.
Once Upon a Time
Spitfire – "Tangled"
Part Two
The years passed quickly. Artemis's eighteenth birthday was fast approaching. This year, the girl had decided, she would see those mysterious lights. She would learn what they meant.
Artemis had grown into a pretty young lady. Her eyes were a stormy gray; her complexion a smooth, flawless tan. Her simple outfit was a light green top with elbow length sleeves trimmed in lace and a darker green skirt. The most striking thing about the princess, however, was her hair. Cheshire had never allowed her to cut it, and as such, it was very long. Artemis's long golden locks often got in the way, but she was used to it by now. She'd never cut her hair; it was too useful.
It was a normal day in Artemis's tower. Her sister, Jade, had gone into town for supplies. This left Artemis free to play with her little robin friend. For lack of a better name, Artemis simply called the bird Robin. It was a true testament to how lonely and isolated Artemis felt that she had to seek companionship from a bird.
Artemis threw open the wooden shutters that covered the tower window. "Aha!" But Robin was not perched on the windowsill as he normally was. Artemis thought for a moment. Remembering her bird friend's penchant for hiding, Artemis called, "Oh well, I guess Robin's not here..."
Then the young woman heard the sound of Robin's familiar chirp. It almost sounded like a laugh. Smirking to herself, Artemis then used her lengthy hair to seize Robin by the leg from where he had been hiding. He clucked in a disapproving way. Artemis let the bird down.
"Want to hide again?" she asked the little robin. He shook his head. "Well, what do you want to do?" Artemis questioned. Robin chirped again and gestured outside with one red wing.
Remembering her sister's warnings of never leaving the tower, Artemis shook her head. "You know I can't go outside," she told the bird. Robin made a sound like a snort. Artemis tried to sound convincing as she scooped the bird into her palm. "It's not too bad in here. You know it's not."
The teenage girl straightened herself up once more and carried her feathered friend back inside. It was time to start the day's chores. Jade was due home by the end of the day, and Artemis knew how her sister liked a tidy home.
Artemis swept and mopped the tower's stone floors. She washed her spare dress as well as Jade's second outfit and hung them up to air dry. All of the wooden surfaces in the tower were dusted and polished. By the time all of this was done, it was nearly noon. So Artemis fixed herself some lunch, poring over a book about astronomy as she did so.
There were only a few things left to do before Jade arrived, so Artemis decided to do some more of the things she liked. Jade was always encouraging Artemis to be good at art, saying it was a proper activity for young ladies. Artemis always wanted her sister's approval, and because of that, the tower's interior was covered in small paintings. Anything that could be painted was.
Artemis's artwork had a recurring theme. The mysterious lights featured prominently, as well as a crescent moon. Jade said this was the kingdom's emblem, but Artemis thought there must be more to it than that. Jade's voice was always tight whenever she mentioned the kingdom and Artemis thought it must make her sister uncomfortable.
Today she painted herself looking up at those mystifying lights. In the corner of the dark blue sky, Artemis found herself creating yet another silver crescent moon. She couldn't help it; it was almost as if it were demanding to be drawn. Artemis chalked this up to the fact that she shared the name of the moon goddess.
The blonde girl started preparing a stew for supper. It was sure to be ready by the time her sister returned. With nothing else to do for the moment, Artemis took a seat on her canopy bed. She grabbed her hairbrush from the bedside table and began the long task of brushing her golden hair, waiting for her sister to come home.
0o0o0o0
Miles away, a duo of thieves made their way onto the roof of the palace. Wallace West, better known as "Kid Flash" and his associate, Roy Harper, had been planning this heist for months.
It was rumored throughout the kingdom that King Oliver and Queen Dinah kept Princess Artemis's tiara on a special pillow in the throne room. Kid Flash and Roy, also known as Speedy, were very interested to know if this rumor was true. Kid Flash was sure that the tiara would fetch him a fair bit of gold if offered to the right person.
The two redheads leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The pair were clever thieves and had managed to do this without being seen by any of the palace guards. As Roy went on ahead, Wally stopped in his tracks to look out at the kingdom. The view was a beautiful one; the whole city was visible from this height.
"I think I could get used to this," Wally said wistfully. Speedy, the more practical of the two, snorted dismissively and set about opening the skylight.
"Come on, West," Speedy said impatiently. The older man wanted to get this over with. Though the plan was a lucrative one, it was also extremely risky. Too many things could go wrong. And "Kid Flash" was too busy daydreaming to focus on their mission.
Wally ignored the other redhead. "I'm already used to it," he declared. "Speedy, I want a castle."
Still impatient with Kid Flash's antics, Roy seized Wally by the arm. "If this works, you can buy ten castles."
Apparently, this was all the motivation the younger bandit needed. Kid Flash fastened the rope around his waist and gave the other end to Speedy. He made sure his grip on his red leather satchel was tight and gave the signal that he was ready to be lowered into the palace.
The rumor about the princess's crown was indeed true. Wally was pleased to see that the crown was indeed guarded, but that no one would be able to see him from his current angle. Speedy continued to lower the rope until the diadem was in reach. Just as Kid Flash's fingers closed over the priceless item, one of the guards sneezed.
Kid Flash's weakness was that he was never able to shut up. He just had to tell everyone how clever he was. Delighted that he was about to steal the tiara right out from under the king's nose, Wally said, "Bless you."
The guard nodded, turning to thank him. Then the man realized just what Kid Flash was doing. "Drop that!" he commanded. But Wally just waved the crown in a taunting way as Speedy hoisted him back onto the roof.
Both redheads took off running as fast as their legs would carry them. As they crossed over the stone bridge that joined the kingdom and the woods, Wally yelled, "Don't you think I would look great in a castle of my own? Because I certainly do!"
Roy merely grunted and both crooks continued to run, the kingdom at their backs.
0o0o0o0
Up in the tower, Artemis was cleaning up her art supplies. "Today is the day," the girl swore to Robin, who was perched on her shoulder. "I'm going to ask Jade to take me to see the lights. She'll have to take me, right?" Robin gave Artemis an affectionate sort of peck for encouragement.
"Artemis! Let down your hair!" called the familiar voice of Jade. Artemis hurried over to the window and flipped her long hair over a nearby hook. "I'm not getting any younger!" Jade snarled from outside of the tower. Artemis hastily tossed her long shiny mane out of the tower, which Jade then used to be pulled up into the fortress.
Jade climbed into the room. She was wearing her signature green dress and a long black velvet cape. "Welcome home, Jade," Artemis greeted her sister. She held her arms out, expecting a hug. However, Jade brushed right past the blonde girl. She set the supplies down near the stove and then sank into the best armchair near the fireplace.
"I don't know how you manage to do that every day," Jade said. "It looks tiring and painful, Artemis."
Slightly embarrassed, Artemis shifted a little bit. She looked down at her bare feet. "It's really nothing, Jade," the teenager mumbled.
Jade's voice turned cold as she questioned, "Then why does it take so long?" Artemis was taken aback by her sister's venom. Then the older woman raised herself from the chair. She gave Artemis a rather condescending pat on the head and added, "I'm only teasing, dear." Jade moved past where Artemis stood to stare into the looking glass in the ornate silver frame.
Artemis forced herself to laugh at Jade's comment and then followed after her sister. "As you know, Jade, tomorrow is my birthday," the blonde girl began. She frowned at the obvious nervousness in her tone, but forced herself to keep going. "And I thought that you could take me into the city so I could see the lights. You know, like a gift-"
"Artemis," Jade interrupted sharply. She was still gazing lovingly at her own reflection. "Look in the mirror, Artemis," the dark haired woman instructed. "I see a beautiful, confident, smart young girl." The teenager saw a smile grow on her face. Then Jade said, "And you're here, too." She laughed heartily at her own joke.
The younger sister decided to ignore this. "So, Jade, do you think we could go?"
"I'm feeling worn out from the long journey I just completed," Jade stated, completely disregarding Artemis's inquiry. "Why don't you get your hairbrush and come sit by the fire with me? You can sing our special song."
Knowing it was always best to do as Jade asked, Artemis obeyed. Her beautiful blonde hair trailed behind her as Artemis ran up the short flight of steps to her bedroom. She returned with the brush and ushered Jade back into the comfortable armchair. Artemis brought over a little stool and perched on it. She thrust the comb into Jade's hand and spit out the lyrics to the song in a rush.
Cheshire dragged the brush through Artemis's locks as fast as she could. But it simply wasn't enough for her to absorb the magic. She gave Artemis's hair a sharp tug and ordered, "Do it slower."
Artemis repeated the song. The magic flowed into Cheshire once more. "Much better," Jade said.
"So you didn't answer my question," Artemis prompted. "Can we go to see the lights?"
Jade froze for a moment, surprised at this request. She had hoped Artemis would drop it. "You must mean the stars," Jade said finally. "We can see them from right here in the tower."
The blonde teenager shook her head. "They're not stars," she said firmly. Artemis noted that Jade's brown eyes narrowed at her declaration. Not willing to back down, Artemis continued, "I've charted stars before. Stars are constant. But these lights only appear on my birthday. I have to see them for myself so I can figure out what they mean."
"You want to go outside?" Jade questioned. Artemis could hear the danger in her sister's voice. Jade slammed the window coverings shut before turning and advancing towards Artemis. "My dear Artemis. You can't leave the tower. You know why we stay up here."
"But I'm going to be eighteen-" Artemis protested.
The dark haired woman ignored the younger blonde. "You've never been outside, Artemis. You don't know what dangers lurk around every corner. There's poison ivy, bugs, quicksand, criminals ... You would never survive." Jade wrapped Artemis in a tight hug. "I'm your sister and I have to protect you. I love you very much. Now, the only thing I ask is that you never ask to leave the tower again. Do you understand?"
Though Jade asked this question in a sugary sweet voice, Artemis could hear the menacing undertone. Finally, she nodded. Jade patted the top of Artemis's head in that same condescending way once more and then requested to be let down again. She announced that she was going to go pick some berries to eat after dinner. Artemis watched her sister disappear into the woods with longing in her heart.
0o0o0o0
Wally and Roy had now reached the forest. Both men were sure they had outrun the palace guards. They stopped next to a thick oak tree to catch their breath. Wally spotted two "Wanted" posters and pulled them down to examine them. He scowled at the sketch of himself. "This is awful," the younger bandit declared. "My nose is not this big!"
Speedy shook his head in disbelief. "What does it matter?" he inquired, clearly thinking there were better things to be concerned about.
"It's easy for you to say," Wally muttered. "You look great." This was true. The drawing of Speedy's scowling face was identical to the one he currently wore. The drawing of Wally, however, included a comically large nose that was completely inaccurate to his actual one.
Just then, the two redheaded crooks heard the sound of horse hooves running through the forest. "There!" Roy shouted, pointing. Sure enough, there was a squad of about ten guards on horseback up on a ledge. The guards had spotted them and were on the move again.
Kid Flash and Speedy started running again. Unfortunately for them, they did not know the forest very well and ended up in a sort of quarry, unable to go any further. If they stayed here any longer, they were sure to be captured. Thinking quickly, Wally turned to the older boy. "Give me a boost. I'll pull you up."
Roy's blue eyes narrowed with mistrust. "Give me the tiara first," he stated.
Wally adopted a look of hurt. He had expected this, of course, and had no intention of helping Roy. But he could see Roy reconsidering. Kid Flash kept going with this. "After everything we've been through, don't you trust me?"
Finally, Speedy walked over to the wall of stone and boosted Wally over. Once Kid Flash was back onto the grass, he double checked the satchel and found that the diadem was indeed still inside. "Help me up!" he heard Speedy call as the sound of hooves drew even closer.
"No can do!" Wally yelled cheerfully. He took off along the path again, running like the wind. The redhead heard Roy curse him. This only made Kid Flash grin even wider.
Then he heard the sound of arrows being shot at him. Wally swerved to avoid being hit and changed direction. One guard managed to alter his course to match the thief. "We'll get him this time, Kaldur!" the guard said to his horse. As if agreeing, Kaldur the horse whinnied joyfully.
The redhead didn't call himself Kid Flash for nothing. He veered off of the path again and grabbed a long vine hanging from a nearby tree. He swung around the tree holding onto the vine and came around, knocking the guard of off Kaldur.
The horse came to a sudden stop. Wally urged the horse to go on, but he refused. Then the horse tried to grab the satchel away. Kaldur moved them closer and closer to the edge of a cliff as they fought over the bag. Then Wally lost his grip on the satchel and it went hurtling over the edge. "Look what you did!" the redhead yelled. Kaldur looked kind of smug.
Wally dove after the bag. Kaldur, obviously still thinking he could turn Kid Flash in, followed. Miraculously, Wally landed at the bottom of the cliff without any serious injury. Wally managed to grab the satchel and hid behind a rock until Kaldur began to trot away, somehow uninjured. The redheaded thief spotted a couple of arrows on the forest floor and deduced that they must have fallen out of Kaldur's saddlebags. Wally pocketed them, thinking they might come in handy.
Wally continued to move through the forest, being careful to go in the opposite direction of the one Kaldur had headed in. He came upon a thick growth of weeping willow trees. The redhead pushed through the trees and came upon something most unusual.
There was a giant tower in the middle of nowhere.