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Once Upon a Time

Chalant – "Sleeping Beauty"

Part Two

King Giovanni and Queen Sindella spent many sad, lonely years waiting for their only child to return home to them. As Princess Zatanna's sixteenth birthday drew closer, the kingdom's spirits began to grow. There was an air of excitement in the villages and animated talks about how all would be well again in York once the princess came home.

The people of York knew that their beloved princess was still safe from Klarion's wicked curse. His realm, the Forbidden Mountain, was just visible from the kingdom. As long as thick black clouds swirled around the fortress and thunder rumbled in the distance, they knew that the Lord of Chaos's evil plan had not come to pass.

Klarion was currently perched on his throne. His minions, small gray goblin-like creatures of very low intelligence, surrounded him. "It's preposterous!" the Lord of Chaos roared. "It has been sixteen years and there hasn't been one trace of her!" There was a flash of lightning as anger surged through him. "She couldn't just have vanished! Are you sure you looked everywhere? In all the villages? By the seashore? In the forest?"

The minions nodded. "Everywhere," grunted the leader of the creatures. He had a pig snout and carried a large shiny ax as a weapon. "We all looked." The minions made eager noises of agreement. It was obvious to Klarion that they were hoping to be spared from his wrath. "We looked in every cradle." The minion leader made a rocking motion with his arms.

"Cradle?" echoed Klarion in his high pitched voice. He got to his feet and began to laugh hysterically. His foot soldiers followed suit, obviously thinking that they had pleased him. Klarion turned his dark gaze to Teekl, who perched on the throne's armrest. "Did you hear that, my pet? All this time they've been looking for an infant!"

The lackeys continued to laugh. Klarion snapped his fingers and a bolt of blue lightning crackled. "Fools!" bellowed Klarion. "Halfwits! Simpletons!" he started aiming his magical energy at the foot soldiers, who all dove for cover. Even Klarion's familiar, Teekl, darted off to watch in safety.

The Lord of Chaos sunk back onto his throne. "It's hopeless," he sighed. "These minions of mine are disgraces to the forces of evil." Teekl poked his head out from behind the chair and slowly made his way back to the imp. "It's up to you now, Teekl," Klarion murmured to the cat. "You will be my last hope. Find the girl. She'll be a maid of sixteen with ebony hair, a fair complexion, and rose red lips. Search far and wide. Leave now. Do not fail me."

Teekl made a purring noise and slunk from the room. He would find the princess. It would be child's play.

0o0o0o0

Far away from Klarion's fortress lived a now-grown Princess Zatanna and the three fairies. The fairies had never told the princess about her true identity for her own protection. They called her by the simple name Zee and referred to themselves as her aunts. Zee was told that they had found her as a baby and that they had taken care of her ever since.

In the cottage's tiny kitchen, the three fairies sat ringed around the table. It would be their last day with the princess before they had to send her back to the king and queen. So to say a proper good-bye, Megan, Dinah, and Artemis were planning a small party with a few extra special surprises.

Megan had placed a thick book on the table. "This is the one I picked," she told the two blondes at her sides. "With just a few changes I think we'll be able to make her look just like the princess she is."

The black fairy bobbed her head in agreement. "Zee will look lovely in that," she murmured.

"We'll make the dress purple," Artemis stated. "It's her favorite color."

"Oh no, dear," Megan replied airily. "We'll make it in yellow. I have the perfect shade for her, nice and cheerful."

Artemis scowled and crossed her arms. It seemed to her that Megan always got her way when it came to Zee. "There is still a lot to do," the green fairy pointed out. "How will we get her out of the house?"

At that moment, the raven haired maiden began to make her way down the small set of stairs. Zee was just as lovely as Megan's magic spell had once promised she would be. She had shiny ebony locks that fell just past her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright shade of blue and she had rose red lips that curved upwards into a kind smile. She wore a plain white blouse with a purple bodice and a black skirt. She carried a broom in one hand and a rag in the other, having just completed her morning chores.

Upon noticing her "aunts" huddled together around the table and hearing a snatch of whispered conversation, a smile crossed Zee's face. "And just what are the three of you doing?" she asked.

The three older women immediately sprang up. Megan hastily put the book with the design for the gown behind her back. "We aren't doing anything, are we girls?" the pink clad redhead said, whipping her head around to look at the other women.

Dinah shook her head. Artemis, thinking quickly, seized a basket filled with some pink blossoms. The green fairy emptied the container and pressed it into Zee's hands before taking the broom and dust rag away from the raven haired youth. "We'd like you to go pick some berries," she said. Her fellow fairies made noises of agreement.

"I picked berries yesterday," Zee protested. There was a slight note of confusion in her voice.

"We need more," Artemis said firmly. She set aside the cleaning materials and guided the princess to the cottage's door. The green fairy took the violet shawl that belonged to Zee down from where it hung on a hook by the door. She draped it over the girl's shoulders.

The fairies closed the bottom half of the cottage's Dutch door. "Don't hurry back." Megan called after Zee as the dark haired girl retreated deeper into the forest.

"And don't speak to strangers!" added the black fairy.

Artemis continued to watch Zee as she made her way into the woods. She watched until the teenage girl was no longer visible. Then she turned to her two elders. "Do you think she suspects?"

The black clad fairy looked thoughtful, but Megan shook her head firmly. "Of course she doesn't suspect, Artemis," Megan said soothingly, as if she were trying to comfort a small child. "Why would she?"

She ushered the two blondes into the cottage and shut the top half of the Dutch door as well. Megan then immediately opened an ornate trunk that stood against one wall. She took out a length of canary yellow fabric. "Won't Zee be excited?" Megan gushed to her fellow fairies. "She'll have a real birthday party!"

"With a real birthday cake," the oldest fairy added. Dinah pulled down a thick book of recipes from its shelf. She cracked it open to the dessert section and began searching for a cake recipe.

"And a dress fit for a princess," Megan continued in a sing song voice.

The youngest fairy watched her elders preparing to give the princess the celebration she deserved. And then something dawned on the green clad blonde. "I'll get the wands," she announced. The plans they had made for the princess's birthday were all very sweet, but there was no way the trio of fairies could pull them off without using magic.

Megan let out an astonished gasp. "Absolutely not," Dinah said firmly. "You know the rules, Artemis. When we took the princess away from her home, we agreed not to use magic until the danger of the curse had passed. Using magic will put Zatanna at risk. Klarion could find us."

Artemis scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "The sixteen years are almost over," the green fairy argued. "He hasn't found us yet. What makes you think he'll find us today?"

The redhead crossed the room and seized one of Artemis's arms. She then shoved both the fabric for the dress and a basket full of sewing supplies into her younger counterpart's arms. Megan circled around Artemis and gave her a gentle push towards the center of the room. "We won't be taking any chances," the pink fairy said.

"I've never made a fancy cake," Artemis said.

Dinah had gone back to preparing the supplies to make the cake. She carefully set a large stack of mixing bowls down on the table. "You won't have to," the oldest blonde woman said. "I'm going to do it."

The green fairy made a face. Dinah's attempts to cook without magic had never exactly been good. "She's always wanted to," Megan told Artemis softly. "This will be her last chance." Then the redhead beamed. "I'm making the dress."

This, too, was different than the patterns they had fallen into during their self-imposed exile. "You can't sew, Megan," the youngest fairy pointed out.

Megan brushed this aside. "It will be easy," the middle woman insisted. "You just follow the book's instructions." Megan brought out a step stool. "You'll be the dummy," she told Artemis. The green clad female stepped onto the stool obediently. Megan took away the supplies that Artemis had been holding on to.

The brilliant yellow velvet was tossed over Artemis's form with a little too much enthusiasm. "I think we should use magic," she said once more. Her voice was slightly muffled.

There were snipping sounds as Megan took scissors to the velvet. Artemis raised her arms to see that Megan had cut a large hole in the middle of the cloth. "What's that for?" she demanded.

"It has to have a hole in the bottom," Megan replied as if it were obvious.

"It's for the feet to go through," Dinah added, turning to look at her fellow fairies. The distraction caused a good portion of extra flour to fall into the mixing bowl. The black fairy did not seem to notice this and went back to consulting the recipe. Artemis merely sighed quietly.

Satisfied with her progress so far, Megan gathered up the material again and threw it over the green fairy's figure. "It's yellow," the youngest female muttered disapprovingly.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Megan replied in a fond tone. "The shade will look just right on Zee. She'll look just like a princess."

Artemis was still irritated that she had not gotten her way. Once again, Megan got the final word. It sure seemed like neither elder fairy ever wanted to listen to her ideas. That fact was more than a little frustrating. "I wanted purple."

Megan continued to drape the fabric around Artemis, tucking it in here and there to get it the way she wanted. "Yellow is a happy color," the redhead argued. "It's been a long time since the king and queen have been able to celebrate having their daughter. Zee's dress being yellow will only help."

The younger fairy could only mutter to herself. The redhead hummed as she continued to work on the garment. Across the cottage in the kitchen, the black clad fairy was consulting the cookbook once more. "Two eggs, fold in gently," Dinah read aloud. The oldest of the trio shrugged. Mortal cooking instructions had never made a lot of sense to her. She carefully placed to eggs into the bowl and put them under the batter.

The middle hairy had now cut holes for the neckline and for the sleeves. Artemis poked her head out and examined Megan's handiwork. "This looks awful," the green fairy said flatly. She made no effort to spare Megan's feelings.

"That's because it's on you," Megan quipped airily as she added a ribbon to the waistline.

Over in the kitchen, Dinah was still more than a little confused. "What's a tisp?"

Megan looked at her younger counterpart with one eyebrow arched. She was clearly just as confused as the black fairy. Artemis, however, heaved a sigh. "That means teaspoon, Dinah. It doesn't say tisp," the youngest blonde explained patiently.

"Oh!" Dinah exclaimed. "Of course."

The oldest female went back to adding ingredients to the cake batter. Megan turned her attention to Artemis and the dress. The pink fairy took out a measuring tape from the basket of sewing supplies and carefully held it against the gown that the green fairy modeled for her. "She sure has grown," remarked the middle woman as she checked to see that the dress would be long enough for Zatanna.

Dinah added her thoughts as well. "It seems like only yesterday that we took her from King Giovanni and Queen Sindella. She was just a tiny baby…"

"And tonight we'll have to give her back," Megan continued sadly. "We won't have Zee anymore."

Though Artemis was just as fond of the princess as her fellow fairies were, she was also the one who tried to look at things practically. "We've had her for sixteen years. And now it's time that she goes back to fulfill her duties of being a princess."

The oldest fairy wandered into the center of the cottage with the bowl held tightly against her. She stirred as she walked. "I think Artemis is right, Megan," the blonde said thoughtfully. "We all knew this day was coming." Dinah's blue gaze swept around the cottage, which was cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends from their party planning. "Let's get to work, or Zee will be back before we get started."

0o0o0o0

Zee made her way through the forest. She had filled her basket with several different kinds of berries that grew wildly and was now enjoying a walk. The raven haired youth was in no hurry to get back to her cottage. She was free to spend this beautiful day enjoying the scenery. This was undoubtedly one of the perks of living the simple kind of life that she did.

As she walked, she sang. Zee had a lovely, clear voice and she was nearly always singing something. Today she sung the same notes over and over again rather than a song, but it still sounded nice if she did say so herself. Zee wound a path deeper into the woods, still holding that long note. A few birds tweeted back at her as they heard her music.

The teenager chose a large tree to settle down under. She folded herself onto the grass, spreading her skirts around her. She and her two little bird companions were joined by a pair of fluffy gray rabbits, a squirrel, and a sleepy looking owl that she had woken with her singing.

That was another unusual thing about Zee. She often attracted the attention of animals as she went about her day. It never bothered the maiden, however. Her "aunts" were loving and had never been anything but kind to her. But they were very protective and as a result, Zee didn't know anyone her own age. The animal companions made her feel a little less lonely.

0o0o0o0

Unbeknownst to Zee, there was someone in the woods with her.

Prince Richard of Gothame was on his way to the kingdom of York. His father had gone on ahead of him but Richard had chosen to take a more roundabout path. King Bruce had not argued with this; he had been a lot more agreeable as the date of Princess Zatanna's return and the wedding drew closer.

The young prince had mixed feelings about his upcoming wedding. On one hand, he was twenty years old now, a fully grown man. He was the heir to the throne. His father had raised him to always put his duties to the country first. He had been betrothed to Princess Zatanna since his childhood and had had plenty of time to get used to the idea. A union between Gothame and York would help fend off any threats from bigger, more powerful countries.

But on the other hand, Richard fancied himself to be a man of progress. He didn't think marriage should only be for convenience and power. Marriage could be for love, too. His father had deeply loved his mother, Queen Diana. His memories of his late mother were vague, but he did remember the great affection his parents had had for one another. Richard wanted that for himself.

He had not seen his intended bride since the day of her christening so many years before. The reason for this, of course, was that she had had a curse placed upon her by Klarion, the Lord of Chaos. For Zatanna's own protection, she had been taken far away to be raised in hiding. Richard had no idea what the girl was like. He did know that he would break off the engagement, however, if the princess did not seem to be someone he could grow to love. His father would be unhappy, he knew, but it didn't matter. Happiness mattered. The prince would simply not be tied down to someone who did not make him happy.

As Richard rode through the forest, he heard someone singing. It was a girl's voice, easily the loveliest he had ever heard. "Do you hear that, Ace?" the young prince asked his horse. "It's beautiful." Richard attempted to maneuver Ace so that he could hear the voice better, but Ace snorted and moved forward along the path they were taking.

But the raven haired royal knew how to get the stallion to do what he wanted. "Don't you want to earn an extra bucket of oats, Ace? And maybe a couple of carrots?"

Ace whinnied joyously and wheeled around. He galloped at top speed through the forest towards the sound of the voice. As they wound their way through the forest, Ace attempted to jump across a wide river, but badly misjudged the distance. The horse made it across but Richard lost his balance and fell into the lazily moving stream. Luckily, it wasn't deep, but the prince was soaked to the bone.

Ace, when he realized his master was no longer atop him, picked a careful path down the riverbank and into the stream. When Ace was close enough, Richard splashed some water on the horse. "No carrots."

0o0o0o0

Zee was still sitting under her tree. By now she had stopped singing and had instead started to daydream. For months, Zee had been dreaming about a mysterious stranger. She chalked it up to the simple fact that most girls her age were married and some already had babies. She'd lived a very sheltered life and it was more than a little lonely, even with her aunts and animal companions.

One of the small red birds that had joined her fluttered down and perched on her hand. Zee stroked its brilliant crimson feathers absentmindedly. She began to sing again. "I wonder…I wonder…I wonder why each little bird has a someone to sing to…"

Zee got to her feet and made her way to a spot at the very edge of the woods. A tree grew right at the top of the cliff and a branch sprouted from it at the exact right level for her to rest her elbows on. The view was exceptional from this vantage point; the young maiden could see the entire kingdom spread out below her. In the distance, the king's palace shimmered, a dazzling beacon.

The raven haired maiden let out a regretful sigh. She'd never even been into the kingdom; that was yet another part of life that her guardians had sheltered her from. "They still treat me as if I'm a child," Zee murmured.

The owl that she had woken earlier hooted sleepily. "Whoo?'

Zee knew that the owl wasn't really responding to her, but she continued to speak anyway. "Well, Aunt Megan and Dinah and Artemis," the girl said. "They never want me to meet anyone or go anywhere. It's a little suffocating." Zee thought back to the wonderful dream and the handsome stranger. She smiled to herself and wandered away from the cliff. A small river wound lazily through the forest and Zee settled in on the bank, slipping her feet into the cool water.

Her animal friends took spots next to her. "Do you want to know a secret?" she asked conspiratorially. "I have met someone." The owl hooted again and Zee went on. "He's handsome and kind and so very romantic. We take long walks together and talk together…" The girl got to her feet once more and placed both her shawl and the basket on a nearby log. She twirled around the small clearing once, her skirts spinning out around her. "Just before we say good-bye he'll hold me tightly…and then I wake up."

The birds chirped sadly. Zee smiled halfheartedly. "It will come true, I just know it. Aunt Megan always says things you dream about more than once always come true. And I've seen him so many times…" The maiden allowed her voice to trail off as she saw in her mind's eye the inky black hair and cerulean eyes of the stranger.

Zee sat there smile to herself. Little by little, the animals scurried away. The squirrels and birds had spotted an ebony cape hanging from a tree branch in the distance. So along with the rabbits and owl, they went to collect it. As the animals drew level with the tree where the cape hung, another human voice was heard.

"You know, Ace, I think there was something strange about that voice."

The voice belonged to a young man with jet black hair and bright blue eyes. He was sitting near the river, wrestling off a pair of black boots. The man was dressed in a black shirt with long sleeves under a midnight blue tunic. His breeches were also black. Close by, a handsome gray horse stood with its hooves in the river, getting its fill of fresh water.

"I bet it was some sort of sprite," the man continued. "Or maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me because I'm looking for any excuse to put off going to York…"

The man continued to muse on this. When the animals were sure that he was not paying attention to them, they took their chance. The two rabbits each nestled into one of the boots while the owl and the birds took the onyx colored cape. They dashed away into the woods.

There was a loud whinny from the horse. The man shouted and started to give chase. Finally the group of critters made it back to where Zee waited in the clearing. The red robins and the squirrel helped to fasten the cape around the owl and he hovered directly over the two rabbits in the bots.

When Zee saw this, she laughed heartily. "It's my dream prince," the maiden teased. Zee curtsied. "Your Highness." She started to sing the same notes she had been singing earlier, only this time she added some words. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream…I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam…" Zee took hold of the cloak that the owl was wearing and began to twirl around the clearing, using the owl as a dance partner. The rabbits, still nestled in their boots, hopped frantically to keep up.

"Yet I know it's true, that visions are seldom all they seem…"

0o0o0o0

Prince Richard scrambled through the forest. He simply couldn't believe that forest creatures could steal his things. He was beginning to wonder if this strange forest was cursed. First he had heard that mysterious voice and now animals were taking his belongings. He had to get out of here.

As he chased after the woodland creatures, the prince started to hear that lovely voice again. Richard continued his mad dash through the trees and the singing grew louder. Finally, the crown prince stumbled into a clearing.

The animals that had robbed him of his clothes appeared to be…dancing. Even stranger still was the fact that the person they were dancing with was the owner of the beautiful voice he had been hearing.

The girl was just as lovely as her voice. She had silky ebony hair and brilliant crystal blue eyes. There was more to her loveliness than her admittedly nice facial features, though. Maybe it was the kindness so clearly visible in her eyes, or the way she sang and danced without a care. It was obvious to the prince that this maiden, whoever she was, had lived a simple life free of duty and obligation. And since he had been brought up in such a different way, something about this girl's free spirit really struck him.

Richard decided that he had to talk to her, to get to know her. When she had twirled away, he seized his chance. He grabbed the owl and his cape and moved them both aside.

The girl was still singing. "But if I know you, I know what you'll do…" She came spinning back towards him once more, her skirts and hair both flying out in a circle. He caught her gently by the wrists and finished the song.

"You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

The girl gasped. "Oh!" she exclaimed, removing herself from his grasp at once. "Oh."

Perhaps he shouldn't have snuck up on her. He held up his hands with his palms facing out as a gesture that he meant no harm. "I didn't mean to frighten you," Richard apologized. He reached for her hand again, unwilling to let her go before he'd had the chance to speak to her. Of course, being a prince, he had been raised with better manners than that, but at the moment he didn't care too much. He was simply too enchanted by her.

"It wasn't that," said the maiden. "It's just that…you're a…"

"A stranger," Prince Richard supplied. The girl nodded fervently. "But don't you remember? We've met before."

She looked confused. "We have?" she questioned, her brow furrowed.

Richard grinned. "You said so yourself. Once upon a dream." He paused for a moment. His companion had not tried to pull away from him again. He decided he could keep singing her song. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream…" His voice, while not as pretty as hers, was still pleasant enough. "I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam… "

The girl smiled now. She stepped in closer to him, resting the hand that wasn't clasped in his on his shoulder. The prince put his other hand at her waist. And then they began to dance.