A Summer Of Missing Princesses

I exit the castle decked out in my new armor and weapons when suddenly, I realize I have no idea where to search first for Princess Aleena. Fairwood Kingdom might not be that large, but it still is a big area to search. I make my way down to the beach where I last thought Princess Aleena was with me. I already searched this area before with no luck, yet I choose to look again anyways.

I look up high first, climbing into the trees around where Princess Aleena vanished. After climbing in the trees, which there really weren’t that many of, (most of the trees are part of the Fairwood Woods) I search the ground. Any sign at all could help, but I find no sign of her. At most, I discover a tiny bit of gray fluffy stuff and a bit of darkened soil.

There is nothing of any use at all. Then, though, I start to wonder, why is the ground darker in just one spot? I check again, finding it to be a slim section, no wider than a few pebbles across. The more I think about it, the more I start to wonder if, perhaps, this darker spot is a hint and I’m just too dumb to figure it out.

I get down on all fours to be closer to the ground and I reach out my hand to touch the ground. Right as my fingers make contact with the darker soil, Rider comes out of nowhere, surprising me.

“Ah! Where did you come from?!” I ask, standing up.

“Erik-James told me to come here and I was wondering why. I thought perhaps he was going to play in the water. Now, though, I think he just wanted to see you again,” Rider says.

“Well, hello, Erik-James... I kind of am in the middle of an important investigation!” I say, patting the pony’s muzzle.

He snorts happily and digs at the ground with one foot. I forgot to mention this earlier, but Erik-James is a pinto with one completely brown ear and a golden brown muzzle like a field of wheat.

“Doesn’t look like there is anything to investigate here,” Rider says with a chuckle.

“That’s what I thought at first, too, but check this out!” I say pointing to the strip of darker soil.

“Hmm, well, it would appear some rain had fallen off some higher branches recently and soaked a small strip of soil,” Rider says.

“We haven’t had rain at all this summer,” I remind him, “It’s hot and dry out here.”

“Oh!” Rider exclaims.

“So, now you see...this isn’t a normal soil patch. I was going to touch it, but your sudden appearance surprised me,” I say.

“Go on then, touch the weird soil patch. Heh... Maybe it won’t kill you,” Rider jokes.

I then bend over again to touch the soil. Rider, for whatever reason, begins giggling.

“Excuse me?” I ask.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. Go on, touch it...” Rider says.

I stretch out my hand and touch the dark soil. It feels almost so cold that it is hot.

“Whoa... That’s no ordinary soil...” I say to myself.

I look around to see if Rider is still there. He’s gone. In fact, everything I know is gone. I suddenly feel very small staring up at what has become of the world.

The sky is a blood red and rippling like an ocean, but without a set pattern at which to ripple to. The clouds are now dark black and the sun is nowhere in sight.

“Rider...?” I ask.

I realize now that even my voice has changed.

“RIDER!” I wail.

There is no response from Rider; I’m all alone now, stuck in this weird realm of distortion. Not sure what else to do, I decide to continue on. Perhaps this is where Princess Aleena has been taken to. I wander across a field of tall blue grass in search of anyone who can help me figure out where to go.

Out of nowhere, a large cat springs at me. Frightened, I let out a shrill scream and make a run for it. However, rather than running upright, I get down on all fours to run.

“Help! Somebody help me!” I screech.

The cat keeps on chasing me, flattening the grass as it goes. I keep running until I trip over a root and fall on my face. Right as the cat leaps at me, a larger dog jumps at the cat, knocking it over.

“Leave her alone!” the dog barks threateningly at the cat.

“Wait... A talking animal!” I exclaim.

“Yeah, well, take a look at yourself,” the dog says.

The cat lets out a moan.

“Fine! You go! Just don’t attack helpless little mice!” the dog growls.

“Hey! I’m a cat! I’m supposed to eat mice!” the cat wails.

“Go!” the dog barks.

The cat flees and the large dog remains standing over me.

“What do you mean by “helpless little mouse?” I’m not a mouse, I’m a human!” I object.

“You really haven’t noticed? What, did you just show up a minute ago?” the dog asks with a laugh.

“Actually, I did!” I say.

“Well, then...” the dog says.

Now that I’m not being chased anymore, I get a good look at the dog who saved my life. He’s mostly white, but has a big orange patch around each eye and one small fleck of orange on his tail. He has a long skinny snout that’s probably good for sticking into small holes.

“If you wish to see what has become of your body, follow me. I know a place where you can see your reflection,” the dog says.

Not wanting to be attacked by the large cat again, I decide to follow the dog. For the longest time, it almost appears we are either going in circles or walking in place. The scenery doesn’t change at first and gives very little sign of us making progress. Then, all at once, the scenery appears to twist and reform into a more woodland like area.

There are many trees, but none of them appear to have very many leaves. The branches are all gnarled and twisted around, giving the place a cluttered look. The trunks of the trees are full of holes in which many pairs of eyes are peeping out, watching our every move. I hear a sound like a bubbling stream as we go further into the strange wooded area. The dog stops and I stop.

“Look, here is Lake Cell,” the dog says.

I look where the dog is pointing his paw and see a large pool of blood. From this pool of blood there is a blood river flowing. The flowers growing along the river side look almost like human hearts.

“Look within the pool and you’ll see yourself,” the dog says.

I step closer to the edge of the lake and peer into it. Reflected back for me to see is a mouse with braids, armor, and a sword.

“That can’t be me, though! This can’t be true! Please tell me I’m just having a bad dream!” I wail, touching my little mouse nose.

“It’s not a dream, this is reality in this realm. I once was human, too...but I have become trapped in this realm. All who enter the Distorted Realm become merely a reflection of their true selves. No one aside from the gatekeeper has ever been able to leave this place on their own free will,” the dog says.

“No! I need to be able to leave! I didn’t even mean to come here!” I wail.

“Why would anyone mean to come here aside from the gatekeeper?” the dog asks.

“I’m supposed to be looking for Princess Aleena, and the six other missing princesses...but how can I do that if I can never leave this place?!” I ask.

“Princess...?” the dog asks.

“I don’t even know where she is!” I say.

“The princess... Princess... Is in... In... The castle! Castle!” a voice echoes around the area.

“What castle?” I ask.

Right before my eyes, the trees part and show me what nearly looks like a castle way off in the distance. I say nearly because the top half is upside down and hovering quite some distance above the rest of the castle. Enough to be noticeable from where I stand which has to be very far away.

“Oh! Do you need to get there? I can carry you!” the dog says, wagging his tail.

“Oh, could you? That would be great! I don’t imagine I could walk that far!” I say.

The large dog lies down with his snout at an angle so I can climb up. I do so quickly, trying not to claw his face up too badly.

“Feel free to hold onto my fluff or something, I travel very fast!” the dog says.

I grab onto a great tuft of hair towards the back of his head right before he takes off running. I quite nearly fall off, but I hold on tighter, my legs and tail dangling in the air. The longer we run for, the further away the castle appears to be.

“It’s going away! Are you sure we are heading the right direction?!” I ask.

“Positive!” the dog says.

We dash through the tall blue grass until we reach a large gorge. The gorge in the normal world has a regular river inside of it. This one, however, appears to have boiling hot blood running through it like lava.

“Whoa! I forgot about this gorge!” the dog says.

“Can we cross it?” I ask.

I remember in the normal world, the ground is level on either side of the gorge. Unfortunately, it appears that this gorge continues on and on in both directions.

“I... I can jump the gorge...” the dog says.

“Really?” I ask.

“I’m pretty sure I can...” the dog says, backing up.

I gulp nervously, still holding onto his fur very tight. He keeps backing up until the gorge is no longer visible.

“Do not let go. Whatever you do, just don’t! You’ll die instantly if you fall in!” the dog says.

“That’s comforting!” I cry out.

“Ready?” the dog asks.

“Yes, sir!” I say.

“Let’s fly!” the dog says.

He runs even faster than he did the first time until he reaches a point where he has to jump. He flings himself over the gorge, the air threatening to pull him down with me hanging on. His front claws reach the earth on the other side, but the rest of him and I dangles off dangerously.

“Uh oh...” the dog says.

“Pull yourself up!” I cry out, feeling the gravity tug at me.

Below us, the river roars, splashing upwards towards us. It cannot reach us unless we fall in. The dog digs further into the cliff, getting his back claws into the wall. He slowly pulls himself from the pit, bit by bit. After an excruciatingly long time, we both make it to safety.

“We did it!” the dog cries out.

“We? But you did all the work!” I say.

“Yeah, but you were good and didn’t let go,” the dog says.

“I owe you infinite favors for that one!” I say.

“Infinite favors? Then can I ask you one big one?” the dog asks.

“Sure, ask away!” I say.

“When you go to the castle and free the princess, can you also help me get out of this realm?” the dog asks.

“I could try, but I don’t even know if I can get out of here. You said so yourself, anyone who comes here never escapes,” I remind the dog.

“True...but if there is a way, please remember me!” the dog says.

“Of course!” I say.

The dog and I continue on until we reach the front gate of the castle. The top portion of the castle briefly rights itself again before flickering and tipping back upside down. The dog lies down and lowers his snout so I can get down. I slide down his snout and land safely on the ground.

“There you are! I wish you the best of luck!” the dog says.

“Thank you!” I reply.

With that, I move on to crawl through the gate. Luckily for me, as soon as I cross that barrier, I become a human again. I suppose there is some kind of force field around the castle that prevented me from still being a mouse. Surprisingly, there are no guards at the castle door and I easily open the door and walk in.

“Princess Aleena! Princess Aleena! Are you in here?!” I call out.

I feel a shiver run down my spine and I look up. On a higher floor, a tall dark figure is watching me.

“Hello!” I call out, hoping they can help me figure out where the princess is.

“Brave of you to come this far... However, you will never see your precious princess again!” the figure says.

“Yes I will! How can I not?!” I ask.

“I will destroy you if you even think to come up here!” the figure says.

“Well, if the princess is up there...” I say.

“YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT IT! FINE! COME UP HERE AND CHALLENGE ME!” the figure says and disappears.

I look around for a bit first, finding the castle to look a lot like the real one, only much much gloomier. Instead of the grand pristine white walls, the walls are pitch black with an occasional blood splatter. The paintings on the wall all appear to be of people in pain. The only light is coming from a few upside down candles that are dripping wax everywhere.

Seeing as the princess is probably in big trouble and I was challenged to a fight, I turn back around and go to the stairwell. When I arrive at the stairs, however, I find quite a few of the steps are missing. The only way it could be worse is if I was still a mouse. I climb up the stairs, some of the distances being so long that I nearly have to reach out above myself to pull myself up.

The steps I do get to stand on creak dangerously and nearly shatter underneath me. By the time I reach the floor I saw the figure on, I’m already tired.

“Man! Why can’t being a hero be easier?!” I cry out to no one in particular.

I catch my breath and run into the first room I see. The tall figure stands waiting for me. His skin is just a bit darker than my own and he has a black pho-hawk. His eyes are a deep menacing red similar to the color of the sky in this distorted realm. He grins evilly upon seeing me.

“Allow me to introduce myself... I am known only as The Monster, as I have not the privilege of having a name, and I will be willing and happy to hasten your time of death!” the man says to me.

I unsheathe my sword and press the button on the side of my helmet to initiate the face mask. The Monster begins the fight by transforming into a gigantic black tiger with gray stripes. Each of his paws has to be over six feet in size and his towering legs come close to 100 feet. He lets out a ferocious roar, splattering saliva everywhere.

“What?! Do you think that will cause me to surrender?!” I taunt the tiger.

He comes running at me and I roll underneath him, causing him to pass right over me. At first he is confused when he realizes I am no longer in his path, but when I go to strike him with my sword, he notices me and swivels around quickly, nearly knocking me over with his tail. He swings a massive paw at me, but I slash his paw pads with my blade. He roars in pain, flicking his injured foot. While he’s distracted, I slash at his other foot, causing him to roar even more.

“Hah! I bet you didn’t expect that!” I cry out triumphantly.

“Your blade is but a toothpick and you, you are but a tiny little crumb! Such a tiny creature with such a tiny blade cannot stop me!” The Monster roars.

Without warning, The Monster transforms into a black and gray dragon. That’s when I realize that he was the very same dragon who I saw flying around yesterday.

“A dragon! But how can I pierce your scaly hide?!” I wail.

“You don’t! You die!” the dragon roars.

The Monster is much quicker in his dragon form and zips around the room like a trapped bird. Before I can even figure out what is going on, the giant dragon sneaks up on me and catches me in his mouth on a fly by. I scream in frustration, having just dropped my sword on accident. I try to fight back, but now I am defenseless and caught between a few razor sharp teeth.

“LET GO OF ME! THIS ISN’T A FAIR BATTLE!” I cry out.

The Monster keeps on flying in circles, making me feel a bit dizzy. His long barbed tongue wraps around my foot and dislodges me from between his teeth.

“Now put me down so I can get my sword!” I yell.

Instead of putting me down, however, The Monster pulls me all the way into his mouth using his tongue.

“NO! NO! NO!” I cry out.

His jaws slam shut, blocking out all the light. I try to break free from his tongue to attempt to pry his jaws back open, but he swallows me. I try not to slide down his throat, but his swallow reflex along with a great amount of saliva start forcing me further and further down. Down, and further down still, I go as though I am falling into that gorge outside in slow motion. I fall into his stomach which is pretty large.

“I never promised a fair fight! I promised to end your life!” The Monster says teasingly.

“I sure hope this armor is acid proof!” I say to myself.

By this point, I am feeling hopeless. Even if I had my sword still, there is no way I could break through his tough scaly hide. In an attempt to stay out of his stomach acid, I climb onto a pile of bones from his past victims. I bang on his stomach walls to see if that can make him uncomfortable enough to puke me up.

The stomach acid rises and sloshes about, letting me know that The Monster is still flying around in circles.

“CAN YOU STOP THAT AND JUST LET ME GO?!” I ask.

No response from The Monster aside from his continuing to fly in circles. The pile of bones I am standing on begins to crumble and I am plunged into the acid. Suddenly, I remember I still have my shield! I remove my shield from my back and start hitting it against The Monster’s stomach walls until he starts to bleed.

The Monster roars in discomfort and lands. The entire stomach begins to shake violently as the acid rises above my head. The acid gets into the cut I made and the dragon pukes me up.

“FINALLY!” I cry out.

The Monster changes back into his human form, holding his stomach in pain.

“Argh! I cannot allow you to continue hurting me! You are not the one destined to defeat me! Let’s make a deal. I give you your princess and you spare my life!” The Monster says.

“I would accept such an offer, but I’m going to need more from you than just my princess. I want you to provide me with a way back to the real world. And! I want you to let me take an additional person with me!” I say.

The Monster bursts out laughing.

“Foolish girl! Why ask so much of me?!” The Monster asks when he finishes laughing.

“If you won’t give me what I want...” I say, picking my sword up off the ground, “I will continue to hurt you until you give in!”

I lunge at the man and slash at him. He wails in pain, holding his new wound in misery.

“F-f-fine! I’ll give you everything you want! Who else is it that you want to take with you?!” The Monster asks, trying to hold back tears.

“You know that large dog with the orange patches? I want to bring him with me,” I say.

“Oh! Him... Right... He’s a nuisance anyways!” The Monster says.

He snaps his fingers and Princess Aleena appears, floating in the air. Her eyes are closed and she’s very still.

“Is she alive...?” I ask.

“Yes, I told her it was nap time. She forced me to tell her a bedtime story and she fell asleep. Brat... Prisoners don’t deserve bedtime stories!” The Monster says.

He grabs Princess Aleena out of the air and gently lays her in my arms.

“Don’t think this is the end... It isn’t. Three years from now, I will strike again. Only the four can defeat me,” The Monster says.

Before I can object, he snaps his fingers again and teleports me back to my realm with Princess Aleena. At first I am afraid that he has broken his promise and didn’t send the dog back as well, but when I get to the other side, a surprise awaits me.