Beauty that lies Within

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped. Everything had to be perfect for the big day.

However, that resolve vanished as quickly as it came - she and Agatha had woken up to the sounds of loud, deafening cracks in their room. Not a very princess-like-start to the day.

Agatha woke up, yawning softly and rubbing her eyes before bidding their father good morning with a kind smile. Sophie decided to ignore them both, burrowing herself deeper into the covers trying and failing to go back to the dream dimension.

Please, please, please. Sophie needed to go back to that dream, desperately tossing and turning. The dream had just started, the story beginning to unfurl and take flight - 

This was no ordinary dream of rainbows, dresses, fame or riches.

Sophie had dreamt of princes.

She dreamt of herself, standing in a vast banquet hall, to be precise, with hundreds of suitors waiting with lavish, expensive gifts in their hands, bouquets of exotic flowers and jewellry. There were no other ladies in sight, beside her sister Agatha, standing next to her.

Looking at each other, Sophie saw herself and Agatha in magnificent ball gowns. Sophie looked gorgeous in a pink dress with ribbons, ruffled sleeves in varying shades of pink and matching pink heels whilst Agatha looked resplendent in midnight blue, gold lining her dress and matching gold pumps.

Hands clasped together, the two girls turned to each other, eyes shining before gracefully descending down the steps towards the princes, towards the one that would potentially be their Ever After. 

Sophie remembered thinking with a jolt, what would happen had Agatha chosen the same prince as her, only to then turn around to discover Agatha had already chosen her prince, a boy with golden hair and tan skin. He was turned away from Sophie towards Agatha, so Sophie was unable to see the boy's face.

Sophie smiled, happy for Agatha, before turning back round to look for her own Prince Charming.

Sophie took much longer looking for her Prince, inspecting each and every one of the boys standing silently in line, each one as handsome as the next, yet dismissing them, feeling that was something was missing.

However, as she walked past rows upon rows of Princes, Sophie was filled with satisfaction. She saw Princes, with thick and shiny hair, muscles taut through tight-fitting shirts, clear skin and dazzling eyes: beautiful and attentive as Princes should be.

As she reached the end of the Hall, Sophie stopped and turned to her right. For there, she felt her eyes drawn to one, the boy who felt like her Ever After.

With brilliant blue eyes and snow white hair, Sophie knew he was the one, breathtaken by beauty that could rival even Sophie's. The boy bowed, grinning at her, before offering his hand out to her. Sophie blushed delicate pink, curtsied and just as she was about to take his hand -

A hammer came through between them, smashing the dream, the ball and the princes to shards. Sophie finally got up, eyes flaring. Her eyes roamed the room until they pinpointed the disturbance behind the ruining of her beloved dream. Sophie's eyes fell on their father Stefan, pounding nails mercilessly into wood.

"Father, if I don't sleep nine hours, my eyes will look swollen." Sophie groaned, perhaps sounding slightly more annoyed than usual, sour at being pulled back into reality.

"Good morning Sophie." She turned to her sister, who was propped up by one elbow.

Sophie sighed but replied nonetheless with a smile, "Good morning Aggie!" Agatha got up stiffling another incoming yawn, stretching. Sophie was already sat up in bed, clutching a pillow.