The Enchanted Kingdoms (Haunting Fairytales Series Book 1)

by Becca Alexandra

  ‘Where are you going?’ Stilt asked, looking at the carriage.

  ‘To visit Merlin.’

  Stilt shook his head. ‘Don’t bother. Whatever you need, he won’t help. Not when you’re allied with Lori or us. He hates us all.’

  Belle pressed her lips together. ‘I see. Well, shall we go back to Northmanni? I want to see James.’

  Edward nodded and escorted her to the carriage.

  HUMAN

  Eric walked his usual route back to the lake as he had done every night since meeting Ariel. His hope of ever seeing the fiery redhead that called shoes crockhoppers and made him laugh more than he had ever laughed in his life was fading. He rubbed his eyes twice and looked at the blurry figure ahead of him. His vision corrected. It was her, his dream girl, talking to a seagull, dressed in an old rag.

  ‘Ariel?’ Eric shouted over at her. She turned and grinned, showing off her beautiful pearly white teeth. She went to run over to him, but tripped on the bottom of the rag, and fell onto the pebbles. Eric ran over and helped her up. ‘I can’t believe it’s you.’

  ‘Hi. I’m human,’ she exclaimed then put her hands over her mouth. ‘I mean, of course, I am.’

  ‘Right,’ he said slowly and raised an eyebrow. ‘Where are you from?’

  ‘Uhh, a different place to here.’

  ‘Well, I know that.’ He laughed. ‘Why are you wearing a rag?’

  She twirled. ‘Coverer.’

  He laughed boyishly. ‘It’s a rag. Shall we get you into a dress at the castle?’ he offered.

  She giggled. ‘A dress? Um, sure,’ she said.

  They strolled toward the castle. Eric couldn’t stop laughing at the things Ariel was coming out with. ‘You’re rather unusual.’

  ‘Oh,’ she replied and pouted.

  ‘It’s a good thing,’ he admitted. ‘I haven’t met anyone like you before. You’re like a breath of fresh air.’

  She couldn’t stop looking at his face. His chiseled features, his hair, now dry, was curly. She thought it was adorable.

  ‘You’re really nice, too,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘Ah, you’ve only just met me,’ he joked, smiling mischievously.

  ***

  Belle and Edward cosied up for the ride. Belle felt peaceful, happy even. ‘I feel like I’ve been missing out,’ she said.

  ‘On what?’

  ‘Love,’ she admitted.

  He stroked her hair and grinned. ‘I never knew it could feel this good.’

  Stilt, who was sitting across from them, looked as if he may vomit. ‘Oh, thank God!’ he said as the carriage came to a stop. ‘We’re here.’

  ‘Oh, it’s not that bad,’ Edward said and laughed. He followed Stilt out and helped Belle out of the carriage.

  ‘It’s nauseating, watching you two. I liked you better when you were a swine,’ Stilt admitted.

  Belle grinned at Edward. ‘What happens now?’

  Edward smiled back. He couldn’t help it. ‘We defeat Lori, get James, and return to Dolorom.’

  ‘James has powers now.’

  Stilt raised an eyebrow. ‘Does he?’

  Belle pursed her lips. ‘You will not try to take them from him!’

  Stilt laughed. ‘You’re kidding, right? We have unlimited power now. What would we need with his?’

  ‘Lori said …’ She stopped herself. Of course, Lori had said that. She turned to Edward. ‘Never mind. I just can’t wait for us to be a family.’

  Edward raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean it? We can be a family?’

  ‘Of course,’ Belle said and smiled.

  ‘Oh, Belle,’ he said and lifted her up, twirling her around. ‘I love you so much.’

  ‘I love you too,’ she said, blushing. She was sure she could never get tired of saying that. ‘Can’t we return to the castle in Milborn?’

  Edward shook his head. ‘Sorry love. It has to be Dolorom. I have a kingdom to run.’

  ‘Of course,’ Belle said, shaking her head. ‘I just want out of all this. I don’t want a part in any of this anymore. I just want a peaceful life.’

  Edward took her hand. ‘I promise you we will have that. I will make sure of it. For now, I must help Stilt with his quest. I must help kill Lori. While she is alive, I will never be happy. She will always find a way to ruin my life. I must keep you safe.’

  Belle bit her lip. ‘I can go back and pretend that everything is fine. Work from the inside.’

  ‘Excellent idea,’ Stilt said.

  ‘Out of the question,’ Edward said and gave Stilt a discerning look. ‘Belle will not be returning there. She will be smack in the middle of all the chaos. I will not let that happen!’

  ‘Oh, you won’t let me, huh? Since when did you dictate what I do or don’t do?’ Belle said, putting her hands on her hips.

  ‘Let her do it,’ Stilt said, interrupting their bickering.

  Edward froze. A letter flew in their direction with a familiar wax seal. It was from Dolorom. The raven sat on his shoulder. He took the letter off, and it flew off into the sky.

  Belle and Stilt watched with anticipation. He read it several times before looking up. ‘Northmanni are planning an attack on Dolorom.’

  Stilt shrugged. ‘So? They’ll beat them.’

  He shook his head. ‘No, they won’t. Lori has built a huge army, apparently.’

  Belle walked over and stroked his hand. ‘We will do everything we can.’

  Stilt looked at Edward. ‘What do we need to do? My little girl is there.’

  Edward looked at them both darkly. ‘We need to go to Milborn. They are our biggest allies.’

  He grabbed Belle’s arm, and they all vanished and reappeared in Milborn. Belle scowled. ‘I wanted to check on my son!’

  Edward looked at her apologetic. ‘Sorry. I promise this won’t take long.’

  They looked up at the palace. Moss clung to its walls, and the drawbridge was down. It cast a shadow on the courtyard where townsfolk were in their carriages trading things like fish and corn. The kingdom was bustling with people. The little road winding down to the pebble bay, had walls either side a couple of feet tall, covered in ivy and plants. Statues of Neptune and fountains littered the castle’s entrance, and the iron gates were even in the shape of a clam.

  ‘Best mussels in all the lands. Forosh have the best fish. Milborn has the best crabs and mussels,’ Edward told Belle.

  They walked into the castle and were confronted by guards. ‘What is your business here?’

  ‘We are here to see Prince Eric,’ Edward replied coolly.

  ‘Names?’

  ‘Stilt, Belle, and I am Prince Edward of Dolorom.’

  ‘Of course, Prince Edward,’ he said quickly. ‘We will tell the prince.’

  Moments later, Eric appeared with a human Ariel sporting a baby pink dress. ‘You’re the little mermaid from the boat,’ Stilt said and smiled. ‘I see you have legs now.’

  Eric looked at her questioningly. ‘What?’ asked Eric.

  Ariel’s cheeks flushed pink. ‘I was a mermaid. I was given a potion to become human so that I could see you.’

  Eric smiled. ‘You became human so you could see me again?’

  She nodded enthusiastically.

  ‘Ariel, you’re in danger. Ursula is here, in human form, to make sure you don’t return to the lake,’ Stilt said.

  They all looked at him. He looked around and shrugged. ‘Really? It’s not hard to connect the dots. She’s a jealous person. She desperately wanted the prince to fall into the lake. We gave Ariel’s mother a potion so Ariel would turn to sea foam if she ever became human for over three days …’ He looked around again. ‘What?’

  Ariel asked. ‘That makes no sense. I won’t be going back to the lake.’

  ‘You must,’ Stilt said. ‘If not, you’ll die.’

  ‘No! How do we stop it?’ Eric asked, panicked.

  Stilt smiled. ‘I have a plan.’

  They all huddled together and nodded as Stilt
relayed the plan to them. ‘Ready?’

  ‘Yes,’ Ariel said.

  Edward turned to Eric. ‘Dolorom is under attack.’

  Eric grimaced. ‘Who from?’

  ‘Northmanni,’ Edward said bitterly. ‘We need more troops. Our kingdoms are allied, and we have sent you troops in the past.’

  Eric nodded. ‘Of course. I will talk to Father. In the meantime, please make yourselves at home,’ he said and hurried off to find the king.

  MORAL COMPASS

  James furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the compass. ‘So how exactly does this work?’

  Merlin placed his hand on top of his compass and smiled warmly. ‘It’s a moral compass. It works when you’re using your magic for good. When you use your magic for bad, it will temporarily paralyze you.’

  James looked up at Merlin and put the compass into his pocket. ‘Why do I need to use it?’

  Merlin sat across from him and stroked his long beard. ‘It will give you complete control of your powers, and make sure you only use them for good. You do only want to use them for good, don’t you?’

  ‘Of course,’ James mumbled. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘No need to thank me. As of now, you’re my apprentice. I have a task for you,’ Merlin said in his deep, gruff voice.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Well, Snow’s plan has not worked.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ James replied.

  ‘I know Lori slaughtered the dwarfs, and I know Red was turned into a wolf. Unfortunately, even you cannot tamper with a curse. Not with your moral compass. Only sorcerers who are not attached to moral compasses can tamper, break, and cast curses. Lori, Stilt, Edward, and Gertrude are the only ones who can.’

  ‘Lori won’t,’ James said, feeling disheartened. ‘Poor Red.’

  Merlin lowered his eyes to James’s compass. ‘If you can find a way to bind Lori, Stilt, and Edward, and bring them to me, then I will help your friends.’

  James nodded. ‘I can do try.’

  ‘Remember,’ Merlin said. ‘You must use your powers for the right reasons. Do not harm them, just restrain. The spells we have been practicing, the method, is the same for the binding spell. Here is the incantation,’ Merlin said, handing him a piece of paper. ‘Say it in your head.’

  James nodded and memorized the incantation. ‘I will be back,’ he said and disappeared on the spot. Learning how to finally do that was an achievement for him. He felt in control, but not as powerful as he apparently was.

  ***

  Loving her was an honour. Her hair was as vibrant as her personality. Her ideas were so mind boggling that they were bordering on genius. She breathed life into every room she entered. Eric was falling helplessly in love with her.

  ‘I never thought you could fall in love so quickly,’ he admitted to Ariel.

  She was sprawled across his bed, with no shoes on, or crockhoppers as she called them, and was wriggling her toes. ‘I don’t care if people think it’s odd or not. I love you. You just know it’s right when you meet the one. Do you care about what people think?’

  ‘Not anymore,’ he said and sat on the bed. He stroked her cheek and leant in toward her. Her heart hammered loudly the closer he got. His scent filled her senses. Being around him was a sensory overload. He kissed her like he had never kissed before.

  ‘You’re a good kisser for a fish,’ he joked.

  ‘So are you, for a human.’ She twirled his curly hair around her finger. ‘I can’t believe we stayed up all night talking.’

  He laughed. ‘I haven’t stayed up all night since I was a child. Edward came over and me, him, and a few others went camping and told ghost stories all night.’

  ‘What is a ghost?’ she asked.

  ‘The spirit of a deceased person,’ he said darkly.

  ‘Oh,’ she said glumly.

  ‘I do believe we have a ball to attend,’ he said.

  Ariel grinned. ‘I have always wanted to dance. A dinner and a show—it will be amazing.’

  ‘It’ll be the best one we will ever have had.’

  ***

  ‘They are in Milborn?’ Lori asked the spy.

  ‘Yes, they are in Milborn,’ he repeated. ‘They are attending Prince Eric’s ball to announce his engagement.’

  ‘Engagement to who?’she asked.

  ‘Some commoner apparently. Ariel,’ he said flatly. ‘Sorry I couldn’t bring more news. However, I did find out that Milborn are sending troops to Dolorom in anticipation of your attack.’

  Lori drank her wine and put it on the table. ‘We will see,’ she said and polished her nails. ‘I have always been one for balls. Arrange for my carriage and luggage to be prepared. We are going to Milborn. Also, fetch me Snow, will you?’

  He bowed his head and left the room, leaving Lori alone at the long table. Before long, Snow stormed through the door.

  ‘What do you want?’ she asked. Lori noticed that Snow was looking a little crazed. Her eye was twitching, she looked tired, her hair was a mess, and she was breathing fast.

  ‘Snow, take a seat.’

  Begrudgingly, Snow sat down and looked at Lori stonily. ‘What do you want?’ Snow repeated, impatiently.

  ‘Belle is involved with Edward again,’ Lori said simply. ‘One of my spies saw them together.’

  ‘No,’ Snow said, feeling betrayed. ‘And James, have you heard from him?’

  ‘Yes. Apparently, he has been making deals with Merlin,’ Lori said and gave Snow a knowing look. ‘I know about everything. I can no longer trust anyone, so I want to offer you to be my ally. I know you hate me, but I can bring justice to your mother. Edward, I promise, will die. Along with Stilt. And I promise to keep James safe. I need to you to accompany me to a ball being held in a kingdom far away. We will find Edward and Belle there. We will arrest him and Stilt for their crimes and bring them here.’

  Snow sat in silence and considered her options. ‘And you promise me that no harm will come to James or Belle? She may be with Edward, but she is a good person. I can see that.’

  She smiled. ‘I promise no physical harm will come to either of them,’ Lori promised.

  Snow lifted her hand in the air. ‘Or curse … you will do nothing to them!’ Lori nodded in response. Snow nodded. ‘Then, I am on your side. I will go with you.’

  Lori smirked. ‘More than that, you will trick them into coming here. Belle trusts you; so does James.’

  Snow bit her lip so hard she could taste blood. She was going to betray the people she cared about. She was turning out to be just as bad as the people she hated. ‘Fine.’

  ‘Once they are out of Milborn, they are out of their jurisdiction,’ Lori pointed out. ‘I cannot arrest them there, but I can arrest them the second they leave Milborn.’

  ‘What will happen once they are arrested?’ asked Snow. Lori raised her hand, and with one of the pointed nails, she motioned a slit across her throat. Snow nodded and stood up. ‘When do we leave?’

  ‘Dawn,’ she stated. ‘I will have the servants prepare your things. Do not mess this up!’ Lori warned.

  ‘I won’t.’

  Snow walked back to her room. I’ve made a deal with the devil. She opened the door to her room and saw James sat by the fire, his feet up on the table.

  ‘James,’ she said. ‘You’re back early.’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ he said, smiling. ‘I have so much to tell you. Red was cursed to be a wolf.’

  ‘Oh. That would make a lot of sense. I went there and saw a wolf. I think she was trying to communicate.’

  James noticed that Snow didn’t look compassionate at all! If anything, she looked blank. James continued. ‘Also, I am so sorry, but the dwarfs are dead. Lori killed them …’

  ‘I know,’ she replied. ‘I’m leaving in the morning.’

  ‘Why?’ he asked.

  ‘Lori wants me to go to some stupid ball with her in Milborn.’

  ‘I’ll go with you,’ James said.

  ‘No,’ Snow said
a little too quickly. James looked at her suspiciously. ‘It’ll be boring.’

  ‘As long as I am with you, I don’t care.’ She felt butterflies in her stomach then sighed. How could she ever tell him how she felt once she betrayed his mother?

  ‘James, I want you to know that no matter what happens, I—’

  A guard interrupted them. ‘Your luggage has been prepared. You leave at dawn at the front entrance. You have your own carriage.’

  ‘Make it for two, please. I will be coming along,’ James said. The guard nodded and left. ‘What were you going to say?’ James asked.

  ‘I was going to say that I care about you.’

  ‘Oh,’ he said, feeling a little disappointed that it wasn’t more. ‘Well, I care about you too. Even more than that.’

  Snow didn’t reply and got onto her bed. James gulped. ‘Guess I’ll see you in the morning. Look, are you okay? You seem a little … down.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she snapped.

  ‘Okay, well, know that no matter what happens, you will always have me. I promise,’ James said and left the room, leaving Snow feeling ten times worse.

  MASQUERADE

  Blue and purple drapes covered the walls of the ballroom. Three magnificent chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the glimmers from the crystals reflected off the marble floor. Tables surrounded the sides of the room, and the large space in the middle had been cleared for dancing. A band stood preparing their instruments on the small stage and a long table stretched across the top of the hall. It was filled with delicious foods, imported from other kingdoms, and mussels and crab from their kingdom were the special dishes.

  Ursula, who had turned into a human to make sure that Ariel did not return to the lake, entered the hall. She had pretended to be a cook and took pleasure in the job. After all, she got to rip lobsters apart and chop the heads off shrimp.

  Ariel could tell who it was, due to the eyes, but pretended not to notice.

  ‘Everything to your liking, Majesty?’ Ursula asked and bowed her head.

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ Ariel said quickly. ‘Bring the engagement cake in at eight on the dot.’ Ursula bowed and left the room. Belle, Stilt, and Edward stayed hidden from Ursula’s sight, and they told the guards different names from their own.