The Secret of the Mask

She entered the room and time stopped. All eyes began to point in her direction. Her hair was ebony black, twisted on top of her head in an elaborate knot. Resting upon her face was the most black elegant mask that perfectly framed her face. Peering through the mask was a set of beautiful blue eyes. They shined like stars in the night. Her skin was flawless porcelain, unmarred by any markings. Pulling everything together was a long black gown, the color of the night's sky. The dress was perfectly stitched and almost as lovely as the girl wearing it. Not a soul in the room could feel superior to this masked maiden.

Much as in all stories, the Prince abandoned all priorities to meet this beautiful girl. The two danced and danced all night. They swirled around the hall more times than one could count. It appeared to be love. Two beautiful people whose souls seem to mingle just right. It was almost as if they moved with one heart rather than two.

The clock struck midnight with a loud ring. The masked maiden smiled at the one who held her hand. Her eyes gleamed in the night. However, it was a different sort of sparkle they held. She took her prince by the hand and pulled him away from the crowd.

Outside of the ballroom was the most flourished garden one might ever lay eyes on. It was nearly two acres of complete beauty. Directly in the center was coy pond filled with the glow of the full moon.

"Come with me," The girl grinned at her prince. "I want to see the moon at it's highest." So the two went to the center of the garden, right at the edge of this little coy pond. The moon's reflection was bright and clear at the water's rippling surface.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The prince smiled. He turned to meet the eyes of his masked maiden.

Something had now truly changed. The girls eyes, once gorgeous blue, flashed a bloody scarlet for just a moment before return to normal. Before the prince could respond, the girl reached up and pulled the mask from her face. Surrounding her eyes were the marks of a witch. Inky lines traced an intricate design.

The world became foggy in the princes eyes. He became overwhelmed with feelings. His mind raced through the track of the seven deadly sins. First he felt a wrath for this woman, for tricking him. Then he was consumed with pride that she had chosen him above all the others. He soon felt greed and gluttony, sloth and envy. His body and mind raced through the feelings at an alarming rate, his heart pounding in his chest.

Finally, he fell victim to lust. The witch had brought out of him the biggest downfall in him, the crutch he always leaned on. His vain desire for a love built entirely of flesh. His pupils dilated, staring at the woman in front of him. Betwixt their bodies was the purest, darkest feeling the prince had ever known in his life. And yet, the evil air attracted the spelled prince like an alluring perfume. The two collided, lips molding together, sealing off the spell.

Upon the moment of contact, the prince's body collapsed. Falling to his knees, all the air was sucked dry from his lungs. His heart that had once been filled with desire now was heavy as cement. He collapsed into the pond and all the water vanished. Erupting from the ground where thorny vines. They wrapped around the prince, pulling him close to the ground. Bushes and weeds shot up around the Prince creating an impossible labyrinth over the entire garden.

The witch stood, laughing over her work as she slowly turned to stone. Her body became a statue, standing behind the frozen Prince. The only thing that could free him was the kiss from a beautiful maiden.

For years, people scoured the maze in search of the lost prince. Nearly a decade later, on the night of the winter solstice, a small group of soldiers found the prince. It appeared as though he was only sleeping wrapped in a blanket of vines.

The King, now in his last years of life, sent out to find the most beautiful maiden in the kingdom to awaken his son. After a three day search, a girl from a small village was selected. She was the picture of beauty with long blond hair and big brown eyes. She had a voluptuous figure and baby-soft skin. The girl was sent alone into the maze with clear directions.

At the stroke of midnight, she found the Prince. She was taken aback by his beauty. Even in this state, he was clearly a very handsome man. His soft brown curls framed his face which looked so peaceful in his slumber.

The girl got down on her knees and leaned down to the Prince. Gently, she pressed her lips against his and felt the heat rising in his body. The Prince was once again filled with life as his heart broke from its silence and beat once again. The vines and the labyrinth crawled back into the ground to reveal the illustrious garden.

The girl, however, had a different story. Her body grew cold and her heart burned dark. Her chocolate eyes flash a bloody scarlet. The curse of the night was now thrust upon her as the mark of the witch etched itself onto her flesh.

Turning from the prince, she face the statue that was soon fading to nothing. Laying on the ground where the statue vanished from was a black and silver mask. She lifted it to her eyes to find it was perfectly shaped to her face as if a master tailor had made it just for her. She turned back to the Prince with a wicked grin.