This chapter is really long, so if you'd like you can split it into sections at the o.O.o:O:o.O.o thingys. If they show up. I'm finally going to finish this story, so I won't feel guilty about not updating in forever. =D I hope you like the ending to Storytime. Enjoy.
Gazzy: And review!
Yep, what he said. XD
MPOV
Although I was dreading facing Fang again after my dream and our embarrassing breakfast encounter, my rumbling stomach forced me out of my room at one o' clock to scavenge for food. I cautiously surveyed the hallway before stepping out. Fang was nowhere to be seen. Gazzy was walking out of the bathroom though, and he looked at me curiously. "Max, why are you looking around like that?" Gazzy inquired.
"What do you mean, Gasser?" I asked, trying to appear nonchalant as I edged towards the staircase. Gazzy raised an eyebrow at me, but continued on to his room without another word. Dang it! Even the kids were on to me now.
I descended the stairs without a Fang sighting, and stood outside the kitchen for a moment, listening for sounds of people within. There was silence. Fang wasn't inside. I breathed a sigh of relief, and turned the corner. Call me loony, but I half expected to come face to face with Fang as I rounded the corner. However, he didn't magically appear, and I was left trying to decide whether this was good or bad.
I rummaged around in the cabinets for awhile, wondering what I could eat. My eyes lit on a box of Ritz crackers, so I grabbed the whole thing to take with me back to my room. I gathered a few other provisions, including Oreos and three juice boxes, before heading out of the pantry. I glanced over at the counter, and grabbed a few peaches off of it. Might as well eat something healthy, I figured.
Juggling my prizes, I sprinted up the stairway and back to my room. I swiftly dumped the food on my bed, then raced back and slammed my door shut, locking it for good measure. It wouldn't do if Iggy walked in on me gorging on snacks. He would never let me live it down.
I refused to let myself think I was also locking the door to ensure that I didn't see Fang. Fang was still my best friend. What's a friendly kiss on the cheek between best friends?
But it wasn't so friendly, and both of us knew it. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. Fang wouldn't come out with me and say, "I like you more than a friend," but I knew that if he did, I wouldn't be able to say "Me too." I just couldn't imagine it. Fang was my best friend since I could remember, but now… what? He was still my best friend…
Our relationship was just… slightly altered. I had trouble even thinking what I had just thought, and I just couldn't see myself confessing to anyone that I liked Fang more than a friend. I could barely confess it to myself. Did I like him? Did I really like Fang, my almost brother?
I stopped mid-chew, putting my peach down on the Ritz box. I like Fang, I thought hesitantly.The thought felt daring, and I could barely think it. I might like Fang, I revised hastily. Maybe it was best to take small steps.
"I might like Fang," I whispered to myself. My voice was small in my room, void of anyone but me and my snacks. "I might like Fang."
Baby steps, I coached myself. Just conquer fear, conquer emotion. Maybe then I can understand what I'm feeling right now. Maybe then I can ask Fang what it is that I'm feeling. Maybe.
Just maybe.
FPOV
I was holed up in my room the whole day, being ordered around by two absolute dictators of little girls.
"I heard that," Angel reprimanded me, looking mischievous as she sorted various colored pencils. "Keep working!"
Dang mind readers.
"I heard that too."
I would have to censor my thoughts more carefully in the future. I groaned as I stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of me. Nudge had explained that I should write a fairy tale story that implied how I felt about Max, then she and Angel would help me illustrate it. Tonight, Nudge and Angel would ask Max to read it to them, and she would know how I felt.
Then Max would be free to either accept that, or reject it. If she rejected it, I didn't know what I would do. Maybe I would have to leave the flock or something. It would be unbearable to know that I could love her so much, yet she didn't feel a thing towards me.
I desperately hoped that wouldn't be the case.
"Fang, stop worrying so much and write the freaking story!" Angel snapped. I rolled my eyes at her.
"I'm sorry that I'm scared she'll reject me, Ange. I'll try to close off my feelings next time," I replied sarcastically.
"No, don't do that! Embrace your feelings, Fang!" Nudge declared, throwing her hands up in the air. I raised an eyebrow at her skeptically, and she shrugged, dropping her hands again. "Sorry. I felt that that was necessary."
"Right." I decided to drop that subject immediately, and returned my gaze back to the empty lines on the binder paper mocking me from the surface of my desk. I swear that it was taunting me with its blankness.
"Fang, the binder paper is not mocking you. Please stop procrastinating now," Angel sighed, looking tired as she pronounced the large word with care. I shrugged, and tapped my pencil against the paper. What could I write about? I wasn't secretly an amazing writer or something, and I knew that I wouldn't be writing the next great American novel. I just hoped that Max wouldn't laugh at my attempt to write a story for her. It was kinda pathetic.
The empty binder paper was still watching me with great condescension apparent on its pale blue lines. I glared at it, daring the paper to say a word about my lack of inspiration.
The binder paper stayed silent, choosing to simply continue to smirk at me.
I looked away, trying to find something else besides that evilly blank piece of paper to look at. My gaze landed on the pink stencil book. I reached for it, looking distastefully over the cover again. Cinderella's face was positively beaming with happiness as she tottered down the steps of the palace in one glass high heel. The prince was very happily watching her run away from the top of the steps, her other shoe clutched in his hand. Meanwhile, the fairy godmother floated happily in the background, her skirts flowering out around her and the wand in her hand glowing with golden sparkles. What was with all these happy people?
I refused to look at the binder paper again. I knew it was still gazing malevolently at me. It was just waiting to gloat that I couldn't write anything decent.
I flipped the cover of the book open, skimming over the short, badly written fairy tales to get my mind off the binder paper hallucinations I was experiencing. The stories were kinda lame, even by my standards. The author had left out the majority of each tale, simply summarizing the entire story in three or four paragraphs. Talk about laziness.
Suddenly, an idea flickered in my mind. I grasped it, desperate for anything to fill up the binder paper so it would stop damn smirking at me. With a triumphant air, I brought my pencil down on the binder paper and drew the outline of the letter O. Aha! Who was smirking now, hmm?
…I really do need therapy.
Waving away my stupid thoughts, I concentrated on writing out the story. I heard Nudge whisper to Angel in the background, and tried to ignore her as she gasped dramatically. "Fang actually quit moping and started to write!" Nudge said in a loud whisper. "This is amazing!"
Angel giggled, and I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye. "Totally," she agreed in an equally loud whisper.
"You know, I can hear you," I informed them, my pencil not stopping on the page. They both giggled again before falling silent. I focused my attention back on the page, occasionally glancing back at the stencil book for guidance. Thank goodness my brain actually thinks something smart every once in awhile. I smirked triumphantly at the now half-filled sheet of binder paper. I was writing, and there was nothing that stupid paper could do about it!
Maybe my brain needs to think smart things more often…
But I digress. I kept writing, still marveling that I was churning out something half-decent. It was almost a Christmas miracle. Except for the fact that it was mid-August. So maybe not a Christmas miracle, but a miracle nevertheless.
Max might actually like this…
o.O.o:O:o.O.o
MPOV
I walked into the kitchen again around six thirty, my stomach growling again. What could I say? I have a high metabolism. "Hey Max," Iggy greeted me from the stove. "We're having sloppy joe tonight. I'm too lazy to make anything else."
I whacked him on the shoulder in greeting. "How'd you know it was me?" I asked. "I wasn't talking or anything."
Iggy set down his stirring spoon on the counter and turned to face me. "Well, you see Max, I could smell you because you never shower," he teased.
I promptly whacked him again.
"Ow! Jeez, isn't someone a bundle of sunshine today?" Iggy grumbled, turning back to the sloppy joe simmering on the stove.
"How did you know it was me?" I insisted. I was curious, and when I'm curious, I find what I'm looking for. Unless it's Waldo. I can never find that stupid git…
"Nudge, Angel, and Fang aren't coming to dinner tonight, and Gazzy just left to go grab something from his room before you walked in," Iggy explained, stirring the sloppy joe again.
I raised an eyebrow at him, but of course the action was wasted on him. "Why aren't Ange, Nudge, and Fang coming to dinner?" I persisted.
"Nudge and Ange are working on a little princess project, and they wrangled Fang into helping them," Iggy snickered. He waved his spoon around like a magic wand, dripping sauce across the counter. "Enter, Princess Fang of America!" he tittered in a strange falsetto.
"That was creepy Igs. Never do it again," I ordered. Iggy rolled his eyes, and I smirked. "When's food ready?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Right now. Gaz should be back in a moment, and I'm going to bring the princesses some food," Iggy replied. He scooped the sloppy joe onto six buns, and set them down on a plate. "I'll be right back." Iggy carefully picked the plate up and headed out of the kitchen.
"Don't fall down the stairs again!" I called after him.
"That was one time!" he yelled back. I laughed at the memory. It was really funny when Iggy tripped down the stairs that one time, but it would be messy if he fell holding sloppy joes. And no doubt, Iggy would find a way to make it so I was the one who cleaned it up.
Gazzy ambled in quietly, bee-lining for the sloppy joe pan. "Hey Gasser," I greeted him, ruffling his messy blond hair. Gazzy smiled at me as he spooned the sloppy joe onto a couple buns for himself.
"Hi Max. I'm so happy Iggy made sloppy joe! It's my absolute favorite!" Gazzy smiled wider as he brought his steaming plate to the table. I raised an eyebrow at him as I started making my own sloppy joes.
"You said burgers were your favorite," I reminded him. "And I remember you saying that fried rice was your favorite, too."
"I have a lot of favorites," Gazzy replied agreeably, chomping a huge bite out of his sandwich. I smiled, shaking my head in mock despair as I brought my own sloppy joes to the table and sat down with him. We ate in silence for awhile until Iggy returned, an expression of utter indignation on his face.
"Those princesses have no respect for chefs," he muttered, going to the counter to build his own sandwiches.
"Princesses?" Gazzy snickered. "Isn't Fang up there?"
"Yeah, Princess Fang," Iggy replied. "He and his royal cohorts shooed me out of the room as soon as they could. Apparently they aren't to be disturbed anymore until they say they're ready to reveal their project. How dare they enjoy my cooking like that!"
"Chill Igs," I ordered, smiling slightly. "Let the princesses have their fun."
We ate in a quieter manner than usual, focusing on eating with the occasional musing on what the princesses were doing upstairs. "You know why it's so quiet?" Gazzy said suddenly, setting down his second burger for a moment.
"Why?" Iggy prompted through a mouthful of sloppy joe.
"It's because Nudge is upstairs with their royal highnesses Fang and Angel," Gazzy reasoned. "She usually talks so much that we don't really have to say very much, so we aren't used to having to actually talk to each other."
"Good call, Gaz," I murmured. What Gazzy said was true, no matter how sad it was.
We finished our dinner in silence, further proving Gazzy's point. As soon as he finished eating, Gazzy dropped his plate in the sink and sped out of the kitchen. He was up the stairs and shut in his room before I could try to remind him that he had to wash his own dishes. I turned to Iggy to say something about Gazzy's swift getaway, when Iggy's face turned a peculiar shade of purple. He raced out of the kitchen as fast as he could, and I was left sitting there, alone and utterly confused.
I found Iggy in the bathroom, furthering his relationship with the toilet by gifting it with the contents of his stomach. I decided to leave him to it. Iggy had a strange stomach, and some random foods didn't agree with him for some reason or another. He would probably be speaking with the toilet for a couple more hours, and then be completely fine.
I walked back into the kitchen and grabbed the plates off the table, carrying them to the sink along with Gazzy's. I stood there for a moment, weighing my options. I could let the dishes molder in the sink until someone else was forced to wash them, or I could be a good person and wash them myself.
I dearly wanted to choose Option A. However, since I am indeed a good person, I decided to go with Option B. Oh, the things that I do for my flock.
I had finished scrubbing Gazzy's plate and mine when Angel skipped in carrying the plate Iggy had sent up earlier, and a camera. She was dressed in a fluffy pink tutu over her purple corduroys, and there was a glittery silver tiara on her head. Her wings were bedazzled with pink glitter, and they twinkled merrily in the kitchen lights. Angel smiled sweetly at me as she handed me the plate, bouncing up and down on her toes. "Thank you Max," she told me.
"No prob, Ange," I replied affectionately. "Did Fang and Nudge help you with your costume?"
"Yep!" Angel confirmed happily. Nudge curled my hair, and made my crown, and Fang sprinkled the glitter on my wings! He didn't want pink sparkles on his wings, though, so we put gold glitters instead."
"Somehow, I can't see Fang with pink glitter on his wings," I whispered. Angel giggled, and nodded vigorously in reply. She started walking out, and I turned back to the sink, rinsing another plate under the faucet. There was a click, and I whirled around, wielding the sudsy plate as a weapon.
The only thing I saw was Angel giggling as she held the camera up to her face. "You look so pretty, Max!" she exclaimed, studying the photo she had taken. I relaxed, lowering the plate and smiling at her.
"Thanks, Ange," I muttered playfully, continuing to wash the dish in my hand. With a final giggle, Angel raced up the stairs and disappeared into her room. I shook my head as I toweled the last plate dry. Those princesses were up to something, I was sure of it.
When the last plate was cleaned and stored away, I walked up the stairs and headed for the bathroom to grab a candy bar from my secret stash. The stash was so secret that I had blocked my mind completely in the area where I thought about its existence. This meant that even Angel didn't know about it, so I had my candy bars all to myself.
I had just decided I was going to munch on a Snickers bar while I reread my favorite book when Nudge and Angel came careening out of their room. Nudge was decked out in a similar outfit to Angel's, except that her tut was purple, her skinny jeans hot pink, and there was violet glitter instead of pink liberally strewn all over her dark brown wings. "Max!" they squealed together, cutting me off en route to the bathroom.
"What's up, your highnesses?" I asked them teasingly.
Nudge looked at me seriously, her expression a little incongruous with her outfit. "Max, will you please do something for us?" Nudge pleaded, her eyes huge.
I took a precautionary step backward. "What do you want?" I hedged, looking them over suspiciously. Those mutant glittery ballerina princesses were all the same. You can never trust them.
"Can you please play dress-up with us, and listen with us while Fang reads us a story?" Angel asked sweetly, her blue eyes pleading with me to say yes.
I balked. I still couldn't get my dream about Fang off my mind, not to mention the kitchen encounter this morning. Did I really want to face Fang again after those?
"Please?" Angel and Nudge chorused, their voices begging and adorable. I growled in reply, and they took it as a yes. "Yay!" they squealed in unison, high-fiving each other.
"Thank you soooo much Max, you won't regret it, I promise!" Nudge babbled, grabbing my hand and dragging me into my room. The duo sat me down on my bed, and bolted out again. "We'll be right back! We're getting your dress!" Nudge called as she raced into her room.
I sat up straight on my bed. "Dress?" I echoed, apprehension creeping into my voice. Immediately, Angel and Nudge reappeared, carrying a gold tiara, several bits of jewelry, a pair of golden sandals, a jar of golden glitter, and a dress.
o.O.o:O:o.O.o
The dress was thankfully not among the types of dresses I had read about to the girls last night, the kind with a huge hoopskirt and pearls and silk. Instead, it was slim cut and simple, made of a smooth green material. I raised an eyebrow at Nudge, who smiled cheerfully. She was always trying to get me to wear green; according to her, it was my color. "Do you like it?" Angel asked hopefully, her eyes wide as she gazed at me.
"Uh, yeah, Ange," I stuttered, trying hard to be sincere. "It's beautiful."
"Yay! I'm glad you think so! Can you go put it on now, Max, please, 'cause I really want to curl your hair and we need to have enough time to hear the whole story!" Nudge babbled, shoving the dress in my hands. I laid the dress down on my bed and watched as Angel and Nudge turned their faces to the walls, still chattering happily about how excited they were for Fang to read them a story. I half-smiled at the thought as I stripped off my t-shirt and jeans, carefully easing my wings out of the slits in the back of my shirt. Picking up the green dress, I unzipped the back and cautiously stepped into it. It was kind of hard to pull it up, but that was probably because my experience with dresses was a zero.
It was soft and silky, hugging my stomach and hips in a kind of comforting way. I zipped the zipper up, only to find that the dress was backless. A smile dawned on my face as I realized this meant I could keep my wings out without having to slit the back of the dress. Nudge and Angel had certainly thought ahead on this.
"Are you done?" Angel asked, pausing in her conversation with Nudge.
"Yeah," I replied, adjusting the halter ties around my neck. "How do I look?"
"Great!" Nudge squealed, hopping up and down as she caught sight of me. "Can we put glitter in your wings like we did with ours, please?"
"Sure, whatever," I sighed. Secretly, I thought the glitter would look really cool on my wings. I have always been kind of a sucker for shiny things.
Nudge and Angel each took one of my wings and a handful of gold glitter, carefully smoothing and sprinkling the sparkles among my feathers. I enjoyed the soft feel of their fingers on my feathers; it was almost like getting a wing massage. "There," Angel announced, stepping back and gently dropping my left wing. "All done! Now we just need the shoes and your tiara!" Angel skipped back over to my bed and picked up the pair of shoes, handing them to me.
I dangled them in front of my face, scrutinizing them carefully. There was a subtle heel, only about an inch high, and it was sturdy and thick, too. The sandal itself was metallic gold, with thin straps winding around each other and weaving over and under in a cool pattern across the top.
I smiled. They were acceptable. I sat down on the floor next to the bed and slowly started to slide my foot into the shoe, carefully buckling it around my ankle to secure the straps. While I put on the sandals, Nudge and Angel had armed themselves with a brush apiece and had started combing out the snarls of my hair. Then I had to wait while Nudge fastidiously curled each and every lock of hair on my head for exactly two minutes each.
"Done!" Nudge finally squealed. "Now let me put in your tiara…" Her voice trailed off as she picked the gold crown up off my bed. I vaguely wondered where she had gotten all the props; the tiaras she was using on herself, Angel, and I were all metal, with tiny white gems set into the intricate whorls and loops.
The tiara settled softly onto my head, and I could feel the cool metal pressing against my warm, loose curls of hair. "We shouldn't do makeup, however fun it would be," Angel sighed softly. "It would ruin the image."
"Sadly, it would," Nudge agreed. "Max has too much natural beauty."
I opened my mouth to argue when Angel cut me off. "Go look at yourself in the mirror, Max!" she urged me. "You look beautiful!" Nudge and Angel marched me over to my closet, where the doors were sliding mirror panels instead of wood. I took a deep breath before looking up into the mirror, where I promptly gasped.
This wasn't me. This was some sort of recombinant DNA bird princess.
The princess in the mirror looked at me in surprise, apparently not expecting to see me staring at her. Her hair curled loosely around her bare shoulders, and there was a golden, jewel-studded tiara resting on her head. She had wings just like mine, except hers were strewn with twinkling golden sparkles that shimmered in the light. Her dress was gorgeous, deep green with a halter neck and a simple, fitted bodice. The skirt fell close around her legs, ending just above her ankles. She wore golden sandals on her feet, and they glimmered as she shifted slightly.
This princess was beautiful.
"Oh, we forgot your necklace!" Nudge's voice broke in on my thoughts, interrupting my scrutiny of the princess. "Here." Nudge stood in front of my view of the princess, and her image showed up in front of the princess. She was fastening something cold around my neck, and when she stepped away, I could see that the princess was now wearing a thin gold chain bearing an emerald green teardrop.
This forced me to admit that I knew the princess was me. Who knew that I could look that pretty? I certainly didn't.
"Okay now, let's go listen to Fang read us a story!" Angel said happily. "I can't wait!"
"Me neither!" Nudge agreed, bouncing up and down. Her tutu fluffed out around her waist, and she grabbed my arm, dragging me away from my princess reflection. "Let's go, Princess Maximum!"
I was in somewhat of a daze, still shocked by my transformation into Princess Maximum, and didn't quite register our trip to Angel and Nudge's room. Fang was already inside, waiting on Angel's bed and holding on tightly to a thin paper booklet. I barely noticed the book though, because I was too busy gaping at Fang.
He was wearing a pair of black pants, a black, long-sleeve dress shirt, and a pair of black dress shoes. The color didn't shock me, but the fanciness of his clothes was certainly much higher par than usual. A golden crown sat amid his dark hair, sparkling slightly as he stood up to greet us and catching the light on its white crystals. His wings looked like the night sky, a black background sprinkled with hundreds of glowing golden stars. The gold glitter was obviously the most effective on his wings.
"Umm, hi Fang," I said, breaking the silence I hadn't realized had formed.
Fang seemed to focus more, his eyes riveted on me. "Sup, Princess Max?" he asked, a smirk forming on his lips. I rolled my eyes, but I was glad for the tension breaker. It made things feel more normal, like we did this all the time (which we most certainly did not).
Nudge and Angel giggled happily as they climbed onto their beds in their tutus and tiaras. "Fang, read us your story!" Nudge urged him. "I really really really really want to hear it! Max, Fang wrote this story all by himself!" Nudge looked thrilled at the very thought. "Isn't that amazing?"
"I didn't know you wrote, Fangles," I drawled. "Is it gonna be the next great American novel?"
"No," he replied seriously. "Frankly, it kind of sucks. But it gets the point across."
"Just start reading, Fang," Angel suggested. "I can't wait to hear it!"
"Okay, Ange," Fang agreed. "Princess Max, please take a seat." I raised an eyebrow at him, but sat down on Nudge's bed next to her. "Okay, let's begin."
o.O.o:O:o.O.o
Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted nothing more from life than to be free. She was a slave to her family, whom she loved very much. There was nothing cruel or evil about them, but they were unknowingly pinning the girl down. She had her very own set of beautiful swan wings, but she couldn't use them, not without forever leaving her family.
This girl's name was Marina.
Marina took care of her family since she was a child, because her parents were always away on royal court business. She had many brothers and sisters, almost too many to count, and she took care of them all, loving each one for themselves. The youngest of them even called her their mother.
Fang turned the page, and there was a full-color photo that I recognized. It was me, washing dishes in the sink. My hair was tossed up in a messy ponytail, but that was all that was the same about my appearance. My wings were completely white, with black edges on the bottom row of feathers, and I was wearing a raggedy, pale blue dress. There were dark smudges under my eyes, but I was smiling determinedly.
Have I ever mentioned that Nudge is a wizard at Photoshop?
One day, when Marina was fourteen, she received an invitation to the royal ball, but she decided there were too many dishes to wash, and she couldn't possibly attend. Plus, she had absolutely nothing to wear to such a fancy gathering.
Marina cried as she rinsed plate after plate, cup after cup, fork after spoon after knife, in the cold water brimming in the basin. Her tears dripped down into the water and mixed with the suds, disappearing in the dirty water.
Suddenly, there was a flash, and a girl a few years younger than her was sitting on the counter. She was dressed in a purple tutu, pink leggings, and soft white slippers, and a small silver tiara sat on top of her brown curls. The thing that shocked Marina the most though, was the sparkling brown wings cascading down the girl's back. She had never seen another girl with wings before, she was the only one of her siblings who had them. "Who are you?" Marina cried out, dropping the cup she was washing into the basin.
Here, Fang flipped the page again, and there was a photo of Nudge in her costume, smiling brightly at the camera and flexing her glittering wings. I smiled. Nudge was always the most photogenic of us, besides Gazzy.
The girl smiled cheerfully at her. "ZOMG, I'm your fairy god sister!" she exclaimed, hopping off the counter. "My name is Nudge, and I'm here to make sure you get to the ball tonight. I'll wash your dishes, and look after your siblings, and give you something to wear! Let's get started, now, shall we?" Nudge waved her hand and flapped her wings four times, causing several clouds of glitter to float off them and descend on Marina.
Instantly Marina was transformed. Her ratty blue dress became a flowing green ball gown laden with golden gems, and emerald slippers adorned her feet. A golden tiara was settled in her hair, and her white wings began to glow with golden sparkles. She was beautiful.
"Now make sure you get to the ball and dance with Prince Niklaus, then get back here by midnight! Okay?" Nudge twirled happily, and glitter flew off her wings. The sparkles descended on the dishes in the wash basin, and they began to clean themselves.
Marina frowned. "Wait a sec. How am I supposed to freaking get to the ball?" she demanded. "I don't have a ride or all that jazz."
I liked this Marina character. We had a lot in common.
"Fly, silly! You have wings!" Nudge squealed, pushing Marina out the door. Marina stumbled in her high heeled sandals, and almost faceplanted in the dirt. Luckily, her glittering swan wings flapped, and she was lifted into the sky.
Marina flew all the way to the ball, where she showed the guard at the gate her invitation. He escorted her inside, and she stepped straight into the party without a second thought. Marina was impulsive, and trusted her gut. Her gut told her this was going to be great.
When Prince Niklaus arrived, she wasn't impressed. He was dressed all in black, and there was a gold crown on his black-haired head, but other than that, Marina didn't see anything special about him.
Until he turned around, and she saw his ink black wings.
Marina pushed and shoved her way to the prince, who merely regarded her coolly, no emotion visible on his face. "You have wings too," Marina stated bluntly, pointing at the prince's feathers.
He simply nodded in reply.
"I have wings," Marina continued stubbornly. She flexed her wings, making them sparkle wildly in the chandelier light.
Prince Niklaus raised a single eyebrow.
"Why do we have wings?" Marina persisted, not pleased with the prince's silence.
He shrugged.
"Will you dance with me, then?" Marina asked, exasperated.
Prince Niklaus smiled at her suddenly, and she blinked at the brightness of it. He grasped her hand gently, surprised to feel the calluses on his hands match up with the ones on hers. He had never met a noble lady with rough hands before, ever. This girl was certainly different, with wings and rough hands!
The two danced for a long time, ignoring all other requests for dances. Niklaus said very little to Marina, but she didn't mind. They just enjoyed each other's presence. However, Prince Samuel finally pried Marina out of Prince Niklaus' arms, much to his extreme displeasure. When he saw Marina laughing with the other prince, he grew extremely jealous and immediately asked the beautiful, red-haired Princess Lissanta to dance with him.
Prince Samuel? Princess Lissanta? Why do those names sound so familiar?...
Prince Niklaus soon regretted his decision when the princess latched onto his neck in the middle of their dance and pressed her lips against his in a forceful kiss. Surprised and caught off guard, the prince couldn't react for a moment. When Princess Lissanta finally broke away, smiling coquettishly, the only thing Niklaus saw was Marina's shocked face. She backed slowly away from Prince Samuel, and ran out of the ballroom. Niklaus bolted away from Princess Lissanta, running after Marina. He was just gaining on her when she jumped and took to the skies, her beautiful, glittering wings shining in the moonlight. He could only stare at her as she flew away. He didn't know how to use his own wings. Maybe he could ask her to teach hi-
Niklaus realized he didn't know the winged girl's name.
The next day, Niklaus set off on his horse in search of the winged girl. He knew she couldn't be just anybody, because of her wings and the callused hands he had loved holding. Niklaus immediately set off for the manor furthest away from the palace, the home of his father's most loyal courtiers. Unbeknownst to him, Marina was crying on Nudge's shoulder inside the manor, surrounded by her sympathetic siblings.
Niklaus knocked on the door, and was utterly surprised and overjoyed to find Marina answer it! She gave him one frightened look, though, and tried to slam the door shut. Niklaus managed to slip inside though, and he pulled Marina into his arms. She instantly stopped struggling, somehow soothed by being encircled by his arms. "What's your name?" Niklaus asked softly, stroking her hair.
"Marina," she whispered in reply, unable to raise her voice to a louder volume.
"Marina," he echoed, savoring the name on his tongue. "Marina, will you marry me?"
Marina promptly began struggling again. "No, I can't marry you! I have my siblings to care for, there's things to do, I just learned to fly! I can't be pinned down by marriage!" she protested. Niklaus touched a finger to her lips, and she quieted. He leaned closer, and Marina fidgeted nervously. "What are you doing?" she whispered, her eyes riveted on his.
"Helping you change your mind," he breathed, pressing his lips against hers.
Kissing Marina was unlike anything Niklaus had ever experienced. It was exhilarating, and thrilling, and amazing. Niklaus never wanted to stop.
Abruptly, though, Marina broke away from him, and tugged his arms away from around her. She couldn't look in his eyes as she ran for the door. Before Niklaus could move, Marina had flung open the door and flown away.
Niklaus was in despair. He couldn't follow her anywhere now, since he couldn't use his wings. What was the point of them anyway, if they didn't work? "You need the glitter to fly, silly," a young voice giggled at him. Niklaus whirled around, and beheld a young girl in a pink tutu and purple leggings floating by the ceiling. She had pure white wings that shimmered pink, and a small silver tiara on her golden curls. "Before you ask," she added. "I'm your fairy god sister, Angel. I'm going to give you glitter so you can fly after Marina. You have to convince her that you love her, Niklaus."
Whoa whoa whoa, hold the phone. Niklaus loved Marina? And Angel was gonna help him get her? But I liked Marina!
Well, I kinda liked Niklaus too… They would be a cute couple…
Okay. Now I admit that I was rooting for Niklaus to get the girl. He deserved her, if he actually felt that way.
Angel sprinkled golden glitter from a pouch on her belt over Niklaus' wings, and they began to shimmer. Niklaus immediately ran out the door and jumped into the air. His glittering black wings were a stark contrast against the blue sky, and Angel oohed at the sight. Niklaus smiled slightly and waved at his fairy god sister before he flew off after Marina.
Niklaus found Marina laid out on a white bed, sound asleep. He raised an eyebrow as he read the sign next to her head. "Kiss me, Prince, my true love, and I will awaken and be forever yours."
This sounded distinctly like something Marina would tear up and burn to ashes, then stomp on.
I decided I like this Niklaus guy even more. He was pretty awesome.
Niklaus reread the sign. Only Marina's true love could awaken her? Suddenly, a blond guy wearing a crown strode up to the sign, and Niklaus noted silently that this guy also had wings. Where were all these winged people popping up from?
"I am Prince Dylano," the blond guy announced. "And I will kiss this beautiful maiden and awaken her. We will be forever happy together."
Niklaus wanted to barf.
I do too, Niklaus, I do too. Dylano is a butthead.
Dylano leaned down and planted a kiss squarely on Marina's lips, and Niklaus wanted to barf even more. Thankfully for Niklaus' heart, Marina didn't move a muscle, simply continuing to sleep on. "What?" Dylano exclaimed, enraged. "I don't understand! We're soulmates!"
Niklaus raised an eyebrow at him, then pushed Dylano aside. He bent down over Marina and kissed her lips. It was as exciting as the first time, and Niklaus could feel his heartbeat quicken. Finally, he lifted his head from Marina' s, and watched as her eyes opened and she sat up. "Niklaus?" she breathed, not noticing Dylano. "What are you doing here?"
"I love you," Niklaus said simply, looking in Marina's eyes.
Marina flinched and looked away. "I have to go," she whispered, jumping up from the bed. She took off and flew away, and Niklaus flew right after her. Marina was surprised when she saw him behind her, but she simply pumped her wings faster, and easily outstripped him. Unfortunately for Niklaus, Marina was a much faster flier than he was.
Finally, Niklaus landed in an apple tree grove. Marina was passed out beneath it, a red apple in her hand with a single bite taken out of it. Niklaus was very distressed as soon as he saw how pale she was. "Marina!" he yelled, running to her. A young boy popped out from behind a tree and gawked at Niklaus.
"I told her not to eat Gramma's apples," the boy said dutifully, eyeing the prone Marina. "But she just rolled her eyes and said 'bite me!' Then she bit Gramma's apple, and now she's dead."
"Dead?" Niklaus whispered, his heart stopping as he kneeled next to Marina.
"Yep!" the boy confirmed gleefully. Niklaus ignored the morbid little boy, instead lifting Marina into his arms. Abruptly, she began to choke, and Niklaus' heart began to beat again.
"Marina?" he asked, pounding her back. Marina spat out a chunk of apple, and glared at it distastefully. "Marina! You're alive!"
"Stupid apple," Marina muttered spitefully. Niklaus smiled at her words, and suddenly leaned over and kissed Marina again. Marina's eyes fluttered shut and she melted into Niklaus' hold, until she realized what was happening. Marina jumped out of his arms and yelled, "Stop following me!"
Niklaus watched her sadly. "You can't run from me forever, Marina. I love you."
"Shut up!" she snapped, jumping into the air yet again. This time, Niklaus followed Marina all the way across the country, until they came to a strange castle.
"Prince Niklaus! Oh prince! Please save me!" A familiar voice called up to the flying royals. Niklaus glanced down, and groaned when he recognized Princess Lissanta's red hair billowing in the wind as she waved at him from one of the castle turrets. Niklaus landed in the turret, sighing as he raised an eyebrow at the princess.
What? No, Niklaus! Don't stop for the redhead! What are you doing?
"What do you want, Lissanta?" Niklaus asked dully, not realizing that Marina was perched in the turret behind him, watching curiously as he spoke with the princess.
"There's an awful beast keeping me captive here!" Lissanta wailed, clinging to Niklaus' black shirt. "Save me from it!"
The beast stalked threateningly into the room, but Niklaus eyed him calmly. "That's not a beast, Lissanta. This is my friend Iggy."
OH MY FNICK FANG JUST PWNED IGGY IN A PRINCESS STORY. THAT IS EPIC.
"Oh," Lissanta realized. "Okay then." Lissanta skipped over to Iggy and leaped into his arms. Iggy carried her out of the turret and out of sight, and Marina and Niklaus were left standing awkwardly in the turret.
"Can I kiss you again?" Niklaus asked bluntly.
"No!" Marina jumped off the turret and flew away again.
Niklaus sighed. "It was worth a shot," he muttered to himself before flying off the turret to follow Marina again. This time, Marina had headed for home, and Niklaus followed her all the way there. They set down in front of Marina's manor, and walked inside. Angel and Nudge were painting their nails inside, but they jumped up when the two walked in.
"ZOMG are you two together yet? Because you obviously love each other, and I think you'd be the cutest couple ever!" Nudge squealed, hopping up and down. Niklaus looked meaningfully at Marina, who pointedly avoided his gaze.
"I've been trying to get her to marry me," Niklaus reported, almost whiningly. Angel and Nudge squealed simultaneously, and Marina was blushing heavily. Niklaus turned to Marina and held her face in his hands. Marina had no choice but to look in his eyes, and Niklaus poured all of what he was feeling into his gaze. "Marina, I'll ask you one more time. Will you marry me?"
Fang closed the book. I stared at him incredulously, standing up. Nudge and Angel applauded, but I couldn't believe my ears. "Was that it?" I demanded, glaring at Fang. Fang stood up too, looking me coolly in the eye.
"That's it," he confirmed. I rolled my eyes.
"Of course you can't even finish a story," I muttered. "You left us hanging!"
"Well, I don't know the end to the story yet," Fang retorted, his eyes flashing.
"What do you mean, you don't know the end?" I demanded. "You're the author!"
"But I have to ask you a question, first, before I can end the story," Fang explained, like that made things clearer.
It didn't.
"I don't understand," I said slowly, looking away. Fang caught my face in his hands, though, and I had no choice but to look back in his eyes.
Fang was staring at me with an intensity in his eyes that I could barely stand. "Marina," he whispered. "Will you go out with me?"
My brain froze for a moment, and everything made sense. I was Marina. Fang was Niklaus. This was a way for him to ask me out…
Fang was still staring at me, not blinking once. I couldn't speak.
So I kissed him instead.
Fang let go of my chin and let his hands slide down to my waist. He pulled me closer against him, and my eyes flickered shut. I wrapped my arms around him, holding onto him tightly, like he might disappear.
I was Marina, and here was my Niklaus.
Was it worth the wait? I'd love to know your opinion.
Angel opened Fang's book, flipping directly to the back. In large, unsteady letters, she scribbled
Marina stared at Niklaus for a long moment, before reaching up and kissing him straight on the lips. They stayed like that for awhile, completely unaware of the celebration going on around them. When they finally broke apart, Marina smiled cheekily up at Niklaus. "I think that's enough of an answer," she breathed.
Niklaus kissed her again.
And they all lived happily ever after.
~TMI~