The Key to Victory

Ophelia was waiting for his very pregnant mother to finally finish with her. Time was almost up, and the girl wanted to see about this... Princess. The princess in her story, who vanished, who the faun said she was. If it was true, she had a kingdom and, with the knowledge of leaving her baby brother and mother behind, she had to. Carmen was her beautiful mother, strained with such a huge stomach, but what she wanted the most was to live in a fairytale. Didn't all little girls? The girl smiled secretly, knowing her mother didn't approve of fairytales, but she didn't approve of growing up. It was even.

"... Are you listening, Ophelia? You must behave for the Captain tonight... Your father, Ophelia." The Spanish woman played with the child's hair and hummed contently, a hand rested on her huge stomach. "You look beautiful in this dress... Wasn't he so thoughtful to give you it?" Her mouth was glowing, so much the girl couldn't let Carmen be unhappy. "Come here, give me a hug." She did, appeasing Carmen, as Mercedes entered and came to get her mother into the wheelchair that the Captain wished for.

"Mama, may I go play?" Ophelia smiled innocently. "I saw some children outside... I-In the forest! I won't make a mess of my dress, I promise!" She looked up to both women, Mercedes hesitant but her mother nodding, before hugging Carmen gently. Then she ran off, excitedly, careful of her dress. She had to go, and as her urgency led her into the forest, she made sure not to be followed, running through the forest. At last, she got to the aformentioned* tree and looked within, biting her lip.

She had to go into the tree, didn't she...? Looking up to the sky, she relaxed at the memory of the full moon and the princess and... She stopped thinking, taking off the outer dress to crawl into the tree, seeing the toad. He was scary... No, she had to be brave. If the princess went to the surface, she had to try this. For the princess in her story, for herself... She had to. Shutting her eyes tightly, she grabbed the mud, holding out the grubs in the mud of the tree's roots, old and grown there from a long time ago. Older than her...

Ophelia silently gulped before the frog's long tongue revealed the key. She needed that! Closing her eyes a second time, she gingerly paced the grubs for the key, and made a face. That was discusting... She'd never like frogs again. The frog, though, was going to explode, as she quickly scrambled out, huffing and panting, cleaning the key in the grass.

Now she had to get home before she was noticed, since the sky was a tad darker. The only chldren she saw were rebel children, after all... By now her mother would have realized... Without thinking, she put the key in the dress pocket, cleaned her face of mud, slipped the dress on, and didn't wait to see if it was muddy or not. She ran back, with all her might, and hoped the faun was proud.

** I've been waiting to continue. Thank you!

Guest: Anything you wanna change for the plot let me know. I can spin this story around and still make it work.

All my love,

~Illead **