Just an Ordinary Fairytale

The Soul Purpose

Owen took comfort that Alex was there somewhere. His friend was always there to protect him when he needed comforting. But this time, Owen had to swallow his fear and venture out on his own. His teeth chattered so much that it was impossible for him to call out for Alex.

Using a stick he had found outside, Owen gingerly pushed open the doors into the castle. He cowered away as a gust of wind threw dust in the air. Owens eyes burned, and he had no problem crying away the dirt in his eyes.

He searched for hours looking through empty rooms; peeking through scattered crystal statues. But Owen couldn't find a soul in the castle. One room though, he took an interest too.

It was one of the larger rooms, with fancy tapestries and a huge bed. He wouldn't have taken notice, but he spied crowns perched on their sparkling heads. The young man and woman were richly dressed, and even in their frozen state held a sense of power.

"The King and Queen!" Owen muttered under his breath.

They didn't appear troubled at all. The Queen looked calm as she and a young boy played checkers. The boy was a carbon copy of the woman. "He must be their son". Owen looked between the king and the queen. Owen remembered that the merchant didn't mention any sons in the legend, only a princess.

There was a clatter at the other side of the room. A bird had flown through the window and knocked over a metal vase. Owen crawled out from under the bed he had jumped under. A glimmer caught his eye. Behind the curtain was another boy, younger than the other. He was crouching as if to pounce on his father who was writing something in a book.

Owen backed out of the room, shaking in fear. Something wasn't right. Their daughter was kidnapped, how could the family look so calm? Did they not know that she was in trouble before the witch turned them to statues? Before he knew it, Owen had backed up too far and stumbled into another room. He fell on his back, and he screeched so loud that his voice bounced through the halls.

Off in another part of the castle, Alex had heard his friend screaming. He immediately stopped following the princess and went in search of Owen. Alex would have found him, for Owen was only down the hall and a few doors. But Alex felt a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"We don't have time to help your friend! The witch will be back any moment now. This is our only chance to save the kingdom!" The princess urged him forward. She explained that the witch's staff was in the ballroom. The staff held a crystal that would determine whether he was of pure heart.

The princess seemed a bit off to him. When he had found her, she was loosely wrapped in chains as if someone restrained her in a rush. And it struck Alex as odd that the actual key to return the kingdom to its former glory... Was the witches staff itself. It was even stranger that the witch would leave the princess and the staff unguarded. As more things didn't add up, Alex began asking questions.

"So, you look pretty young. I would have thought that you would have been older. Considering how old the legend of the Crystal Kingdom is, you should be ancient." Alex was trying for a gentler approach when asking the princess her age, but realized he had utterly failed. Women were often sensitive about that subject. He hoped he hadn't offended her, the princess didn't look a day over 20.

"I would say the same about you" The princess seemed to pick up the pace. "Aren't you a bit young to be out on your own?" She gave him an odd look.

Alex gave her an even stranger look in return. "I told you, I'm not by myself. I'm with my friend Owen."

"Ah, yes... The one that's afraid of his shadow" It took Alex by surprise when she sneered.
"I didn't say, that..." He mumbled under his breath. Alex had only mentioned that he spooked a lot.

He had told her about Owen. But he hoped that that the princess would have an idea where Owen could be. She knew the castle better than anyone. He would have thought the princess would know where wanderers could end up.
Alex listened as she went on to explain how the witches magic kept either of them from aging. Without further prodding, The princess told him about the spell to save the kingdom.

"If you truly have a pure heart, then the spell will work. But you won't live to see the next sunrise." She said it with an even tone, he had almost missed it. Alex froze in his tracks.
"Wait, so I have to give up my life to make the spell work?" How could she expect him to make that choice? He may be old enough to go on an adventure, but he was too young to make a life or death decision.

Alex jumped as she laughed as if his worry amused her. "Yes, Alex... The spell requires that you give up your soul."