Five Magic Spindles: A Collection of Sleeping Beauty Stories by Rachel Kovaciny & Kathryn McConaughy & Grace Mullins & Michelle Pennington & Ashley Stangl

Author:Rachel Kovaciny & Kathryn McConaughy & Grace Mullins & Michelle Pennington & Ashley Stangl [Kovaciny, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rooglewood Press
Published: 2016-07-22T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

THE WHEEL STOPPED . . . and nothing happened.

No crack of doom. No crumbling to dust. No final, tragic death wails of souls lost.

Alicia, Lolly, and Viola exchanged glances. Then Viola exclaimed, “Your . . . your faces!”

But Franz did not see or notice this. He still knelt beside the beautiful stone princess, his mouth slightly puckered from the kiss he’d just given, staring hard. “Please . . . please, Roselee . . .” he whispered.

Was that a flush of pink staining those gray cheeks? No question about it! And the flush spread and spread, and then the stone folds of the gown were lavender, and the parted lips were rosy, and long eyelashes fluttered over sparkling green eyes, and a dainty hand reached up to brush away curls of . . . bright blue.

Blue?

The most beautiful young woman in all the world frowned, wrinkled her nose, and groaned. “I seem to have hit my head on something! Bother that.” She blinked those amazing eyes again, her gaze focusing on Franz. “Who are you?”

Franz gaped at her. “Your . . . your hair is blue.”

The princess sat up, pushing blue locks from her eyes, which she narrowed upon Franz. “Did you just kiss me?”

“Uh, yes, I—” Franz gave a yelp and pulled back as her sharp slap stung his cheek.

“Ugh!” The princess shuddered and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. “Filthy, disgusting . . . and you’re human too, aren’t you? Ooooooh!” She shook her head, stuck her tongue out, and gagged. “How did a human boy get in here? Auntie Alicia will turn you into a rabbit, you know. She really will!”

“No, she really won’t,” said a voice of pure silver.

Franz turned then and saw three glorious women—not quite as beautiful as the princess, of course, but otherworldly and amazing in their own right. One wore a purple fur coat, and her eyes were like two enormous violets. One wore a peaked orange cap trailing veils of saffron hue, and her hair was the color of fresh-squeezed citrus juice.

The third had white hair pulled back severely from her startlingly young and lovely face. She carried herself like a queen in her silver gown, though when she spoke, one might glimpse the faintest trace of rather overlarge front teeth.

“Well, boy,” said Guardian Alicia, moving to stand over Franz and the princess. “It seems you are a True Hero after all.”

“Me?” Franz gazed wide-eyed up at the stern fairy, realizing that she must be right since his kiss had worked to break the curses on Briardale. “B-but how?” he stammered, trying to get to his feet and finding his legs too rubbery for the effort. “I’ve never moved a mountain or slain a dragon or . . .”

Guardian Alicia’s wand tapped on Franz’s hand, and it turned and opened to reveal the bright jeweled pin lying in his palm.

“You have saved a kingdom,” said Alicia, smiling despite herself. “The whole Kingdom of Homunculi owes you its undying gratitude for preventing it from being crushed by the Slavering Swamp Beast.

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