Let This Dream End Tonight

Brownies

"I think you two should go, it'd be a good way to learn more about royalty," May smiles over at the girls who were reading the letter aloud from the table.

She walks over with a plate of bacon and mini sausages and portions them out between the three plates already sitting at the table. They eat in silence with the only sound coming from the silverware when it clinked on the plates. Ariel prodded at her food filled plate, her appetite lost. The prince's letter couldn't have been a coincidence, they had just talked the day before about Belle's kidnapping. And she was sure that the prince had something to do with the incidence, he was too calm about it all.

"Are you sure about going to the castle, we don't have to," Goldilocks nervously said.

Goldilocks and Ariel had left right after breakfast to go see the prince at his castle. At first Ariel had been determined to make good time to the castle, but now she was lagging behind after a half hour of walking.

"I'm sure, we have to see what the prince knows about Belle. Maybe it can be a clue towards what happened to her," the determined look returns to Ariel's face and she starts striding towards the castle ahead of them.

Goldilocks sighs and jogs to keep up with Ariel. They walked up to the large wooden gate of the grey stoned castle. They smile at the guards patrolling the gate, but she don't even look at the two girls. They walk into the castle's main room, the throne room.

" Aw I'm glad you two could make it," Prince Adam smiles from his throne on the far side of the room.

 He leans down in his throne allowing his golden crown to tilt to one side of his head on top of his long sandy blonde hair. He wore a king's robe and a red and gold suit. Ariel and Goldilocks walk up the red carpet in the middle room leading up to the prince's throne. Goldilocks curtsies when she reaches the prince and Ariel follows suit, standing beside Goldilocks.

"It's good that you two could make it, it's nearly luncheon time," Prince Adam gives them another shining grin.

"Thank you, your highness, for inviting us to your castle," Goldilocks smiles at the prince.

She wanted to make sure they were on good terms with the prince. It wouldn't do either Ariel or herself any good to be kicked out before they could get answers to their questions. Prince Adam stands up from his throne and leads the two girls to the huge dining room across from the throne room.

In the middle of the dining room is a long, claw footed silver white dining table. Above the table is a gleaming chandelier with candles burning and wavering in little slots in the hanging chandelier. The prince pulls two chairs out, one for Ariel and one for Goldilocks, then proceeds to sit down in his own chair at one of the ends of the long table.

"Your lunch is served," a French chef bows.

Three servers come out of the swinging doors that lead back to the fancy kitchen. They each hold in their arms a shining silver tray stacked neatly with a different kind of food. Each of the three people seated at the table receive a browned roll, a pork chop, and some bright orange carrots. Then the servers set the trays down on the table and retreat back to the kitchen with the chef behind them.

"Welcome to a royal meal," Prince Adam sweeps a hand out in front of himself.

He starts cutting his pork chop up in nice little bites and dips them in a liquid-like sauce. Goldilocks and Ariel look at each other and shrug, eating quietly. After two helpings of the yummy food another server comes out of the swinging doors holding a fourth tray. This tray held precut slices of brownies. Each brownie was powdered lightly with powered sugar. The server sets a brownie on each of the girls' plates and then sets the tray in front of them and leaves again.

They look at the brownies with wide eyes and drool, the prince chuckles slightly. The brownies were still warm and the powered sugar stuck to the brownies like glue. Goldilocks forgot all her manners and started stuffing brownies in her mouth. Ariel took a small bite of her brownie and studies it. It seemed normal enough. It was chocolaty and melted in her mouth, but there was another taste there, something bitter that was baked into the brownies.

Ariel looks over to Goldilocks, who's still stuffing her mouth full of her third brownie. She looks over at the prince, who's just watching the two girls. There's a sudden loud thud and Prince Adam's smile turns evil and threatening as his piercing eyes burn holes into Ariel. She looks quickly towards Goldilocks, but she's passed out with her face in her empty plate.

He drugged the brownies, Ariel panics and stands up quickly, hoping to escape. But sleep takes over and she collapses. The last thing she sees is Prince Adam standing over her, smirking like a beast.

"Welcome to your worst nightmare, you shouldn't have tried to pry into someone else's business," he laughs cruelly.