Who: The Queen of Fables and NPC's Where: Gotham book store When: Thursday afternoon What: The Queen has returned Rating: PG-13 for cheesy violence Status: Closed, Complete
[Narrative]
Gotham Second Hand was a typical book store in the shopping district of Gotham City. However instead of carrying the latest Stephen King, or the most recent Danielle Steel they specialized in first editions and second hand collectors books. The proprietor of said book store was a bespectacled, middle aged woman with short black hair named Madeline. Madeline personally searched the world over for unique and rare books to sell to collectors. All in all it had been a profitable business, and Maddie, as she was called by her friends, enjoyed the quiet life it afforded her. At the moment she was digging through a box of rare first editions that had been shipped to her from somewhere near the Black Forest in Germany. Maddie rummaged through the box pulling out the time-worn tomes and flipped them open to determine what they were.
So far she'd come across a first edition copy of Alice in Wonder, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and a rather badly damaged copy of The Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. As she reached the bottom of the box a particular book caught her attention. It was different from the others as it seemed to be bound in leather and looked older than any of the other books she'd removed. Intrigued, Maddie pulled the book out from the box and held it up to the light. The front cover of the book was richly embossed with dozens of swirling lines that all interconnected into a knot type of pattern. The title of the book simply read; Fairy Tales. "Hmmm." Maddie hummed to herself. Though the title was rather non-descriptive she wondered exactly which fairy tales were contained in its pages. Though, when she tried to open the book; she noticed that in addition to its leather binding it was also locked. A small gilded lock prevented the tome from being opened. "That's odd." She said aloud.
But, before she could question the strange book's origin further an "Excuse me, miss?" emanated from behind her. Maddie set the book down on the counter and turned to help a customer. Had she continued to study the book she would have seen a small golden key materialize out of thin air in the key hole. When Maddie finished with the customer she glanced at the clock and realized it was time to close up shop for the night. After biding good afternoon to the customers leaving and locking the front door she returned to the counter and picked up the book again. A frown creased her brow in puzzlement over the key that was now sticking out of the key hole. "Now where did that come from?" She said to herself. Had she been a more suspicious woman, Maddie would have taken the key out to inspect it. However Maddie’s greatest downfall was always her curiosity. So, instead she reached down and turned the key. There was a small click and the lock fell open.
She opened the cover, and was immediately entranced by what she beheld inside. The pages were beautifully illustrated, and each illustration was accompanied by lavishly illuminated script. Maddie couldn’t recall ever seeing anything so beautiful. She flipped though page after page as every fairy tale she’d ever heard as a little girl practically jumped off the paper at her. As she reached the middle of the book she turned over a page to reveal one of the most well known fairy tales ever written, Snow White. In a margin to the left of the script was a portrait of the one of the most beautiful women Maddie had ever seen. She was a tall, willowy, and blond with piercing green eyes. She was adorned with jewels and wearing a regal gown. Must be the wicked queen. She thought to herself. But before she could read further green flames suddenly erupted from the pages.
Maddie screamed and tossed the book to the floor. She began to reach for a fire extinguisher she kept under the counter but the flames started to grow in size and intensity. They spewed from the pages of the book like a green geyser and yet they produced no heat, nor did they consume anything. In fact the book they were issuing from was still intact and unmarred. As she watched on in horror a figure began to appear in the swirling mass of green flames. Then with a dramatic flourish the flames parted and subsided. A tall, elegant, blond woman stepped out of the fire. Maddie’s eyes widened at the vision of a woman that stood before her. She looked exactly like the illustration, as if it had somehow been brought to life. The woman was in fact, The Queen of Fables. A sorceress that had been trapped between the very pages of the book Maddie had opened, for hundreds of years.
The Queen looked all around her at the humble building she was now standing in. Her sharp green eyes took in the newness of her surroundings. After centuries of imprisonment in the book she was finally free again. Now she could make the world pay for her long bondage. A small fiendish grin turned up the corners of her mouth. “This will do.” She said to herself. In the next instant, Maddie, who had been overcome by the shock of what had happened, fainted. The thud of her body hitting the floor caught the Queen’s attention. She strode over to where Maddie’s body lay prostrated on the floor. “Now” She said to aloud. “Where can I put you so you won’t be in my way?” The Queen tapped a finger against her cheek for a moment while she thought of what to do with the now unconscious store owner. “Ah.” She said snapping her fingers. “Of course.” With a wave of her hands the fire surrounded the prone body of Madeline like a cocoon. It lifted her off the floor and moved her to small darker corner of the store. When the fire dissipated, it revealed the body of Madeline now standing upright and turned into solid stone. “That takes care of you.” The Queen said as she grabbed a drop cloth from the counter and draped over her new statue.
The Queen then walked to the store front and gazed out the window at Gotham City. She didn’t know how long she had been trapped in the book but it was obvious to her that the world had changed drastically. But, the gothic architecture, and bleakness of the skyline reminded the Queen of the great castles of her time. “My my, I’ve been gone a long time haven’t I?” she mused to herself. It was no matter though. Soon this city, and the world, would know that The Queen of Fables was back.