Stevi Grimm

April 1st, 2003 Period #1 Creative Writing

A Dark Fairy Tale

It was a magical place, where warlocks and witches wandered the market streets and ogres and oafs roamed in the fields. Nymphs danced naked in the wildflowers and sirens would sing their sweet songs, making knight's knees grow weak. Fairies would come in from the forest and make flowers bloom and light the sky with their dust. They would tease the men and beautify the women. It was a place of bliss and a place of beauty, ruled by a Princess that had love and compassion for all of her people, big and small. She would visit the poor and give them hope and visit the sick and give them peace. She had no rules but to love and be loved.that and never to enter the forest of the fairies after dark.

In this bliss, lived Madeline, a simple maiden who lived a simple live with her two sisters in a small cottage outside of the main city. She was a milk maid, milking the cows and taking it to the market every sixth day to sell to the people of this wonderful kingdom. She had simple auburn hair and simple gray eyes. She wore simple clothes and simple shoes. She was nothing special. Everyday was the same thing. Wake in the morning and do the chores and milk the cows and cook the meals and clean the dishes and then do it all over again except on the seventh day after going to market. On the seventh day, the day of rest for this fine kingdom, Madeline and her sisters would go out to the fields to pick flowers and to tell stories of knights and love and to play innocent games of risk and dares that good girls would play. There was no harm in that. It was on one of those days of rest that Madeline and her sisters learned of a legend.

".and so the Princess and her love lived happily ever after." one of Madeline's sisters finished, leaving the two maidens breathless. Her heart was pounding, to have a love like that, she thought, was to have the world at your fingertips. She clapped very softly and plucked another violet flower from the Earth, tying it in her simple, brown locks.

"Do you think it is true," she questioned, "to find such a love?"

"Not at all," her other sister said, lifting her skirt ever so slightly, "Love is fleeting and is uncertain. You, my sister, are foolish to believe in such a love."

"It is true, Madeline," the other sister said, standing and brushing herself off, "It was just a tale, there was no truth behind it. True love is a fantasy.something only to be seen in fairy tales."

Her two sisters began to walk back to their cottage, as the sun began to set and all of the magic began to leave the field and sulk back into hiding until the next morning. This kingdom went to sleep during the night, for the night was ruled by such an evil that even to look upon it was fatal. Not even the fairies would stay out to gaze upon the evil of their master.

Madeline stood and brushed her skirt off and looked toward the darkening sky. She didn't want the day to end, for tomorrow the week would begin and so would her work. She looked toward the palace in the distance and shook her head. The Princess who lived within it's walls must be asleep by now, dreaming beautiful dreams as the sirens lulled her into a deep trance. She would wake the next morning to a sunbeam kissing her soft skin and then she would arise to sit on her throne while her cornflower curls were brushed by the coral combs of the mermaids. She would be dressed in the silk of the silk worm and would smell of fresh roses. Atop her head would sit a crown made of diamonds from a mountain far away where then gnomes worked in their mines and pearls from the depth of the ocean. To live such a life, to have the world in the palm of your hand, Madeline thought, would give a woman utter happiness.

"A young maiden such as yourself shouldn't be so near the forest after dark," a hiss came from behind her, making her turn around and face the sound. It was a woman, clad in shades of red and orange. Her stone straight hair spilled down her back in a waterfall of night, dew collected from the flowers lighting it up like stars in the sky. She reached forward and with claw like hands, stroked Madeline's soft, but not fair skin, "So, you seek a love that is true?"

"M-m-my sisters told me it does not exist." the maiden said, backing away from the gyspy, "They told me it is only true in fairy tales."

"Then my dear, it is simple." the gypsy said, a gloved hand pointing in the direction of the forest, "You must go and see the fairy prince. If true love is found within fairy tales, then it is the fairies who you must inquire upon."

And so Madeline followed the advice of the gypsy and traveled into the forest despite the law that the princess had set. She wanted true love and riches like the Princess. She was tired of begin poor and simple and lonely. She worked harder and still got less in return, and rules were made to be broken. She ventured deeper and deeper into the forest, following the directions of the gypsy until she reached a clearing engulfed in dead roses and weeping willow trees. Vines with poisonous thorns hung down from every tree, threatening to tear at the maiden's sweet skin.

"And what brings such a fair maiden into the heart of evil at such an untimely hour?" a silky, seductive voice whispered, making her heart grow weak and her breath grow short. He lounged on a stone completely devoured by ivy. Blue flowers bloomed, as beautiful and soft as their master was. Azure hair blew in the harsh wind, matching the night sky with it's darkness and his eyes, sliced like a tigers stared deeply into hers, tearing at her soul and prying at everyone of her deepest and darkest secrets. His beauty was unmatchable and not even the princess herself could hope to be as radiant as his shadow. The way the moonlight hit his skin made him shine with a silver glow and the silks that he wore were so thin that they moved like water in the strong winds.

"I followed the directions of a gypsy. She said you would be able to help me," the maiden said, looking past the man, through his clear, blue wings and into the forest beyond.

"Help you?" he said, a tinge of spite in his voice, "How can it be that such an innocent and fair maiden such as yourself would seek the assistance of a dark fairy? How can it be that such a maiden would need or even want the assistance of a dark fairy? Isn't your life perfect now?"

"No.it is not," she said, "I am not beautiful and I am not rich and I have not found true love and the gypsy said that you would be able to help."

The dark fairy rolled over on his side and placed his beautiful face in a gloved hand, "You see, my dear," he touched one of the blue flowers and it wilted and turned black, "everything I touch dies. I can be of no help to an untainted maiden such as yourself."

"Please," she begged, falling to her knees and clasping her hands together, "You must help me, for I am willing to do anything for my wishes."

"Alright," he said, hopping off of his rock and floating toward her, "I will get you your wishes for you are a beautiful maiden who was brave enough to venture into my forest even after all of the dreadful rumors about me." She climbed to her feet and brushed herself off and took a step toward this fairy prince, "So maiden, what do you wish of me?"

"I wish to be beautiful. I am so very simple now, how can I enjoy an exciting live with such simple features? I want the beauty of my sisters. Please get me the beauty of my sisters."

"It shall be yours."

And so the next day the dark fairy and the maiden went back to the field and back to the cottage and the dark fairy touched both of Madeline's sisters, taking their souls and giving their beauty to their sister. She looked at herself in her cracked mirror and admired her soft hair and vibrant eyes,. The dark fairy stood behind her.

"Oh, dark fairy, I truly am beautiful now, I am no longer simple. But how can I possibly enjoy my beauty in this cracked and broken mirror. I want to have the riches of the princess, please get me the riches of the princess."

"They shall be yours."

And so the next day the dark fairy and the maiden went to the palace and the dark fairy touched the princess, taking her soul and giving her riches to the maiden. She looked at herself in a mirror encrusted with diamonds and rubies and admired the silken dress that she wore so lovely on her new, beautiful body. The dark fairy stood behind her.

"Oh, dark fairy, I am truly rich now, I am not longer poor. And I am beautiful as well, but how can I enjoy the two without a love beside me. You have done so much for me and you are more ravishing then any creature I have ever laid eyes upon. Please, dark fairy, give me your love and devotion."

"It is yours, maiden." He said, not moving from the spot where he stood.

"No, it is not enough for you to say it, you must show it," she said, turning from the mirror to face her fairy, "Let me partake in the sweetness of your lips and let me feel the love that I have been so desperate to feel my whole life."

"If that is your wish, sweet maiden, then I must obey."

And so he touched his lips to hers and he took her soul and her beauty and her riches and brought them back to the dark forest, as the sun began to peek over the horizon and the wizards and witches began to wander the market streets, the ogres and oafs began to roam the field and the fairies began to make new flowers bloom and light the sky with their dust.

The End