Chapter 25! See, I told you I would update soon! Have I earned your trust again? *big sad eye face*
Let the quest for love continue!
The staircase was dark. If not for the few torches that flanked the walls, Pinnochio and Daphne would be in complete darkness.
The stairs went of forever. As the two children walked farther down, the air got colder and more like acid. Then light from the few torches turned from red to purple, casting evil shadows across the walls. Daphne's hand slipped into Pinnochio's. Under different circumstances, Pinnochio would have been embarrassed, but he understood that Daphne needed to know there was someone else there, someone that was friendly. Maybe Pinnochio needed to be reminded of that too.
As they moved further into the earth, the walls turned from plain stone to being decorated with fused bones, some complete skeletons. Jewels of every color encrusted the bones, making them look like decorations for an El Dia de los Muertos—day of the dead—party.
Finally they reached the bottom of the staircase. Before them stood a stone room, lit by only two torches. They walked cautiously into the room and peeked around. There was nothing there, just the torches. Pinnochio grabbed a torch, Daphne grabbed the other, and then they saw a smallish passageway on the opposite wall. The most unsettling thing about this passageway was that it was carved into the shape of a spindle. Pinnochio gulped, and with Daphne still holding his hand, they walked through.
On the other side of the passageway, Pinnochio and Daphne found a parallel world to the room they had just been in. well, almost. It still looked evil and malicious, not to mention all the spindle and dragon designs on everything. But this room was a hundred times bigger than the other one, and it beamed opulence and grand luxury, even though it was an evil luxury. It was colored purple and black, with gold trimming here and there. It looked like a throne room, with marble floors, black thorned pillars lining the path to a grand throne. The throne itself emanated the very cold, vial heart of evil. It was black as night with purple cushions. The throne was engraved with black ivory thorn bushes, just like the pillars, so it looked dangerous o sit on. Bt by far the most evil thing in the room was Maleficent. She wore a gown of black and purple, to match the room. Curly golden hair cascaded down her face and fell around her shoulders. Her eyes were steal, her heart stone, her lips blood. She held a staff at her side, like it was the most precious thing in the world to her. The staff was black ivory as well and held a glowing ball of energy on the top. And atop the evil fairy's head was a crown of black ivory and gold, that looked like a crown of thorns, but it didn't seem to bother or hurt her. She just sat, staring at Pinnochio and Daphne with an icy stare in a calm but threatening way.
Pinnochio gulped. He took a step forward, then realized his torch, as well as Daphne's, had disappeared. He looked at Maleficent and tried for a courageous look. "We need to speak with you".
"I know," said Maleficent.
"Oh, but—" Pinnochio was confused.
Maleficent laughed. "Silly little puppet—"
"I was a marionette".
"I know everything," she said. "I see everything. I know about your little quest, and how your sweet little friend lost what was so precious to her, I know it all, and you're going to try to take something from me".
"Yes," Pinnochio said. "So, you might as well hand it over now".
Maleficent laughed again. "You amuse me boy. You really think you can stop the most powerful fairy in the world?"
"Well, I can try," Pinnochio said. "Daphne, you wouldn't happen to have any magic with you by chance?"
"Do I ever go anywhere without some?" she asked. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a small wand. Pinnochio grabbed it and, recognizing it as a fairy godmother wand, pointed it at Maleficent. The wand was designed to react to one's emotions, thus Pinnochio's anger caused it to shoot a beam of lightening at the evil fairy.
Maleficent, however, calmly stood up and blocked the attack with her staff. Instinctively she blasted Pinnochio with a thousand gallons of water. The force knocked him against a pillar, then onto the ground. He moaned, but managed to stagger to his feet. But just as he was about to attack again, he was grabbed by the shoulders by what looked like two living gargoyles and dragged away. "Hey!" he protested, while seeing Daphne being dragged away by two similar creatures. "I'm not finished! Give us your magic mirror!"
"Oh, I think you are done," Maleficent said. "I have better things to do than to toy with a pathetic little puppet. Minions, throw them in the dungeon and let them rot for all I care".
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Pinnochio and Daphne were dumped onto a cold stone floor. All the light was snuffed out; the only light came from one flickering torch.
"Pinnochio?" a voice said.
"Right here Daphne," Pinnochio said. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, then Dpahne stepped into the light. She looked scared. She was trembling and her hazel eyes glittered with terror.
"Pinnochio," she said. "What happened back there?"
Pinnochio looked down at the floor. "I'm not exactly sure".
"You just stood up to the most powerful fairy in the magical world," Daphne said. "And you weren't afraid?"
"Oh, I was afraid," Pinnochio said. He looked at Daphne and smiled. "I guess I'm just really good at hiding it".
If Daphne thought the joke was funny, she didn't show it. She looked down at the stone floor which they sat on. "Pinnochio?" she asked.
"Hm?"
"Why are we on this quest in the first place? You keep saying that someone's lost something important, but what is it?"
Pinnochio looked at Daphne. She was looking at his with eyes that shone with true confusion. Daphne didn't know about her laughter. The potion had not only required her to give up her laughter, but it also made her forget. How was he going to tell her? He couldn't very well just blurt it out. That might freak her out. Pinnochio remembered how his father told him things in the form of cautionary tales. Sometimes, the only way that Pinnochio would listen to any advice from his father was in the form of a story. Pinnochio looked off into the distance. "Once upon a time," he said, "There was a girl who filled the world with joy. Her laugh was like music and her smile like sunshine. No matter what happened, she could always make the people around her happy. Even her own sister, who at times had a heart of stone, couldn't help but be moved by this little girl's sweetness. But one day, the sister fell ill, and the sunshine girl went on a quest with her dear friend, the Puppetmaster, to find an antidote. They searched high and low, but they were still missing the last thing they needed to create a potion. The last thing they needed was the sunshine girl's laughter, the thing that gave the land its joy. The Puppetmaster begged and pleaded for the sunshine girl to reconsider, for he knew this would mean to say goodbye to the friend he once knew, but the sunshine girl was adamant; she wanted to help her sister, no matter what it took. The Puppetmaster watched as his only friend was stripped of her laughter, and became nothing more than an empty soul".
Daphne looked at Pinnochio. "You're the Puppetmaster".
Pinnochio looked down. "And since then the Puppetmaster has regretted ever letting the sunshine girl let go of her happiness".
Daphne said, "So, I'm the sunshine girl. I lost my laughter?"
"Yes, and this quest is to try and get it back".
"Well why didn't you just say so?" she asked. "Let's get out of this dungeon and find that magic mirror!"
"How?"
Daphne looked down at the floor. She didn't know. What good were two kids against the evil fairy, Maleficent? A rat scurried across the floor, and Daphne watched it's trek into the dark. Then, in the distance, she saw the form of a person. Then another, and another. Daphne realized that there were at least a dozen others there, sitting in glum silence. She couldn't see them clearly, and when she called out, "Hey! You there!" they didn't answer. Pinnochio saw the people too, and called out to them, "Hey! What's your name!" they still did not answer.
Pinnochio stood up, grabbed the torch from the wall, and with Dpahne at his side he walked over to them. When he got close enough to see their faces he dropped his torch. Daphne screamed. They were not living people, but dead skeletons that looked hundreds of years old. They were lined with dust, and their clothes hinted medieval times. Each held a sword or spear or bow and arrow set.
"How did they all get here?" asked Daphne.
"I don't know," Pinnochio said. "They've been here a really long time".
"Look," Daphne said. "There's something around this one's neck". Daphne rubbed the dust off to reveal a pendant. "It says, 'Prince Dashing'"
"Prince Dashing?" said Pinnochio. "This guy was a prince?"
"They all were," Daphne said. "Look, they all have pendants. This one says, 'Prince Harry' and this one says, 'Prince Farley'"
"What would Maleficent want with a bunch of Princes?" Pinnochio asked.
"Maybe she didn't come to get them," Daphne said. "Maybe they came to her".
"What are you suggesting?" Pinnochio asked.
"When Briar Rose was put under the sleeping curse, after a hundred years Prince Charming couldn't have been the only one to know about it. Their must have been dozens of princes that tried to save her".
"I think you're right," Pinnochio said. "But how does that help us?"
"Hm..." Daphne paused. "What did Charming have that the others didn't?"
"Great hair and a big ego?" Pinnochio asked.
Daphne rolled her eyes. "There must be something he had that helped his defeat the most powerful fairy in the world".
"Wait a minute," Pinnochio said. "Did you say the most powerful fairy?"
"Yeah," Daphne said.
"Maleficent's not the most powerful fairy," Pinnochio said. "The Blue Fairy is. I should know".
Daphne's eyes widened. "You were blessed by the Blue Fairy, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well maybe that can help us," Daphne said.
Pinnochio shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know".
"It's all we've got," Daphne said, "We have to try". Daphen reached in her pocket and pulled out the wand of Merlin. "Gimme some fire!" a huge flame blew a whole through the door of the dungeon. Daphne grabbed Pinnochio's hand and they ran down the hall.
So there's chapter 25! Nice and long for ya!
Today's word is craven (kray-ven): 1. Cowardly, lacking self confidence 2. A coward
So Puck's unicorn is Kraven, a coward! I just thought that was funny ;)