The Palace Beast

*** Dream World *** "What happened to me?" Princess Bonnie's voice sounded groggy. She was lost in thought, still trying to figure out how to escape the strange land. She had seen herself dead not long ago, but now she was alive. Not making sense to her at all. In an attempt to calm her racing heart, she steadied her shaking hands and gradually rose to her feet. She took a deep breath and scanned her surroundings with intense focus, her eyes darting around in search of any signs of danger. As she looked around, she noticed that there was no sign of the guard, which gave her no relief. However, the darkness that had descended upon her was overwhelming, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Despite her fear, she knew that she had to keep moving forward. The only source of light to guide her down the snaky path was the moon, which was casting an eerie glow over the landscape. She took a few tentative steps forward, her heart racing with each passing second. As she walked, she carefully placed one foot in front of the other, taking care not to make any noise that might alert anyone to her presence. *** Kingdom of Maxis ***

"My child," said the king as he brought his lips closer to Princess Bonnie's ear. "You need to wake up."

"Forcing her to wake up won't help resolve the situation, Lord King," the healer cautioned. "I suggest you let nature take its cause."

King Gilbert turned to the healer with a hostile glare. His desperation to find a solution for his daughter's ailment had reached its peak. "If the next word that comes out of your mouth is not the solution, I will have you locked up in the dungeon," he threatened, trying to mask his fear. Though he was terrified of the ferocious beasts that roamed the kingdom, the fear of losing his daughter was greater.

*** Dream World ***

Princess Bonnie felt the chill creep up her spine from the bitterly cold wind. Occasionally, the moon was obscured by heavy clouds overhead, resulting in a pitch-black, centuries-old cemetery that extended farther into the field. Her hair began to stand on end as she walked through the eerie cemetery. She had to get out right away. She wishes she had never entered the eerie graveyard through its rusting old gates.

"You are not supposed to be here," a gentle voice brushed against her ears. "This place is for the dead," the voice added.

She flicked around to see who it was that spoke to her. She was left in shock making a profile of her grand.

She's dressed in a white long gown. Her grey old hair tumbled over her shoulders.

Princess Bonnie's eyes widened with a surprised shocking look. Her grandmother died after her 12th birthday. She had no hard time recognizing her.

"Grandmother," she finally spoke up as her face flashed a winning smile.

The old woman's plump face flashed back the same smile as she threw her arms around Bonnie for a warm hug.

"What are you doing here, my child?" she asked. Her thoughts flew sky-high as she wondered what Bonnie could be doing in a place like this.

"I died," Bonnie muttered softly, recalling how the shapeless shadowy figure ripped out her heart.

"Not at all, my child," she smirked. "You are not dead."

Princess Bonnie's eyes widened. She doesn't know what to believe or think of. Forgetting how she gave up the ghost will be unfair to the trauma she's passing through. "Are you saying I am still alive?" "Yes," she answered without relenting. "You are just trapped in the dream world. You need to wake up or you will be lost forever."

The dream world serves as the boundary between the land of the living and the dead. Any living that crosses the boundary into the land of the dead will not be able to wake up again. She will pass on.

"How do I wake up?" the princess sighed with relief. For the first time in this strange place, she's relieved of her stress and anxiety.

"Only what makes you happen would serve as a trigger to letting you out of this unending nightmare."

Many questions flew into the princess' mind. Before she could get the chance to ask them, her grandmother vanished into a white glowing light.

"Grandmother!" she yelled out as she scanned her surroundings.

There was no response from her grandmother. She's gone, leaving Princess Bonnie all by herself. The princess narrowed her gaze on the path ahead and focused her gaze. For a moment she thought to herself who or what would have been the source of her happiness.

The very people topping her list were the princes of Maxis, the three brothers who have sworn never to be apart from her.

She snickered under her breath but still couldn't figure out how that would help her escape the dream world. As her mind raced with thoughts once more, a thick red smoke hovered above her.

Out of the red smoke came flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder. "I am doomed!" she cried out. She lifted her leg to run but the thick red smoke opposed her. It stood before her like a raging wave as tall as a mountain.

A voice came from the thick red smoke saying, "You are going nowhere." Lighting flashed around the thick red smoke as the voice came again the second time, "You are home and your soul is mine!" The voice this time was harsh, giving her goosebumps and leaving her with a blank face.