We hadn't been running long before we ran into the disillusioned boy from before. His dark hair swept over his eyes like he'd just come from the beach. Muscles rippled underneath his beautifully tanned skin. I found myself staring again and quickly looked away. Curse his good looks.

"Him again?" I groaned.

"Who's the hotty?" Juniper asked.

"Some creep who thinks he's going to marry me and we'll have a dozen kids together."

Recognition dawned on her face. "That must be Roland. He's your character's sweetheart."

"Excuse me?"

"Your sweetheart. You know, your boyfriend in this tale." She clarified.

"I know what a sweetheart is. I was just hoping I'd heard you wrong." I blew out a frustrated breath. "Come to think of it, he mentioned something about that the last time we met. Does this mean we have to travel together now? Because I don't think I'll be able to tolerate more than ten minutes with him."

Roland caught sight of us and came rushing over. He went to embrace me until he noticed Juniper on my back. "Darling, who might your friend be?"

"This is the daughter of the witch. Her own mother tried to kill her, so I decided to save her life. You got a problem with that?" I challenged.

"Oh, no! Of course not," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "it's just, couldn't you have choosen to save someone a bit less . . . ugly?"

My desire to punch the guy in the nose almost made me drop Juniper. "Do not call her ugly." I said in a low voice. "She is beautiful in her own unique way. If you took the time to talk to her, your conclusions about her appearance wouldn't be so harsh."

"I'm sorry," Roland looked between me and Juniper several times, concern etched into his face, "you two aren't an item, are you? Have you forgotten me already?"

It took me a minute to process what he was saying. "Ew, dude! No! Get your mind out of the gutter. I have a boyfriend."

"Of course you do." He smiled proudly.

"Let it go." Juniper whispered to me before I could say anything else. "We have to get moving or the witch will catch up."

"You can not run from me!" The witch's voice rang out through the morning air, as if on cue.

"You've got to be kidding me! She's found us already?" I put Juniper down. If it came down to a fight, we'd stand a better chance if I wasn't carrying her.

"She has magic that grants her unnatural speed. I should have seen that coming. I'm sorry I didn't warn you sooner." Juniper cried.

"It's not your fault. We don't have time to cry right now. We need to figure out a way to hide from her."

"I don't think that's even possible." Juniper said.

Roland raised his hand like a child in class. I nodded, motioning for him to speak. "I might have an idea."

"Would you care to share it with the rest of us?" I snapped.

"Well, you have her magic wand. Wouldn't the easiest solution be to simply transform ourselves into something other than ourselves?"

"I - " Huh, the guy had a point. But could I even use it? Since Roland had suggested it, that meant it was supposed to happen, right? It was worth a shot. I waved the wand in a small circle. "Abracadabra?"

Nothing happened.

"Maybe you have to say something different." Juniper suggested. "Like the fairy godmother from Cinderella?"

"You mean, 'bibbity-bobbity-boo'?" I waited for a second, but nothing was happening. "This is stupid. We need a real solution." I said. "Besides, what we even turn ourselves into?"

Roland got excited and raised his hand again.

"Roland?"

"You could turn me into a small pond and then you could be a duck that swims in the pond!" He said with way too much excitement.

"Please tell me that was a joke."

Juniper leaned over. "I think he's serious."

"Of course I am!" Roland replied indignantly. "Here, allow me to show you."

I yelped when he snatched the wand from my hand. He tapped each of our heads in turn. I blinked and suddenly I was floating in a small pond. I looked down to find a chest full of brown black feathers and webbed feet. Beside me, an elegant brown duck glided across the surface of the water. He'd turned us into freaking ducks! He was so going to pay for that. He had better know how to change us back after the witch left or so help me, I would find a way to drain that stupid pond so he could never change back.

The old woman came to rest next to the pond. She looked winded from her chase. Sweat beaded her face, but she didn't seem bothered by any of that. Instead, she sat down by the edge of the pond and pulled a loaf of bread out from her sleeve. Who carries bread in their sleeves? How had it even fit in there?

She broke off small pieces and tossed them into the water. Was she seriously trying to lure me in with pieces of bread? Who did she think I was? A duck? Oh . . . wait.

Juniper started swimming toward the floating pieces of bread. I had the sudden urge to do the same, but I wouldn't allow myself. I flapped my wings and snapped at Juniper as she tried to pass. I wasn't about to let her get captured by the witch again. She'd never go back to that house. Not as long as I could help it.

The witch stayed at the pond's edge the rest of the day. Juniper and I hung out on the other side. I had tried climbing out, but there was an invisible barrier keeping us in the water. I was thankful for the waterproof feathers. As the sun set, the temperature dropped and if it weren't for the feathers, I would have froze.

Finally, she got to her feet and tromped back toward her house, grumbling to herself. Almost instantly, Roland had returned us all back to our human states. I had never been so happy to feel my own skin.

"We must hurry and be off before morning comes, for she will surely chase us down again." Roland told us.

Juniper nodded. "I agree with Roland. It would be best if we kept going."

I groaned. "Fine, but no more ducks. I get to pick the next transformation if we have to do that again."

Roland grinned. "As you wish, my princess."

We walked all night. I was so tired, I could hardly keep my eyes open. My legs were shaky and my mind had had too much time to think. Doubts kept cropping up. My fear of the curse itself had found its way back to the forefront of my mind. I had to do something quickly or I was going to go mad.

Conversation was out of the question. I had convinced Roland to carry Juniper for a while and she had fallen asleep on his back. Without her as a median, I didn't think striking up a conversation with the boy was a good idea. I'd probably end up doing something stupid.

Suddenly, Roland froze. I wasn't paying much attention and walked into his shoulder. Groaning, I backed up and rubbed my nose. "What was that for?"

Roland cocked his head as if listening. "She is drawing near. I can hear her magic at work."

"You can hear her magic? Are you feeling ok?"

"We must hide!" Before I could protest, Roland whipped out the wand and tapped each of us on the head.

Before I knew what was happening, I was little pink flower, blowing in the breeze. I'm here to tell you, it is not fun to be a flower. I was fragile and easily broken, something I'd tried very hard in my life not to be. If I hadn't had roots anchoring me to the ground, the wind would have carried me away. Being bent over in the wind and not having any control over it is possibly the worst feeling ever.

I'd lost sight of Juniper. I couldn't tell where she'd gone and I didn't see any other flowers nearby. Roland had transformed himself into a musician. He cheerfully played his fiddle and skipped around me in a sort of painful looking dance. He had no rhythm.

The witch appeared then. She saw Roland dancing around me and her eyes narrowed. How the heck did she know the flower was me? Granted, I was the only flower in sight, and Roland was dancing around me like a maniac. Why didn't he dance away from me? Draw her attention the other way?

"Oh what beautiful music!" The woman gushed. "And what a beautiful flower. I would very much like to keep it in my house which is so grey and dark. It would work well to brighten the place. May I pluck it?"

Roland ceased his playing and dancing. He smiled at the woman and nodded. "Oh yes. Please do. I will even play for you while you are doing it."

Was he crazy? Someone kick his butt for me! I was going to kill him. What did he think he was doing?

I couldn't do anything. I watched helplessly as the witch shuffled forward with a hungry gleam in her eye. I couldn't even close my eyes. I wasn't sure I even had eyes? How was I even able to see? I had way too many questions.

As she reached for me, Roland began to play. That's when everything started getting really weird. The witch's eyes grew large and she began to dance. It was the same, pained dance that Roland had been doing earlier. As his music became faster, so did her dancing. She danced into trees and thorny bushes that I could have sworn hadn't been there a second ago. She danced until she fell, exhausted and unable to move anymore. She lay in a bloodied pile on the ground. Something told me she wasn't getting up again. Whatever that spell had been, killed her.

Roland restored us to ourselves. The fiddle he'd been playing became a very disoriented Juniper. So that's where he had hidden her. I was just thankful to be human again. I had the sudden urge to punch something just to prove my strength. I never wanted to feel that helpless and weak again.

Juniper staggered and fell to her knees. She stared at the witch's body in horror. I walked over and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned in and cried into my shoulder.

"She - she was never a - a great mother," Juniper sobbed, "but - but she was my only family I had here."

"She'll be back." I soothed. "She'll regenerate in the morning for the next round."

Juniper shook her head against me. "You don't know that. Things - things have been changing. She might not ever come back. She's dead."

I could have argued that she didn't know that for sure, but something told me she was right. Lying to her now wouldn't help. The most I could do for her in that moment was let her know that she wasn't alone. She had me and Chord to help her now.

Roland was the only one who looked excited about the new developments. "Our luck has changed! Isn't this wonderful? I must hurry and go to my father to arrange our wedding. Oh, my beautiful princess it will not be long now before we are one."

"I think that's the most disturbing thing you've ever said to me." I shuddered.

He rushed forward to kiss me, but I turned my head and his lips met my cheek instead. He looked a little disappointed, but shook it off. "I shall hurry back as fast as I am able. You must wait here for me. I will transform you into one of those red boundary stones so no one will recognize you, and it will be easy for me to find you again."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." I said, backing away.

"It must be done so no one else will be able to steal you away." Roland insisted.

"Don't you dare."

"I must."

"No! No, Roland. Don't."

He wasn't listening. He tapped my head with the wand and I was transformed into a large red stone. Juniper gasped.

"I shall return in a short while." Roland promised. He literally started skipping away but Juniper stopped him.

"Perhaps you had better leave the wand with me." She said. "That way, if something were to happen and we needed to run away, I would be able to turn her back."

Roland thought about it for a moment. "Yes. That is a good idea." He handed her the wand. "Take good care of my princess while I am absent."

"Do not worry." Juniper smiled. "She is in good hands."

Roland turned and blew me a kiss before jogging off into the trees.

Juniper rushed over and tapped me with the wand again, turning me back into a human.

I sighed and brushed the dirt off my clothes. "Thanks for that."

"You would have done the same for me." She handed me the wand. "So what's our next move now that we've ditched Roland?"

"We need to find Chord. You don't happen to know how we meet up with his character in the tale?"

She thought about it for a moment before answering. "I think you have to turn yourself into a flower again because you're so upset that your sweetheart doesn't come back."

"Why would I be sad about that? I can't stand the guy."

Juniper tried to hide her grin but failed. "Then Chord's character will come, find you and take you home. After that, if I remember it correctly, you hang out in his house for a while, doing his chores and cooking for him."

"Oh no way. I ain't doin' the whole snow white gig. Been there done that. Never again."

She rolled her eyes. "Bare with me for a second. After a while, his fear will get the better of him because he'll have no idea what's going on. Then he'll summon a wise woman who will tell him how to break your spell. Then he'll return you to normal. You'll refuse to marry him because you remain loyal to Roland but you'll agree to stay with him in his house to continue your cleaning and cooking for him."

"Wait, I'm a flower the whole freakin time? No way. And that's how it ends? Really? Seems kind of lame for a Grimm tale."

"You'll be summoned to a wedding. Once there you'll realize that it's Roland getting married."

I interrupted her out of shock. "Wait a second, that slime-ball's cheating on me?"

"You're not even together. Why do you care?" She asked, confused.

"I know that, it's just shocking. Where's the loyalty? Where's the trust? Please tell me I get to punch him in the nose."

She shook her head. "You'll start singing like you've been summoned to do and he'll recognize your voice. He'll dump the girl he was about to marry and the two of you will run off into a happily ever after."

"Are you sure this is a Grimm tale? They don't usually have a happy ending." I paused for a second before shaking my head. "You know what? Never mind. Ending up with a jerk like that is the furthest thing from a happy ending." I groaned and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "That'll take forever. We don't have that kind of time. Besides that, I refuse to be turned into a flower again. We have to find another way to locate Chord."

"How? Doesn't the curse keep you from doing stuff like that?"

I grinned. "You've clearly not spent enough time with me. I take pleasure in defying the curse. I'll track down Chord whether it wants me to or not and there's nothing it can do to stop me."

Judging from past experiences, I probably shouldn't have been tempting fate like that, but I never learn. I was about to find out just how much fate liked to prove me wrong.

Sorry it took so long to get up! I've been working on editing/revising the book I wrote for NaNoWriMo. With any luck, maybe someday I'll have it published! For now though, I'm happy just posting on here :)

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