Princess Elizabeth: A Fantasmical Adventure

Dragon Heart ~ Part Two

After stumbling upon the heart-shaped stone, and tumbling through the portal that spits her out in a parallel universe, Elizabeth is faced with an even bigger problem. In front of her stood an angry dragon, with smoke fuming from its nostrils as if it were ready to burn her with its fearsome flames.

Elizabeth is frozen, as she stares up at the dragon who towers over her. When their eyes met, the smoke stopped pouring out, and it lowered its head. Elizabeth held her breath, unsure of its intentions. It lays down in front of her, staring at Princess Elizabeth as if it recognized her.

She reaches out to touch its head, and it lets out a defeated groan, causing her to stumble backward. Elizabeth hits her head on a rock when she falls, and loses consciousness. She feels herself falling into an endless black abyss, thinking she was dead until she opened her eyes. Where she views the past through someone else's eyes. In this vision, she saw Raven and Alexandria arguing with the woman whose body Elizabeth inhabited.

"Foolish girl! You saw where love got your sister, didn't you?" Alexandria asked. "Now she's dead!"

"Please don't do this mama," Ruby pleaded. "Don't punish Drake for my mistakes."

"This is for the greater good," Raven argued. "You'll see."

Raven holds Ruby as she closes her eyes, not wishing to witness her mother turn her lover into a fiery beast. Sealing him and his fate with a stone, condemned to spend the rest of his days trapped in the other realm beyond the waterfall.

A few days later Ruby ended her own life by drinking a glass of tea she made using the ground-up roots of Deadly Nightshade. After consuming the deadly concoction, she lay in her bed and waited for the sweet release that comes with the kiss of death. Ruby whispered the same phrase repeatedly until the poison paralyzed her entire body.

Elizabeth watched Ruby slowly fade away in a mirror on the wall across from the bed. That's when Elizabeth noticed Ruby resembled her in many ways. Her eyelids became heavy from staring, and she could no longer hold them open. Once again she is falling into the black abyss, where she heard the same whispering voice that came from the stone.

"Save him by breaking the heart, or end his suffering by crushing it," the whispering voice echoed in the darkness.

When she opens her eyes, she notices the dragon sleeping at her feet. In her hand lies the stone that once sealed his fate. She was faced with a choice and only had one chance to get it right. Not knowing which to choose, she hesitated for a few moments.

As the dragon stirred in its slumber, she took a risk and decided it was the right thing to do. Using the handle of her sword with a diamond tip, she struck the stone several times, breaking it in half. It resembled a broken heart. Though what came next she didn't expect. Reversing the curse caused an even more powerful ripple that sent her flying backwards. Elizabeth hit her back on a giant boulder before landing on her hands and knees.

The sound of footsteps running up to her confirmed that Ruby's lover was human again. Though Elizabeth could barely lift her head due to the immense pain she felt. The blow from the impact also knocked the wind out of her, making it difficult to speak.

"Ruby?" the man asked as he approached Princess Elizabeth.

When his bare feet are within her view, she glances up for a brief moment, then quickly looks down. She gasped while blushing. The man was completely naked with a large leaf covering his member. She didn't dare gaze any higher.

"Don't be frightened. It's me, Drake," he says while holding out his hand. "I've been waiting for you."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, before reaching for his hand to help her stand on her feet. Before Elizabeth could explain, he pulled her into a deep kiss. She is taken by surprise but eventually caves in and returns the kiss. Feeling his lips against hers felt familiar.

For a moment, Elizabeth wasn't herself but instead was thrust back into the past, viewing the events leading up to Ruby's mother cursing her lover. They were just two young adults who loved each other very much. Even though Alexandria had forbidden Ruby to fall in love, due to what had happened to her younger sister Ramona.

There was nothing in the world that could stop a love as powerful as theirs. Or so they wrongly thought. One night, Raven followed Ruby into The Dark Wood, curious why her sister left in the middle of the night. She spied on her younger sister for days, after hearing her sneak out every night, while their mother was asleep.

One night their mother was awakened after hearing Raven sneak back inside through her bedroom window. Not long after Raven came home, Ruby followed suit thereafter. Alexandria wanted to punish Ruby by punishing her lover. Not knowing that Ruby would've rather died a thousand deaths than lived a life without love. With her dying breath, she cast a spell, granting the person who finds the stone the ability to free them both. Once Elizabeth had seen what she needed to see, her eyes fluttered open.

"I'm not Ruby," Elizabeth said as she pulled away.

"Who are you then?" Drake asked.

For the first time, Elizabeth saw his face. A handsome man with golden hair and emerald green eyes. Much different from the gigantic dragon she saw moments before. While explaining the events that led up to her finding him, she waved her arms around frantically, opening the portal. Princess Elizabeth invited him back to the kingdom where she could explain the rest. He kindly accepted her offer, and the two of them walked through the portal together. Permanently sealing the portal for all eternity.