Legacy 208: Ways to Be Wicked
Part 9
Xxx
After running across the beach, Payton finally reached the castle of the cliffs. All that was left was to climb the endless flights of stairs carved into stone. If she still had her voice, she would have complained, but all she could do was keep going. As she got to the top, she could hear music and she saw there was a ball being thrown. Seeing the many women in beautiful gowns made her become even more aware of the ragged old sail she was wearing as a dress. How would she ever convince Liam she was the real Payton without her voice and looking like this?
Payton was about to give up when she remembered there was more at stake than just a boy. She wasn't a character in a love story, she was a witch fighting to protect her loved ones. This story was part of the witch's plan, she wanted Payton to feel defeated. She wasn't going to let that happen.
Payton avoided the guards at the door and hopped over a wall to land in the garden, where the ball was being thrown. It was a beautiful garden with many fountains and a cliff view of the ocean. People were dancing, but Payton's attention went to one person standing on the balcony. It was Liam, dressed in a marine-style uniform. She wanted to run to him, but froze when she saw the witch moving toward him, wearing Payton's face. Liam smiled as he saw her.
Payton yelled at him to stop, but no sounds came out. She ran straight across the dance floor, though when the witch saw her, she waved her finger and Payton was telekinetically thrown into one of the fountains.
"I'm so glad I finally found you, Liam." the witch said in her voice.
"Yeah, I was worried sick about you." Liam replied. "How did you escape the wicked witch?"
"She tried to get me to sign a deal, but I refused." The witch lied. "Once she left me alone for a moment, I managed to swim back to the shore."
"But how did you get your legs back?" Liam asked.
"I found one of her spell books." The witch said. "I used her magic to give myself legs to find you. I know how to end the story and get back to the real world."
"How?" Liam asked.
"This… is going to sound a little awkward." The witch said hesitantly, trying to copy Payton as best she could. "But you know how curses are broken in fairy tales, right?"
"Oh… yeah." Liam replied as he became a little flustered. "You mean true love's kiss?"
"Yeah, I know it's sudden, but I think it's the only way." The witch said as she moved closer to him.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." Liam noted. "This isn't really how I imagined it, but… okay."
Payton knew she had to act fast, so she managed to pull herself out of the fountain. Liam closed his eyes and leaned closer to the witch, who waited with a vile smirk. Knowing she would not make it in time, Payton grabbed a silver tray of appetizers from one of the waiters and threw it at the witch. Despite not hitting her, the silverware hit the marble floor with a loud bang, snapping Liam out of it. He turned to face her.
"What?!" Liam called out surprised. "Payton? What is going on?"
"Ignore her." The witch said as she placed a hand on his cheek. "That's just the witch trying to distract you. We can end the story now, just kiss me."
"Wait, no." Liam said. "There's something wrong. You don't seem like yourself."
"Come on, I know you want to." The witch replied as she pressed herself against him. "I'll take the lead if you're too scared."
"No!" Liam said as he pushed her away. "You're not Payton. She would never act like this."
"Fine, we'll do this the hard way." The witch snarled.
The witch became surrounded in green smoke and transformed into her sea hag form, wrapping her tentacles around Liam. Panic erupted at the ball and people started running away. A few guards attempted to stop the witch, though she telekinetically flung them aside.
"You should have kissed me when you had the chance, kid." The witch said. "It would have been a lot less painful."
Liam attempted to break free, but her tentacles held him tightly. Liam looked at Payton and she pointed at her neck, trying to hint at Liam to grab the pendent from the witch. Liam understood the hint and ripped the necklace from her. A flash of golden light was released from the necklace and returned to Payton. She became surrounded in light as her voice and magic returned, transforming her back into a mermaid.
"You stupid girl." The witch noted as she began slithering toward her. "So you're a mermaid again, how is that going to help you on land?"
The witch lashed out with her tentacles and hit Payton across the face, sending her flying against a statue in the middle of a large fountain. Once she hit the water, she felt her strength return to her. She looked up at the merman statue and saw it was wielding a trident. She grabbed the trident and pulled it free.
"Big mistake throwing me in the water." Payton said. "Now let him go!"
Payton threw the trident and managed to pierce the witch's lower abdomen. She cried out in pain and let Liam go. He picked up a sword dropped by one of the guards and cut off two of the witch's tentacles. The witch screamed in anger and slapped him away with another tentacle. The witch ripped out the trident and tossed it aside.
"Do you really think that's enough to defeat me?" The witch asked. "You don't stand a chance against me alone."
The witch held out her hands and the skies above them started to darken. Rain began to fall and the skies flashed with lighting. The witch turned her attention to Liam and a bolt of lightning coursed down at him, though Payton managed to pull him away just in time. However, as she was stuck in a fountain, there wasn't a place to run. The witch laughed as more bolts of lightning struck all around. Just as hope seemed lost, a glowing blue portal opened close by. Melinda and Ryan emerged from the portal, following by Wyatt and agent Reed.
"No!" the witch called out. "You can't be here."
"Defeating you is becoming repetitive, witch." Wyatt replied. "Don't you know that good will always beat wicked?"
"You fool." The witch said. "Not all stories are over just yet. I only need to win once."
"Just not this one." Wyatt replied.
The witch directed her lightning at Wyatt, though he protected himself and the others with a force field. He then unleashed a powerful wave of energy with Excalibur that destroyed everything in its path, including the witch. She screamed as she dissolved into smoke and the skies cleared instantly.
"Payton, are you okay?" Melinda asked.
"Yes, I'm okay." Payton replied. "You got here just in time."
"Good, we'll give you a moment." Melinda said as she discreetly nudged toward Liam.
Payton nodded as Melinda took the others away. Payton turned to Liam, who was sitting on the edge of the fountain. He smiled and looked at her with those pretty blue eyes. She leaped up and sat next to him. A short while ago, she would have felt embarrassed about him seeing her as a mermaid in just a seashell bikini, but she didn't feel like that anymore.
"That was some adventure, right?" Payton said.
"You can definitely say that." Liam replied. "You were amazing while fighting the witch."
"I didn't defeat her though." Payton replied. "I needed my cousin for that."
"But you stood up to her." Liam said. "You fought for me without even having a voice."
"I was worried for a moment that you would fall for her tricks." Payton admitted.
"I wish I could say I'd never would have fallen for it." Liam replied. "There was a part of me that really wanted to kiss… well, you."
"Then why didn't you?" Payton asked.
"I guess I was afraid." Liam replied. "To tell the truth, I've never actually kissed anyone. I wanted to kiss you on our date, but I guess I was too nervous."
"I understand." Payton said. "On our date, I was waiting for you, but after everything we've been through, I realized that I don't need a boy to make the first move."
Payton leaned in and gently placed her lips on his. Hesitant at first, Liam quickly returned the kiss. Payton felt a warm glow and realized it wasn't just the kiss, she actually became engulfed in white light. Once the light faded, she was no longer a mermaid and wearing a beautiful blue dress. At the same time, water rose up from the fountain and shaped into a swirling blue portal.
"That was magical." Liam noted.
"It definitely was." Payton replied. "We got the happy ending we needed, but I think our story is just beginning."
Xxx
In another story, Henry and his cousins were running down a long hallway in an attempt to escape the castle with the golden goose. While Julian was still holding the bird, Chris had picked up a sword from one of the defeated soldiers from before. However, as the hero of the story, Henry took the lead and used his bow to take out two soldiers guarding the gate. He was getting quite skilled at it and hoped he could keep the bow once all of this was over.
"The gate is locked." Chris noted as he tried to activate the mechanic. "These soldiers really don't want us to leave."
"Wish I had my fireballs." Julian said. "I could torch the entire thing."
"How demonic of you." Chris remarked. "Just toss a fireball at every problem."
"At least I'm trying to help." Julian noted.
"Guys, we don't have time for this bickering." Henry said annoyed. "We get it, you don't like each other."
"Fine, we'll let it go for now." Chris replied. "Do you see a way out of here?"
"I think Julian had the right idea." Henry noted as he saw the gate was being held by thick ropes. "We just need a little fire."
Henry walked over to the wall and pulled off one of the torches lightning the hallway. He tossed it into the mechanic of the door and waited for the fire to spread. Julian nodded at the idea and did the same on the other side of the gate.
"Are you insane!?" Chris called out. "The entire castle could burn down with us still inside!"
"What other choice do we have?" Julian asked. "We don't have our powers and not even Robin Hood here can take out an entire army with one bow."
"I am starting to run low on arrows." Henry noted.
At that moment, more soldiers began pouring into the hallway, followed by the wicked witch herself. Henry attempted to shoot her, but she was shielded by her soldiers again. Just as they were being surrounded, the fire spread far enough for the ropes of the gate to snap. The doors fell down with a loud crash, clearing the way into the city.
"No!" the witch called out. "Get them before they escape!"
"That's our cue." Henry said.
The others nodded and they ran toward the city square. The smoke from the castle had led the people of the city to gather there. It was the perfect opportunity to give them the golden goose and expose the witch's secrets. Henry took the goose from Julian and climbed on top of the statue in the square. The witch and the soldiers entered the square, but they were too late.
"Everyone listen up!" Henry called out. "You have all been living in poverty for far too long while the witch lives a rich life. She has been hiding the source of her wealth, but not anymore. It is not hers, but should belong to all of you"
Henry revealed one of the golden eggs laid by the goose. He then released the goose and it flew into the crowd, where it spontaneously laid another egg. The crowd was shocked to see what the witch had been hiding all along. Their shock soon turned to anger, which they directed at the witch. A riot erupted as the people turned on the soldiers, which soon left the witch defenseless. She turned to run back to the castle, though it had erupted in flames.
"It's over." Henry said as he jumped from the statue. "You lost."
"Damnit, I have no magic in this story." The witch hissed. "Fine, you may have won this round, but I'm still going to win the game in the end. I'll be seeing you again soon."
The witch smirked as she dissolved into green smoke and disappeared. The moment she was gone, the soldiers stopped fighting and surrounded themselves to the people.
"Whether they're real or not, you helped these people." Julian said. "I was wrong for wanting to abandon them."
"After seeing them suffer, I knew I needed to do something." Henry replied. "I guess that's why I was sent here in the first place."
"You did a good thing." Chris said.
"The witch isn't defeated though, we should find the others." Julian said. "I'll use the pocket watch to open a portal."
As Julian and Chris went to open a portal, Henry turned to look at the people of the city. They had started celebrating while the soldiers had started passing out food and drinks. It definitely seemed like they had gotten their happy ending, which meant it was time to go.
Xxx
In the wonderful world of Oz, Laura and Noah were walking down the yellow brick road. They were getting closer to the Emerald City and had seemingly escaped the lion, as it was nowhere to be heard or seen. They had not talked since running from the village. Laura had thought of a theory why he had become the tinman, but she was afraid to bring it up. Things were awkward enough between them already. As they reached the city, a sinister laugh sounded above them. Laura looked up to see the wicked witch approaching on a flying broom, followed by a dozen flying monkeys.
"Run!" Laura called out.
Noah grabbed her arm and they started running for the door, though the monkeys blocked their path and hissed angrily.
"You can't beat me in my own story, dearies." The witch said as she landed her broom. "I have all the power here."
"You were defeated here once before." Laura replied. "You're not invincible."
"And who is going to defeat me?" The witch asked mockingly. "A powerless girl or a rusty pile of metal scraps?"
The witch formed a fireball and threw it at Noah, knocking him back against the city wall. Laura attempted to run to him, though the flying monkeys surrounded her. At that moment, a loud roar sounded and a giant lion emerged from the forest. The monkeys screeched in fear and flew away, though the lion managed to grab one out of the air and tore it apart.
"No!" The witch called out. "You shouldn't be here."
The witch threw a fireball at the lion, though it barely seemed affected. It growled angrily as it turned to her, forcing her to get back on her broom and fly away. The lion roared and chased her. Laura ran over to Noah to check on him.
"Are you okay?" Laura asked.
"I think so." Noah replied. "I guess there are benefits to being metal."
Laura smiled in a relief as she helped him up. At that moment, the city doors swung open and a figure appeared. Laura expected to see the wizard himself in an outfit just as green as his city, though instead, the figure wore a blue suit.
"Who are you?" Laura asked.
"I'm the keeper of the fairy tales." The figure replied. "I'm glad you made it here safely."
"Thanks to you, I'm guessing." Laura said. "You sent the lion to protect us, didn't you?"
"I did." The keeper confirmed. "I knew you couldn't defeat the witch here on your own, so I gathered what little power I could and sent it to help you."
"How and why are you even here?" Noah asked.
"It's a long story." The keeper replied. "I'll tell you as we walk to the wizard's room."
The keeper headed back into the city and Laura and Noah followed. As they headed up a flight of emerald stairs, the keeper explained how the witch had attacked his fortress and used a genie bottle to get access to the ancient story book. He then told them how all cousins had been trapped in their own stories, with the witch and the keeper acting as opposing forces within each story. They entered the room of the wizard and the keeper sat down on what looked like a throne.
"So what happens now?" Laura asked. "Do we go after the witch to defeat her? Or do we just click our heels three times?"
"Neither." The keeper replied. "Although the witch sent you here, I chose the characters you became here. And I'm sorry, Laura, but this isn't your story. It's Noah's."
"What?" Noah asked surprised. "What does that mean? Why is this my story?"
"Didn't you wonder why you were turned into the tinman?" The keeper asked. "The character that is seeking a heart?"
"Of course." Noah replied. "I've been thinking about it since I got here, but I can't figure it out."
"Perhaps your companion knows." The keeper said knowingly.
"I… I did think of a theory." Laura admitted nervously. "The tinman needed a heart because he wanted to feel again. Noah, you've lost the love of your live. It only makes sense for you to close off your heart because of it."
"What are you saying?" Noah asked.
"I think we were sent here so you could learn to open your heart again." Laura continued. "To let yourself move on and perhaps love again."
"You mean let go of Prue?" Noah asked.
"No, of course not." Laura quickly said as she took his hands in hers. "I would never suggest that. But I know that she would want you to be happy again, even if it meant meeting someone new."
"I… I'm not sure I'm ready for that." Noah replied.
"I know." Laura said. "But you deserve to be happy nonetheless."
Laura leaned in and give Noah a gentle kiss on the cheek. She knew it could never be more than that. Despite her feelings, it could never be anything other than friendship. She needed to accept that. She took a step back as Noah reached for his cheek, where his metallic skin had turned normal again. Her kiss had triggered a transformation, which spread across his entire body until he was completely human again.
"Laura…" Noah whispered.
"Don't." Laura replied.
At that moment, a blue portal opened on the wall behind them. Laura realized they had completed their story, which was good enough for her. Her feelings for him should stay remain here in the land of fiction, as there was no room for them in the real world.
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