Just an Ordinary Fairytale

I need a Hero

Alex and the princess had been walking in silence. Even when she opened the doors of the ballroom, no one said a word. The silence was almost unbearable, until the princess finally spoke.

"Here," she picked up the staff.
It seemed to have been sitting on the throne for awhile. And surprisingly it had a layer of dust on the crystal mounted on the top.

"When you touch the gem, it will glow if you indeed have a pure heart, young hero." It was the way she said it, that made Alex uneasy. This adventure hadn't exactly chalked up to what Alex expected. He wasn't even enthusiastic about saving the kingdom, albeit at the cost of his soul.

Across the room, hidden behind a tapestry, Owen listened to the witch try to convince Alex to help with her evil plan. The witch couldn't afford to turn Alex to a statue if she didn't know if he had a pure heart. All Owen had to do was stop Alex from touching it. The problem was that Owen couldn't get his legs to move.
Owen watched as Alex reached for the staff.

"What is he thinking?" He tried to shout to his friend, to warn him of the danger. But his fear of the witch kept his lips sealed shut. Owen was trembling so much that his legs gave out from under him. He threw his arms out and got tangled in the tapestry he was behind.

"NOO!" Owen screamed. He and the tapestry hit the floor, and simultaneously Alex's hand touched the gem. The entire room burst with light, starting at the crystal in the witch's staff.
The staff shone a bright blue, illuminating the look of horror on Owen's face.

"I couldn't do it, because I was too scared, I couldn't save my friend. What am I going to do now?" All he could do was stare at the blue light, and imagine what life would be like as a statue.

Owen's voice shook as he got to his feet. He gathered the bravery to speak , "A-Alex... Don't do it-" Owen froze. The witch's furious stare paralyzed him.

Alex was overjoyed to see his friend safe, but when Owen broke down crying he knew something was wrong. The princess was staring Owen down with the nastiest glare he had ever seen.

"What your friend means, is that you can't miss this opportunity!" Something shifted in the room, and the princess's demeanor did a 180 degree switch. The smile on her face was horrifyingly bright.

The princess backed away from him, and made her way to the other side of the room... Towards Owen. "I knew you had a pure heart all along! This is your chance to save a kingdom!"

It was all wrong, and Alex twisted his fingers trying to figure out what had happened. Alex looked to Owen for answers, but his poor friend was sobbing hopelessly. The princess approached Owen, putting her hand on Owen's shoulder. He screamed, throwing himself away from her.

"Alex no! You can't do the spell, she only wants to take over the world!" Owen gasped for air, "The princess! She's the witch. It was her all along..."

"ENOUGH!" The princess snatched Owen's arm, he fell to the floor in a blubbering mess. She looked at Alex with a crazed gleam in her eyes. "You can't actually believe him. I mean, look at the mess he is. He is hysterical!" She tossed Owen to the side and walked heavily towards Alex.