"Happily ever after? That thing doesn't exist, not in the real world."
---
Ever a Never After (adaptation from Enchanted movie)
"Growing up in the fairy tale land, it feels like your whole life has been written perfectly in the books, with the pictu...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
At the depth of the royal garden, you find yourself getting lost.
It turns out that this place is a maze, confirming your first suspicion when you first laid eyes on the winding pathway disappearing between the tall green hedges. The deeper you walk into the garden, the higher the hedges grow, and the thicker the trees and bushes around you become. The variety of flowers can't help much to show you where you are, since everything looks the same no matter where you go.
While worrying about not being able to find your way, you also worry about your friends. You wish you had insisted on having Poppy come with you. Perhaps then, you wouldn't feel so alone and she could help you find the way by using her sharp senses.
Will they be alright, you wonder as you think about your furry friends. But knowing that they are in the hands of Sir Noah gives you some peace of mind. Surely, the kind gentleman will be able to help and keep them safe. Right?
But speaking of Sir Noah—
I thought he said that someone would come to see me and show me the way. But where are they?
You have been walking for a while, yet there is nobody in sight. Not even a shadow of a person. It seems odd to think that the royal garden will be this empty, especially with a wedding happening this afternoon.
Turning at a corner, you find yourself at an opening between the maze. A small gazebo is placed at the center with wooden benches inside. Your exhaustion draws you towards it, and with your eyes focused on the benches that seem comfortable for you to sit on, you don't notice it when a movement suddenly happens from nearby.
The rustling sound of the bushes is the only warning that you get before someone suddenly emerges from the shadows.
"Aaahh!" you scream in fear, while the figure before you quickly apologises.
"Oh, dear me. I'm so sorry, dearest," an old woman's voice speaks to you, "I didn't mean to scare you."
Eyes still widened in fear, you look at the person before you. Instead of a royal guard or a palace maid, you are met with an old woman wearing a long dress in an earthly colour under a worn-out cloak that hangs to the ground.
"Oh, that's okay," you answer with a nervous chuckle. "It's a harmless mistake. Are you—are you from around here? I think I've gotten lost. I'm supposed to be at the wedding spot by now, but I haven't seen anyone."
The old woman smiles. "Oh, you poor thing. His Highness the Prince should've done better to prepare a guard for his bride," she complains, tsk-ing her tongue and shaking her head with disappointment. "Maybe I can help guide you there? This old hag may not look it, but I do know my way around the castle like the back of my hand."
Perhaps, it would have been best if you were wary of an unknown stranger suddenly offering help during dire times. Yet you are quickly reminded of your grandmother waiting back home and think nothing of the old woman who is offering her assistance so kindly.
