.
Once Upon a Time
Spitfire – "Tangled"
Part Five
Wally jerked away from Artemis when he caught sight of Roy. The look on the older redhead's face was nothing short of evil. Wally could feel Artemis's piercing gray gaze on him, but he couldn't concentrate on her. He had to think of a way to get the crown to Roy without allowing Artemis to be harmed.
"Is something wrong?" his blonde companion asked. She started to turn to see what he was looking at, but Roy had slunk back into the shadows.
"Nothing is wrong," Wally replied hurriedly. Artemis looked at him skeptically but didn't say anything else. The redhead's gaze fell on the satchel that was still sitting at Artemis's side. He just had to give the stupid crown to Roy and all of this would be over. Wally didn't even want the trinket anymore. "There's something I have to do."
He quickly rowed the small boat to the other side of the lake. Wally climbed out onto the shore and dragged the boat onto the thin strip of beach. "I have to take care of something very quickly," Wally announced. "It will only take a minute."
Artemis nodded. "Alright," she replied. Wally turned and walked in the direction Roy had gone in. He heard the rustle of Robin's small wings as the bird made its way to Artemis's shoulder. "He'll be right back, Robin," Artemis murmured to her feathered companion. It sounded to Wally that she was trying to assure herself of this.
Wally kept walking along the shore until he finally found Roy. The older redhead was perched on a large boulder. He was sharpening a knife and looked very menacing. "There you are!" Wally exclaimed in a happy tone. He hoped that Roy would buy his act. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Roy regarded him with a flat expression and continued sharpening his knife. "Well, I've got that tiara you wanted," the younger thief said. He took off the satchel and tossed it to Roy. "It's all yours," Wally promised.
He turned to go, but Roy had somehow appeared in his path and now was blocking Wally from going forward. Wally blinked in surprise; he hadn't even seen his former comrade move.
"You were holding out on me again, Kid Flash," Roy accused in a low, dangerous voice.
Wally had no idea what Roy was referring to. "What?"
"I heard you came across something much more valuable than a crown. I want her instead."
Kid Flash's eyes went wide with shock. Then Roy advanced towards him, raising a fist, and everything went black.
0o0o0o0
Artemis was still waiting for Wally to come back. By now, she had climbed out of the boat, though she did not dare stray too far. Robin was still perched on her shoulder. He emitted the occasional worried chirping sound.
The blonde girl's sharp gray eyes were fixed on the spot Wally had walked off towards. She couldn't wait until he got back from whatever his errand was. The whole experience was making her extremely uneasy. She wanted to leave.
Finally, the blonde girl spotted a figure coming through the mist. Artemis breathed a sigh of relief. "I was wondering if you were going to come back," she called out.
But as the figure drew closer to her, Artemis could see that it was not Wally at all. It was the same man she had seen back in the ravine, the one who Wally had said didn't like him. Artemis shrank back, her heart pounding rapidly.
"He did leave," the stranger said in a cruel voice.
"He wouldn't," Artemis replied defiantly. Wally wouldn't really have left her to fend for herself... would he? They had been through so much...
A voice that sounded suspiciously like Jade's rang in Artemis's mind. There is no honor among thieves.
The strange man shrugged. He waved a hand towards the lake. "See for yourself," he said. Sure enough, Artemis could just make out the shape of a small sailboat cutting across the lake. There was a figure at the steering wheel that definitely looked to be about Wally's size. "Wally, no," Artemis whispered. "No."
She screamed his name across the lake's waters, but there was no response from him. He really was leaving her and taking the crown. Jade had been right all along.
"It was a fair trade, really," the strange man told her. He began to circle her and Artemis had the distinct feeling that she was prey. "A priceless crown for the girl with the magic hair. How much do you think someone would pay to stay young forever?" he asked. "Twenty-five thousand pieces of gold? Fifty? One hundred?"
He advanced towards Artemis. She backed away, terrified, but there was no way she could outrun him. "Please don't," she begged helplessly. The man just sneered. Artemis knew that it would probably be futile but she had no other options left to her. She started to run.
The blonde girl moved as fast as her legs would carry her. She picked a path along the grass and kept moving until her hair got tangled around a fallen log. As she fought to get it loose, Artemis could hear the sounds of a scuffle back where she had left the boat.
"Artemis!"
The voice that had called out her name was none other than her sister's. "Jade?" Artemis asked, amazed. Had her sister been with her all this time, trying to make sure that she was alright?
Artemis finally freed her hair. She made her way back towards the boat. When she arrived at the beach, the stranger was laying on the ground. Her sister was standing over the man with a thick tree branch clenched in her hands.
"My dear baby sister," Jade said quietly when she saw that Artemis had come back. There was relief in the older girl's voice.
"Jade," Artemis said again. And despite the fights they had been having lately, the blonde girl ran into her sister's arms. Jade folded her into a tight hug.
When the older girl pulled away, she looked over Artemis very carefully. "Did he hurt you?" Jade asked. The blonde girl shook her head and opened her mouth to ask Jade how she had known she was in danger, but the older girl spoke again before Artemis could get any words out. "I was so worried about you, dear," Jade simpered. There was just a touch of something in her tone that made Artemis feel a little guilty.
On the ground, the man began to stir. "Let's go," Jade instructed. "Before he comes to."
She ushered Artemis towards the forest, but the blonde girl resisted for a moment. She watched the boat Wally was on slowly growing smaller and smaller as if got closer to the kingdom. Artemis could not believe he really could have left her like that. She felt tears prick at her eyes. She had trusted him...
Finally, Artemis turned back to her sister. Jade was waiting with the lantern. A sympathetic look was adorning her features. For the second time that night, Artemis flung herself into her sister's embrace. She let out a quiet sob into Jade's shoulder. "You were right, Jade," Artemis said sadly.
"I know, Artemis," Jade soothed. "I know."
The older girl kept one arm around Artemis's shoulders as they slowly made their way home.
0o0o0o0
In Roy's boat, Wally was just starting to come to after being hit on the head. That sure had been happening to him a lot lately, the redhead mused.
There was a smashing sound somewhere in front of him. He had sailed right into the side of the bridge that led into the city. This noise had attracted the attention of a pair of palace guards. The two men were hurrying down towards the place he was now stranded at.
This did not look good for Wally. He was bound to the ship completely. Roy had also made sure that the princess's tiara was clenched in his hand. There was no way he'd be able to get out of this.
And yet, he wasn't really concerned about what was going to happen to him. Wally had just realized that Artemis was along on the other side of the lake with Roy. The redhead was certain that Speedy would not hesitate to hurt Artemis. "What have I done?" he asked himself quietly.
The guards had been joined by their captain. He smiled at Wally in a very smug way as he untied the wanted criminal. "Let me explain," Wally pleaded. "It's not what it looks like."
The captain produced a pair of manacles and slapped them over Wally's wrists. Desperate, he screamed, "Artemis!" He hoped against all odds that she would hear him and know he hadn't left her alone willingly.
Artemis did not hear him.
Kaldur, however, did.
There was only one thought in the horse's mind as he took off through the streets of Starr Kingdom. He had to get to The Watchtower.
0o0o0o0
Wallace West spent a sleepless night in a prison cell. The next day, he paced the small confined space in an endless loop. He hoped Artemis was alright. If anything happened to her, it was all his fault.
The thief was staring blankly out the window when he heard footsteps in the corridor. Wally looked over her shoulder to see the captain of the guard flanked by a duo of soldiers. "Let's get this over with," the captain said grimly. He took a golden key from his belt and used it to unlock Wally's cell.
Kid Flash was confused. "Let's get what over with?" he asked. The captain just looked at him. "Oh," Wally said, touching one hand to the base of his throat.
He was going to die.
0o0o0o0
Miles away, Artemis and Jade had made it back to their tower. Jade had ushered Artemis up to her room immediately upon their return. The pair of sisters perched on Artemis's bed with Artemis's back to Jade. The older girl was busily plucking the flowers out of Artemis's elaborate hairdo. She hummed softly every time she placed a blossom in her basket.
"There you are," she said. "That was the last one. Now we can pretend that this mess never even happened."
Jade crossed Artemis's room to the door. She carried the basket of flowers over one arm. "Dinner will be ready soon," Jade announced. "We're having hazelnut soup."
Artemis barely heard her sister's words. Now that Jade was done with her hair, the blonde girl had buried her face in her hands. The sting of Wally's betrayal had not left her yet. She did not want her sister's company at the moment. She wanted to be alone.
"I tried to tell you, Artemis," Jade reminded the younger girl. "I tried to tell you about the selfish people in the world. You didn't listen to me."
The dark haired girl turned on her heel and shut the door behind her as she left. When Artemis was alone again, Robin flew down to her from where he had been hiding on the dresser. He clicked his beak sympathetically.
Sighing, Artemis lay back on her bed. She took out the little souvenir flag with the crescent moon on it that Wally had bought her in the city. No matter what Jade might say, this adventure had happened. Artemis knew she would never forget it.
The blonde girl looked up at her ceiling. It was decorated with her recurring theme of silver crescent moons just like the one on the flag. She was starting to put the pattern together.
Artemis looked at the flag and then at the ceiling again. The room seemed like it was starting to spin as she remembered in a short flash a little mobile with a tinkly song emitting from it and a pair of smiling blond adults looking down at her.
She knew instantly where she had seen those people before. They were King Oliver and Queen Dinah, the rulers of Starr Kingdom. And Artemis remembered suddenly how the tiara Wally had stolen looked on her.
"I'm the lost princess."
This realization made Artemis stumble backwards. She couldn't even breathe properly. All she knew was that she had to set things right.
0o0o0o0
Wally was being led down the prison's stone corridors with a guard on either side of him. His heart was heavy as he slowly moved towards his demise. The thief knew that he deserved his fate – he had certainly earned it – but he would have given anything to see Artemis one last time. Wally wanted to explain to her what had happened. He also would have liked to be able to tell her what he had come to feel for her.
They were nearly to the end of the corridor when Wally caught sight of Roy slumped in one of the other cells. He felt his blood begin to boil. If the older man had laid one finger on Artemis...
Before he really knew what he was doing, Wally quickly shoved the guard to his left with his shoulder. The soldier went flying. Kid Flash repeated this action with the soldier to his right as well. He jumped high enough in the air to be able to swing his arms around his legs to they'd at least be bound in front of him instead of behind him.
He marched to Roy's cell and seized the older man by the shirt. Wally yanked Roy closer to him, making him hit his face against the iron bars. "How did you know about Artemis?" Wally demanded of his former ally.
"The girl told me. The one with the dark hair."
"The girl," Wally repeated. This had to mean that Artemis's sister was the one behind everything.
The two soldiers had gotten to their feet. Each grabbed hold of Wally once more. He struggled as much as he could manage to while clenched in their iron grips. "You don't understand," Wally said desperately. "She's in trouble..."
0o0o0o0
Jade had heard the noise Artemis had made when she stumbled. "Artemis!" she called sharply. The blonde girl could hear her sister's footsteps coming up the stone steps towards her bedroom. "Are you alright?"
Artemis was breathing heavily. She still could not believe the shocking truth she had just uncovered. The blonde teenager made her way across the room and opened her bedroom door. She stepped onto the landing and looked down at the woman she had called sister for eighteen years.
"I'm the lost princess."
Artemis saw her sister's eyes go wide. Then Jade said smoothly, "Now, Artemis, why would you even say that? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?" The dark haired girl held out her arms in an attempt to embrace Artemis, but the princess pushed her away angrily.
"This was all you!" Artemis burst out. "You did this to me!"
"I was protecting you," Jade said in a voice that was so calm it was sinister.
Artemis shoved the older girl again. This time Jade hit the wall. Artemis brushed past the villainess. "I spent my entire life in this tower hiding. I was hiding from people who would use me for my hair and this whole time I should have been hiding from you!"
"Artemis!" Jade said sharply. The blonde girl froze in her tracks. "Where will you go?" Jade simpered. "Your little thief won't be there for you. I can promise you that."
It was then that Artemis realized what Jade must have done. Jade must have told the man who had attacked Artemis what her hair would be worth to the right bidder. That was why Wally had left and Jade had so conveniently been close enough to rescue her. Artemis would have bet that Wally had somehow been forced onto that boat. She knew he never would have left her.
"What did you do to him?" the blonde princess demanded in a low, dangerous voice.
"He will be hanged for his crimes," Jade said with a note of triumph. Artemis let out a gasp. Jade moved in for the kill. "Just listen to me. All of this is how things are supposed to be." Jade lifted a hand to pat the top of Artemis's head, but the teenager couldn't stand being talked down to any longer. She caught Jade by the wrist and shoved her away.
"You were wrong about the world. You were wrong about me." She pushed the older girl again, causing Jade to fall back against the ornate mirror. The glass shattered. "I'm never going to let you use me again," Artemis vowed coldly.
"You want me to be the bad guy? I can do that," Jade promised. "I can definitely do that."
0o0o0o0
In the prison, Wally was still doing his very best to get away from the guards. They were forcing him down the hallway roughly now. The redhead was starting to get worried that he wouldn't be able to escape. As he struggled against his captors, the thief's emerald gaze fell on a crude sketch of a bat that had been etched onto the stone wall. It looked just like the one the man who had helped he and Artemis escape The Watchtower had had on his chest.
Just then, a door ahead of them in the corridor slammed shut. Then the doors on the sides of the hallway and behind Wally and his trio of guards were slammed as well. "What is going on?" the captain demanded, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword automatically. He turned back to the door in front of them and pounded on it with his fist. "Open up!"
A face that Wally recognized appeared in the small window at the top of the door. "What's the password?" he asked in a sing song voice. He was clearly mocking the captain.
"What?" the captain spluttered.
"Nope." The man disappeared again.
The captain was angry now. "Open this door!"
The face appeared again. He was grinning. "That's not even close!"
While this argument was occurring, one door on either side of the corridor opened. The two guards next to Wally were each snatched away by more Watchtower patrons. The thugs shut the doors loudly enough so that the captain's attention would return to what was going on behind him. While he turned around, the first door opened again. The biggest of the thugs, the one who wore an S on his chest and wanted to fall in love, came through. He hit the captain with a frying pan.
Wally grinned. "Who knew that skillets so many uses?"
More guards broke through the door. Wally took off running after the big thug. He turned a corner and came across one of the other patrons. The blond man with the A on his belt winked at the redhead as he ran by. Then the guards caught up and the blond man distracted them with a miming act. Wally heard a cry from the bat man as he came racing towards the guards, who all yelled in fright.
Wally kept running until he reached a courtyard. Swarms of the kingdom's soldiers were coming down the stone steps towards him. Kid Flash was sure he was done for until the bat man plucked him into mid-air.
"Head down, arms in, knees apart," said the bat man. Wally repeated these instructions without really knowing why.
He was just opening his mouth why he was being told these things when the S man leapt down from above. Wally realized that he had been placed on some kind of catapult. He went soaring through the air and he screamed. But then he landed on something that whinnied softly. Wally looked down to see that he had landed on top of Kaldur.
"Kal," Wally breathed, amazed. "You did this? You brought them here?" Kaldur whinnied again, looking pleased with himself. "All this time we could have been friends. Thank you. This could be the-" Wally looked down at his mount again to see that Kaldur was regarding him with a flat expression. "You're right. We should go."
This was all the encouragement that Kaldur needed. He took off along the top of the prison, expertly avoiding all of the soldiers' attacks as he did so. Wally was quite amazed at the steed's skill.
Kaldur leapt off of the building and landed in the town square. It had to be some kind of miracle, Wally thought fervently. The horse kept galloping straight through the city and over the bridge. He ran and ran through the forest until they finally reached Artemis's tower.
Wally dismounted as fast as he could and ran to the base of the tower. "Artemis! Artemis, let down your hair!"
There was no response. Wally frantically attempted to climb up the stones but failed miserably. Then he heard the window creak open and Artemis's long golden mane came soaring out. Wally smiled, relieved, and used the hair to scale the tower.
He climbed in through the window. "I thought I'd never see you again," the redhead admitted. He couldn't wait to embrace the girl and tell her everything that had happened.
Then Wally's emerald green gaze fell on the object of his affections. She was bound and gagged and making frantic noises. He could only assume that she meant that she needed help. Wally was making his way towards her when there was a sudden sharp pain in his ribs. Everything went black once more.
0o0o0o0
Artemis felt tears sting at her eyes again. Jade calmly stepped over Wally's body. Blood was still dripping from her sai. "Do you see what you've done, Artemis?" Jade taunted. "But you mustn't worry, my dear. Our secret will die with him." Wally made a pitiful noise and grasped his midsection.
Jade advanced towards Artemis. She unlocked one end of the chain that bound Artemis and gave a sharp tug towards the secret tunnel. "As for us... we're going somewhere where no one will ever find you."
Artemis struggled even more desperately. She kicked at Jade and all the motion made Artemis's gag fall out of her mouth. "I will never stop trying, Jade," Artemis swore. "I will never stop trying to get away from you for as long as I live." She took a deep breath in order to force out the next part. "Let me heal him and I'll go with you without a fight."
Wally stirred slightly and attempted to drag himself closer to Artemis. "You can't do that," he groaned weakly. "You can't."
"I won't run," Artemis said over the sound of Wally's moans. "I won't try to escape. Please let me save him. Then it'll be the two of us forever. Just like you want. Please."
Jade's eyes were cold. Finally, she nodded. She took Artemis's chains off of the girl's wrists and bound Wally to the staircase with it. "Don't get any ideas about following us," Jade warned the redhead. Then she nodded once to give Artemis the signal that she could work her magic yet again.
The blonde girl was at the thief's side in an instant. "Oh, Wally," she whispered softly. She touched his face gently. "Everything will be alright," the princess assured him.
He coughed and clutched at his ribs again. Artemis could see the crimson stain spreading slowly but surely over his shirt. She could tell he didn't have much time left. "Don't do it, Artemis," Wally begged. "Don't do this for me."
"You have to trust me," the princess said. She was busily readying her hair to heal the injury when he suddenly reached up to touch her cheek.
"Wait," the redhead implored. And with the last of his strength, Wally leaned forward and cut off Artemis's hair with a shard of glass from the broken mirror.
All of the stolen youth flowed right out of Cheshire. "No!" she screamed. Artemis watched the woman she had thought of as her sister shrivel up right before her. As Jade wheeled around the tower room in despair, Artemis saw Robin grab a section of the severed hair in his beak. He fluttered near the floor, just high enough off of the ground for Jade to catch the heel of her boot on the hair. The villainess tumbled out of the window.
Artemis hurried to the window, but it seemed that Jade had aged so rapidly that nothing remained of her but dust and her long black cloak.
For a moment, the princess was sad. Though Jade was a manipulative liar and a kidnapper, she had raised Artemis. And then Wally let out another low groan from where he was slumped over on the floor and Artemis quickly forgot about Jade.
She went back to Wally's side, kneeling next to him. Tears pooled in her eyes. She knew that he loved her, loved her enough to give his life for hers. "Don't leave me, Wally," Artemis begged quietly as she pulled him into her lap.
The redhead coughed again. Desperate, Artemis took his hand and touched it to the top of her head. She frantically sang the lyrics of the special song, but it was futile. Her hair no longer possessed any magical qualities.
Wally looked up at her with glassy green eyes. He reached up to caress her face. "You were my new dream," he whispered.
"You were mine," the princess replied sincerely. It was the truth, and he deserved to know it. He seemed to have heard her because as he went still, there was a serene smile on his face.
The tears that had been threatening to fall finally spilled. Amid her sobs, Artemis felt a surge of hatred for Jade. The woman had taken everything.
One of Artemis's tears fell onto Wally's face. As she moved her hand to wipe it away, the most amazing thing happened. Wally's body was enveloped in a pale silvery mist. His wound went away, the bloodstains vanishing as if they'd never been there at all. He stirred feebly.
Then Wally opened his eyes. Artemis was relieved to see that they were their normal vibrant emerald once more. "Hey, beautiful."
Artemis laughed joyously, hardly daring to believe it. It seemed there had been one last drop of magic in her after all. She released Wally so that he could sit up and then threw herself into his embrace. He chuckled softly and squeezed her tightly.
And then she pulled back and looked into his eyes for a long moment. Then he kissed her. When they parted, Wally rested his forehead against hers. "I should have done that a long time ago."
0o0o0o0
King Oliver and Queen Dinah were enjoying a quiet afternoon together when the doors to their private rooms were thrown open. Both monarchs looked up, alarmed at the sudden intrusion. A young soldier stood in the doorway. All he did was nod.
They hurried after the young man, Dinah picking up her skirts so that she wouldn't trip over them. When they got to the door that separated them from their daughter, King Oliver passed and looked down at his wife. There was doubt in the king's eyes.
"We must have faith, Oliver," Queen Dinah said quietly. He nodded and then pulled open the door. The solider slipped away quietly.
The pair of monarchs stepped onto the balcony. Standing on the balcony was a young man with vivid red hair and a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair. The young lady smiled at the king and queen tentatively.
Queen Dinah hurried towards the girl. She wanted so badly to believe that this was her daughter. Dinah reached out to touch the girl's face. The girl's smile grew even wider and Dinah pulled her daughter in for a hug. "Oh, Artemis," sighed the queen. "My daughter. My beautiful, precious daughter."
Oliver hurried towards the queen and princess as well. He wrapped both women in a tight embrace. The royal family then sank down onto the balcony, still wrapped in a many limbed hug.
The queen looked up at the redheaded man who had brought Artemis home at last. He was watching the royal family with a fond expression on his features. Dinah extended her hand towards him. He took it and she pulled him down so that he could join the embrace.
0o0o0o0
"Well, you can guess how the story ends. The kingdom celebrated the return of the lost princess for nearly a week. I don't remember most of it.
"Everyone's dreams came true. The bat man became a famous pianist. The S man fell in love.
"Kaldur was responsible for making most of the crime in the kingdom disappear nearly overnight...along with most of the apples.
"Robin never changed.
"At last, Artemis was home. She was a princess worth waiting for. She was truly Oliver and Dinah's daughter and led her people with all the grace and wisdom that her parents did before her."
Wally cleared his throat and looked around at all of the children he was telling the story to. The little faces all looked up at him eagerly, waiting for the rest of the story. They all gasped with excitement as Princess Artemis herself came to join the story telling session. She took a seat next to Wally and slid her hand into his.
"I started going by Wally again. I stopped stealing and really turned my life around. The king and queen pardoned me of my crimes. But I guess the real question is if Artemis and I ever got married. And after years of asking and asking...I finally said yes."
"Wally," warned Artemis with a slight smile, "tell the truth."
He smiled back at her and amended his tale. "I'm only kidding. I asked her."
And the princess's grin grew again. "We're all living happily ever after."
"Yes, we are," Wally agreed. "Yes we are."