Once upon a time...
Nodding thoughtfully, Maea watched the dancers enter the floor once more. She was startled out of her brooding by the Princess, but quickly caught herself and answered with her best approximation of a courtly bow.
"It would be my honor, your Highness." With a sideways glance at Hadama that warned him against laughing, she offered her arm and led the royal girl onto the dancefloor. Fortunately the book provided her with the knowledge of how to dance, because her feet moved of their own accord. And as they swirled round and round the floor, time liquified and bent, speeding up; the hands of a grand clock twisting in erratic ways until only a handful of minutes remained before the toll of midnight.
And the eyes of the Princess were sad and frightened as she slowed to a halt, right in the middle of the ballroom. And as the first bell rang, her face paled, darkness rising like a tide into her eyes. And at the second toll, sparks of light rose up around her, as curses fought against blessings.
The Knight took a step back, watching intently. And the sparks of magic spread through the room, and where they connected with people, they began to yawn, and grow weary. And when the Princess too sighed a deep yawn, the Knight found herself staring at a terrible darkness that rose out of the Princess's body, threatening to engulf them all.
"It's possessing her!" she cried, suddenly understanding; swiveling to find the Dark Fairy in the crowd, the urgency didn't have to be stated. "Quick, magic - pull it out of her!"
"It would be my honor, your Highness." With a sideways glance at Hadama that warned him against laughing, she offered her arm and led the royal girl onto the dancefloor. Fortunately the book provided her with the knowledge of how to dance, because her feet moved of their own accord. And as they swirled round and round the floor, time liquified and bent, speeding up; the hands of a grand clock twisting in erratic ways until only a handful of minutes remained before the toll of midnight.
And the eyes of the Princess were sad and frightened as she slowed to a halt, right in the middle of the ballroom. And as the first bell rang, her face paled, darkness rising like a tide into her eyes. And at the second toll, sparks of light rose up around her, as curses fought against blessings.
The Knight took a step back, watching intently. And the sparks of magic spread through the room, and where they connected with people, they began to yawn, and grow weary. And when the Princess too sighed a deep yawn, the Knight found herself staring at a terrible darkness that rose out of the Princess's body, threatening to engulf them all.
"It's possessing her!" she cried, suddenly understanding; swiveling to find the Dark Fairy in the crowd, the urgency didn't have to be stated. "Quick, magic - pull it out of her!"
The End
