Chapter 2

Next Rini flew over to the cradle.

"Sweet Princess, my gift shall be the..." began Rini who was then interupted by a gust of wind that blew into the room causing the main door to open and flags to fly off of the ceiling causing the king, queen and the three good fairies to look worried as lightning struck and thunder boomed. Suddenly green fire appeared and turned into the horrible fairy Beryl with her bird Morg on her shoulder.

"Why, it's Beryl." said Diana worringly.

"What does she want here?" Rini asked angerly. "Shhh." Luna told Rini.

"Well...Quite a glittering assemblage, King Kallen." Beryl told the king as King Fenrir hid his son behind him.

"Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and-ah ha ha ha ha-how quaint. Even the rabble." Beryl told King Kallen. Causing Rini to get mad as the little fairy had to be held back by Luna. "I really felt quite distressed...at not receiving an invitation." Beryl told the king.

"You weren't wanted." Rini told the evil fairy. "Not wa-ah ha. Oh, dear, what an awkward situation. I had hoped it was merely due...to some oversight." said Beryl as she began to pet her crow.

"Well, in that event, I'd best be on my way." Beryl told them as she began to turn around.

"And...you're not offended, Your Excellency?" Queen Serenity asked Beryl.

"Why, no, Your Majesty...and to show I bear no ill will...I, too, shall bestow a gift on the child." Beryl told the queen as she turned to face the king and queen causing the three good fairies to surround the cradle.

"Listen well, all of you. The Princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty...beloved by all who know her. But...before the sun sets on her fourteenth birthday...she shall prick her finger...on a black rose and die!" cursed Beryl.

"Oh, no!" said Queen Serenity worringly as she ran over to the cradle and snatched her daughter out of it. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." laughed Beryl. "Seize that creature!" King Kallen ordered his knights.

"Stand back, you fools!" yelled Beryl as she made her green fire appear once more.

Thunder and lightning began once more as Beryl began to laugh once more as she disappeared into the green fire along with her crow. Queen Serenity was heartbroken over her daughter's fate as she hugged her baby close to her while King Kallen was furious at what the evil creature had done. "Don't despair, Your Majesties." Luna told the worried king and queen as she flew over to them.

"Rini still has her gift to give." Luna told them. "Then she can undo this fearful curse?" King Kallen asked.

"Oh, no, sire." Rini told the king as she flew over to them. "Beryl's powers are far too great." explained Luna. "But she can help." said Diana as she and Luna pushed a nervous Rini closer to the king and queen.

"But..." said Rini worringly. "Just do your best, dear." Diana told the youngest fairy.

"Yes, go on." Luna encouraged causing Rini push up her cape. "Sweet Princess.." began Rini as she waved her wand.

Rini: If through this wicked witch's trick...

a black rose should

your finger prick...

a ray of hope

there still may be in this...

the gift I give to thee,

Not in death,

but just in sleep...

the fateful prophecy

you'll keep...

and from this slumber

you shall wake...

when true love's kiss

the spell shall break.

For true love

conquers all

Bruce: But King Kallen..still fearful of his daughter's life...did then and there decree...that every rose in the kingdom...should on that very day been burned. So 'twas done.

A bonfire had been started in the court square where King Kallen burned every single rose in the kingdom, no matter their color or their shape. Luna watched through one of the castle windows knowing that King Kallen's plan wouldn't work.

"Oh, silly fiddle faddle." grumbled Luna.

"Now, come have a nice cup of tea, dear." Diana told Luna as she summoned two cups of tea and a teapot from her spot in front of the thrones with Rini sitting on a footrest behind her.

"I'm sure it will work out somehow." Diana tried to reassure Luna as Rini summoned her own cup of tea. "Well, a bonfire won't stop Beryl." Rini told them.

"Of course not, but what will?" Luna asked as she took a cup from Diana. "Perhaps if we reason with her.." suggested Diana, "Reason?" Luna asked in shock. "With Beryl?" Rini asked in shock. "Well, she can't be all bad." Diana explained. "Oh, yes, she can." said Luna.

"Oooh. I'd like to turn her into a fat, old hop toad." grumbled Rini. "Now, dear, that isn't a very nice thing to say." Diana scolded gently. "Besides, we can't. You know our magic doesn't work that way." said Luna as she paced. "It can only do good, dear...to bring joy and happiness." said Diana. "Well, that would make me happy." said Rini.

"But there must be some way." said Luna who began to get an idea.

"There is!" yelled Luna happily. "There is?" Rini asked curiously. "What is it, Luna?" Diana asked as she and Rini flew over to Luna. "I'm going to.." but Luna covered her mouth causing her to stop her explaination.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. Even walls have ears." Luna quietly warned the other fairies.

"Follow me." Luna told the other two fairies as she shrunk herself and then flew over to the gifts followed by Diana and Rini. Luna then closed sides around the box and then locked it. "I'll turn her into a bunny." Luna told the fairies. "Beryl?" Rini asked curiously. "No, no, dear, Princess Serenity." explained Luna.

"Oh, she'd make a lovely bunny." said Diana.

"Don't you see, a bunny can't prick it's finger." said Luna excitedly. "It hasn't any." said Rini happily. "That's right. She'll be perfectly safe." said Diana happily.

"Until Beryl sends a wolf." said Rini sadly. "Yes. Er...Oh, dear." said Luna sadly. "She always sends wolves after your nicest bunnies." said Diana told Luna.

"You're right and she'll be expecting us to do something like that." declared Luna as she began to think once more. "Oooh! Well, what won't she expect?" Rini asked.

"She knows everything." Rini told them.

"Oh, but she doesn't, dear. Beryl doesn't know anything about love or kindness or the joy of helping other. You know, sometimes I don't think, she's really very happy." Diana told Rini as Luna got an idea.

"That's it." said Luna happily. "Of course. It's the only thing she can't understand, and won't expect." Luna told the other fairies.

"Oh." giggled Luna. "Now, now, now, we have to plan it carefully. Let's see, the woodcutter's cottage. Yes, yes, yes, the abandoned one. Of course, the king and queen will object, but when we explain it's the only way-" Luna thought outloud as she paced.

"Explained what?" Rini asked curiously. "About the three peasent women raising a foundling child, deep in the woods." Luna explained to the other fairies.

"Oh? That's very nice of them." Diana told Luna.

"Who are they?" Rini asked curiously.

"Turn around?" Luna told the other fairies who turned around to face a golden cup and were shocked as Luna turned their clothes into peasent clothes.

"Why, it's us!" said Diana in shock. "Uh-huh." said Luna happily as she too was wearing peasent clothes.

"You mean we us?" Rini asked as Luna.

"Uh-huh." said Luna.

"Take care of the baby?" Diana asked as looked at her new outfit.

"Why not?" Luna asked Diana as Rini looked down at her white clothes and then turned it pink. "Oh, I'd like that!" said Diana happily.

"Well, y-yes, but we'd have to feed it-" Rini began to protest. "And wash it and dress it and rock it to sleep. Oh, I'd love it." Diana sighed happily. "You really think we can?" Rini asked Luna curiously.

"If humans can do it, so can we." Luna told them. "And we'd have out magic to help us." said Rini as Luna began to unlock the gift they were hiding in. "That's right." said Diana happily causing Luna to lock them in once more.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! No magic. I'll take those wands right now." Luna told them as she took Diana's and Rini's wands. "Oh, better get rid of those wings and moons, too." Luna told them as she used her wand to make the moons on Diana's and Rini's foreheads disappear along with their wings.

"You mean live like mortals? For fourteen years?" Rini asked curiously as she tried to get her wand back. "Uh-huh." Luna told Rini. "But now-now we don't know how. We've never done anything without magic." Rini protested.

"And that's why Beryl will never suspect." Luna told Rini as she tried to prevent the youngest fairy from reclaiming her wand. "But who'll wash and cook?" Rini asked.

"Oh, we'll all pitch in." said Luna as Rini finally reclaimed her wand causing Luna to try and get it back.

"I'll take care of the bady." declared Diana. "Let me have it back, dear." Luna told Rini as she tried to get the wand back.

"Come along, now. We must tell Their Majesties at once." Luna told them as she began to unlock the gift once more.

Luna then flew out of the gift with her friends right behind her. Luna then resized herself and began to leave the room but almost forgot her friends causing Luna to resize them as well. They then left the room to tell Queen Serenity and King Kallen their idea.

Bruce: So King Kallen and Queen Serenity watched with heavy hearts as their most precious possession, their only child disappeared into the night.

That night the three good fairies snuck out of the castle and the kingdom as quickly and quietly as they could with the little princess.