Died and Gone to a Fairytale Hell

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

“So this is the town of Erandale and hopefully, the home of true love!”

Esmerelda was currently walking beside me in the form of a brown and black cat. Before we left the house she had transformed herself, claiming it would be better if she was in disguise. I found it difficult to imagine how a talking cat wouldn’t draw attention – but then I was reminded that I was in Ever After and talking animals weren’t anything special. From the moment I had entered the town Esmerelda hadn’t stopped talking and yet not one person looked in my direction.

So far it was everything I would have expected a fairytale town to be like; cobblestone streets, a bakery, vendors selling flowers, jewelry and all sorts of things. The place was alive with as much animals as people. Though I expected the people to be friendlier; after all in the books everyone is always fawning over the princess.

“Hey, Es, why is it that people are just ignoring me?” – I decided to voice my thoughts out loud – “In the fairytale books I’ve read everyone is always fawning over the princess. You know, doing stuff like handing her free stuff.”

“That’s true. But the light the princess carries with her is the same light the people will feel.” Esmerelda explained stopping in front of me. I raised my brows at her quizzically. “To get the animals to help you, you sang right? That was the light you had: song.”

“So I’m supposed to prance around the place singing?” Esmerelda smiled – as much as a cat could smile that is – and nodded her head. “Why do I get the feeling that there will be a lot of singing involved in this little adventure of mine?”

“But isn’t singing wonderful? It brings so much life into you.” Esmerelda swayed her tail in delight. “It will make everything more fun, I promise. Go on, give it a try.”

“What exactly am I supposed to sing? I’m no song writer.”

“The world you live in is so boring.” She rolled her cat eyes at me. “Just sing. If you feel it, it will come to you.”

“So here I am, in this…in this place that I’ve never been. What can hope, will await? All the things I’ve never seen.”

Slowly I was beginning to feel the music as Esmerelda had said I would.

“I’ll take a chance and take a risk. Who would have thought I’d be….here like this?” 

I felt an uncontrollable urge to skip and twirl as I went along. And so I did. I could feel the music taking over – and I was pretty sure I could hear it too.

“This is my adventure; this is my story. And I’ll let it be my own.

Though I’m in this strange and wonderful place of things I’ve never known.

There’s so much to do, so much to see. So many new friends I’ve yet to meet.”

A flower vendor handed me a flower as he smiled. I replied with a curtsey and continued on my way.

“And so I’ll tell my story and get my true love. There’s a happily ever after for me.

And I’ll fall in love and save the day together with my prince.”

Three little children ran by me and formed a ring around me as they skipped.

“I’ll take the chance and I can be. Everything I’m meant to be

Do the things I’ve never done, see the things I’ve never seen

Be the me I’ve never been. Because this is my fairytale

And my story awaits.”

The children broke the chain and ran off giggling to themselves. Apparently no one was at all bothered by my random musical number. And strangely, I found that I didn’t care that I was running through the streets of an unknown town singing at the top of my lungs. Maybe I should try this more often.

“And I’ll meet my prince…we’ll fall in love

From the moment we meet.

Can’t you just see it now? When my-”

My musical parade was abruptly cut off as I bumped into someone. I lost my balance and was about to acquaint my face with the beautiful stone streets when a pair of strong hands wrapped around my waist and helped me regain my balance. Before I could thank my attacker/rescuer he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind a cart which had an assortment of dresses and jewelry hanging from it.

“What are – ”

He lifted his finger to his mouth to shush me as he stuck his head out from our hiding place behind the cart. I glanced over his head and saw a group of uniformed men who looked like soldiers or guards run past the cart. As soon as they were gone the stranger stood up and took my hand to help me up from my crouched position. I almost pulled back my hand when I felt warm tingles from where he touched.

“I’m terribly sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” His voice was as smooth as silk to my ears and for some strange reason my heart started to beat a mile a minute at the sound.

“Well you should be sorry. You just interrupted my singing out of nowhere.” I glanced up from dusting myself off to look at the guy and my hurt dropped right out of my chest cavity and into my stomach. “I mean, it’s not your fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going anyway.”

I was staring into the most gorgeous set of baby blue eyes I had ever seen in my life and I was afraid I was getting lost in them. I smiled at him shyly as he also stared back into my own dark green eyes.

“Hi. I’m Pri- um I’m Eric,” he smiled at me as he extended his hands.

I found it hard to breathe once he flashed me that beautiful  smile showing off his straight white teeth. He kept his hand up for several minutes before his dark brows knitted and his smile faded. I shook my head as I quickly took his hand to shake it.