News of the witch spread quickly. The power that her magic held. The castle maids who had been brave enough to eavesdrop had been quite the gossips, and soon, knowledge of the witch's magic had spread far and wide. Magic was now an accepted part of the universe. More witches, even male witches (dubbed sorcerers) started appearing, but even though they could perform light magic, and the magic of the earth, none could touch the witch's magic, even if they tried.

As for Connor, his blindness had forced him to be honorably discharged from the army, and he simply left. He disappeared into the woods one day, never to be seen again.

Until the day of the wedding, that is.

Joseph stood at the front of the castle chapel, in full royal regalia, lit by the warm sunset glow. The guests stood to watch Briar Rose walked down the aisle, holding a bouquet of irises (they had decided against roses, all things considered) and daffodils, as her face displayed a kind of "basic" happiness. In reality, both parties knew it was their duty to be married, but only Joseph seemed genuinely happy.

Briar Rose handed off her bouquet to the flower girl, and she took Joseph's hands, staring directly into his eyes.

"Dearly beloved, we are-"

The priest was suddenly interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. The guests murmured amongst themselves, as the knocking only grew louder. Eventually, Joseph himself became curious enough to do something about the rude new arrival.

"Open the doors. Let us see who wants so badly to join the festivities." Joseph said to the guards. With a nod, they slowly opened the doors.

Standing in the doorway was a young woman. She was dirty, her mop of brown hair a tangled mess. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of green. She was wearing simple clothes and a dull green cloak, and no shoes. At all.

"Who are you?" Joseph asked.

The woman pushed back her hood to reveal her face. Joseph stumbled back, before grabbing a sword from one of the knights standing beside him and pointed it to her. "You were with her that night at the ball. You were with the witch!"

The crowd gasped and shouted at each other. Eventually, they all ran out of the chapel in fear. It came down to only Joseph, Briar Rose, the priest, and 7 knights, who all had their swords pointed directly at the woman's throat.

"Good. Now that everyone is gone, we can talk," she said with a smile. She lifted up one hand, opened it, and blew a glittering green powder into the eyes of the knights. They all stumbled back, before slowly appearing to grow sleepy. She simply stepped away from the knights as they fell asleep, some on the floor, the rest draped over the pews.

Briar Rose backed away, but the woman, still giving that sweet smile, raised a hand in a calming manner. "It's alright, I promise." She opened her other hand and aimed the powder into the eyes of the priest, sending him to the floor as well.

Joseph looked in between them for a bit, before pointing his sword at her neck. "What do you want, witch?"

The woman shook her head. "Witch? No, witches are known for evil. My role is different. I prefer the term 'Enchantress.'"

"What is the difference? You still pose a threat. You were with her on the night of the ball."

The woman suddenly looked sorrowful. "Yes... the girl I once knew as Elise. But you knew her as Elise, once. Didn't you, Prince Joseph?"

Briar Rose gave a dismissive look, laced with a hint of sadness. The woman noticed it. "She was my friend. But you, Prince Joseph... you enabled her darkness for too long. You pushed her over the ledge. Then, you betrayed her. If that wasn't enough, you forced the princess's lover out of the army, so you could marry the girl for political gain," the woman shook her head. "And so I ask you, Prince Joseph. Are you an honest man? Are you truly noble?"

Joseph knew the facts. He knew what he did to Elise. How he lead to her death. But he would not allow anyone, not even a woman who he would most likely put to death as soon as he could. In reality, he could never be honest, because he was not honest with himself in that moment.

"Of course I am! Who are you to doubt my nobility?" He looked down upon her, but the woman shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Prince Joseph," she closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened her eyes, Briar Rose screamed. The woman's eyes were glowing the same bright green shade as her irises, the glow so bright that it blocked out her real eyes underneath. Joseph dropped the sword.

"You are far from noble." Her voice had grown deeper, echoing over itself. Briar Rose and Joseph could hear the sounds of trees smacking against the windows. The sky suddenly clouded over. The wind swirled around outside the chapel. Lighting clapped. Thunder crashed. The woman was summoning a full-fledged storm.

The chapel doors swung open, revealing the trees outside, smacking against each other as leaves came off and swirled around her feet, rustling her dress and flipping her hair about wildly. "Prince Joseph, I'm afraid that, despite our shared love for a dead girl, however faded, I am forced to teach you the lesson that you have not learned. You are not a noble man. You are a traitor, a coward, and a liar." She started to float, but not like the witch did up in the tower. It was more graceful, as if the wind was lifting her up.

"You may be a prince on the outside, but I can see your heart, Prince Joseph. You are a beast," she raised her arm. "And I intend to let others see it."

Her eyes narrowed with an intense confrontation. No one realized what was happening until Briar Rose screamed. Joseph's arm had grown hair. His fingers were turning into claws, his feet turning into paws. His body stretched and morphed, but he could not feel anything. Unlike the witch's magic, the Enchantress' magic was painless, but no less terrifying.

Briar Rose's screams became louder, as she backed away, bumping up against the stone pillars that held the chapel up. Joseph knelt down, his back now covered with hair. After a few too-long seconds, he slowly stood back up, looking at the woman in the eye the whole time. The glow faded from her eyes, as the storm slowly faded out, the wind gently dropping her on the ground.

Joseph looked at his hand and howled. Quite literally, because when he turned to face Briar Rose, she could see what the Enchantress had done to him.

Joseph had been turned into a beast.

He howled once more, unable to speak, before circling the Enchantress, attempting to slash at her with his claws, growling the whole time. She simply jumped away, dodging the beast's claws. "Alright, we're done here." The Enchantress snapped her fingers, and in a puff of green mist, he was gone. "Don't worry, he's just in the tower. Should buy us a little time before he gets back down here to try and kill me again."

The woman picked up her skirts and approached Briar Rose, who shielded herself with her arm. "Oh no, please, don't worry, princess. I punish the wicked. And you, as far as I can see, are far from wicked." The woman extended a hand to the princess, who cautiously took it, standing back up, now at eye level with the woman.

"Who are you?" Briar Rose asked.

"My name was once Julia. I was a good friend of Elise. Before..." Julia shook it off. "It doesn't matter anymore. That's in the past. Now, I didn't just come to punish the prince," she said. "You've been through much, princess. So I will ask you one question. Answer honestly, and I'll allow you a gift. Lie to me, and I'll simply leave you be."

"Ask me."

Julia smiled sweetly. "When Elise..." she trailed off. "When The Original Witch was going through her full transformation, what exactly did you feel? Other than fear, I mean. What did you feel towards her?"

Briar Rose looked off to the side. "Pity," she said bluntly. "I didn't... I didn't believe that Joseph would ever really love a girl like her. I knew- I mean, I thought it was her magic. I see now that he really did deceive her."

"Not intentionally," said Julia. "Joseph did love her at one point, as she loved him. But their love was bound by darkness. The problem was that when it grew to big to be controlled, Joseph feared it. Elise embraced it. That's why he turned from her, he realized it wasn't true love. True love is bound by light, not darkness."

"She clearly loved him."

"Until she realized the same thing," Julia said. "Only then did she allow the darkness to take her."

Julia shook her head. "But that is the answer I hoped you would give, princess. For that, I'll grant you a gift," Julia raised her fingers, ready to snap, but paused right before she did. "Enjoy your happily ever after, Briar Rose."

And she snapped.

In only a few seconds, Briar Rose was surrounded by a green mist, which quickly blocked out her view of the chapel, and Julia with it. When the mist cleared, she was in the middle of a tiny cabin, a small and warm type of place, humble and simple. It was out in the middle of a cornfield, from what she could see out the window, but that was not what caught her eye.

"Connor!"

"B-Briar Rose?!" Connor, sitting at a small table in the middle of the room, stood up and felt his way along the corner of the table, his eyes still blindfolded, now with a blue cloth, though unknownst to Briar Rose at the time, Clara's sleeve was kept locked away in a little wooden box for safekeeping.

Briar Rose reached out for his arm and pulled him in, embracing him. She smiled. "I-I don't know what happened. A woman, an enchantress, she-she turned Joseph into- ugh!" Giving up on a real explanation, Briar Rose simply pulled Connor in for a kiss, separating from him after a few long seconds.

"It doesn't matter anymore," she said, raising a hand to his cheek. "You're here now. Joseph is gone. Proditone will fall into ruin, and Tabrine with it. This was a gift she gave to me. You."

"Briar Rose... aren't you going to go back?"

"Are you kidding?! Connor, now that I have you in my arms, I'm never letting you go again. I would rather spend my life in a tiny cabin with you than live a life of luxury with a beast."

"A what? I-I thought he was your best friend-"

Briar Rose laughed, for real this time. "All in good time. I promise, I'll explain everything soon," she smiled. "But for now..."

She let go of his arm and looked around the house for something she could use, leaving a very confused Connor standing in the middle of the room. "Perfect!" He suddenly heard her say. She came back to him and held his hand. With a giggle, she got down on one knee. She had twisted some of the corn stalks dragged into the house by Connor into two makeshift rings. She placed it in his hand.

"Connor Hammond... will you marry me?" She couldn't contain her giggles.

Connor laughed, too. He got down on his knees, at eye level with her, but still unable to see. "I-I mean, of course! But are you sure-"

"Of course I'm sure! I am never leaving your side again," she placed a hand on his cheek and helped him slip the makeship ring on his finger. "You're my true love. I couldn't ever marry anyone else." She pressed her forehead against his. "This is real. This is real love. I love you," she pulled back again, looking directly at where his eyes would be, if they weren't hidden by the blindfold. "I love you."

And while it would only be the second in a long line, spanning many long and happy years, they shared another True Love's Kiss.

And they lived happily ever after.

...............................

The beast clambered down the stairs, running faster than he ever had before as a human. He had to get to the vault. He had to see if she was still there. Of course the guards were gone. Probably ran off in all the confusion. It's not like he needed guards anymore, he was a beast.

Using nothing but his new claws (which he actually quite liked) the beast ripped open the door to the royal vault, where she stood.

Where she should have stood.

But she was gone now.

All that was left on the floor was a black mask with a red feather. There was a gaping hole in the wall. Someone had taken her.

Who knows what they wanted with The Original Witch herself, but whatever it was, it could not be good.