5: THE PRINCESS

Nick crept through the dark castle. It was huge but many areas were filled with dust and rubble where part of the wall or ceiling had fallen in. Candles lit the more tidier places in the castle and Nick followed these through the twisting corridors, which were filled with portraits of kings and queens.

Soon he approached some steps. This was it. It had to be. Princesses were always in the towers of a castle. He climbed the steps and with each one his heart began to beat a lttle faster. After a long climb, he came to a door. His mouth was dry as he reached for the door handle. It turned with a satisfied click. Pushing the door open, Nick found himself in a huge bedroom. This room was free from dust and had pale blue walls and a thick, navy carpet. In the centre was a four poster bed which was surrounded by vales. He could see the bulge of some undefined figure sleeping underneath a blue duvet.

Nick crept closer. So far, the sleeper still lay hidden behind the vales and beneath the blankets. Nick wondered what divinity lay beneath them.

When he was within two paces he closed his eyes. He stepped forward once. Twice. He stopped. His quest was over. He could her breathing.

Still with his eyes closed, he reached out and pushed the vales of silk back. Then, with a trembling hand, he pulled the silk blanket back. He felt himself tremble as his hand brushed against something soft for a second. A lock of her hair perhaps?

Then he lent down to kiss his love.

“AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! KEV! KEV! KEV! KEV! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF OF ME! HEEEEELLLP! KEV! I’M BEING RAPED! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!”

Nick opened his eyes and saw a beautiful pair of blue orbs staring back at him. Then his vision darkened as a fist connected with his face.

“Get away from me you weirdo!!!”

Nick fell to the floor. What was going on? Was this his princess? He turned to look up at a very angry face.

Obviously, this was not his love. It wasn’t a princess. It wasn’t even a woman.

A blond haired man stood before him. His blue eyes glared at Nick. A small red dragon was sat at his heels.

“Get him, Dobbin!” the blond man said.

The dragon, a skinny beast with a slobbery tongue hanging out of it’s mouth and huge chocolate, brown eyes, lumbered forwards towards Nick. Nick grabbed his sword.

“Aaargh! A sword! Dobbin!” the man shrieked. He scooped the dragon up into his arms like a baby.

“A – Are you a, a princess?” Nick stammered, still dizzy from the punch.

“A princess?! Do I look like a princess?! Kevino, get this freak away from me!”

“But I was told that the princess Brianna lived here!” Nick said.

“Brianna? Which twisted mug told you that! My name is Brian! I am a prince and this is my castle and I want you out of here NOW!”

Nick slowly stood up.

“You called, cuz?” Kevino said, appearing with a poof of smoke in the doorway.

“Kev! This, this THING was trying to kiss me! Get it away from me!” Brian said, still cuddling Dobbin the dragon.

“Ah, prince Nick, how do you feel about ‘Brianna’ now?”

“This, this is a joke, right?” Nick said.

“Afraid not, Nicky,” Howie said, entering the room. “Appears that the story has changed slightly during the last two hundred years.”

“Slightly?” Nick replied.

“It’s a bewitched prince in this castle, not a princess.”

Nick stared at Brian in bewilderment. “You’re a man?”

“Of course I am!” Brian snapped.

“I should’ve bought my friend Justin along,” Nick murmured.

“What?” Brian asked.

“Nothing.”

AJ suddenly burst into the room, gasping after running up all of the steps.

“Awww, I missed the happy moment!” he said.

“Did you send him up here?” Brian asked, furiously. “Because it is not funny!”

“Yes it is!” AJ sniggered.

“I can’t believe you tricked me!” Nick said to AJ. “I thought we were friends!”

“Not after you cheated in your fight against me!”

“And what did I ever do to deserve to wake up and find THAT in my face?” Brian asked, pointing at Nick. “I am waiting for a princess to come, not a prince! Kevino, how dare you let him pass you!”

“He beat me in a fight,” Kevino replied.

“Like hell he did!”

“Hey, cuz, calm down!” Kevino said, seeing that Brian was about to explode at any second.

“You two are cousins!?” Nick asked.

“What’s wrong with that? No safer body guard than a member of your own family, at least I thought so!” Brian said.

“And you keep the dragon as your pet?”

Brian patted Dobbin who belched a miniature fireball. “Yeah, he’s cute isn’t he?”

“CUTE! This place is insane!”

“Um, excuse me Brian,” Howie said. “I heard that you could turn me back into my true form.”

Brian regarded the donkey. “Alright I’ll change you back. As long as afterwards you take Him out of here!” he said looking at Nick. “I’m gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life!”

Brian closed his eyes and raised his arms. “Azulusdonkeus!”

There was a flash of bright pink light where Howie stood. When it was gone there was no longer a donkey there but a…

“You turned him into a toad!” Nick cried.

“Turn me back!” the Howie toad croaked. “I prefer the donkey to this!”

“Sorry, wrong spell!” Brian said. He raised his arms again. “Alutoudeus!”

This time there was a flash of yellow light and a lot of green smoke. When it cleared there was another man standing before them. He was a little smaller than Nick and had long, dark hair. Howie looked down at himself.

“Hey, thanks!” he said to Brian.

“You’re welcome, now please leave!”

“Before we go, I think I have a little something to settle with you, AJ!” Nick said. “If it weren’t for you, than none of this would have happened! You led me to this castle!”

AJ backed away slightly as both Nick and Brian turned towards him. Dobbin spat a small fireball at him.

“Come on, guys! Can’t you take a joke?” AJ said, desperately.

The two princes shook their heads.

Suddenly a princess, a REAL princess appeared in the doorway. She had long blond hair and was wearing a purple gown.

“Excuse me, but I’m looking for the enchanted prince Brian?” she said, in a lovely, musical voice.

All the men in the room stared at her with their mouths gaping.

“I’m Brian,” Brian said, hardly daring to believe his luck. He held out his hand to the princess. “Lady, I - ”

“You maybe Brian, but that princess is mine!” Nick said. “I think I deserve it after all I’ve been through!”

Brian turned to Nick. “You haven’t waited in a boring old castle for two hundred years!” he snapped.

“No, but I’ve been battling ogres and suchlike while you’ve been lazing about on your butt up here!”

“Why I outta!” Brian immediately ran into Nick and knocked him over. Nick hit Brian back and a huge fight started between the two of them.

“Boys, boys stop it!” Howie said, but no one paid any attention to him.

“I think I’ll leave now before they start on me,” AJ said, slowly backing out of the room and down the steps.

“Oh dear,” the princess said, as Brian kicked Nick, missed and hit Dobbin instead.

“Come on you two, stop fighting!” Howie said.

“Aww, aren’t you a sweet guy?” the princess said. “What’s your name?”

“Um, Howie. What is yours sweet lady?”

“I am the princess Kara. Tell me, are you a prince too?”

“No, I’m a duke,” Howie said, proudly.

“Well duke Howie, would you care to be my husband?”

Howie looked at the two fighting princes and grinned. “Certainly, my dear.”

Kara smiled and took Howie’s hand and led him out of the room.

After about another ten minutes, Nick and Brian finally stopped fighting. Each was now far too tired and bruised to fight anymore.

“Hey, where’s my princess gone?” Brian asked.

“She’s my princess!” Nick said.

“She, um, left with the, um, duke,” Kevino said.

“WHAT!?” Nick and Brian exclaimed simultaneously.

“Come back here with my princess!” Brian yelled, running down the steps.

“No, come back here with MY princess!” Nick called, following him.