Like all princesses that belong in Fairy Tales, there had to be a conflict.
And Like most princesses, there was going to be some magic involved.
Though most princesses didn't have the misfortune to encounter an evil fairy in their infancy. But Maka was a no ordinary Fairy Tale Princess. And that, is where this story begins.
Valasia was a small kingdom, one that focused on culture and industry. The people there had a rich history and a wide range of trade. But above all else, they had a long-standing connection with magic. For generations their members of royalty were blessed by fairies upon their birth.
King Spirit, and his wife, Queen Kami, had long awaited a child. They were a happy couple, and although Spirit flirted with other women, he loved his wife dearly. But despite their many years of marriage, no child was forthcoming.
For years they waited, hoping and dreaming, imagining a day when they would have a child.
And then, like magic, it happened, and nine months later, a daughter was born.
From the moment she was born she was their whole world. She looked just like her mother, with her emerald green eyes and ash blonde hair. Both Spirit and Kami adored her and wanted nothing but the best for their daughter.
So to celebrate the day of their daughter's birth, they threw a large and extravagant party, inviting the entire kingdom for the event. Among the people invited, they invited the six good fairies of the kingdom; Tsubaki, Elizabeth, Patricia, Angela, Medusa, and Blair. While all six fairies were good and kind fairies, Blair was known as especially powerful, earning her the nickname of the "Lilac Fairy."
The party began and everyone was delighted to see the little princess. At the time of the party she was only a few months old, but she giggled and smiled at all of the guests as they came to look upon her. She truly was a happy baby.
As the party began to draw to an end the fairies decided to bestow their gifts upon the infant princess.
From Tsubaki she received the gift of patience. From Elizabeth, the gift of determination. From Patricia, she received the gift of humor and laughter. From Angela she received the gift music, and from Medusa, who seemed a bit reluctant to give a gift, she received the gift of knowledge.
Right as Blair was preparing to bestow a gift upon the princess, a great gust swept through the ballroom. The curtains were swept aside and the doors flew open to reveal a most alarming sight, and the cheery atmosphere of the room gave way to a dark chill that spread through the guests. There was an audible gasp as the Dark Fairy, Arachne, was recognized. Her dark hair flew around her and she had an aura of menace as she strode toward the throne of the King and Queen, spiders trailing after her.
Her words rang through through the ballroom, the vaulted ceilings causing an echo. "Oh look, my pets, a party." She chuckled darkly at the exuberance of the room. "Oh . . ."
It was this moment that Queen Kami came forward. "We're very sorry, Lady Arachne, it seems we forgot to invite you. Please, stay for the rest of the evening," she said graciously. Frankly, Queen Kami just wanted to avoid any further confrontation with the dark fairy.
"Oh, so it was just an oversight, hmm?" Arachne then smiled sinisterly, knowing just how inaccurate the statement was.
"Actually, you weren't wanted," came Blair's cheerful voice called to the dark fairy.
"Not wanted, what?"
In her usual fashion, Blar stuck out her tongue, completely unphased by the general atmosphere of the room.
"Well, then I guess I'll just be going then," Arachne said softly as she turned toward the door.
"So you're not angry then?" Queen Kami asked.
"Of course not," Arachne said with a glance toward the cradle. "In fact, I have a gift to bestow upon the little Princess, to show just how not angry I am." She continued with a crash and bang. "Listen well, for all to hear! While this Princess will grow in grace, determination, and beauty, on the Eve of her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a sewing needle, and Die!"
And just like that, the beauty and joy of the evening broke like shattered glass. With a cackle, Arachne disappeared and chaos ensued. Queen Kami and King Spirit rushed to the cradle where their daughter began to cry. Her wails went over the chaos of the room. King Spirit began to shout for his guards to find Arachne and kill her, but they all knew nothing could be done.
It was that moment that Blair stepped forward. "If I may?" she asked kindly, gesturing to the infant. Queen Kami handed her over silently, tears sliding down her cheeks. Blair then began to soothe the infant until the baby was quietly watching the fairy that held her.
"Yes, on the Eve of her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a needle." There was a wail from King Spirit until he was shushed by his wife. "That much I cannot change," she continued. "But she will not die, but instead she will sleep for a hundred years until she will be awoken by True Love's Kiss," she said with a resounding smile.
Everyone there gave each other cautious looks at Blair's words. "Excuse me," Tsubaki called, "why can't you just reverse the spell?"
Blair shook her head at the younger fairy's words. "As powerful as my magic is, Lady Arachne's is just as powerful. I cannot reverse the spell, I can only alter it a bit," she said sadly.
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It was only a few hours later when the fairies were gathered together, discussing what to do about the situation.
"Arachne will kill her if she gets the chance," said Elizabeth from her seat. The fairies were all seated at a large table in the King's study, frantic and worried looks on their faces.
"Maybe not, Sis, maybe she just wants to be our friend," Patricia said cheerfully.
"Patti, Shut up."
"Okay!"
"She's right," said Medusa. "I know my sister, she sees the Princess as a tool she can use to cause pain to those that have offended her." Angela nodded in her agreement.
"Then we have to keep Arachne away from her," said Elizabeth.
"The baby stays here," Blair said.
While the fairies all had magic and strength, Blair was the most powerful of them. She was their undisputed leader as the oldest and most experienced fairy of them all, and they knew her words were final.
"But Blair-" Angela said before she was cut off.
"No, she stays here. There is no protection that anyone could offer her that would be better than her life inside these walls. We just need to keep close so that we can help if needed," Blair said with all the authority she could muster.
"Are you sure?" Tsubaki asked, her pale blue eyes wide with concern.
"Yes, Tsubaki. She should stay with her family. A girl needs her mother, and she needs to know who she is." The fairies all agreed, albeit reluctantly, to keep an eye on the castle. Although they had their own individual responsibilities, there would always be someone watching the castle. Blair intended to stay the most as the Princess' fairy Godmother.
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When Maka was three years old, she learned to read. From the moment she woke in the morning until she went to bed, she spent hours in the Library, curled up on one of the sofas with a book, a lamp burning next to her and a cup of hot chocolate in her lap. She read books of poetry, fiction, romance novels, and even books of history. But even from her tender age of three, she loved a good love story.
Many nights her Godmother, Blair, would read her the story of Eros and Psyche, forbidden to be together by Aphrodite, but still trying to make their love work.
One night, King Spirit read her the story of Romeo and Juliet and Maka cried for hours and how the lovers would never be together.
From then on, Queen Kami never let her husband read Maka a bedtime story, much to his disappointment.
It was when she was six years old that she started having dreams.
At night she would awaken, tears streaming down her face, tangled in her sheets, crying out for help. The first person to respond was Blair.
Blair pushed open the door, running to Maka's bedside to soothe her. "What happened?" she asked, kneeling next to the girl.
"I had a bad dream," Maka said, sniffling as her tears stopped falling now that she was awake.
"Would you like to tell me about it?" Blair asked, taking a seat on the large bed. She smiled at Maka, who nodded at her, her small frame still shaking.
"There was a lady in a black dress, and there were spiders around her, and she, she said I was going to die!" Maka's emerald eyes were glassy with unshed tears and her white nightdress matted in sweat. Blair had to keep her face calm at the words of the frightened girl, because she knew exactly who the dream was about.
"It was nothing, Princess, just a bad dream." She gestured for the girl to come into her arms, which she did obligingly. Blair knew one day she was going to have to tell the girl about Arachne and the curse on her, but today was not the day. She was too young to understand, and far too innocent.
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As the nightmares grew less and less frequent, Blair began to wonder why. Nothing had really changed in the girl's day to day life, and she had given her no explanation as to why her nightmares had stopped happening. One day, Blair decided to ask the girl.
She found Maka curled up in the garden under a tree, reading a book of Latin Poems, her red dress spread around her and her hair in it's childish pigtails. She was only eight, she wouldn't have to start dressing like a lady for several years.
"Maka, can I ask you something?" the lilac fairy said, taking a seat next to the princess in the shade.
"Sure!" the little girl chirped, putting her book down. She had spent most of the morning reading anyway. She had read somewhere the most little girls worked on needlework, but for some reason she had never been allowed to. She didn't even know what it was.
"Do you still have those nightmares like you used to? You know, with the scary lady with the spiders?"
Maka shook her head at this. "Not really, I mean, I still see her, but now I have a friend who protects me from her!" Maka's eyes brightened at the mention of her friend.
"Oh," Blair said with obvious surprise. "Tell me about your friend."
"Well," Maka said thoughtfully, "He has white hair, and red eyes. He's kinda mean sometimes, but he's always there to rescue me from the spider lady. Sometimes he fights her with a scythe!"
"Hn, well that's certainly interesting. How old is your friend?"
"I don't know, I haven't asked. But I wish he was real . . " the girl said wistfully.
"Maybe one day he will be," Blair said, nudging the girl. "You never know what might happen, Princess." With the she stood up and winked at the younger girl, placing her hands on her hip.
Maka stared in wonder at the fairy. Blair was beautiful and confident and everything Maka read about in books. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but Maka wanted to be the kind of girl that she read about. Adventurous and unafraid of anything. And one day she was going to be.
"Anyway, ready for your music lessons, Maka?"
"No, I hate music classes! I hate mistress Tsugumi's lessons, she's so boring!"
Well, I guess not every gift stuck too well, Blair thought sarcastically.
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Years passed and the King and Queen did everything they could to protect their daughter from needles and spinning wheels. None of those things were allowed within the castle under any circumstance, and so far they had had no incidents.
Maka was to turn sixteen soon, and her parents were beginning to relax in their security. They felt that if they had made it this far without incident, then everything would be fine. So, like any princess reaching the age of courting, they decided to throw a large party to celebrate. They invited Princes from the neighboring kingdom, in hopes that one of them would interest their daughter and pull her away from her books for awhile.
It was the Eve of her sixteenth birthday, an auspicious day, and the day of the celebration. Maka had grown in both grace and beauty over the years. Though she was slim and slight of frame, her large emerald eyes had an innocence and beauty that captivated many. The Princess had grown into the gifts bestowed on her by the fairies, even if she knew nothing about them. She stood before the mirror in her bedroom while Blair helped ready her for the ball by fixing her hair. She pulled most of her hair on top of her head, allowing a few strands to frame her face. She finished it off by putting small diamond studded pins in her hair to hold it in place. She helped Maka into a dress of Sapphire blue that accentuated any curves on her body, making her look more mature.
"You look beautiful, Princess. All grown up," Blair said, beaming with pride.
"Thank you, Blair," Maka said gratefully. "It's just . . ."
"What is it?"
"Do I have to?"
"Have to what, Princess?"
"Marry one of them?" Maka asked, fear in her voice. "I just don't feel like it's time yet, and based on who Mama said was going to be here, I don't think I want to marry any of them. Do you think Papa would make me?"
Blair clicked her tongue at the girl. "Of course not, your Papa loves you too much to make you marry someone you don't love as much as he loves your mama." Blair paused before her countenance turned dark and serious. "But remember, Maka, be very careful tonight, things are not what they may seem. I just want you to be safe," she added softly.
Maka nodded, saying that she understood. But Blair knew the girl had no idea of the turn her life was going to take.
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Maka was bored out of her mind. She had made her "Grand Entrance," and now she was bored. She stood by her parent's thrones, a look of longing on her face while she gazed at the party around her. Was it her destiny to sit against the wall forever, another perfect wallflower?
"Princess Maka, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Maka turned to her left to see a boy next to her. He looked about her age, with dark black hair that had three horizontal white stripes in it, and his eyes were a piercing gold. He bowed to her before reaching for her extended hand to place a soft kiss on her gloved fingers. She giggled softly at the touch. She curtsied with an incline of her head before he spoke. "My name is Prince Kidd, from Mortahan. Would you like to dance?"
She nodded her head before following him onto the dance floor. She saw her mother beaming with pride and her father shooting the prince a dirty look for dancing with his little girl.
"May I say, your face is perfectly symmetrical. It's lovely," Kidd said kindly.
Maka smiled, because although the compliment concerned her, she assumed it was sincere and kindly meant. "Thank you. I really like the stripes in your hair, they're very interesting," she said as he put his hand on her waist, leading her into a waltz.
"They are an abomination," he said bitterly, "and I wish to never speak of them again."
"Umm, okay," she said awkwardly.
"Have you met Prince Black Star yet?" he asked suddenly as they turned through the ballroom.
"Umm, not yet, but I'm sure I will soon."
"Just remember, he may seem like an idiot, but he has the best of intentions," he said with a look of sincerity. "He's not exactly interested in marriage, so I wouldn't worry about him too much. Oh, there he is now," he said, looking pointedly just over her shoulder.
"What's up everybody? I'm sure you're all so happy now that the great BLACK STAR is here to grace you with his presence!"
Maka turned to look at where the noise came from as the violins played the last notes of the waltz. "Quiet down, you idiot, you're making a scene!" Maka called after the blue haired fool who was shouting loudly.
"I AM PRINCE BLACK STAR AND IF I WANT TO MAKE A SCENE, THAT I SURE AS HELL WILL, YOU GOT THAT?" he shouted back to the girl, a thumb jeering in her direction. "Now, I believe I'm your next partner, aren't you lucky?"
Maka jumped a bit at his statement. It's not that she was afraid of him, she was sure she could handle the fool, but she was surprised to find that the loud boy in front of her was a Prince of consequence. With a nod of encouragement from Kidd, she stepped toward Black Star, doing everything she could to control her irritation and act like a princess.
"So, Prince Black Star, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, I'm sure it is a pleasure for you to meet me," he said loudly with a grin on his face. "And don't take this the wrong way, you seem nice and all, but you're not really my type, so try not to fall for me, okay? I know it'll be difficult, but I think you can do it."
It took all of her willpower to not hit him with enough force to make him fly across the room.
As it was, she just smiled and thanked him for the consideration, finishing the dance while trying to tune his ceaseless chatter out.
It was after the song ended that she met her third partner for the evening; Prince Hiro.
Prince Hiro was different than the other two princes. He smiled easily and seemed good natured enough, but unlike the regal confidence that came from Kidd, or the obvious arrogance, emanating from Black Star, Hiro seemed incredibly unsure of himself. Or, in other words, a pushover.
She was practically shoved into his arms by Black Star, who had just finished complaining about how he was worthy of more than a "silly princess that didn't even listen when she had the chance to hear from a great star like him." Maka hated to admit it, but she was a bit sad to see Black Star go. Even if his personality was a bit grating, he was honest, unlike so many other people she had met in her parent's court.
"It's nice to meet you, Princess Maka," Hiro said nicely as he took her hand in his. "I'm honored. At least, I am, if you are." He looked so unsure of himself that Maka wanted to wrap him in a blanket and give him hot chocolate, but as she had neither of those things at present, she decided to do everything to could to be cordial.
"It is a pleasure, Hiro. But are you quite alright?" she said softly as he turned her a beat behind everyone else in the room. He clearly wasn't a very good dancer either, but he hadn't stepped on her feet yet, so that was a plus.
"Uh, yes, thank you Princess! I'm fine. Oh, and happy birthday!" he told her with a slightly more confident smile. She smiled back at him and thanked him for the birthday wishes.
She began to relax in Hiro's presence, and he in hers. Maka figure that if nothing else, by the end of the evening they could be friends at the very least.
Then the strings came to a shrill screech and glaring halt as the door to the ballroom was thrust open. Like the night sixteen years ago, there was an audible gasp from everyone in the room, worrying that something terrible was about to happen.
Spirit moved toward his daughter protectively, pulling his wife behind him, but the alarm was for naught.
A small, old woman, shrouded in a black cloak, entered the room with a large bouquet of flowers. "I have a birthday present for the princess," she called softly from the top of the marble steps of the staircase. Her voice was old and cracked, but there was a strength behind it.
Spirit sighed in relief and gestured for the woman to come forward. She did so obligingly, stopping in front of the Princess.
Everyone stared at the old woman in confusion. Who was this woman?
She held the flowers in front of her and Maka reached for them hesitantly. She had never been really into flowers, but the bouquet of roses looked beautiful, and the woman smiled at her so kindly, as if nothing would give her greater joy than to see Maka take those flowers.
As Maka's hand touched the stems of the flowers she felt a sting on her finger and immediately recoiled back in surprise. She held her hand out in front of her. a drop of blood forming on the pad of her left index finger. "What?" she asked incredulously.
The woman began to cackle as she pulled a thin, silver needle from amidst the stems of the flowers. She then transformed before the eyes of everyone around her into her true form, that of the beautifully dark fairy Arachne.
Maka began to sway slightly as her vision clouded and her heartbeat pounded in her head. Kid and Black Star took a step toward her in alarm as the room turned into chaos. People began shouting and King Spirit shouted for his guards.
With a flash, the fairy was gone, her evil grin vanishing with her.
But she did not take the turmoil and chaos with her. People rushed about frantically, gathering their loved ones about them in fear of what was to happen. Kidd caught Maka as she fell toward the ground. "Maka?" he called out hoarsely.
Black Star pulled the sword from his side and began to wave it around, shouting orders to those around him. Spirit rushed to his daughter, shouting her name. Her eyelids fluttered as she battled for consciousness, but it soon became overwhelming. "Papa?" she asked as she reached toward him.
A tear slid down his cheek as the realization struck him. Amidst all this chaos, his little girl was slipping away from him. He held her hand against his cheek as her eyelids drifted lazily. She was still held firmly against Prince Kidd whose face showed evident alarm.
"It's okay, Princess," Spirit said quietly. "Go to sleep my love."
She nodded slightly.
And then she was gone, her eyelids closing.
Wails came from members of the court and people were still shouting in alarm. King Spirit and Queen Kami were still too distraught to bring order back to their court, because their daughter, their precious child, was gone to them. Voices echoed across the room, vibrating along the walls.
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone turned towards the source of the commanding shout. They were stunned to see the Lilac Fairy standing near the throne, her expression calm. She gestured to the other fairies in the room and they all nodded solemnly before raising their hands up. They began to chant slowly in unison, their voices mingling together on a melodious harmony.
The room was hushed almost immediately, their soothing tones spreading peace of them like a thick blanket. Their worries began to disappear and their bodies sagged against the floor. Some leaned against a wall as drowsiness overcame them, other simply falling to the floor cradling their heads.
Spirit looked Blair in the eye questioningly as sleep began to overtake him. She nodded and he gave into the sleep that was so desperately clawing at him.
The clamor of the ballroom had given way to silence and the fairies breathed a sigh of relief. One by one, they left the room, spreading throughout the Kingdom, putting everything at rest. They used their magic to let trees and weeds grow around the border of the kingdom and castle, hiding the world within.
Vines grew haphazardly up the stone walls, wrapping around any and every fixture. In just a few hours, it was as though the kingdom had disappeared behind an impenetrable wall of foliage, a spell lingering over it, warning all who came near it to stay away.
And so the one hundred years of enchanted sleep began. In those one hundred years it was as if time had frozen. Nothing grew without the assistance of the fairies, and nothing entered or exited the realm.
Elizabeth and Patricia, under the direction of Blair, carried Maka to her bedchamber in the topmost tower. They placed her lovingly on her bed, smoothing her hair down so it lay across her pillow. She did not move in her sleep, nor did her breathing change or her eyelids flutter. She remained motionless, her hands folded neatly over her stomach. Blair drew all of the curtains in her room closed except the one nearest her, which lay open to allow light to make her visible. One by one, the fairies left her room, leaving a soft kiss on their charge's forehead before shutting the door behind them softly.
Blair smiled sadly when she saw the state of the once active and lively princess. Her only consolation was that at least this way, Maka could be sure to find true love.
And now it was Blair's turn to go in search of it.
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As a general rule of thumb, Prince Soul Evans was nothing short of bored.
After finding that he didn't exactly fit with his family's idea of what a Prince should be, he was significantly less interested in anything they had to say to him.
It's not that he hated them, it's just that he knew Wes, his older brother, was their heir, and he was simply the spare, an extra wheel to ensure that family's continuation if something happened to their precious prince.
Of course, nothing ever did because Wes was the model Prince. He was handsome and intelligent, and a gifted violinist to boot. His family placed a lot of value in music, which is why they forced Soul to learn.
As a child Soul loved to play the piano. It brought him a reprieve from the neverending boredom and allowed the only sort of freedom he really knew. In his music, he was free. He could say the things that he always wanted to, even if he didn't have the words to say them. He could voice his frustration in melodies, his pain in harmonies, his loneliness in dischordal bliss.
To say his family was disappointed in his lack of what they deemed "musical ability" was an understatement.
But he didn't really care, or he used to not care.
Because it had been years since he'd dreamed of her.
Her being a thin girl, a child really, with ash blonde hair and piercing emerald eyes.
He could only imagine how she would look now that years had passed.
He dreamed of her often. There was some sort of dark creature, a woman, that he had to protect her from. He didn't know why he was doing it at first, but the more frequently the dream happened the more he understood.
Love.
That was why.
But now it had been so long, and he began to question his sanity. Would he ever be able to find her, or was she just something his mind had created in it's restless state?
His thoughts tormented him, so he did what many Princes did when they grew restless and left their life of comfort. He snuck out, like a thief in the night, knowing that while he could never really call that place his home, it was the only thing that felt familiar to him. He would miss his brother, because while Wes was a pain in the ass, he always made an effort to look out for him.
He had been traveling aimlessly for several days when he was met with a sight he could not have dreamed.
There, in front of him, was the girl. She sat quietly on a rock in front of a stream, a white dress hugging her slim frame, her hair cascading around her. He felt his heart stop, wanting to run to her, but afraid to frighten the angelic like creature before him.
"Soul," a voice said softly to his left. He turned to see that the sound had not come from the girl, but from an ethereal creature in violet, wings humming behind her. She smiled at him kindly and gestured to the girl.
"You know this girl, don't you?"
He nodded his head, too dumbfounded to speak.
"I've been looking for you for a long time."
He took a step towards her, taking his eyes off the blonde girl in front of him. "For how long?"
"She's been waiting for a hundred years."
"A hun- how?"
The fairy's hands fluttered in front of her, "magic."
Soul turned back toward the girl, reaching out to touch her. He wondered why she had not turned at the sound of his voice, but he understood when he approached her. She wasn't real, merely an image, a mirage. He turned toward the Fairy, fury written across his face. "Where is she?" he snarled.
"My my, aren't we impatient?" Blair clicked her tongue at him and chuckled. "She is waiting for you in her kingdom. She's been waiting for you for awhile, sleeping patiently."
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The journey was shorter than he expected, most likely due to more of the fairy's "magic." Soul didn't have a reason to complain. The sooner he got to her, the better. The closer they got to the castle, the more he could feel her presence, as if her soul was calling out to him.
They stopped in front of a castle that had vines and overgrown hedges clinging to it. "Is this it?" he asked. She nodded her head and he pushed open the front door, the wood giving way noiselessly.
The sight that greeted him was not one he had been expecting.
Hundreds of people were strewn across the floor. He would have been alarmed had he not seen the steady rise and fall of their chests signifying their life. He turned toward Blair questioningly, wondering how this could be.
She shook her head before answering him. "They are tied to the Princess, and when she wakes, so will they. They are sustained by the spell cast over them, just as she is. So many side effects to a moment of spite and resentment," she said bitterly.
Soul gave her a sympathetic nod before continuing on. He trailed after Blair as she ascended a spiral staircase that seemed endless, hoping that each step would be his last.
Finally, they reached the top and Blair took a step back, barring him from the door. "Before you continue, there is something you must know."
Soul gulped audibly. How bad could it possibly be?
"This Princess is the most precious thing to me, I have been watching her for her entire life. You can turn back now and pretend none of this happened, returning to your kingdom with open arms. Or, you can meet whatever fate lay ahead of you, realizing both your destiny and hers. Which will you choose?"
He met her stare with equal fervor. "I want to meet my fate, and free her from whatever curse binds her."
"I cannot make any promises on what will meet you after you wake her."
"I don't care."
Blair smiled as she nudged open the door. "Then go meet your fate."
He strode past her confidently until he reached the other side of the door. And there, his confidence began to drain.
She lay before him on a large canopy bed, her hands folded neatly over her stomach. Her fair hair fanned across her pillow, glimmering in the faint light from the open window. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even as he approached her bedside, his footsteps resounding along the stone floors.
And then he stopped as he knelt beside her. What was he to do now?
He ran a hand through his white hair nervously, reaching out to grip her shoulder.
"Hey, wake up," he nudged her softly.
No response.
"Hey, Princess, I'm here now, to wake you . . . or something."
Still no response.
He thought for a moment before reaching out to tug a strand of her hair gently. Then again, not so gently.
Her breathing remained even and her eyes closed and he sighed in frustration.
"Kiss her, you idiot!" he heard a voice hiss from behind the door.
Soul froze at the sound of Blair's voice. Kiss her? Was it morally correct to kiss a sleeping girl? His eyes glanced over her face, a slight blush on his cheeks. He had to admit that he had wanted to kiss her, but basic common courtesy kept him from doing it.
But if Blair told him to, then who was he to argue?
He leaned forward, his breath ghosting across her face. He hesitated, his lips a hair's width away from hers.
Was she going to be okay with this? Would a sleeping Princess probably wasn't a fan of being awoken with a kiss. Well, if all else fails, he could tell her of the other methods he tried to use.
And then he kissed her.
The moment he felt their lips brush, a surge of energy coursed through the air, filling him completely. He pulled away from her to see her eyelids fluttering open slowly.
As he sat back he saw her begin to sit up, her body stretching and arching after a hundred years of slumber. She rubbed her eyes blearily before finally noticing him and her eyes widened open noticing him.
He didn't see the book coming.
Soul held a hand to his hand, rubbing the throbbing knot on his head from where the large volume had hit him, coming from the hand of the what was a sleeping princess. "Why did you do that?" he asked loudly.
She giggled, reaching over to grab his hand. "I'm sorry, I was just a little surprised to see you, that's all."
"So your reaction was to throw a book at me?!"
"Yeah, . . . sorry." She looked away shyly before standing up, biting her lip. "Hey, um, what's your name?"
He laughed reaching for her hand, enjoying the way it felt in his. "I'm Prince Soul, and I came to free you from the spell you were under," he said with a genuine smile. She smiled back.
"I'm Maka, pleased to meet you. Thank you for freeing me," she said softly, enjoying the way her hand felt in his, though she wouldn't voice those thoughts out loud. A blush spread across her cheeks. "So what comes next?"
"Your Death."
Maka jumped at the voice and Soul took a step in front of her, pushing her behind him.
Standing at the doors to Maka's balcony, was Arachne, the woman who had haunted her dreams and her childhood. The woman who had cursed her, putting her parents and people in a living hell, causing them to lose a hundred years of time. The woman who wanted nothing more than to kill her out of spite.
Soul pulled his sword from it sheath, it's blade whistling as he drew it. "If you want her, you have to go through me first," he snarled.
"How sweet," she drawled, her lips curling in a grimace. "But I can arrange that easily." She then lunged toward the Prince, her hands turning into to claws.
Blair burst through the door when she heard the commotion, shrieking when she saw Arachne. She began to chant softly, her words following an ancient rhythm that began to bind the fairy as Arachne looked toward her with hate filled eyes.
Soul still held Maka behind him protectively, nudging her back towards the wall while she peered around his shoulder.
Blair's words tumbled from her mouth, wrapping Arachne in a transparents set of ropes that bound and gagged the fairy. Arachne clenched her teeth, strangled noises coming from her throat until she was silenced by the other fairy.
"Enough! Haven't you done enough?"
Arachne's eyes widened at the words the lilac fairy said through gritted teeth and she stopped struggling.
"What has this poor girl done to you? But I guess the jokes on you because she will have the happy ending you will never have!"
The dark fairy's eyes narrowed and she began to struggle through the bindings again while Blair gestured to Soul. "Now, Soul!"
In the blink of an eye Soul rushed forward thrusting his sword through the heart of the fairy as the magic ties the held her loosened. She let out a shriek, her body leaning onto his sword as blood trickled from her mouth. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell to the ground with a thud as Soul pulled the sword from the fairy.
Maka stared at him, her eyes wide. "Did you have to kill her?" she asked, her voice hesitant.
Blair responded before Soul could. "Maka, once a fairy turns that dark, there is no coming back. She has spent her whole life trying to kill you out of spite for a mistake of your parents, and she had no remorse. There was no coming back," she said sadly, a far off look in her eyes. "I wish it could've ended differently . . ."
Soul reached for Maka's hand again, pulling her to him. "Speaking of parents, I think I should go meet yours," he said, leading her toward the door.
Maka gulped at the prospect of introducing Soul to her Father. She grabbed a book off her nightstand, for "just in case."
Through generations the story of the "Sleeping Beauty" has been told over again and again, each version a little different, but no less special than the one before. But despite their details, names and characters, experiences and spells, they all ended the same way. With the Princess introducing her Prince to her family and people and dancing the night away, a wedding on the horizon, their fate sealed with a kiss and a declaration of love.
And then . . .
With a Happily Ever After.
A/N: This is going to be a collection of one-shots, all based on fairy tales. They will have different pairings based on who I think the story fits best. I'm not following any particular version with this fic, as I have pulled ideas from the Disney movie, the ballet by Tchaikovsky, the original Brother's Grimm, and other variations of the story. I'm sorry if it's OOC, but I did my best. Please leave comments on what story you would like to see next or if you have any ideas for me.
-Wri