Disney's World Of Adventures: Princess Alliance
Chapter 04 - The Plan To Rescue The Princess
The ballroom roared in a cacophony as the guests panicked over the disaster that befell them. The remains of two stained glass windows littered the marble floor, and the princess who had graced their presence was nowhere to be seen. She had been carried away in the talons of a centuries-old witch turned griffin.
"Mi Dios!" The king tugged upon his whiskers as his face glowed red. "This is a disaster. Princess Marianna is to be married tomorrow. The princess cannot get married if there is no princess to marry."
The Duke paced back and forth, biting his fingernails—or at least he would were he not wearing gloves.
"Indeed. And her marriage to Prince Gruber is required to unite our two kingdoms. They cannot unite if the heir of one kingdom is not present to be married to the other."
Susanna stepped forward to raise a finger.
"Forgive me, Your Excellencies, but shouldn't our concern be the safety of Princess Marianna? She was stolen away into the night by an evil witch."
The King blinked several times before clearing his throat.
"Of course, of course," he answered, coughing each time. "The safety of my darling daughter, The Princess, is of the utmost priority. We must rescue her at once."
Prince Gruber knelt on one knee with head bowed, eyes closed, and hand upon heart.
"My dear King, as the prince betrothed to your beloved princess, I humbly offer my services in rescuing her."
"You would risk your life to save my daughter?"
"I would scale the highest mountain, swim the deepest sea, and brave the darkest forests to rescue the fair maiden who would be my bride—provided it doesn't rain tomorrow, of course!"
This elicited an eye roll from Susan, while the King offered a hearty laugh.
"Very well! Fortunately for you, the forecast tomorrow is expected to be tiempo soleado as usual here in Hermosa Vista. You have my blessing to rescue her."
Prince Gruber stood and bowed before the King.
"One small favor, if you will: as willing as I am to brave any danger awaiting me on my quest, it would benefit me most if I had some assistance. I'd humbly request you provide me with a few of your guards to accompany me and serve as my pawns—eh, I mean entourage."
"Fair enough," The King nodded. "Fortunately, my guards are some of the bravest, noblest warriors in my kingdom. I gratefully provide you with the assistance of my 13 elite guards—"
He motioned to the guards standing near his throne; but as he glanced upon them, he could only see a whirl of dust, several spears littered about, and a sign that read, "We quit!"
"—who have now retired!" The King, blushing, tugging at his collar, glanced at Gruber. "Well, it appears they are unavailable at the moment. I'm afraid you are on your own."
Prince Phillip stepped forward and bowed before the King.
"Your Majesty, I humbly offer my assistance in retrieving the Princess. As someone with experience in rescuing fair maidens, my services would prove most useful in his quest."
Princess Aurora also stepped forward and curtsied. "I, too, volunteer."
Rapunzel did likewise. "As do Eugene and me."
Eugene raised an eyebrow. "We do?"
Rapunzel elbowed him in the ribs.
"Of course," he replied, nodding as he bowed. "Of course, I do."
The King clapped his hands. "Very well. Are there any more volunteers?"
Susan stepped forward and bowed. "I do, Your Highness."
The King blinked. "You? But you are but a chambermaid."
Susan nodded. "I've been trained in swordsmanship under my father, the Captain of the Royal Guard. I've also been the closest friend to your daughter, The Princess, since we were young, and I would do anything in my power to save her, even at the cost of my own life."
The King stroked his whiskers, then nodded. "So be it! If there are no other volunteers, then the rescue party may prepare for the quest ahead of them."
Gruber once more bowed before the king.
"It will be my honor." He turned to the others. "We shall depart at sunrise first thing tomorrow. The vile creature should not have carried our fair princess far. We will no doubt face many unspeakable dangers. Most of you will most certainly not make it—" He clasped his chest and closed his eyes in the haughtiest expression. "But that is a sacrifice I am willing to take."
The others could only moan and roll their eyes in response. Promptly, they departed from the ballroom and returned to their respective chambers to receive a good night's sleep.
Before the crack of dawn, Susanna and the four royals awoke to prepare for the journey ahead. They met in the stables to saddle their horses and pack their gear. Each of them dressed appropriately, garbed in armor and leather, and wielding either a sword or another weapon—in Rapunzel's case, a cast-iron frying pan.
Susan herself dressed quite regally, almost more so than the royals. She wore a matching dark blue blazer jacket, trousers, cape, and knee-high boots. From her belt hung a rapier. Her outfit made her appear more like a general than a lady-in-waiting. In fact, had it not been for her short purple hair and her otherwise feminine features, she could have easily been mistaken for a prince.
Speaking of which, Prince Gruber soon entered wearing a pure white uniform and cape with a sword hanging from his side. He arrived at the same time Aurora was demonstrating her rose whip sword. He glanced at it, intrigued, scratching his chin.
"Very impressive blade you have there, Phillip. Fine craftsmanship. And how generous of you to bring along your darling wife so she may have the honor of carrying it for you."
Phillip shared glances with Aurora before returning their attention to Gruber. Phillip drew his sword from his side.
"This is my sword." He sheathed his weapon and pointed to his wife's. "That sword belongs to Aurora."
"Giving a woman a sword?" Gruber cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "How quaint. Why ever would she need one?"
"So she can defend herself," Phillip replied. "I've been training her to do just that."
"Defend herself?" Gruber laughed as though Phillip had cracked a joke. "But that's why she has you."
Phillip and Aurora were about to respond, but Gruber turned to Eugene and Rapunzel. The princess was currently fiddling with her frying pan.
"Ah!" Gruber approached them. "I see your wife has a cooking utensil, Eugene. It'll certainly come in handy when she prepares our meals."
The two likewise shared glances before glaring back at Gruber.
"Actually," Eugene raised a finger, "Rapunzel doesn't use her pan for cooking."
"She doesn't?" Gruber raised an eyebrow, evidently confused.
Rapunzel swung her pan like a sword before pointing it at Gruber.
"I prefer it to using a sword." She raised it triumphantly in the air as she placed her other hand on her hip. "I'm quite handy with it."
Eugene rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Yeah, trust me, she certainly is."
Gruber once more laughed as though he heard the funniest joke. "Oh, how quaint. A woman using a frying pan as a weapon."
He placed his hand on the pan and gazed condescendingly at the princess.
"My dear, you should learn to put that pan to better use—like cooking our meals, like a good girl should."
Gruber walked away. Rapunzel, a cross expression on her face, lifted the pan as if to strike the prince on the head. Eugene placed his hand on the pan and shook his head.
"No, no," he whispered. "He isn't worth it."
The haughty prince approached Susan, saddling her horse.
"And remind me again why you are coming with us?"
"Maria is my closest friend." With one tug of the leather strap, she tightened her horse's saddle. "I would do anything to save her. And I was taught to sword fight by the royal guards, so I know how to fend for myself."
Gruber laughed and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "How adorable. You women folk sincerely believe you can wield a blade like a man."
Susan placed her arms akimbo and cocked her head. "I know this kingdom better than anyone else here. You'll need me to guide you to where you need to go."
Gruber clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers before pointing at her. "You have a point there. At least you'll prove useful to our quest, despite you being a woman and all."
Susan could only leer silently at him and twist her mouth into a half frown.
"Speaking of which," Gruber pointed his finger in the air. "I've received word from the guards that they had spotted the evil witch—or rather, the griffin—carrying the fair Princess to an abandoned tower on the outskirts of the kingdom."
"You think the witch is keeping her there?" Susan asked.
"Of course!" Gruber crossed his arms and raised his chin. "All villains trap fair maidens in towers."
Both Rapunzel and Aurora cast glances at each other before gazing back at Gruber.
"I'd say that's a hasty generalization," Rapunzel replied, "but my prior experience proves it to be equally valid."
Aurora nodded. "Same here."
"Good!" Gruber hoisted himself onto his horse. "Then we venture off to yonder tower to rescue the fair maiden."
He pressed his hand upon his chest and rose his chin proudly. "Future generations will be told the tale about how I, Prince Grubber, sallied forth with his trusted companions and saved the darling Princess Marianna. The quest for true love will no doubt prove perilous, and some of you may not make it, but it is a noble sacrifice I am willing to make."
The others could only sigh or roll their eyes as they hoisted themselves onto their horses.
"Are we all ready, then?" Gruber asked. When he saw everyone straddled on their steed and holding their reins, he drew his rapier and aimed it forward. "Good. Tally ho! May the hooves of our horses strike the earth as we take passage across yonder plains."
Soon the six rode out of the stables, out of the courtyard, and across the bridge as they raced toward the rising sun. Unbeknownst to them, their every action was being watched in the green glow of a crystal ball, held by the bony grip of Bruja Dama.
"So they think they can rescue the princess? Esos tontos! They can certainly perish trying."
She cackled as she glanced across the dark room she sat within. There she saw Princess Marianna lying upon a stone slab, silently and deathly still.
Through the kingdom rode the five heroes (and Prince Gruber). Though the Prince considered himself to be the leader of the expedition, Susan, being a native of the kingdom, was the one who served as their guide. Without so much as drawing a map or compass, she indicated which roads to follow and which direction to take to get to where they needed to go.
Their journey began as they exited the palace gates and over the bridge that connected the castle to the rest of the kingdom. Through the town and towards the outskirts they traveled. They passed over rolling hills, along sinking valleys, and through dense woodlands until the sun reached its zenith. Then seemed the best time for them to take a brief reprieve.
They dismounted to eat a light snack, water their horses, and collect water to refill their canteens. The latter task Susan volunteered to do, as did Rapunzel and Aurora.
"Oh good!" Prince Gruber said. "That seems a fitting task for ladies such as yourselves. It would certainly prove yourselves useful."
That backhanded compliment more than solidified the three women's decision to fetch water. The three of them wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Gruber as they could, even if only for a brief moment. In a minute or two, they found a babbling brook. They each knelt to refill their canteens. Fortunately, they were clear out of earshot from Gruber.
"Finally!" Rapunzel exclaimed with a huff. "If I had to listen to him for another minute more, the rest of you couldn't restrain me with my own hair from walloping him with my frying pan."
Aurora nodded. "Indeed. I hope we find Princess Marianna soon. The sooner we do, the sooner Phillip and I can leave, and neither of us has to put up with Prince Gruber ever again."
"Same here!" Rapunzel added.
Susan scoffed. "Consider yourselves lucky. As the princess' lady-in-waiting, I have no choice but to put up with him for the rest of my life—or the rest of his life, whichever ends first! I hope it's his."
The three women laughed as they continued to collect water. Susan's laugh quickly became a deep sigh as she gazed mournfully into the water.
"There's nothing I hate more than thinking how Maria will spend the rest of her life with that dreadful prince. She deserves better than him. Sometimes I wonder if she's safer trapped by the witch."
Aurora sealed her canteen. "You care for her, don't you?"
Susan, closing her eyes, nodded. "Why wouldn't I? I am her lady-in-waiting—and her closest friend. I wouldn't say I've known her my whole life, but ever since I could remember, the two of us have been nearly inseparable. Over the years, we've grown close together as friends. But sometimes I wonder if we're closer than that."
Rapunzel shared a glance with Aurora before glancing at Susan. "What do you mean? You mean close like sisters?"
Susan shrugged. "You could say that. Sometimes it feels like we're as close as sisters. But lately, it feels like we share a special bond, a bond much closer than sisterhood. Sometimes it feels like we're more than just friends, more than just sisters. It feels like we're—"
Susan shook her head furiously before scrunching her face and releasing a heavy sigh. She looked once more in her reflection in the water.
"I guess it doesn't matter either way. She's going to marry the prince, and she's going to be trapped in a loveless marriage. She'll never have the chance to spend her life with someone who truly loves her, someone who cares for her, someone like—"
A scream, followed by a loud noise roaring like thunder, interrupted her.
"Uh, ladies!" called out a voice, which Rapunzel recognized as Eugene. "We have a situation."
The three sealed their canteens and rushed back to where the men waited for them, ready to lend their assistance.
Susan and the princesses rushed back to the glade. The princes had their swords drawn. Along the ground rolled a dense green fog that silently drifted past their feet. Their horses, frightened by its sudden appearance, panicked, but were unable to escape from their reins. The three women approached the three men.
"What's going on?" Susan asked.
"No idea," Eugene replied. "The forecast said nothing about a chance of evil fog."
The fog intensified, rising higher off of the ground and accumulating into larger, thicker clouds. Soon, no one could see their hand in front of their face. Their eyes, mouths, and nostrils became irritated, forcing them to cough.
Bruja Dama cackled seeing the band of heroes (and Prince Gruber) in her crystal ball.
"Now to make things mucha interesting."
She cleared her throat, waving her bony fingers over the orb, which glowed greener and greener.
"¡Un bosque de espinas será su tumba!" she chanted. "¡Llevado por el suelo en una niebla de fatalidad!"
Uttering the very last syllable, she pointed at the orb. It glowed with an immense green light that enveloped the entire room with a sudden burst.
Susan and the others felt the earth shake beneath their feet, to the point where they could barely stand still. If the horses weren't frightened before, they were terrified now.
"Weather forecast said nothing about an earthquake either," Eugene exclaimed.
They felt something large burst forth from the ground several yards in front of them. High above the fog rose long, spindly coils of thorny vines, growing high and twisting in every direction.
Soon, the fog dissipated, and everyone could see more clearly. Moments before, the path before them was clear. Now that the fog had dissipated, they saw growing before them a dense forest of thorns. So tightly these plants grew together and intertwined with one another that passing through them without being scratched or nicked would have been impossible.
"A forest of thorns?" Phillip exclaimed. "I'm starting to feel déjà vu."
Eugene scratched his chin as he studied the wall of thorns before them. "So anyone here bring along weed killer? We're going to need it. A lot of it!"
Aurora drew her sword.
"We don't have any weed killer," she gave a swing, "but we have the next best thing."
Everyone drew their swords to hack their way through. Before they could advance, Rapunzel raised her hand, signaling them to wait.
"Hold on!" She pointed upward. "What's that?"
At the very top of the vines appeared several blossoms. They bloomed into fully-grown flowers—roses with black petals. Six of these black roses bloomed from the vines above, growing bigger and bigger.
"Black roses?" Gruber asked. "I've seen roses of different colors before, but none of them pitch black as the darkest night."
When the six roses bloomed to the size of a human head, their weight bore down upon their stems until each flower fell off and floated to the ground below.
The heroes (and Gruber) watched as the flowers descended from above and slowly neared the earth. They readied their weapons just in case.
Susan drew her rapier and held it before her. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Gruber scoffed. "Oh, come now! They're harmless plants. Just because they sprouted from evil thorns doesn't mean they're—"
Touching the ground, the six roses exploded into green smoke. From each burst appeared a goblin. Each horrible creature had warty purple skin with black petals growing around their necks like puffy collars. Each roared, baring their teeth and claws as sharp as thorns.
"Evil!" Gruber turned on his heels, screaming, sprinting in the opposite direction.
The others stood their ground and readied their weapons. As their foes charged at them, they charged promptly at their foes.
Phillip flung his shield forward as an incoming goblin swiped at him with thorn-sharp claws, scratching the metal of his shield. Just as swiftly, he swung his sword. His blade clashed against the creature's claws several times. In one thrust, his blade pierced its belly, eliciting a sharp scream before exploding into a cloud of green smoke.
Another goblin charged at Aurora from behind. She whipped her blade around, slicing through it with a single slash. With a press of her thumb, she activated the trigger on her hilt. Her blade split into several segmented pieces that passed along the extending cord of her rosewhip. She spun on the ball of her heels to attack the goblin charging toward her from behind, and as she spun, she pulled the rosewhip along with her, swinging it at her advancing foe and striking it with a single blow. The goblin likewise disappeared in a puff of smoke. Aurora released the trigger, causing her whip to revert into a single blade. She sheathed it victoriously.
Eugene evaded several attacks from a goblin. With each swipe of its claw he dodged, he reached forward to yank a petal off its collar, eliciting a harsh screech from its maw.
"Rapuzel loves me! She loves me not!" he taunted with each petal yanked free.
No doubt Eugene's violation of its flower petals, as well as his incisive taunting, angered and frustrated the goblin into a blind rage. It continued to swipe furiously at the rouge prince. To no avail, the goblin could not strike Eugene, yet he successfully plucked every single last petal.
"Yes! She loves me!" He triumphantly held aloft the last petal. As the angry creature lunged at him, he thrust his sword at it. His blade pierced its chest, and it exploded into a green cloud of smoke. "And she loves you not!"
As for Rapunzel, she shielded herself from one goblin's attack using her trusty frying pan. Each swipe of its claws forced her to take a step back. She took a few swings, but the goblin countered each attack. The creature appeared to have the upper hand, as it backed her against a tree. However, with one flick of her wrist, Rapunzel flung her long hair at a nearby branch, wrapping her golden tresses around it several times. Once pulled taunt, she leaped up and swung upon her hair at her opponent, kicking it away from her and far off into the vines. Pierced by the thorns, the goblin exploded and disappeared into green smoke.
Susan was the last person to face off against a goblin. Her fight was not as dramatic. She simply exchanged several blows with her assailant, her rapier clashing against its claws until she finally found an opening and plunged her blade deep into it. As with the others, the goblin disappeared into green smoke.
Not a single goblin was left standing, though the forest of thorns remained standing tall. As soon as the dust settled and the air fell silent, they heard a nasally whine from afar. Hunched behind a log cowered Gruber with his arms over his head and his eyes shut tight.
Susan approached the log and, rolling her eyes, tapped the cowering prince on his shoulder. The slightest touch provoked an ear-piercing shriek from him as he leaped into the air and aimed his sword at her.
"Stand back, foul creature!" He trembled in place. "Come no closer."
His eyes widened, noticing it was only Susan standing before him. He stood straight and unleashed a heavy sigh of relief, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.
"Oh, it's only you. Are they gone?"
He surveyed his environs to confirm that the goblins had indeed vanished. Once more, he sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness!" He brushed off his coat and marched forward. "I must thank you all for vanquishing these monsters on my behalf. It allowed me to conserve my energy so that I might better face off against the evil witch—and I assure you, it will be I who will vanquish her on milady's behalf."
Susan rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, lover boy!"
Gruber approached the forest of thorns. "First thing's first: we must hack our way through these evil thorns. An easy enough task."
He slashed his sword at a row of thorns, only for his blade to reverberate back like a tuning fork. This jolt caused him to stagger a few steps back, nearly tumbling onto his rear.
"Or rather, easier said than done."
Eugene rolled his eyes and pushed the prince aside. "Here, let us handle it, your majesty."
He, Phillip, and Aurora hacked away at the thorns, cutting through them like machetes. With each slash, the three cleared a path, allowing the others to safely follow them.
"Ah!" Gruber exclaimed, being the last person to follow. "And our quest commences!"
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