Once upon a time, there was a kingdom on the foot of a mountain. It was as majestic as a kingdom can be; the grass in their fields was greener than the ones in any other lands nearby, the colorful flowers seemed to blossom as if touched by the sweetest enchant of all, and the smiles of the people who there lived were as wide as the king was rich.
However, very little people knew the truth about that kingdom, and that it stood above the shadows of ancient stories - most precisely, a story so ancient, so absurdly unfinished that it was believed to be a legend. For even the most common people knew the story of the Princess Who Slept, although they didn't know how real it could be. So much they didn't know, it was remembered as a simple fairytale, and every time the parents told it to the children who went to sleep still waiting for the happy ending those bedtime stories should have, the story seemed to get even sadder than it already was.
And while such melancholic story kept waiting for its closure, the sun kept rising every day, the birds kept whistling their songs, and a whole lot of wonders kept blessing the surrounding lands. And it was one of those beautiful sunny days when a Prince made his way into the woods.
His name was Philip and, like the rest of the royal family, he knew what stories were real or not. He was the most loved and admired Prince it was ever heard of. Every heart in the Kingdoms seemed to be charmed by his looks and his charisma, and many people were enchanted by what they used to call his 'sweet innocence'.
He often walked around the kingdom distractedly, and everyone could see he was lost in his own daydreams. His blue eyes met the blue horizon like he could see many wonders in the plain sight of the sky, and he smiled to every people he passed by, like he could always see a reason to be happy. He was never seen with a frown on his face.
"He's always so happy", the ladies from the kingdom sighed, charmed.
"He's always too happy", some of the older folks said in disapproval, but they couldn't help but agree that there was something charming about him.
Since he was the heir to the throne and his father's reign would soon come to an end, he needed to get married. Many Kings and Queens from neighbor kingdoms had offered their daughter's hands already, and the people already spread rumors about who was going to be the Prince's wife - some even said he was going to marry a Princess from the North lands.
But none of them were right, because the Prince had a dream; he wanted to be the one to wake up Sleeping Beauty with the sweet true love kiss and then make her his wife.
And that was why he was walking to the forest when this story began, with his most loyal knights as companions to help him in that quest. They sang old travel songs as they made their path, and the Prince's voice seemed to stand out among all of the others; he sang with his heart, and his voice seemed to reach every dark corner of that forest. While he sang, he couldn't help but daydream about the princess's sweet lips, desperate to be kissed...
"Your highness?"
A voice removed him from his daydreams. He turned to look, finding it was one of his guards who had been speaking.
"Your highness, since it's getting dark, it would be good if we stopped now and made our camp", the guard said.
The Prince stopped to look around. They were about to reach the border of the forest, and it seemed to get only darker from there. The guard had a point; the night seemed to be approaching quickly.
"We'll stop to rest and eat for a few hours, but we'll part before the sunrise. We can't wait too much. The Lost Princess awaits for me."
"Riding in the forest while it's dark will bring no good, your highness. We might get lost or even find danger."
Before the Prince could say that there were no dangers he wasn't willing to face in that quest, he heard a furtive movement between the woods behind him, like someone - or something - was observing him. Startled, he drew his sword instantly, turning around.
"Who's there? Reveal yourself!"
A figure stepped out of the forests. Under the dim light, he saw a head covered by a knight helmet made of dark iron. The gaps for the eyes were as narrow as a snake's eyes. Even though Prince Philip was used to that seeing thigs like that, something about that vision sent him chills. The temperature seemed to get lower. He could sense there was something evil in there.
"Reveal yourself!", the Prince said again.
The helmeted form hesitated. Philip wondered if it was calculating an attack, or if under that helmet there was a beast incapable of understanding any of the words he was saying, whose only instincts was to kill him merciless. However, the dark knight got off of their horse and slowly took their helmet off.
To everyone's surprise, they found themselves looking at a young girl. She seemed a bit younger than Philip, even though they were practically the same height. The armor was covering most of her dark robes, but now he could see she was wearing an elegant dark dress.
She was beautiful, even though there was something definitely brutal in her face features – or maybe it was just the way she glared at Philip. Her hair, darker than most girl's, was tied back in a messy ponytail. Her hazel eyes were so defiant that they almost seemed to spark.
The Prince lowered his guard, seeming curiously delighted with the surprise.
"Well, look what we have here."
He smiled as he spoke, but she didn't smile back. She didn't seem happy, being observed like that, although she didn't act hostile either. Her expression was as enigmatic as the helmet she was wearing before. Philip noticed what had frightened him about those armors; they seemed typical from the North lands, whose king had been in the war against Philip's father before.
"What does someone like you could be doing in these lands?"
"I'm in a diplomatic mission for the king."
"Mission? What mission?"
"To deliver a message."
"What message? Let me see it."
"It was delivered already."
The knights muffled their laughs at the girl's audacity.
"And who would that message be for?", asked Prince Philip. "Who's your king?"
"That", she replied, "is confidential."
More muffled laughs could be heard among the knights. The Prince raised his eyebrows, his sword still in his hand, even though lowered now. She sustained his glare.
"I'm afraid I'll have to insist, milady."
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to insist as well." She said, drawing her own sword.
The knights around them stepped back. It wasn't like they felt scared - they knew they were in numerical advantage, anyhow -, but rather surprised that anyone would have the guts to even think of going against their master.
The Prince was surprised, but he smiled. He had never dueled with a woman before, but he was sure he could handle it. He was the best fencer in the kingdom for a reason, after all.
"Well, that's alright... If that's how you want to work this out. And just that the game is fair, milady," he said, in a condescending tone. "I'm going to ask my men to not step in."
"But, your highness...", said one of the archers.
"I said no stepping in, Larry."
He raised his sword, confident.
The girl attacked with no hesitation, spinning the sword in her hand as she rushed into the Prince. In that moment, he felt like he was watching her enigmatic mask fall down. Her anger was all over her face. She wasn't intimidating anymore, she was pure evil. Philip jumped to the side; for a moment, he found himself struggling to block her advances, stepping back as he tried to get out of the reach of her sword.
She did not hold any of it back, thrusting her sword from every angle possible. Philip was wearing more armor than her, but she managed to find the spots where it failed to protect him, while he could barely reach her with his blade. Her movements were wild as an animal could be, and for a moment, Philip wondered if he wasn't really fighting beast in disguise, and if that human form wasn't just a facade. She could not be a beast, but she certainly fought like one.
After recovering from his initial surprise, Philip tried to work on his best strategy while blocking her thrusts away. Risking a bold move, he tried to trick her by moving to his left and moving away quickly when she ran into him, in an attempt to distract and disarm her. She seemed to only get angrier by this though, and her response attack was so violent that he lost balance, stumbling as he stepped away from her.
Philip stared at her from the other side of their battlefield, feeling impotent. There was a cold smile in her face, and he felt everything spinning for a moment. He glanced at the knights, who kept looking at each other apprehensively. His heart felt heavy in his chest, and he realized he was hopeless.
But something in his heart seemed to burn as he looked at the expression in the girl's face. Her cold, vile smile was still there, and it seemed glow like fire while Philip looked at it. He suddenly realized something. He knew what he had to do. What always worked with him, and always caused him to be unpredictable like a true warrior. I have to follow my instincts.
Without thinking twice, he stood up and ran as fast as he could into her direction. It wasn't like he had the element of surprise, though; she answered to his attacks instantly, holding her sword horizontally to block his advance. Philip gathered all the strength he had left and pressed his blade against hers, trying to make her lost balance. The knights didn't know who to look at, at this point. With tense expressions, they observed both of the fighter's blades being pushed against each other in what it seemed to be an endless battle. Although the Prince struggled to keep control, she was slowly seeming to falter. Their faces were closer now, and he could see she was struggling to keep it up as much as he was. Seeing her vulnerability filled the Prince's heart with hope again, and he couldn't help but smile for a moment.
But his 'sweet innocence' acted too soon, for deep down he felt like he had already won the battle. It took her only a half second smile, and a movement that made the battle took a complete turn. The girl stepped firmly on the ground where she stood and quickly recovered her strength. Letting a grunt escape her lips, she managed not only to make the Prince lose balance, but to knock him down as well. When he fell off, his sword slipped off of his hand. He was disarmed.
When he looked up, the girl was already holding his sword in one of her hands. He didn't even have time to wonder how she had got it so quickly, or to notice the malicious smile taking form on her face; she was already running into him.
"Larry!", he called, unable to see another solution.
But the archer wasn't fast enough. The girl pulled Philip away from his knights, pressing the sword against his neck.
She looked at the archer like he was challenging him. They both knew she could cut off the Prince's head faster than the arrow could get to her; she had proven herself strong enough for that.
The Archer watched paralyzed as the girl pressed the sword against the Prince's throat, threateningly. Philip felt all hope leaving his heart as the blade touched his skin, but he tried to stay calm. Follow my instincts.
"We don't have to do this!", he tried to say to her, with his voice weak. "I'm no harm to you, if you help me to find my Lost Princess."
The girl, however, didn't seem to considerate his diplomatic attempt. She frowned at the mention of a Princess, and Philip he felt the blade pressed even harder against his throat. He could swear she was going to stab him for real when she quickly dropped him on the floor, letting him fall on the ground before she disappeared into the woods, quickly as a dragon.
Most of the knights quickly ran into the woods after her. Larry walked over the Prince, helping him up. "Did she hurt you, your highness?"
The Prince shook his head, even though his neck felt sore. Mostly, he just felt embarrassed for losing a battle so easily in front of his companions. With the hoarse voice he had left, he ordered his knights to look for her and come bring her alive.
"We need to interrogate her", he told them, determined. "I'm positive she has information about my Princess."
However, when his guards came back, they had only the desolate expressions in their face.
"We looked everywhere, your highness", said one of them. "No sign of her."
None of them could explain how she had misled them so easily in the middle of the forest. The Prince felt his heart hopeless again. Most of the guards didn't seem to understand why it mattered so much to find her. But the Prince had seen the look on her face when he mentioned the Lost Princess. He had been warned about the obstacles he'd have to face in that quest.
"Whatever her mission is, is no good if she's willing to hide it that much", Larry said. "But she's gone now, your Highness, and you don't have to worry about her."
"I'm certain her 'diplomatic mission' has something to do with the Princess. Maybe it is to stop any of those who would look for her, and the 'King' she's working for is actually the evil Witch who cursed my Princess in the past."
It made sense to him if she was involved with the witch who had cursed the Princess. The witchcraft could explain how she vanished so fast, he thought. And how she beat me so easily.
He sighed. "There's something evil about this girl, Larry, I'm telling you."
To everyone's surprise, the Prince frowned as he spoke, looking directly at the dark horizon. He knew he'd meet that girl again, sooner or later. However, now there was nothing he could do. They made their camp at the border of the forest and, when the Prince laid down in his tent, he dreamed awake with the Sleeping Beauty before he fell asleep.