Three Pretty Princesses

Chapter 16- Pauline

Pauline dreamt of Enchantress Willow. She was lead by the mysterious woman into a vast room filled with flames. Pauline somehow recognised the room, but it was too difficult to make out due to the smoke. The Enchantress slid her hood off, revealing her true face. In this dream, she was young, a girl of about the same age as Pauline, with dark hair and dark eyes. She placed both her hands on Pauline's cheeks. The coolness of the Enchantress' palms gave Pauline slight respite from the scorching heat of the flames.

"Pauline," Enchantress Willow murmured, "I need you to wake up."

"Why?" Pauline asked, aware that she was dreaming yet too stupefied in come out of it.

"Because I need you to."

"And why should I listen to you?"

When Pauline woke up, she couldn't remember what the Enchantress had said. It must have been a good reason, because she immediately awoke in a hot sweat. Evalyn was sound asleep on the other side of the room, wrapped up in her quilt like a cinnamon roll. It was long before dawn. Pauline had enough time complete her task.

She put on leather slippers, and plucked the candle off her bedside table. After lighting it on the torch outside their chambers, Pauline began to weave her way through the palace halls. The usually bright, and beautiful palace was now a eerie and sinister place. Pauline met the eyes of every single portrait, afraid that one might jump out at her. Eventually, she reached a small door on the ground floor of Fairfax Palace. She snuck through, and then padded down the cold, concrete steps to the dungeon. As expected, the guard was fast asleep. He didn't even stir when Pauline took the keys from his belt, who was humming a melodious lullaby to further immerse the guard in his dream.

The traitors were the only prisoners in the oft-empty dungeon. Fairfax Palace rarely had any sort of trouble, and court nobles that misbehaved were far too important to throw in the dungeons. The traitors weren't moving, so Pauline assumed they were asleep.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Pauline almost jumped out of her skin, suddenly ready to bolt for her life.

Instead of running, Pauline stepped into the light. "I'm a friend."

Both the boys clung up against the metal bars. Desperation in their faces, they asked, "Are you going to let us go?"

"Yes," Pauline answered, slipping the key into the lock, "but only on one condition."
"We'll do anything," the short one wailed, holding on tighter to the bars.

Pauline turned the lock. "You go home. I'm letting you go because I know how Dulcinea treats people who aren't nobles. I know. I know why you did what you did, but you can't do it again."

The boys scrambled out of the cell, as Pauline checked if the guard was still asleep.

"Get out of here," she whispered, placing a hand on a cheek of each of them.

"Thank you, friend," the traitor who cursed Ava said, before the two disappeared into the darkness.

Pauline stood where she was for a minute, until the sounds of their footsteps were no longer echoing in her mind. This was her destiny- to be a hero. Her eyes began to brim with self-pride, when she suddenly remembered what the Enchantress said that woke her up. Her blood turned cold, and she left the dungeon as quickly as she could. Hearing Enchantress Willow's voice in her dreams saying,

"There are no Gods. Only me."