Kiss Of Death (Part 2 of 3)

The Prince gave Rosemina’s hand a reassuring squeeze and she turned to him just in time to see his face go slack. “My lord?”

Without a word, the Prince collapsed dead at her feet.

A stunned silence befell the spectators. Rosemina stood frozen, gazing down at the Prince’s body, willing him to wake. Surely, he was playing a trick. He had been protected by the kingdom’s finest physicians and most powerful sorcerers. If anyone were to break her curse, it would be him.

When the Prince didn’t rouse, the Queen ordered her men to arrest Rosemina. But Rosemina was light on her feet, and the men were clad in heavy armor. She pushed her way through the crowd and headed into the forest. She ran as fast and far as she was able, until she came upon a small clearing where she fell to her knees and wept.

“Hello,” said a voice from the shadows of the wood. The figure of a young man came toward her. Rosemina shied away, not wanting to meet the eyes of anyone, let alone another man. “Don’t be frightened,” he said. “My name is Johnathan.” The man held out his hand.

“My name is…Magnaline.” Rosemina pulled her hood up over her head and tried to shield her face. She knew that if he were to see her, he too would be compelled to kiss her. She would not send another innocent man to his death. “Don’t look at me. Please.”

Johnathan laughed. “I wouldn’t dare,” he said as he stepped out of the shadows. Johnathan was plain but handsome. His well-groomed hair fell over his ears in light brown waves, but the feature that stood out to her most were his eyes, cloudy grey and unfocused.

“You’re blind?”

“Yes, but even I know that you’ve been weeping. I don’t live very far. If you’d like, I could offer you a meal and a place to sleep, and return you safely to your home in the morning. ”

Rosemina knew, as horrible as it were, that if this man proved to be untrustworthy she needed only to kiss him. Having nowhere else to go, and not much light left in the day, she accepted his offer and followed him to a quaint little cottage nestled deep within the forest.

Johnathan prepared a small meal for the two and readied his own bed with clean linens for Rosemina. He hadn’t asked why Rosemina had been crying or where she had come from, but she felt after the kindness he’d shown her, that he deserved to know her story. “My name isn’t Magnaline,” she said.

“Oh?”

Rosemina detected the amusement in his voice. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“I’ve heard tell of a girl so beautiful that no man can resist her kiss.”

“And you’ve heard of what becomes of such men?”

“I have. And I know that this girl was summoned by the Prince only this morning. One can only assume the lady’s curse remains unbroken?”

A wave of sadness overcame Rosemina at the mention of the young Prince.

“Rosemina?” Johnathan reached across the table and caressed her cheek. “May I?”

“Yes,” she whispered. Johnathan moved his hand down her chin. He felt her jaw, her nose, her brow. “You are beautiful,” he said. A tear fell from her cheek onto his thumb. “Come.” Johnathan stood and pulled her to her feet.

“No,” she said. “You mustn’t.”

He smiled. “I cannot be compelled to kiss you, Rosemina.” He held out his hand. “Perhaps I could be the one to break this curse.”

Rosemina hesitated. If she took his hand, he would pull her to him. He would kiss her, she was certain. She wanted more than anything to break her curse, and he was a man who could not be lured by her beauty. A man who could kiss her of his own free will. But if it didn’t work, could she watch him die at her hand?

“I promise you, it will be worth it,” he said. “For the both of us.”

So distraught and full of longing, Rosemina made her wish again, Let there be one soul whose life would not end with her kiss. Let that soul be his. She stepped closer to Johnathan and took his hand.

He wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to hope. Johnathan’s lips brushed her nose, then her cheek. As his kisses neared her mouth, a pounding at the door startled them both. Johnathan motioned for Rosemina to be still.

“Woodsman! Open your door, by order of the Queen!”

*****
Come back Friday for the conclusion by Natalie!
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Kiss Of Death (Part 1 of 3)

Rosemina first encountered her curse at age five when the neighbor boy chased her behind the rosebushes, pressed his sticky, candy-covered lips against hers and promptly fell down dead. To this day the taste of chocolate and the scent of roses are synonymous with death in Rosemina’s mind.

Rosemina’s beauty was exquisite. So lovely was she, that every boy who laid eyes upon her felt compelled to kiss her. And so it was many years, and many ill-fated kisses, before Rosemina and the rest of the village came to understand it was not merely misfortune that caused all of her suitors to die. It was Rosemina.

You see, her lips were poisonous.

The town leaders held a meeting and it was decided that Rosemina must be confined to her house whenever possible. At those times when it was necessary she venture out, her lips must always be covered, lest any boy unable to control his urges be killed.

Rosemina’s father built a cottage in the forest at the very edge of town and there she spent her days, shunned and alone.

The years passed and Rosemina grew both lovelier and lonelier. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Rosemina made a wish on a falling star. Let there be one soul whose life would not end with her kiss. One soul she could love and be loved by.

The next morning Rosemina woke to a vigorous pounding on the cottage door. Her father’s shouts brought her into the front room where he struggled with men in full armor. “You will not take her! I forbid it!”

“What is this, Father?”

At the sound of her voice, which was almost as lovely as she, the men released her father. They swayed at the sight of Rosemina and she was glad to see that as a precaution, their helmets had been sealed shut.

Rosemina listened with budding hope as her father explained that the King’s son had heard tales of her beauty and wanted to be the one to break her curse himself. She did not hear the edge of fear in her father’s voice, only the news that her wish had come true. For, surely, if anyone could break her curse, it would be a prince.

Rosemina was dizzy with happiness, an emotion so unfamiliar that she stumbled more than walked her way to the awaiting carriage. She barely noticed the way the King’s men avoided her once she was safely locked inside. Rosemina found it far more exciting to watch the world go by knowing that this time, it was she leaving it behind.

It was only when they arrived at the castle, with its great outdoor stage and crowd of spectators, that Rosemina became nervous. Before she had a chance to dwell on her fears, she was yanked from the carriage by more hands than she had ever felt at one time.

The Queen’s ladies oohed and ahhed over her as they pulled her along stone corridors, stripped her of her “filthy rags” and shoved her in the deepest, warmest bath she had ever felt. She had a moment, before the scrubbing began, to think that if heaven were anything like this, being put to death would be just fine.

When Rosemina was dressed in so much finery she could hardly stand upright, the Queen paid her a visit. Rosemina felt her cheeks go warm under the older woman’s gaze. The Queen made a slow circle around Rosemina, piercing her with a glare. “Do you intend to murder my son?”

Rosemina gasped at the Queen’s directness, but held her head high when she replied. “No, your Highness.”

The Queen cocked her head, her voice a touch warmer this time. “This curse, what do you know of it? Who cursed you?”

“I know nothing, your Highness. I believe I was born this way.”

The Queen pursed her lips and glowered at Rosemina. “Hear my words, girl. Our wisest physicians and most powerful sorcerers have prepared protective potions and talismans for the Prince, but if you bring death to this castle, it’s your head I’ll have.”

Rosemina drew in a shaky breath. “Yes, your Highness.”

“Cover her,” said the Queen to her ladies. She left the room as a velvet hood came down over Rosemina’s face, shrouding her in darkness.

As she was lead to the outdoor stage, Rosemina reminded herself that in the old stories, it was always the Prince’s kiss that broke the curse. Soon she would be free. No longer the town pariah, but a princess.

Rosemina knew she’d reached the stage when she heard the murmur of the crowd. The velvet hood was pulled gently from her head and the audience gasped. She found herself looking into the astonished eyes of the Prince.

His face broke into a wide grin. “You’re even more beautiful than the stories said.”

Rosemina tingled with pride. For the first time in her life, she was glad to be beautiful. Glad that someone wanted to kiss her. “As are you, your Highness.”

The Prince’s eyes widened with surprise and then he laughed. “I think I’m going to enjoy having you as my wife.”

Rosemina’s cheeks ached from smiling. Her years of suffering had been worthwhile if only to bring her to this moment.

The Prince held up his hand and the crowd silenced. “Now, let’s take care of that curse, shall we?”

Rosemina nodded, no longer caring if she appeared too eager. The Prince cupped her face in his hands and leaned forward. His lips were soft and warm and gentle as they touched hers. She sank into them, certain that this was what kissing was supposed to feel like. All too soon, the Prince pulled away. She opened her eyes and he grinned with pride. The crowd erupted in cheers.

Rosemina laughed with joy and relief when the Prince reached for her hand and held it aloft in victory. She looked back at the King and Queen who smiled from their thrones.

The Prince gave Rosemina’s hand a reassuring squeeze and she turned to him just in time to see his face go slack. “My lord?”

Without a word, the Prince collapsed dead at her feet.


*****
Come back Wednesday for Part 2 written by Lacey!
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This post brought to you by the letter 'T'

We have an announcement to make.

*ahem*

We have heard from a few readers that they prefer waiting until Friday to read the full story all in one go and we think this is pretty keen and have been brainstorming on how to make this easier. And we've done it. Prepare yourselves.

We have created an archive of Tangled Fiction Fulls.

Impressive, right? Once the story has been posted in full, we'll be compiling all of the pieces into a single document and loading them into the archive.

Quick side note - you'll notice that we have installed IntenseDebate in order to thread comments, so please use that feature! It will let you comment as a guest, create an IntenseDebate profile, or sign-in with your Twitter or Facebook account.

The Tangled Trio now has two completed shorts up and and I have to say our latest is my favorite so far. Seeing where Valerie and Lacey took this one was exhilarating. You can find it here: What Wishes Are Made Of.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

*Photo by hamadryades via Flickr Creative Commons (This is a vision of our future...we have room to grow!)

What Wishes Are Made Of (Part 3 of 3)

MADDY
That boy didn’t fall into the well. He jumped.

NINA
I should’ve gone to the well alone.

LIV
That freaking wishing well did it. And I’m going to make sure it undoes it too.



MADDY

I’m actually starting to see the appeal of sweatpants and sneakers. The hike up Harper Hill is much easier today than it was in heels. By the time I get to the well, I’m pretty calm. I’m not annoyed like I was before, back when I thought it was all hocus pocus and a waste of a Friday afternoon. I won’t waste it today. I'm not even sure what I'm doing here. I just know that I'm tired. I am so freaking tired, and I just want this to end.

The wind blows and I wrap my arms around myself. “Jesus, it’s cold.” As soon as I say it, I get that feeling. The one I’ve been dreaming about. It’s telling me that it would be warmer inside the well where there’s no wind.

My skin creeps with the feeling like someone is watching me. I scan the clearing. The old grate sits up against a tree. A crow caws from up in the branches above. But there’s nobody here but me. Me and the well.

I pull cold air in through my nose, and the smell hits me. I remember it from the first day we came up here, but it wasn’t nearly this strong. I don’t have to wonder where it’s coming from. Or what it means. I step up closer and peek down into the blackness.

NINA

When I walk into the cafeteria at lunch, I spot Liv right away. She’s not at our usual table, where Jake and the rest of the team sit, but at a table in the back. Her face is turned toward the wall, pretending not to hear the whispers. Even if she couldn’t hear them, every eye is on her, and nobody is making it subtle. How could I let this happen?

I scan the line to the concession stand for Maddy but she’s not there. I know she’d never eat a regular school lunch, but I check that line too. There’s no sign of her. I can’t even think about food, not with everything that’s going on in my head. I go straight to Liv and slide into a seat beside her. “Hey.”

“What’s up, chica?” she says without looking up. “You seen Maddy?”

I shake my head. “Not since this morning.”

“Huh. Hey, did she tell you what she wished for?”

I shake my head again. A knot forms in my stomach and I turn away from her, hoping she stops there. But I know she won’t. Liv can’t let things go.

“What did you wish for?” she asks. I tense up. I can’t answer that question. All of that happened before Liv and Maddy. It was a different life. Besides, Liv’s wish could be pure coincidence. And Maddy might really be sick. I try to make myself believe that, but at the same time some small part of me hopes it’s real.

LIV

Nina pulls her shoulders in and turns away from me. I think I deserve to know what she wished for. After all, I only made my wish because of her. Everyone in this room is staring at me like I have TRAMP stamped on my forehead. She owes me. “Well?”

“What?”

“Your wish. What was it?”

“Oh. It was nothing. Kid’s stuff. Just for fun.” She looks around the room, everywhere but at me. “I’m worried about Maddy. Where is she?”

“She probably went home. She looked like death.” But Nina and I both know that’s not where Maddy went. As soon as this day is over and not everyone is staring at me, I’m going too. This time, I’ll be specific. No way am I going out like this.

NINA

It’s quiet in the woods. There’s no sign that Maddy will be at the well, but I keep hoping I’ll see her when I get there, or that she really does have a cold and she never went at all. No matter how much I want my wish to come true it can’t. Not like this.

I reach for the little bird on my bracelet, only to find the empty ring, which opens up the empty part of my heart. When he gave it to me, we were only kids, but I knew he meant it. It makes me think of you, Nina. I can still hear his voice. And I can still see the haunted look in his eyes the last time I saw him. The same one Maddy wore this morning. His smile coated with the same false sense of pride I saw in Liv today. What happened to him was my fault, and I won’t let it happen again. I can’t.

I quicken my pace and push through the last of the trees and I spill out into the clearing. There’s a figure by the well, but it’s not Maddy.

“Luke?”

He turns to me and smiles. He looks the same as in my dream, the same as I remember; deep brown eyes and dark hair that’s neither black nor brown, but somewhere in between. He was thirteen when it happened, and he still looks it, except for something reflected in his eyes that makes him look older. Only his wet clothes and the smell of his damp skin give away where he’s been.

Luke holds out his fist. He unfolds his fingers, and in his palm rests my charm.


*******
Come back Monday for a new story started by Valerie!

*Photo by Robyn's Nest via Flickr Creative Commons