Princes of Grimm #7
"A Charming Curse"
19 Years Ago
The infant Prince Thomas was sleeping soundly in his crib as a menacing black mist slowly crept into his bedroom, heading toward his crib. It began to slowly surround the sleeping prince until the crib was fully engulfed.
The next morning, the King and Queen had found an empty crib with no trace of anyone having been in the room. The entire kingdom was soon turned upside down to find the baby Prince, but no trace of the baby boy was ever found without the kingdom, nor the neighboring kingdoms.
No, the baby boy was taken far away from his kingdom, the dark magic that had taken him had deposited him deep into a coal mine, where the baby would surely die. And he would have, had it not been for a poor coal miner who had come to work early.
"I do not believe this," the man said as he picked the baby up. There was nothing to identify the baby outside of a rattle with the name 'Thomas' on it. "Who would abandon such an innocent creature?"
The man took the baby home with him, where him and his wife decided to keep the child and raise him as their own, despite having little money as it was. A child would be an even bigger strain on them. Thomas's adopted father would have to put in even longer hours at the mines just to put food on the table.
Soon, the stress of supporting a family took its toll on the man, and he died a few winters later, leaving Thomas and his mother alone. At the age of six, Thomas had to drop out of school and begin working in the coal mine full time to support himself and his mother.
Day in and day out, Thomas would work from sunrise to sunset with little time for rest to make sure him and his mother were able to survive. But the hard work helped Thomas grow into a strong young man, who loved his mother dearly.
Sadly, Thomas's adopted mother passed away the previous winter, leaving Thomas alone in the world. As she lay on her deathbed, her final words were to tell Thomas how proud she was of having raised a strong young man whose only goal was to make sure his mother was provided for.
After that, Thomas continued working in the mine, but less so than he had in years. Now he only had to provide for himself and wasn't sure what to do with the rest of his free time. Then one day, the King's men came calling, needing a brave soul to on a dangerous quest.
And with no family or friends to speak of, Thomas knew what he had to do...
Today
Rapunzel just sighed as she stared out from the window of her tower. The sun was starting to set and night was falling on another day where she was stuck inside the tower. Not far from her were the sleeping Princesses Aurora and Snow White, who were both under glass cases in their death like trance.
"I never realized how boring this is until I got two roommates who can't even talk," Rapunzel said as she stared at the setting sun. "I wish you two would at least tell me your names. I'll bet you two have some interesting stories about how you got to be like this."
"Don't badger the guests, dear," Dame Gothel said as she entered the room. "They're trying to get their beauty sleep."
"Mother, do I seem... different?" Rapunzel asked as she turned around. "I feel like I'm suddenly... missing something, or someone."
"What are you talking about, my child? I'm right here, like I always have been," Gothel told her with a smile. "We'll always have each other."
"I know, it's just... I've had dreams. About a man, and babies. And a castle," Rapunzel said.
"Nonsensical fairy tales," Gothel told her. "Those books of yours, filling your head with fantasies that are never going to happen. We've had this conversation far too many times. You are to never leave this tower, for your own safety. Besides, now you have a bigger task, which is guarding our guests in case the horrible creatures who did this to them come for them. If they show up, you are not to spare their lives, are we clear?"
"But what if they know how to wake my new friends up?" Rapunzel asked. "Shouldn't I capture them first?"
"No!" Gothel said, slamming her fist down on the table. "You are to KILL. THEM. There is no other option here, my daughter. It is the only way to protect them, and you. Promise me, my child, that if these men ever show up, that will not hesitate to take their lives."
"I- I promise," Rapunzel said, not sure she could keep her promise.
"I know it's a difficult promise, baby, but it's one that's best for everyone," Gothel told her as she kissed Rapunzel's forehead. "I love you, dear."
"And I love you, mother," Rapunzel said as she stared at the glass cases.
Thomas felt the sharpness of the dagger enter his body as he could only stare up at Maleficent.
"Oh, don't look so surprised," Maleficent said as he stared at the dagger. "Did you honestly think you could come to the Moors and leave here alive? You were dead the second the signed up for this quest, child."
"The Princess must be avenged," Thomas said, his voice quivering as he remained on his knees as the life started to drain from his body.
"Avenged?" Maleficent laughed as she turned to face him. "I have given the Princess a gift that few on this planet shall ever receive. The gift of peace. In her current sleep, she can't be harmed. Her sleep allows her to remain beautiful forever, untouched by the coldness of this world. No, my boy, I have not cursed Aurora; I have made sure people like you can never sully her beauty."
Thomas was getting too weak to even lift his head to look at her. In another few moments, he would be dead.
"Such a strong child," Maleficent said as she put her hand under his chin and raised his head. "Perhaps death isn't the answer for you, boy. You see, I am without my beloved Diablo. It turns out the magic that cursed him also survived the time alterations, making him forever a stone statue. But fear not, I wouldn't turn you into a raven. You aren't worthy of such beauty. No, I shall have to find a more... suitable form for you. One that will allow you to serve my every whim."
Maleficent thought for a moment, then got an evil look on her face and raised her arms to cast a spell.
"I can't believe Phillip took off without us," Gretel said as she saw the carriage arrive as she stood along with Jack and Pinocchio . "They must have gone to Princess Aurora's kingdom without us. I could just kill that brother of mine."
"The real one or the Prince who claims to be your brother?" Pinocchio asked.
"There's nothing we can do about it now," Jack told her. "They've already got a huge head start on us."
"They're on foot, we've got a carriage," Gretel said.
"Yeah, but the driver's not going to take us anywhere but Hansel's castle," Jack reminded her.
"Who said anything about taking the driver?" Gretel asked.
"I knew I liked this girl for a reason," Jack said as the trio planned.
"We've combed every inch of this thorn wall, there's no getting in," the Huntsman said. "We're going to have to cut our way in."
"Phillip's sword is enchanted," Hansel told them. "It should have an effect on the wall."
Phillip looked down at the sword in his hand. "Okay, I guess I could try it."
"What of your magic blades?" the Huntsman asked the Woodcutter. "Surely they can cut through this wall as well."
"What, these?" the Woodcutter asked. "I just threw these together to help make the job go faster. They run on mashed bananas."
"Whoever heard of a blind woodcutter?" Hansel asked.
"I may be blind, but I still have my other senses, little girl," the Woodcutter told him as he patted Hansel's head.
Phillip raised his sword and slashed at the thorn wall, making a long gash in it. The piece that he sliced started withering and dying. He pulled his sword back and started slicing further into the wall, cutting deeper into it as the part he was cutting into started withering at his sword's touch.
"It's working!" Hansel shouted. "We'll be in there in no time!"
What remained of Thomas's clothes lay in a pile on the ground as Maleficent petted her new familiar. A black cat with piercing yellow eyes sat in her arms as she stroked its fur while it purred soothingly.
"You are now my familiar, child," Maleficent said as she carried the cat with her. "You are mine, and mine alone to command. You will tend to my every wish, and obey my every desire."
She stared down into her cauldron and saw the image of Phillip breaking through her thorn wall.
"Can't Grimhilde do anything right? Why is her Huntsman assisting Phillip? No matter,, he won't leave the Moors alive," Maleficent said as she put her new familiar down on the ground. "This is going to call for something... special. Something to make sure that none of these intruders never bother me or my Moors again."
"If the Princess is here, she'll be well guarded," Phillip said as he climbed through the open hole in the wall. The Huntsman helped the Woodcutter and Hansel through before climbing in himself. "We must be prepared for anything."
"Cat!" Hansel shouted as he spotted the black cat jump out in front of them. The Huntsman just stared at him for a second.
"You've got to be kidding me!" the Huntsman shouted as he picked up the cat. "It's just a harmless cat. Isn't that right, little fella?"
The cat hissed at the Huntsman and swiped its sharp claw, cutting through the sleeve of his shirt and drawing blood. The Huntsman dropped the cat, and in an instant it pounced from the ground, landing on Hansel's face, hissing and clawing.
"I hate cats!" Hansel shouted as he tried to pull the cat off of his face.
"Don't just stand there, stab it!" the Huntsman shouted.
"And kill Hansel in the process?" Phillip asked as he tried to pull the cat off of Hansel as he thrashed around. "Are you insane?"
"Stand back, I'll take care of it!" the Woodcutter shouted as he started his saw.
"Can we do this without stabbing my face or cutting it off?" Hansel shouted as Phillip pulled the cat off and tossed it away. He drew his sword as the cat scampered between Phillip's legs and disappeared into a bush.
"Is that the best you've got, fairy?" Phillip asked as he looked around. "Come out and face us!"
Maleficent's laugh was heard all around them as the group stood at each other's backs, ready for just about anything.
"Fools, you've signed your death warrants by coming here," Maleficent told them as her voice echoed all around. "The Moors will be your burial ground!"
"Oh, yeah, bring it on!" Phillip shouted. "We're going to rescue the princess!"
"Rescue the Princess?" Maleficent laughed. "Boy, even if you were to somehow get the better of me, there is no princess for you here."
"You lie!" Hansel shouted.
"Do I?" Maleficent asked with a confident tone. "Come further into the Moors and find out."
"She's trying to trick us," Hansel told the others. "She has to be here. Come on!"
"This boy is going to get us killed," the Huntsman told Phillip.
"Perhaps, but at least we'll slay a demon fairy doing it," Phillip replied, feeling more confident with his sword now.
Maleficent was watching them from a safe distance, smirking as she watched them. She waved her hand to alert the Moor's defenses.
"Tear them apart, except for the boy. I have special plans for him."
"I told you I could drive this thing, no problem!" Pinocchio said as he struggled to keep the horse and carriage from veering off the road.
"It's a good thing your nose can't grow from lying anymore!" Jack said as he and Gretel felt every bump in the road along the way. "Are you seriously trying to hit everything laying in the road?"
"You mean I'm not supposed to?" Pinocchio asked as he looked back at them. He ran over another large bump as Gretel fell into Jack's arms. He blushed as they quickly separated.
"We probably would have been better off walking," Gretel told him.
"Maybe I should take over driving," Jack said. "Pull over, kid, I'll take over."
"Aw, I was getting the hang of it," Pinocchio said as he came to a stop. As he climbed down, Jack got out of the carriage, just as a wolf's howling was heard in the distance.
"I don't like the sound of that," Jack said.
"It's just a wolf," Pinocchio told him. "How bad can one wolf be?"
"Isn't there a story about a wolf swallowing a grandmother whole?" Gretel asked as the howling was heard again. Pinocchio jumped into the carriage along with her as Jack just shook his head.
"Next stop, Princess Aurora's kingdom," Jack said as he snapped the reigns, but the back wheels on the carriage suddenly broke off. "Gee, I wondered how that could have happened? It couldn't possibly be because someone ran over every sharp rock in the road."
"That's right, blame the guy responsible," Pinocchio said. "We can ride horseback the rest of the way, can't we?"
"Yeah, you take that one, and me and... Gretel," Jack said as he blushed. "Will take this one."
"Let's just hurry, I want to find Phillip and slap him for ditching us," Gretel said as she climbed onto the horse. "Let's go!"
The moon was shining down into the Moors as the group continued on, seeing all the piercing yellow eyes in the darkness watching their every move.
"I have this really bad feeling that we're horribly outnumbered," the Huntsman said as he looked around.
"Courage, friends," Cameron said as he listened around to hear what was coming. "We're not beaten yet."
Phillip looked down at his sword, then looked at Hansel. "Do you really think we stand a chance against this witch?"
"You've beaten her before," Hansel said as he looked up at his hero. "And you can do it again. I know you can. You're the best."
"He is a pauper with no sword wielding skills," the Huntsman reminded him as he drew his bow and arrow. "I am the best fighter in this group, never forget that."
"Yeah, and you got bested by a 12-year-old," Phillip reminded him as everything in the Moors, from the animals to the animated trees, sprung out at once. "Form a circle! Don't let anything inside!"
The four stood back to back to protect each other as the creatures flew toward them. The Huntsman shot his arrows to keep the trees at bay, while Cameron swiped at anything he heard coming in his direction. Phillip slashed his sword to strike down everything trying to kill him, while Hansel used a tree branch to keep his attackers away.
"There's too many of them!" the Huntsman shouted as he ran out of arrows, then started using his bow as a weapon.
"We can't let the witches win!" Hansel shouted as his arm started getting tired. "I won't let them win!"
"Calm down, kid," the Huntsman told him as his bow broke. He resorted to punching the attacking trees and animals. "Why is this so important to you?"
Before Hansel could reply, Maleficent's laughter was heard all around them. The attacking animals and trees stopped and slowly backed away into the darkness as the dark fairy stepped out of the shadows.
"Poor children, you are tired and worn," Maleficent smirked. "I offer one final chance. Surrender yourselves to me and I may consider sparing your lives. Maybe."
"Never," Hansel told her. "You destroyed my friend's lives."
"And I made yours infinitely better," Maleficent reminded him. "You could be living your dream, boy. You could be living as royalty, staying in your huge castle, and all you had to do was stay out of my affairs. And were your friends truly miserable in their new situations?"
"Actually, I'm quite happy," Phillip said.
"The blind thing aside, I'm not bad, either," Cameron told them.
"See? It is you who is making things worse, child," Maleficent said as she pulled out an orb from her cloak. "I am not completely without reason. With this orb, I can erase the memories of the past day. All of you can go back to your lives."
"And if we refuse?" Hansel asked.
"You all die here," Maleficent told them. "This is the only chance I give you to walk away from the fight you can not win."
"Wait, what about the princess?" Phillip asked. "Adora-"
"Aurora," Hansel corrected.
"Aurora. What about her?" Phillip asked as he looked at Maleficent.
"And Snow White, and Rapunzel, and Cinderella?" Hansel asked. "We have lives to go back to, but what about them?"
"The Princesses are right where they need to be, do not concern yourselves with them. Take the deal," Maleficent said.
Phillip looked down at his sword. "No. This isn't right. I can't live my life knowing that others are suffering for it. Free the Princesses and you have a deal."
"You are fools if you don't accept my generous offer," Maleficent told them. "The Princesses are non negotiable."
"Then neither is surrender," Phillip said as he brought his sword down onto the orb, shattering it. The ball exploded into a bright light, sending everyone flying back. As Phillip and his friends rubbed their eyes to adjust to the moonlight again, Maleficent started laughing.
"Fools!" Maleficent shouted as green flames started rising up around not only her, but the Moors itself. "You have turned down my offer and spat in my face! And in my very own home! This insult will not go unpunished!"
"Think she's mad?" Cameron asked as the others helped him up.
"Now, pay the price for your foolishness!" Maleficent shouted as she started transforming into a massive dragon, twice the size as the one that Phillip had fought before. The dragon was several stories tall, with large black wings, scaly skin, and a long mouth, which opened to shoot a long stream of fire out.
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Tale of Jack & The Beanstalk
The story begins several years ago, when Jack was just a small boy. He had two loving parents, both of whom raised Jack the best they could. Jack's father was a strong man, a woodcutter, who had bought Jack his very own ax at the age of four. Jack loved that ax and followed his father everywhere with it, hoping to be a successful woodcutter, just like him.
Then one day, shortly after Jack's sixth birthday, his father just disappeared, leaving Jack and his mother all alone. And with Jack's father the only one who made any income, the two quickly had to find ways to make money. They sold everything that had to in order to keep food on the table, including several of the farm animals, several of their possessions, and Jack's ax, which he cried for weeks after having had to part with it.
Soon all they had left was the cow, which would hopefully bring in enough money to keep them fed through the winter. Jack had been tasked with taking it into town to sell it while his mother continued to look for work. Jack led the cow into the town, where hopefully someone would pay a decent price for it.
"Hey, kid, looking to sell that cow?" a shady looking man asked as he leaned against a wall.
"Yes, sir, I need to get enough money to last me and my mother through the winter," Jack told him.
"You don't need money," the man smirked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of beans. "You need these."
"Those wouldn't last us an hour," Jack replied as he got ready to walk away.
"But these aren't just regular beans, kid," the man told him. "They're magic. And within these beans lies a fortune. They'll take you to a place filled with riches beyond your wildest dreams."
"Then how come you don't use them to get rich?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I'm much too modest to use these for my own personal gain," the man told him. "I'd rather give back to the community, you see. And I'll let you have these wonderful treasures, all for your cow."
"And what if the beans aren't really magic?" Jack asked.
"Then you can return them for a full refund," the man told him. "I guarantee it. Do we have a deal?"
Riches beyond his wildest dreams? He could take care of his poor mother for the rest of her life! Jack handed him the reigns to the cow and took the beans home to his mother.
"Oh, Jack, what have you done?" Mother asked as she looked at the beans. "This is worse than the time you sold your shoes for that magic artichoke."
"Hey, I'm pulling my weight around here!" a high-pitched voice said from the counter, where an animated artichoke was sitting. "Thanks to me, you'll have all the artichokes you could ever hope to have!"
"Mother, he promised me that these beans were magic," Jack said. "We just need to plant them, and the riches will come to us!"
"My poor baby, you were suckered again," Mother said as she touched his cheek. Oh how she regretted dropping him on his head when he was a baby... for an entire day. "Go to bed, Jack, we'll figure out what to do in the morning."
Jack headed to his bedroom, dropping the beans out of the window into the soil outside. "I know you'll work. Help me get the money I need to support my dear old mother."
As Jack got into his bed, he didn't see the beans sinking into the soil outside, just as a light rain started to fall. Soon, a sprout popped out of the soil, growing bigger...
Jack woke up the next morning and got out of bed, not realizing there was no sunlight coming through his bedroom window. He headed to the kitchen in his pajamas, opening the cabinet in the hopes there would be some crumbs.
"Would you like a yummy artichoke?" Artichokey asked in his high pitched voice.
Jack simply closed the cabinet and headed back to his bedroom to get dressed and that's when he noticed the large beanstalk that was blocking the sunlight.
"What the...," Jack asked himself he looked out the window, seeing a beanstalk that reached up into the clouds. "The beans worked, but how am I supposed to get rich off of a beanstalk?"
"You could try climbing it!" Artichokey said as he jumped onto Jack's shoulder.
"For once you have a good idea, Artichokey," Jack said as he started getting dressed. "Maybe my riches lay at the top of the beanstalk! I'll climb it and get my fortune!"
Meanwhile, the man who had sold Jack the beans looked up at the towering beanstalk.
"Go get those riches, kid," Honest John said as he pulled out a large knife. "And when you get back, I'll send you to your great reward while I take all the loot."
TO BE CONTINUED...
