang out,
Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!
The words don't mean a thing!
Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?
Dick then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with a twirl of the stick. Jaime then stood up.
"I…" He began. "Uh…"
Thea then blew a loud note, and that snapped Jaime to the alert.
"I chased a pole cat up a tree." Jaime said. "Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him."
Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!
The words don't mean a thing!
Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?
As the music continued, Megan was pestered by that fly again.
"Hey, go away!" She said.
The fly then bothered Dick who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Megan's nose. She then made to swat it as Dick gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.
"Why you…" Megan said angrily, and Dick ended up with a very bad wedgie.
Lana then danced with each of the kids, except Thea in turn.
Dick then got on top of Conner with a long cloak.
"Hey watch it!" Conner said. "Don't tickle my nose!"
Dick made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Dick as the arms and legs and Conner as the legs. They then walked up to Lana, and she danced around a little, with Dick only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Conner.
The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Dick's feat.
"Uh-oh." Dick said.
"Duck and cover!" Thea called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.
"Mommy." Dick squeaked as Conner sneezed, and Dick flew up into the ceiling and floated back down by using his cape as a parachute.
Everyone laughed, and Lana sat down.
"That was fun." Lana said with a smile.
"Now it's your turn to do something." Barbara said.
"What should I do?" Lana asked.
"Tell us a story." Megan said.
"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.
"A true story!" Jaime said.
"A love story!" Barbara said.
"Well…" Lana said before she remembered the day she met Robin. "Once there was a princess."
"Was the princess you?" Roy asked.
"And she fell in love." Lana said with a nod.
"Was it hard to do?" Conner asked.
"It was very easy." Lana said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."
"Was he strong and handsome?" Roy asked puffing out his chest.
"Was he big and tall?" Conner asked as he flew up.
"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Lana said dreamily.
"Did he say he loved you?" Jaime asked.
"Did he steal a kiss?" Barbara asked.
"He was so romantic, I could not resist." Lana sang out.
Everyone except Thea then sat down as Thea leaned against a corner.
Someday, my prince will come.
Someday, we'll meet again.
And away to his castle we'll go,
To be happy forever, I know.
"Hmph." Thea muttered. "Mush."
Barbara then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Thea over to Lana.
Someday when spring is here,
We'll find our love anew.
Megan was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.
And the birds will sing,
And wedding bells will ring,
Someday when my dreams come true…
Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.
"Oh look at the time." Lana said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."
"But I'm not sleepy…" Megan said as she yawned.
"Oh yes you are." Lana said as she picked Megan up.
"No I'm not." Megan said as she made another yawn.
"Now, all of you, go to your room." Lana said kindly.
"Wait a second." Roy said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."
"But where will you be sleeping?" Lana asked.
"Oh, we'll be fine down here." Roy said.
"In a pig's eye." Thea muttered.
"Hey, stop that!" Roy said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"
"Oh yeah." They all said as Dick grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.
"Don't worry about us." Barbara said. "We'll be alright."
"Go right on up." Roy said.
"Well…" Lana said. "If you insist. Good night."
"Good night princess." The children said.
"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Lana.
"We'll be fine." Conner said.
"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Lana said as she went inside.
Once Lana closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.
Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Dick shrugged and went to sleep on the bench.
()()()()()
In the children's room, Lana was saying her evening prayers.
"Bless Carter Hall for saving my life, and please help my sister overcome her anger." Lana prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Thea find it in her heart to like me. Amen."
Lana then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.
()()()()()
"Adults!" Thea said as she tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Lana's soup had been before she felt something poking in her back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."
She tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.
Jaime was sleeping near a drawer. Barbara was sleeping on top of the drawer. Roy was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in her mouth too. Conner was sleeping on top of Dick, but he woke up when Dick was whimpering like a dog he before Conner poked him in the hind leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.
Thea went back to sleep as she was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Megan did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Thea easily knew what had happened. Megan's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Megan didn't have Bunny, Thea or Barbara would go and get it for her, but Barbara was out like a light, and Thea didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Lana there, so she just got out of the pot, walked up to Dick and took his cape off. Thea then rolled Dick's cape up and put it in Megan's arms, as she slept contentedly while Megan petted Dick's cape.
Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Thea hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.
()()()()()
Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Isobel for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.
"Dip the apple in the brew." Isobel chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."
She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.
"Yes!" Isobel said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Lana and make her hunger and savor."
Isobel then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.
Isobel chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.
"Have a bit, sweetie!" Isobel said as she shoved the apple into Blood's face.
"BWAH!" Blood said as he backed away.
"Oh, you know it's not for you." Isobel said as she tickled Blood's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Lana. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her blood congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"
"As soon as that disguise wears off." Blood said before Isobel starred him down.
"Wait a minute." Isobel said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"
Isobel looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.
"Here it is!" Isobel said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Isobel said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"
She then walked down a secret stairway.
"Sweet Trigon, what's that girl's problem?!" Blood asked as the door closed.
()()()()()
Isobel then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.
"Thirsty?" Isobel asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"
Isobel then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Lana was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Lana met just to spite her soon to be buried alive step-daughter.
In a few days, Isobel landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Carter Hall had killed to trick Isobel. She'd deal with the Thanagarian and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Lana would never accept an apple from her.
Aw… Thea has a heart.
Thea: Shut up!
