Day 7 – Fairy Tale
The thorny hedge loomed above him, blocking out the sunlight and nearly hiding the castle from view. If he squinted through the brambles, he could just about make out the grey boulders of the tower behind it.
Prince Nathaniel felt a shiver run down his spine. For almost a hundred years, it had been thus, his grandmother had told him. The once-proud castle, seat of the royal family of Highever, had sunk into a deep sleep when the pretty young princess had been cursed by an evil sorceress. He'd scoffed at this. Children's tales! Who had ever heard of such a thing happening?
But now, as he was standing in front of the hedge, he couldn't deny the feeling of gloom emanating from the old ruin. Almost as if it was true, as if there was really dark magic at work here… Slowly, step by step, he followed the perimeter. The thorns looked vicious, long and sharp, far more so than ordinary plants. As he rounded a corner, something crunched under his feet. Looking down, he bit back a scream.
Bones. Human bones. Something that looked like a foot close to the ground, and at about a yard's height, a ribcage and a skull stuck between the vines.
So, that part was true as well. Gran had told him about the young men who had tried to force their way in, back when the hedge had first grown. They had all perished, so the tale went, one by one, bleeding to death on the thorns, their bodies devoured by wild beasts.
But how could this be? He shook his head in wonder, pulling tentatively on a long vine. It didn't budge, despite his best efforts. Stepping back, he reached for the axe he'd brought and raised it high above his head.
"It's no use." A deep voice sounded behind him.
He swiveled around and found himself face to face with a dark-haired, broad-shouldered man in fine leathers, maybe four or five years younger than himself.
"It's no use," he repeated. "You'll only ruin your axe, and, if you step too close…" He indicated the human remains to their left with a tilt of his head. "This is no natural hedge."
"Who are you?" Nathaniel instinctively stood a little straighter. "And how come you know so much about this?"
"I'm Prince Carver of Kirkwall." The young man shot him an appraising look. "And I know because I've spent the past two days trying to get past this thing. But it's hopeless."
Nathaniel nodded, bowing his head. "My name is Nathaniel. I'm heir to the throne of Amaranthine. I came here because I was curious about the old tales." And his parents had been less than enthusiastic when he'd told them about his plan.
Carver nodded. "So was I. I figured there had to be some sort of logical explanation. But now that I'm here-"
"You're beginning to believe the tales are true," Nathaniel finished for him. "Yeah, me too. It's creepy." He glanced up at the darkening sky. "What do you say, shall we pool our provisions and make camp together?"
"Why not?" Carver shrugged. "It will be good to have company in this place."
Nathaniel secretly agreed. He was no coward, but this place felt wrong.
They found an agreeable enough spot a little ways from the ruin and built a fire. Despite just having met, they spent a pleasant evening together, sharing what food they'd brought and swapping stories about their families and their respective homes. Nathaniel found he rather enjoyed Carver's company. Back home, everyone was far too much in awe of the crown prince to be this relaxed around him. Ever since his younger brother Tom had succumbed to the plague, he'd been lonely.
"So, what exactly is it the legends say?" Nathaniel sat back with a contented sigh, rubbing his full stomach. "If I recall correctly, there's a beautiful princess, she's under a curse, whoever saves her gets her hand and half of the kingdom in return, and so on? The usual stuff?"
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." Carver grinned mirthlessly. "Only she's been in there for a hundred years or so, so who knows if she's still as beautiful as she once was. Anyway, my nan said a kiss would wake her."
"A kiss, eh?" Nathaniel raised a surprised eyebrow. "Well, that should be easy enough. The real problem will be to get in there."
"True." Carver suppressed a yawn. "Ah, well. Maybe we can come up with a plan tomorrow. Let's catch some sleep. Glad to have met you, Nathaniel."
"And you." He smiled back affectionately as he settled into his bedroll. "Good night."
It must have been around midnight when the noise woke him, a low humming, not unpleasant, but insistent. When he opened his eyes, it wasn't anywhere near dark enough for this time of the night. A warm glow, not at all like moonlight, permeated the little clearing they had made camp in, and it was coming from…
"Carver! Wake up!" He reached over to shake the other man, but Carver was already sitting up, his eyes wide with wonder.
Quickly, they got to their feet and rushed over to the hedge. The ruins were bathed in a soft golden light and, when Nathaniel gingerly touched a vine, he found it soft and slippery. No more thorns, no more unyielding branches.
"Come on. Let's go in." He felt almost giddy as he took Carver by the wrist and dragged him in behind him. "It's opening up."
"Nathaniel! Wait!" Carver stopped in his tracks, his expression stubborn as a mule's. "We can't both go in. That's not how this works."
"So, what do you propose instead?" Nathaniel shook his head impatiently. "Look, we don't even know what we'll find there. We'll be much safer together. Besides, aren't you curious?"
"Of course I am, but—" Carver sighed. "All right. Let's have a look."
The vines parted willingly before them, wilting away at a rather alarming rate. It was no trouble at all to reach the castle's courtyard. Instinctively, they both headed for the tallest tower. The gate opened without a squeak. Inside, it was deathly quiet. Dust had settled on the window sills and spiders had built their webs up in the corners. Not a single living soul was in sight.
"Up," Carver mouthed at him, and he nodded, taking the lead.
They found the princess in a small chamber at the top of the tower behind a gilded and decorated door. Her room was clean and tidy, almost as if time hadn't touched it at all. Nathaniel held his breath as he approached the prone figure on the big four-poster bed. Some part of him expected a shriveled corpse or some ghostly apparition. But she looked perfectly ordinary, a pretty, sleeping girl: her cheeks slightly flushed; her eyes firmly closed; her chest rising and falling in deep, relaxed breaths. She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she did have a sweet face, with freckles on her nose and dimples in her cheeks.
Next to him, Carver inhaled sharply. "Maker's Mercy! It's really her."
They exchanged a quick glance, then Nathaniel raised a hand and carefully brushed a copper-gold strand of hair from her forehead. She didn't budge.
"A kiss," Nathaniel muttered, looking hesitantly at Carver. "Me or you?"
Carver bit his lip. "I don't know, really. She's probably meant for you. After all, you are the heir to your parents' kingdom, and you are far more dashing than I am." He blushed.
"You think?" Nathaniel fought back a grin, feeling secretly flattered. "But, on the other hand, I don't really need half of her kingdom. You're the younger son. You're the one who needs to make his fortune. Why don't you go first?"
Carver shook his head firmly. "No. You kiss her."
"All right, then." To his surprise, Nathaniel found he was trembling a little as he bent down and softly brushed his lips over hers.
Nothing happened.
"Maybe…" Carver was blushing again. "Maybe you need to kiss her harder."
"I can hardly ravish her in her sleep." Nathaniel hesitated, but then he repeated his efforts, pressing his lips firmly to hers.
Again, no response.
"You try it." He swallowed. It was a little disappointing, but maybe Carver really was the chosen one.
Fighting back his jealousy, he watched as the younger man traced the princess's jaw with his fingers, then kissed her softly.
Still nothing happened.
"Damn it, what is this supposed to mean?" Nathaniel ran an impatient hand through his long dark hair. "It seems your nan got it wrong."
"Well, maybe—" Carver hesitated again.
"Maybe what?" Nathaniel paced the room, trying to work off some nervous energy.
"Maybe we both need to kiss her." Carver's blush was back in full force. "I mean, we were both here when the hedge opened, so maybe this means—"
He stopped right in front of Carver, raising a surprised eyebrow. "Really?"
Carver nodded shyly.
"Well, there's no harm in trying, I guess." Nathaniel shrugged.
They placed themselves on either side of her, eyes anxiously on her sleeping face.
"She's cute, isn't she?" Carver's voice was shaky.
Following an impulse, Nathaniel took his hand and squeezed it hard. "She is. Are you ready?"
At Carver's nod, they both moved in, touching their lips to the smooth velvet skin of her cheeks.
"Finally." With an exasperated sigh, the princess opened her large, green eyes and glanced from one prince to the other, her lips curving up in a wide cat-like smile. "Took you long enough to sort it out."