Looking for Something A Little Different

As a kid, most of my earliest exposure to fairy tales was through Disney movies, which I loved (still regularly sing most of the songs, as a matter of fact). But that’s not to say that I didn’t have some criticisms.

First and foremost, I never liked Prince Charming. A lot of this stemmed from the fact that I was convinced that the prince in Cinderella and the prince in Snow White were the same guy, making him a pretty big jerk. Plus, that name? Not only did he not live up to it, but does it really get more pompous than that? I always assumed he was the son of King Too Awesome For My Own Good and Queen I’m Prettier Than You.

And then, on top of all of this, he was boring. Of course, there were problems on the other end of the spectrum, too. The Beast, with his borderline psychotic anger management issues comes to mind. Certainly not boring, but not exactly an easy guy to hang out with.

The fellas were certainly not alone in their personality defects. The ladies were often right there with them (Snow White, people have tried to kill you and you’re still naïve enough to accept food from strangers??)

Again, I’m not saying I didn’t love these movies or that I don’t still pull out the VHS’s from time to time (rockin’ it old school). As long as I can remember, though, I’ve been thinking, How would I do this differently?

Part III

Meki crept along the damp walls of the narrow hallway. The sound of the man's yelling grew closer. Through a hole in the stone Meki saw a handsome young man get struck by a guard. He stumbled backward, but did not fall.

He spit out blood. "You will get nothing from me."

"You will give us the secret to the warmth." The guard smiled cruelly. "Or you will never again feel the sun upon your face." Hitting the young man once more, the guard left.

Meki began to chant softly under her breath. The hole in the stone wall widened into a doorway. The man swung around to face the new attack and stared at her, clearly confused.

"Come on!" Meki urged. "Before he comes back."

The man joined her in the hallway and she closed the wall.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"A sorceress showed me."

"Why?"

Meki shrugged. "I like to see the inside of rocks."

He paused for a second, pondering that. "That's very strange."

"I just saved your life." Meki gave him a shove. "I'm not sure criticizing my hobbies is the best way to show your appreciation."

He gave a small bow. "Of course. My apologies. I am grateful the help. Who are you?"

"Meki, Countess of Spring. And you?"

"My name is Lucius. I'm the Prince of Summer. Were you captured as well?"

"You ask a lot of questions. But, yes, I was. And now I'm going to find a way home." Not waiting for his next query, she set off down the hallway. She heard him following behind her. Eventually they reached a dead end, and using the spell once more, moved back out into the cold.

Immediately, she began to violently shiver.

"We are not dressed for this." Lucius pointed out.

"No, but we haven't many other choices. Come on, we need to move."

They had come out of the castle on the opposite side from where Meki entered. She saw a small town just past the gates. As they made there way to it, Meki noticed the small spirals of smoke coming from each of the chimneys. The tiny tendrils barely made a dent in the cold wind.

Not everyone found shelter in the small houses. People huddled together on the streets in an effort to escape from the bitter cold.

Meki's stomach dropped as she looked around at the tortured citizens......