The Midnight Ball

14

Note: This is how I picture Anastasia's haughty look
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This is it, the last night. Tonight they will lose a princess, or not, if the princds had any say in the matter

Their evening assembly was somber and the princesses looked nervous

The siblings and potential couples looked at eachother with sadness, but tried not to say good-bye. They didn't want that finality, still clung to hope

The girls tried giving eachother encouraging smiles

The clock tolled midnight, and they gathered in that room near the opening in a neat row

One by one they descended, and got into their boats

For some reason, Ramonda's boat took longer than usual to reach the other shore. She frowned slightly. There was something different, but her mind was foggy and she couldn't pin it, so she shrugged it off

Tonight the strange forest was the most dazzling they'd ever seen it. The sliver and gold gleamed so bright, it was like sun and moon came down shining, and the diamonds glittered so, like the stars in a clear night fell into the trees, light shining through them, fracturing into the colours of rainbows

There was an urge to pluck some of these treasures, as much as they could carry

Whispers were heard:

Look how lovely these treasures are, nothing in your personal collection can compete. Take some

Look how radiant, more than the crown jewels. Take some

A few would solve your kingdom's problems, and there are so much. Take some

Your sister would love them. Don't you want to make her happy. She has longed for something like this. Take some

You know you want to, take some

Take it, take it, take it take it take it.......

Alarm bells rung in Ismie's ears, her head was going to explode. She blocked her ears with her hands

It didn't stop

She screamed, waving her hand like a lasso: NOOOO!

the sounds stopped

Princesses froze, some of them with arms stretched towards the trees

As if a spell was broken, they lowered their arms, and stood awkwardly

Ismie: Do not touch that. It's a trick..

She heard clapping

And there was a figure cloaked in shadows, approaching them

He, was tall and lithe, his skin moon pale, his eyes a fathomless black and his hair like the feathers of a Raven. He was dressed in some sort of leather armor, which shimmered and rolled like a heat wave

He called: Bravo.. Finally we have you

Ismie looked at him, warily

Stranger: We've been working to draw you out, but you proved to be smarter, or is it stronger than your predecessors

Ismie: What do you mean?

He laughed lightly, it creeped the girls out

They were already congregating next to one another, the stronger ones, forming a protective line in front of the others

Stranger: Don't act so coy, my dear. We want you, your magic. It is the only way you could have passed the tests

She frowned

He laughed again, this time bitterly: Of course you don't realize. You lot don't deserve this power. It should have had long extinct from your blood like your knowledge of it

He smiled: Now, you will come with me and join the rest

She looked behind him and saw eleven girls, standing motionless with glazed eyes, ech dressed in an ensemble of a different era

Some of the girls gasped, these must be the former princesses snatched by him

Ismie: And what if I refuse

He chuckled: How charming. You think you have a choice in the matter?

Ismie glared: I will not go down without a fight

Stranger: Pity.. You're making this harder than it has to be. He lifted his hand which glowed an unearthly blue: Try not to die, or we'll have to take her, he nodded at Ramonda, although she doesn't have your level of magic