Last Chapter of Sleeping Stella.
Chapter Eight: The Epic Battle
Brandon galloped through the forest on his horse, whistling the tune that he and Stella sang at first meeting. As he reach the cottage he adjusted his hat. He was ready for what he expected was to see Stella once more, but when he knocked on the door, another voice welcomed him. Unaware of what would happen next, he opened the door, and when he walked in, the door closed behind him, and suddenly, Cassandra's henchmen attacked him and she and Shimara laughed evilly. Once Prince Brandon was tied up, Cassandra held a candle up to his face.
"Well, I catch a trap for a peasant, and yet I catch a prince." she cackled, "Away with him, I have other plans for him."
The fairies hurried as fast as they possible could, but when they reached their old cottage, they gasped, as Musa picked up Brandon's hat.
"Cassandra!" The gasped in unison.
"She's got Prince Brandon." Bloom added.
"At Beta Mountain!" Musa was horror stricken.
"We… we can't go there." Flora became pale faced at the mention of Cassandra's lair.
"We can… and we have to!" Musa told them seriously.
And so the fairies ventured their way into the dangerous parts of Solaria, where Cassandra's henchmen roamed the forest, and where Beta Mountain was located. Musa led the way as the three fairies from one hiding place to another, trying to avoid being seen. A guard looked around after seeing Bloom's light, then turned and left. The fairies once again miniaturized after they were almost spotted, and flew into the lair only to be frightened by sleeping guards and animal statues. Hidden away once more, the three let out sighs of relief, until they heard noises, and went to find out where they were coming from. The followed it to an opening, where down below, Cassandra and Shimara sat or their thrones watching then henchmen dance around a fire,
"What a pity Prince Brandon couldn't join us for the celebration." Cassandra laughed.
"Yes, mother, isn't it a pity." Shimara joined in the laughter.
"Well, lets go to the dungeons and cheer him up." Cassandra got up and Shimara followed. The fairies flew ahead and trailed behind them. Cassandra and Shimara opened the door to Brandon's cell, where he sat there, depressed.
"Come on, Prince Brandon, why so down." Cassandra asked sarcastically. "You are the only hero in a beautiful fairy tale." Then she showed him he crystal staff. "Look, King Radius's castle, and in the tallest towel, dreaming of her true love… Princess Stella. Although, with a gracious twist of fate, she is the peasant you had met just yesterday. Isn't she so beautiful, Prince Brandon? With sunshine within her hair, and lips that put the red rose to shame. No wonder she is the princess of the sun and the moon… however, she fell into an ancient sleep, waiting for you to wake her… and many years pass, a hundred years to be exact. And the gates part to let the prince free, so he can wake his love with loves first kiss, and prove that good will always conquer the darkness." Cassandra laughed wickedly as Brandon struggled in his chains.
"Let me out of these chains, Cassandra you wicked countess! What did you do to Stella!" Brandon shouted.
"Why you evil witch, I'll.." Bloom was about to fly toward Cassandra, but the others pulled her back. Shimara turned to almost catch them, but she missed them my mere seconds.
"Come, Shimara, lets leave our hero with these happy thoughts." Cassandra and Shimara headed out of Brandon's cell, "This has been a very gratifying day, for the first time in eighteen years, I will sleep in peace." As they two evil mistresses departed the dungeons, the fairies slipped into the cell. Brandon was about to say something, when stopped him.
"No time to explain." Musa told him as she and Flora broke his chains with their magic, and Bloom broke the lock on the door. Brandon could not wait to get out, but Musa stopped him once more.
"Wait Prince Brandon, the road to true love is paved with many more obstacles, but you'll have to face those by yourself. So we'll give you a shield of honor, and this green phantom-blade of truth. With the weapons, the light with always prevail. Now we have to hurry," Musa explained. However, as the four were leaving the dungeons, they me up with Shimara.
"Mother, mother, those pixies help the Prince escape!" she shouted, running to find Cassandra.
"Snitch." Bloom huffed. So the went up another staircase, to be met be Shimara and numerous guards. Brandon fought with his weaponry and ran down a collapsed wall to find his horse chained up. The guards were about to threw rocks at him when the fairies showed up once again.
"Brandon, look out!" Musa called, and shot the rocks with a sound attack, and the shattered to pieces. Then the guard began to shoot arrows at Brandon, but Flora turned them into flowers. Bloom unchained Brandon's horse and he got on as the fairies followed. Musa put up a shield so the guards couldn't chase them.
"Mother, mother, they're getting away!" Shimara shouted.
"Thats it, I wanna take the noisy, spoiled brat on." Bloom flew toward Shimara and attack her over and over, until after numerous attacks, Bloom had turned Shimara to stone.
"Oh, what is it Shimara!" Cassandra shouted, only to see that she was a stone statue, "No, not my daughter, no!" And Brandon and the fairies were about to get away, when the gate was closing behind them, Brandon had to jump.
"Look out!" Flora gasped as Brandon made the jump, and hurried toward the Solaria castle. Cassandra attempted to strike them with he powers, but they got too far away for her aim. So she sent her power towards King Radius's palace. Thorns grow around the castle as Brandon stopped in his tracks. Cassandra laughed triumphantly as Brandon began slashing the thorns to get through. However, his cape got caught in the thorns. The fairies all help him out of his prickly situation and he began to ride once more through the thorny forest. Brandon managed to fight his way through.
"This can't be!" Cassandra was furious as she transported from where she was at Beta Mountain to the front of King Radius's castle. As Brandon rode up to the castle, Cassandra stopped him in his tracks.
"Now you'll have to deal with me, Prince Brandon, and all the powers of evil!" Cassandra cackled, turning into a gigantic dragon. Brandon and the fairies were horrified when they saw this. Brandon charged at the dragon, and just as expected, it blew purple fire at him. He and Cassandra went head to head for a while, when Musa pointed to a hellish rock.
"Brandon, up here!" she called. As Cassandra tried bitting at him with her sharp dragon teeth, he lost his footing, and his shield slipped from his hand. Just then, Musa had an idea, "Brandon, throw your phantom-blade, it'll kill Cassandra!" Brandon did as he was told, and just as hoped, the phantom-blade hit Cassandra right where her evil heart lie. She fell in the deep abyss, only to be destroyed, and the phantom-blade turned dark when it use with fulfilled. Brandon looked shocked as he stood up, and the fairies surrounded him. Suddenly, everything from Cassandra's attacks were back to normal, and King Radius's castle returned to it's formal glory.
Brandon looked around the castle's courtyard to see everyone was in a deep sleep, but he wasted no time heading up to the Solarian castle's tallest tower. Once Brandon reached the room holding the sleeping princess of the sun and the moon, he turned to look at her. He knelt down beside the bed and leaned in to give Princess Stella a passionate kiss. Moments later, her sunrise brown eyes fluttered open. Flora's eyes began to water as she hugged Musa, and Bloom was so excited to see Stella wide awake once more. Everyone in the castle began to reawaken. In the throne room, King Radius and King Elendor reawaken as well.
"Now, Elendor, what were you saying?" Radius asked.
"I was saying that it is a new generation and-" Elendor began.
"You said them a minute ago." Radius interrupted his friend.
"Alright, then I'll cut to the chase, Prince Brandon told me that he want to marry-" Elendor was cut off be the trumpets playing. Everyone stopped what they were doing and Bloom and the fairies walked out on the balcony to see Prince Brandon and Princess Stella walk down the staircase hand in hand.
"Its Stella, she's here!" Radius shouted joyfully, Elendor was dumbfounded.
"And, and Brandon!" he replied in disbelief, he had to rub his eyes just to make sure he was seeing right. Princess Stella was so happy to see her parents that she ran right to them.
"Mom, daddy!" she called, gathering in a firm hug. The fairies were happy to see Stella so happy, and that she was safe and sound. Elendor ran to Brandon for some kind of explanation.
"What does this me, Brandon?" he asked his son, "I don't understand." he received a kiss on the cheek by Stella before she continued to dance with Brandon.
"What is going on?" Elendor was still confused as he looked at Stella's parents, and then and the fairies, "Well as long as everybody is happy." he gave up, satisfied. Stella and Brandon continued to dance as the fairies watched, and Flora, being the good-hearted person she was, began to cry.
"Flora, what's the matter?" Musa asked her sweet hearted friend.
"I just love happy endings, Musa." Flora sighed dreamily.
"Yes, I do too…" just then Musa once again noticed Stella's dress, "Blue! Stella's dress should be orange!" Musa and Bloom continued to fight over which color Stella's dress should be, but Stella didn't care, as long as she was in the arms of the one she loved