Just an Ordinary Fairytale

Into the Woods

Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived in a small town, tucked away in the mountains. He was afraid of everything.The boy's name was Owen. He was small, weak, and would tremble at the drop of a pin. Owen was notorious in town for getting into unfortunate situations, and crying his way out of them.

On the other side of the town, lived another boy named Alex. He was the bravest boy in town. At the age of two, Alex saved a litter of kittens from a house fire. When he was five, he taught himself how to swim like the fish in the river. By the time Alex was ten, he had seen every bird's nest and turned every stone in the nearby forest. A real hero figure right?

Although Owen and Alex were complete opposites, in a twist of fate, they became friends. Alex would drag Owen into the forest every day to go on an adventure. They never got far. As soon as Alex led Owen away from the path, Owen would burst into tears for fear of getting lost. Alex would end up dragging him home, telling Owen that there was nothing to be afraid of. Owen wanted to be a better friend, and go on adventures with Alex, but he was too afraid.

One day, while the boys were on their way home a mysterious traveler crossed their path. He was rambling about a crystal and princesses. The idea fascinated Alex. He followed the man all the way to town, with Owen behind him. 

The strange man claimed to be a messenger, and he caught the attention of the entire town. He told them about a princess locked up in a kingdom, petrified in a glassy stone.

The legend of the Crystal kingdom. The legend said that whomever rescued the princess would inherit the kingdom. The journey was impossible, but the real challenge awaited at the Crystal kingdom. The princess waited, trapped in the castle and imprisoned by a evil witch. The princess had the key to save the kingdom, but could not use it till a hero with a pure heart saved her.

The idea terrified Owen. He could see the look in his friend's eyes, and he did not like it. Owen knew Alex would be up and ready for and adventure. Owen's hero complex didn't need any fuel, he was fine with it empty.
Alex was already making plans for a real adventure. Of course he would take his best friend with him.

"Owen will come with me, I'm sure of it" Alex assured himself.

Sure enough, the next day Alex was dragging Owen out of the safety of his home. Alex carried a small satchel with only the necessities. But Owen had settled for a huge backpack that could fit the whole town. And in his hand, he clutched his tattered green rabbit, Lamby,  a stuffed toy that always made him feel safe."Do you know where we are going?" Owen asked, gasping under the heavy load of his bag. "Is there some kind of map you're following?" Owen felt like he was being led on a wild goose chase.

Alex pulled out a old compass from his pocket, "I found the traveler after his speech, he gave me this. It's supposed to lead us straight to the Crystal kingdom." They watched as the needle spun wildly around. It quivered before settling between the north and east directions.

"But east is that way." Owen pointed towards the town, his lip trembled in fear. "The compass doesn't work, don't tell me that we are going to follow that!"

Alex explained to him that the needle doesn't actually point north, like a normal compass. But it actually lead the holder to the castle. Owen couldn't help but question Alex's trust in the stranger. He didn't have time to argue, because Alex had already taken off towards the forest in the distance.

I know it's a bit of a dull read...

It's not much of a hook, and you may be wondering:

"where's the action? The blood? The love triangle?"

Well this isn't one of those stories. But there will be some drama in the end, so go ahead and keep reading!

I dare you