"Cursed", A Book Excerpt

Hey, ya'll. This is from a book that I'm writing, it's just the prologue to kind of explain everything. It's rough, so be gentle in your judgements. Writing has proven to be an effective outlet for my creative energy, so here it is. (It's a Sleeping Beauty story, by the way.)

The Prophecy

            The Darkness will fall thick upon the land of Abrielle as it once did in the days of Rapunzel. And the terror and destruction will be great. But in the tenth year of the reign of the Handsome and Beautiful Graces will arise a second child, a daughter. The Conqueror. The Divine Gift who in her twenty-first year will at last be able to permanently bring down the Sorceress Morissa and bring peace to Abrielle. And with triumphant aplomb the Princess will return the light to the kingdom and free the people from destruction forevermore.

The Curse

            Princess Theodora Caroline Rose Grace, you will grow in the gifts that have been bestowed upon you, but when you reach your twenty-first year you will prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a dark abyss from which you will never recover. But if fate is kind, there is a way to counter the curse. A love. A true love’s kiss will recover you from your deep sleep, but if this does not occur by midnight on your twenty-first birthday, then you will be lost forever and Abrielle will fall into despair for time and all eternity.

-Prologue-

            Sunday ran. She ran as fast as she could for as long as she could, trying not to jostle the bundle in her arms. She could feel her blood pounding in her ears, her bare feet slapping against the cobblestone streets as the distance between her and the castle grew farther and farther. It started to rain and Sunday’s curly red hair hung limply in her face. The rain started to pour even harder and Sunday stopped suddenly in her tracks as she heard explosions in the distance, looking around frantically. And there it was. Sunday hurried over to the wall that ran around the Royal City of Abrielle, took out her wand and tapped the wall three times, drawing a circle. A bright blue light washed over Sunday from the circle and she stepped into it, disappearing completely.

            Sunday reappeared in a dark alleyway, the stink of rot and urine reaching her nostrils. Cockroaches and other vermin scurried away from the blue light as Sunday tapped the wall behind her three times again, the light disappearing. The ground crunched beneath her as she walked to the mouth of the alley, turning left. Sunday walked for four blocks and then turned right, crossing the street and walking up the fire escape of a shoebox sized apartment. Holding the bundle with her left hand and searching with her right, Sunday pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door, stepping inside. One of Sunday’s hands reached for a light pull and tugged it. Harsh yellow light flooded the room, revealing peeling paint, frayed, dirty carpet, and water stains on the ceiling. Sunday sighed and slid to the floor with her back up against the wall, her skirts and apron askew. Finally, she laid the bundle on her lap and peeled back the layers to reveal a pink, sleeping, newborn baby girl.

            A princess. THE princess. The most important princess to grace the realms since the Great Rapunzel a thousand years ago. Princess Theodora Caroline Rose Grace. The Conqueror. The Divine Gift. The person who would finally bring down the evil sorceress Morissa and bring peace to the realms that hadn’t been seen in hundreds of years. And here she was. On Sunday’s lap. In a dirty apartment. In Brooklyn, New York. Realms away from Abrielle, her significance and importance slowly dwindling into nonexistence as the setting sank in.

            “Well, Theodora, this is it. For the next twenty-one years, this is home.” And Sunday knew with piercing clarity that she would do whatever it took to protect Theodora from The Curse. She knew without a doubt that if The Prophecy was not allowed to be fulfilled, then the kingdom of Abrielle as she knew it, would be lost. 




Admittedly, The Curse needs some desperate work, so any suggestions on how to tweak it would be welcome. It just doesn't sound right to me yet!