Learning curve

This isn't where I had originally planned to end this "chapter," either. After reading it, though, I like this. It works. Oh, and I know you guys are busy and probably don't like commenting, so should I stop asking for commentaries like I did last time? I'm thinkin' yeah, but I like feedback. I'm a comment whore, I admit it.

Now, let's see if our Princess is doomed (yeah, right)....
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The Princess felt something touch her feet and looked down to see shimmering tendrils of light growing up from the ground beneath her and wrapping themselves around her legs. She tried to escape, but was not permitted the slightest movement by the magical web. The sounds of bells and fire and wind could be heard and were steadily growing louder. The Princess closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the beautiful dance of curses as it now swallowed her waist.

The Sorceress rushed to the aid of the Princess. Her years of training and royal service had taught her how to keep a cool head at all times, but she was inwardly very grateful that the Princess was not screaming once more. She examined the mystic filaments closely with her arts, but every time she caught the pattern of one hex or curse, another twisted around it and broke her concentration. It was a tangled torrent of foul magic that she knew she couldn’t stop in time. The noises were still getting louder. Fighting back a growing sense of panic, the Sorceress searched frantically through her knowledge for some way out.

“The Forever Dye!” the Sorceress exclaimed, with hope growing in heart as she reasoned aloud, “I might not be able to stop the trap, but perhaps I could fool it! If I take some of the Princess’ hair in my hand, I could channel the magic through my body and trick it into releasing itself somewhere else!”

The Princess was breathing quickly and sweating hard and the magic wrapped around her chest and approached her neck. The Sorceress grabbed a handful of blue hair with a confident grip. The sounds of bells clanged in challenge.

“Don’t worry, Princess. I have an idea. Just wait for a few more moments,” the Sorceress said. The Princess didn’t respond as the enchanted mist began to creep up her neck. The invisible fire roared with hunger.

“Just a little bit more. It has to touch my hand around the hair,” the Sorceress thought to herself. Her body was encased in an army of wards and spells. The bodiless wind howled in anger.

The magic trap stretched past the neck of the Princess and touched her cheek, which finally made the Princess cry out. It reached out towards her hair. The noises were deafening. The Sorceress tightened her grip. Then, it touched the cyan locks. And disappeared.

The Sorceress blinked in surprise. The web of pulsing enchantments fell from around the Princess and vanished. The two of them stood silent for a few bewildered moments, until the Princess broke out into joyous laughter and grabbed the Sorceress while she danced in a circle. The Sorceress found it hard not to join in, but when the relief had faded, she was still left curious.

“It didn’t touch me at all, yet it vanished. What is happening here?” she wondered, with her chin in her hand.

“Oh, who knows and who cares? I’m safe!” the Princess retorted. Her face became more serious, “This time, though, we are going to make sure everything is safe before I touch another… well… anything!”

“Yes. Right. Give me a moment,” the Sorceress agreed, tucking the mystery into the back of her mind for the moment. She closed her eyes and with a few gestures and a thought produced her own streams of light for probing the remaining magic waiting in the tower.

The Princess, still elated about her near-miss, had decided to flop on the grass in a manner very unlike a princess while she waited for the Sorceress to finish. She looked at the magic tendrils flowing from the Sorceress’ hands and turned away with a shudder. She was unconsciously busying herself with fixing her hair when the Sorceress released her glowing threads and turned to her.

“All of the protective spells are gone. Only serving and attending magic remains,” the Sorceress reported.

“Wonderful! Now we can finally get on with this inspection,” the Princess said as she rose and brushed herself off. She walked slowly towards the door and touched the handle cautiously before gritting her teeth and grabbing it for a third time.

“I hate magic,” she said as she finally opened the door.

The Sorceress smiled behind her, “It would seem the feeling is mutual.”

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^_^


Twilight out.

Princess, Interrupted

I know you've all been dying for the next installment, and here it is! I've been waiting to hear from Becky before I began writing more. She is the one, after all, who prompted me to write this, so I wanted to know she was on board. Yes, yes, I forgot all about the little 'archive' thing on the right side of my blog, and how easy it is to keep up.

Now, when we left the Princess, she was hatching a plan for a much-needed break from courtship. Let's see what happens...

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It didn't take long for the Princess and her magical cohort to finish their preparations. Whatever the Princess would need could be provided for her through the arts of the Sorceress. The only thing was to find the right tower in which to stage their drama. Fortunately, the Sorceress kept up with mystic real estate.

"Oh, yes, this will do nicely," the Sorceress said behind her brochure. She had brought the Princess out to see a nearby tower she had found atop a pleasant hill at the edge of a beautiful forest. "The previous owner, a warlock of some learning, was a solitary fellow and grew tired of being so accessible. I think he found a timeshare in a dragon's cave. Anyway, you should be happy. It seems this place is filled with enchantments. There are some basic warding spells and traps we'll have to take care of first, though. Fellow liked to seal his portals whenever he left, I'll give him that."

The Sorceress began walking around the tower, reading off each enchantment one at a time, "Let's see... disproportionment charm, discoloration and wart hexes, an elemental deterrant ward, an amphibicator (oh, I hate those), a rotundus curse... My, it just keeps going. He was quite protective of his home, wasn't he? Do be careful, now, Princess. I know how you love to poke around places and- Princess?"

The Sorceress stopped, noticing that she was walking around the tower alone. She began to backtrack around the tower, calling out for the Princess, when she heard a thunderous noise and an unmistakable shriek.

"Princess!" the Sorceress yelled as she raced to the main doorway, where she found what she assumed had only a few moments ago been the Princess. She was lying on the ground next to the great wooden door with smoke rising from a tattered dress that was parts burnt and soaked. Her hair, on the other hand, was standing straight out at every angle, sparking on all ends. Of course, wherever her dress wasn't burnt it had ripped, since she was now carrying several times more weight in unflattering curves. That said nothing of her limbs of mismatched length, her diseased skin, her many warts, or of her new tongue hanging several feet out of the lovely face of a frog. All in all, she was a miserable moaning sight, and an excellent testament to the warlock's security measures.

"Oh, you silly girl," the Sorceress said with a chuckle she tried but failed to suppress.

The Princess answered with an angry, "Riiibbit!"

"I speak Pond, you know, and I'll not have such language from a Lady such as yourself! Now let's get you sitting upright, and I'll fix all this straight away," the Sorceress replied, still wearing an unshakeable grin.

After a great deal of counter-spells had been cast, the Princess, human once again, sat on the ground examining her ruined dress while the Sorceress tried to tame her frazzled hair with a comb she had pulled out of mid-air. The Princess idly drew a strand of hair in front of her face and noticed something very peculiar: it was blue.

"My friend, you haven't finished yet!" she exclaimed as she turned to face the Sorceress, "Look at my hair! It's blue, as if it were dipped in the sky itself!"

"Oh, yes... that," the Sorceress said, looking down, "I'm afraid I can't do anything for that. You see, that's Forever Dye. It's usually only used in painting magical murals or printing books of spells. It doesn't fade and is nigh impossible to remove."

"You can't do anything? My lovely golden hair is gone in favor of this unnatural hue?" the dejected Princess asked.

"I'm afraid so, Princess. It seems the warlock charmed the paint so it has only settled in your hair, though. It could be worse. Besides, the color is lovely. I think it suits you very well," the Sorceress said, smiling reassuredly. "It is strange, though," she continued, furrowing her brow in thought, "This was nowhere to be found in his list of enchantments. I suppose he could have forgotten about it, but Forever Dye is hardly something you overlook."

The Princess continued to examine her new hair while the Sorceress worked on smoothing it out. Had anyone chanced by the pair without knowing what had transpired, they would have thought it was a simple day in the country for two lovely ladies(although the condition of the Princess' dress would have caused some concern). Once she had finished, the Sorceress dismissed her ethereal brush with a wave of her hand and rose. "Well, let's get on with it, shall we? We have yet to see what it looks like on the inside," she said.

The Princess stood while the Sorceress took out the brochure and examined the list of enchantments again. "I think your little... mishap... triggered all of these top enchantments," the Sorceress said.

"Good. Now we can finally go in," the Princess said purposefully. She walked to the door and once again grabbed the handle.

"Wait, Princess!" cried the Sorceress in alarm, "The list continues! Those were only for the first attempt. It gets much worse if you try again!"

"Worse?" the Princess said as she turned back to the Sorceress. With her hand still on the handle, however, the motion was just enough for a firm jerk. Her face quickly lost its newly restored color as she heard a familiar 'click'.

To Be Continued...

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What?! How can I stop there?! :P I know, I know. Don't worry. I'm only stopping here because this took longer than I thought to write and I want to give you guys something after so long. In my head, this is only the first half of this 'chapter', so expect the continuation soon. In the meantime, tell me what you think of the dialogue: how it's written, how it's presented, how it fits with the setting. Oh, and how many of you thought the Sorceress was old and plain (not that she isn't older than the Princess)? To be honest, I hadn't decided until I wrote it, and I'm still not sure what I think of it. And if you're wondering where the blue hair thing originally came from, then just ask Spautz.

I wonder how this would be as a comic...


Twilight out.

Superheroes and Fairy Tales

I saw Spider-Man 2 again tonight for the second time, and I still love the ending. You know, when Mary Jane decides to ditch Mr. Astronaut for Peter? It reminds me of "Wild at Heart," when John Eldredge talks about Eve being described as Adam's helper in Genesis. The word used, Eldredge explains, is ezer, which means life-saver or life-giver. What's more, he says, the only other times you find it in the Bible, it's referring to God Himself. Not a term to take lightly. How does this relate to Spidey, you ask? I'll tell you, but let's remember the scene.

Mary Jane has just walked in on a pensive and unsuspecting Peter Parker, still wearing her wedding dress ("Hey! I ordered Chinese!"). She then proceeds to tell him of her choice to be with him, despite the danger or the cost. She says how she needs him, and how they shouldn't be apart if they're meant to be together. Then, as she touches his cheek, she says, "Isn't it time someone saved your life?" Ah. There it is. Chanelling Eve. She may be saving his life in a metaphorical sense, but she is bringing a real breath of life into his world. We even see, throughout the movie, how he loses his powers whenever she drifts away from him. So Mary Jane bravely defies a life of comfort and listens to her heart. She offers Peter warmth, and tenderness, and love, so that he can be the warrior and hero he's destined to be. A comic turned fairy tale. Oh, and what are her final words to him in the film, when trouble calls for Spider-man? "Go get 'em, Tiger." Go, be what you're supposed to be. Go be a man.

Or mabye I'm being too romantic. You may vomit now if you like.
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Here it is, lads and lasses. The long-awaited product of the Will McCain Word Foundry. As per Becky's request, I tried my hand at a fairy tale. It's little more than a rough draft, so let the feedback fly.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess, and like all beautiful princesses, she had many princes seeking her hand. Prince after prince would come to court her, praising her beauty and describing the glorious life she would have as a queen in a far away land. She would smile and laugh, but every time she would decline. Hers was a good life and a peaceful kingdom. What need was there for her to marry? Still, the suitors came.

As word of her coyness spread, she became known for more than her beauty. A royal competition soon developed to see who could win her favor. Many princes tried using the “101 Perfect Poems for Pursuing Princesses”, to which the Princess would answer with the “101 Riling Retorts for Royal Romancing (and One Really Nasty Insult).” Even thus spurned, the princes continued to come.

The Princess began to tire of the constant attention. She feigned sickness, took long trips across the kingdom, and even dressed like (and was mistaken for) a servant girl on several occasions. Nothing worked. Then, while grumpily cleaning a bedpan one day, she realized that the princes would not stop coming while she remained at the castle. That gave her an idea.

In those days of yore, it was common to have sorceresses attending to the needs of royalty with knowledge now long forgotten. One day, the Princess took a sorceress friend of hers aside and told her of her problem and her plan to fix it.

“Sealed in a distant tower? Princess, that seems a bit rash to me. I know that these princes are tiresome, but surely they do not call for such extremes. You do seek to marry, do you not?” the Sorceress replied.

“One day, assuredly, but not as soon as my courtiers would have of me. I only wish to remove myself from here for a short while. Isolation in an enchanted tower will do well to help these bored princes forget me and their silly contest,” the Princess said.

“Nonetheless, I do not like the deception you suggest. If we are discovered, I will never salvage my good name. People will forever tell the tale of the poor princess imprisoned by the evil sorceress. Why, they might even say it was a witch. Oh, that would be disgrace upon humiliation,” moaned the reluctant Sorceress.

“Oh, speak not of such things. We shall not be uncovered, and I will forever remember the love you held for me in doing this service. Though, perhaps spreading the tale of a spiteful or jealous witch would make it all the more believable,” the Princess reasoned.

“We will do no such thing!" exclaimed the Sorceress. She sighed, "Oh, very well. I will help you, Princess. But just so you know, I have a very bad feeling about all of this.” The jubilant Princess then led the Sorceress away to make preparations for their great deception.

To be continued...


Twilight out.