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Once Upon a Time
Chalant – "Sleeping Beauty"
Part Four
Many miles away, King Giovanni stood in his palace. He was on one of the balconies that overlooked the forest. The king wanted to see his long lost daughter as soon as possible and his current vantage point allowed that.
His wife, Queen Sindella, had gone to oversee the construction of the princess's bedroom. Once upon a time, the room at the top of the tallest tower had been prepared for Zatanna's use. But in the grief that resulted from sending their daughter into hiding, the king and queen had ordered it to be boarded up.
But in the months leading up to Princess Zatanna's return, Sindella had turned the restoration of the tower bedroom into a sort of project. The room had been aired out and a new bed had been placed inside. The vanity hosted a collection of dainty bottles of different scents, as well as the gift Prince Richard had brought Zatanna when she was an infant. Inside the ornate jewelry box was a dainty golden necklace. The vase on the mantle of the fireplace had fresh flowers on it. It had given his wife great joy to prepare the room for their daughter, and it was a nice sight for the king to see his queen in good spirits for the first time in so many years.
King Giovanni let out a sigh. "There is still no sign of her," he announced as he turned away from the balcony. He turned to King Bruce, who had arrived at the palace very recently. Servants had hurriedly prepared a plate of food for the visiting monarch and King Bruce was making a bit of a show of sampling everything.
Finally, the other king looked over at Giovanni. "It is still early," Bruce said. "The sun has not yet set. I am sure that the fairies are merely taking all the precautions that they can, Giovanni."
The king of York was not quite convinced. "The war is nearly over," King Bruce continued. "Your daughter is as good as home now."
Giovanni sighed again. "I apologize, Bruce. It's been very difficult for Sindella and I, you know. Being separated from Zatanna, never knowing if Klarion had been successful in his evil endeavors...I've had many sleepless nights, old friend."
The other man nodded. "Fortunately, that is all going to be in the past after tonight. Princess Zatanna will return and she and Richard will marry. We'll have our kingdoms united at last." The king of Gothame clapped his hands. A redheaded servant by the name of Roy came bustling towards the two kings. He carried a bottle of wine and two silver goblets. "I've been saving this one for this very occasion," Bruce explained. He motioned for Roy to pour the drinks.
Each king took hold of a goblet. "I propose a toast," Bruce said. "To the future!"
"I will drink to that," King Giovanni replied with a slight smile. Each monarch took a deep drink from their goblet. Roy helped himself to a glass as well, but neither ruler noticed.
King Bruce pulled a sheaf of parchment from his robes. "These are the plans for the castle I've had constructed for Richard and Zatanna," he told his fellow monarch. "I know they will appreciate having their own space. As you can see, the castle sits on the very border of Gothame so it will not be too far of a journey for you and Sindella. This palace has been built with all the finest amenities. It will be a perfect place for Richard and Zatanna to raise their children."
This caught King Giovanni a bit off guard. "Children?" he repeated.
"We are not getting any younger," Bruce replied. He took another deep sip of his wine. "Richard is my only child. I should like to see my grandchildren, Giovanni. Surely you feel the same way?"
"I suppose," the other ruler responded. "There's no need to rush things though, Bruce. The children are young. They have many years ahead of them. I have not even seen my daughter yet, and already you have extensive plans to take her away from me."
The wine was starting to get to King Bruce. "You will be getting my Richard, Giovanni," he pointed out. His tone was now cold.
Giovanni held out his hands with his palms facing out as a gesture that he meant no harm. "I understand that. But we must consider that the princess does not know about any of the plans we've had for her since birth. It will probably come as a shock to her."
"A shock?" echoed Gothame's monarch. "My son, a shock? Is something wrong with Richard? Why doesn't your daughter like my son?"
"Enough!" bellowed Giovanni. "Richard is a fine young man. I am sure, in time, that he and Zatanna will grow to care for one another deeply, if not love each other. I only meant to say that we must make allowances for Zatanna to get used to the fact that she is a princess."
There was a response on the tip of King Bruce's tongue, but he did not utter it. King Giovanni's green gaze had fallen to the view just outside the balcony once more. The sun was low in the sky. "My daughter," the king murmured to himself. He moved back to the balcony without another word to Bruce.
In the distance, a trumpet blared. "His Royal Highness, Prince Richard!"
0o0o0o0
Prince Richard steered Ace through the gates of King Giovanni's palace. As the prince and the horse galloped through the courtyard to applause from some nobles who had gathered, there was only one thing on the prince's mind.
He had to speak to his father. He had to break the engagement between himself and Princess Zatanna. Richard was so thoroughly enchanted by the girl from the forest that he could not imagine being married to anyone else. The prince knew there would most likely be consequences, but he didn't care. He would face anything that came his way.
His father, King Bruce, came down a set of steps. "I see you've had a safe journey," the king stated. "But you have cut it a bit too close. You must go and put on presentable garments. You cannot meet your bride in those travel clothes."
Richard dismounted Ace. "But I have met her, Father," the prince replied. He was a bit cheeky, perhaps, but he didn't care. He only cared about getting through to the king about his desire to end the betrothal to Zatanna. "We met once upon a dream."
"You've met Princess Zatanna?" the king of Gothame inquired, ignoring Richard's statement of meeting once upon a dream. "Where is she? Giovanni and Sindella are quite anxious."
The prince grinned at his father. "I never said it was Zatanna. Father, I met a girl on my journey to the palace. She is unlike anyone I have ever met before. She is the one I will make my bride."
The older royal let out a sigh. "Who is this maiden?"
"A peasant girl, I suppose," the prince responded. The king huffed. Clearly, Bruce had a remark about class and marrying below one's station ready. Richard cut his father off before Bruce could say anything. "She makes me happy, Father," he said earnestly.
King Bruce's features softened. He was, no doubt, remembering the late Queen Diana. "I think that Giovanni is not quite ready to see his daughter married off yet. Go to your girl, Richard. I will tell Giovanni and Sindella. But there may be serious consequences, my son. I hope you are prepared to face them," lectured Bruce.
Richard swung himself back atop Ace's saddle. "I will be, Father!" he promised as Ace began to gallop back across the courtyard. "I shall see you soon!"
0o0o0o0
King Bruce sank down onto the castle steps. "How will I tell Giovanni?" the monarch asked himself. "After the fuss I made about the plans for the palace and grandchildren...this will make both Richard and I look quite foolish..."
Gothame's reigning king let out a sigh. He did want his son to be happy, but at the same time, he had always raised the prince to put his duties to Gothame first.
Bruce knew exactly what his wife would have said had she still been at his side. Diana had been from a far away land where the customs were a lot different. Their marriage had been an arranged one, but they had grown to love one another deeply. Diana would have said that Richard's happiness was more important than anything else. "Alliances can be forged in other ways," was what the queen would have told him.
Gothame's ruler rose to his feet. He went to tell his oldest friend of the bad news, his heart heavy.
0o0o0o0
Zatanna was still lying on the bed, sobbing into her pillow. The door to her bedroom opened with a slight creak. Zee sat up, wiping her eyes as she did so. She saw Artemis in the doorway holding the purple gown.
"It is time to get dressed," the older girl stated. Artemis had the grace to look at her sympathetically. The green clad blonde stepped into the room.
Zee shook her head. "I don't want to. I don't want to go to the palace. I don't want to be a princess. I only want to meet the boy here, just like I promised him I would."
The older woman let out a sigh. She crossed the small room to the bed where Zee sat. Artemis carefully spread the dress across the bed and then perched next to the newly minted princess. "I know this is a surprise to you," she said. Her voice was heavy. "But it was for your own protection. I'm sure Prince Richard is a nice young man. He will be a good husband."
Zatanna felt tears sting at her eyes once more. "You don't understand, Aunt Artemis. I've been dreaming about this man for months. He suddenly appeared in my waking hours. Don't you think that means something? This man is my destiny, not some prince." She was a little surprised at how strong her voice came out, but it was a pleasant sort of surprise.
Artemis's gray gaze seemed very far away all of a sudden. Zatanna wondered what the older woman was thinking. "I was in your position once," she said finally.
"You were in love?" the royal maiden asked.
"Long ago, before you were ever even thought of," the green woman said. "His name was Wallace. He was a mortal. It wasn't meant to be. Because, like you, I had to do what was expected of me. I promise, Zee, things will turn out fine. Now, let's get dressed."
Zee got to her feet. She allowed Artemis to help her dress in the violet gown. The maiden had to admit that it was a beautiful dress. She certainly felt like a princess while wearing it.
The two women made their way down the small set of steps. Megan and Dinah were waiting by the door. They tried to smile at her, which she bravely returned. As she drew closer to the older women, Dinah draped a long black cloak over Zee's shoulders. Zee pulled the hood over her head.
The quartet of women made their way into the forest in a single file line. They traveled quickly, though Zee noticed that Megan and Dinah looked carefully around every turn. What they were looking for was uncertain to the newly minted princess. But she was really too miserable to care.
They led her up an abandoned staircase to the castle's highest tower. Again, the maiden wondered why the three older women were acting so secretively. Megan ushered Zatanna into a bedchamber. Artemis bolted the door, while Dinah closed the heavy drapes across the window. The redhead directed Zatanna to sit down at the vanity.
Zee watched in fascination as the three women who had raised her produced what appeared to be magic wands. Each lady grew a pair of shimmering wings as well. "You're fairies!" she exclaimed.
"We are," Dinah confirmed. "We've been the protectors of your bloodline since your great-grandfather was king."
The raven haired princess might have been more interested in this, but learning the truth was still too fresh in her mind. Her beloved aunts being fairies was just another betrayal.
The pink clad fairy opened a box that sat on the vanity. She lifted a triangular golden necklace from the jewelry box and clasped it around Zee's neck. Then she waved her wand. A small golden crown with three points appeared in midair. "One last gift from us to thee. A symbol of thy royalty."
Zatanna gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She supposed the tiara did suit her, but at the moment she was still too upset. The truth sunk in. She was a princess now. She would never learn of the connection between herself and the man from her dreams, whatever it was. She would be married to a prince she did not know and did not love.
The maiden could not help it. She folded her arms across the top of the vanity. Zee put her face down and began to sob again. She wept for all the things she had lost. What Zatanna wouldn't give to wake up and find that this had all been a terrible nightmare.
She could feel the trio of fairies' eyes upon her. "We must go and inform Sindella and Giovanni," Megan said to the two blondes. "We will let you have a few moments alone, Princess."
"It's that boy she met," Dinah murmured to the younger fairies. "Whatever are we going to do? The poor child is miserable. We can't present her to Their Majesties like this; this is supposed to be a happy occasion!"
Artemis said something that Zatanna did not make out as Megan pulled the heavy oak door shut.
Suddenly, the fire that had been roaring merrily in the fireplace went out. Warmth rushed from the room. Zatanna lifted her head from her arms.
There was a small blue light in the fireplace. It appeared to be...glowing. Zee tried to tear her gaze away from the strange light. She was certain that it had something to do with the reason she'd been in hiding, whatever that might be.
She found, however, that she could not look away. She was in a trance. The princess got to her feet slowly. The cloak fell from her shoulders. Zee's body began to move across the tower bedchamber of its own accord. The raven haired girl could hear the fairies discussing her on the other side of the door, but no sound escaped from her lips.
The teenager followed the light. The fireplace disappeared, giving way to a long, cold tunnel that was illuminated only by the blue glow. Zee was vaguely aware of the door being thrown open and the fairies yelling her name.
They did not get to her in time. The princess heard what sounded like bricks being dropped on top of each other, but she could not check to see if this was the case.
The light led to a steep staircase. Zee had no choice but to climb it. She lifted her skirts so that it would be easier.
"Zee!" the trio of fairies exclaimed together. "Don't touch anything!"
The princess was led to an impossibly high room. The light transformed into what the princess recognized to be a spinning wheel. She had never seen one in person, but she had seen illustrations. For some reason, the spindle looked oddly inviting. Princess Zatanna had the strangest desire to touch it.
"Zee!" screeched the fairies. Her hand was just inches away. Her guardians sounded so desperately worried. She came to her senses for just a moment. Zatanna pulled her hand away.
And then another voice spoke, one that the princess had never heard before. "Touch the spindle," ordered a high, cold voice. Zatanna had no choice but to obey.
The last thing the princess heard before everything went black was a burst of evil laughter.