Dear reader, here's a fairy tale that is a mixture of so many fairy tales! Enjoy your journey into this magical world I created as a birthday gift for my sister!

1

It was a usual Sunday, it started like any other weekend does. Sukriti got out of the bed lazily and made a coffee for herself. She dresses in her gym wear and stepped out of her apartment and inside the elevator of her building to go down to the park. Everything was normal until the doors of the elevator opened. Suddenly, she was in a whole other place.
Shanaya saw distant mountains ranges and an immediate rocky, hilly path in front of her when the doors of the elevator opened. Unsure of what to do and where she had come, she tried to close the elevator or the other floors but none of the buttons were working. She panicked as she realised that she either had to go out and see where she really was or remain trapped inside this claustrophobic little steel room for who knows how long. She decided to go out and explore.
She was on a mountain trail but it curved she couldn't see where it led to. But should she go up or down? After a little thought, Shanaya figured that going down would be her safest choice. There was greenery all around her, and at some points one side of her trail opened to a majestic view of snow-covered mountains. If all her focus hadn't been on stepping carefully on the rocks, she would have spent more time looking at her serene surrounding and might have fallen in love with the place.
Shanaya had been walking for a long time but she had reached nowhere and found no-one. Just as she was about to cry, she saw the outlines of a structure a little way down the road. She started to walk faster with excitement and finally came upon a small rocky hut in a pitiful condition. The front door was open so she went inside to see if anyone lived there. The hut was very dirty and messy, everything was where it shouldn't be and there was no one in there for now. But certainly the owners of the hut would come back soon? She didn't know when she would find another trace of civilization so she decided to remain there and wait. The dirt and the mess were a little too much for her though, so she took a filled water bucket and a rag and started mopping, after which she made the beds (there were seven), then she did the dishes in the sink and she even arranged the little stuff like books and clothes that were thrown here and there. She finally rested after she had cleaned the entire hut.
"Eh- excuse me, lady, but you are in my bed!" Shanaya's eyes opened from a long sleep to see a smiling little face. She came back to her senses and sat up. She didn't realise that she had slept in one of the little beds after tiring herself out from the cleaning. She looked here and there and saw that seven little figures stood around her in the clean hut. Something about this seemed very familiar to her, almost like she had read about this somewhere.
"So, Madame, care to tell us who you are?" One of the dwarfs spoke in a very fake French accent.
"Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself, I am Shanaya and I-" her voice broke for a moment, "have no idea where I am. All I know is that I came out of my apartment and then went down in the elevator and suddenly I was here, but I have absolutely no idea where here is! Can you help me to get back to my actual home?" She was holding back the tears in her eyes but the seven dwarfs could hear the desperation for help in her voice.
"Hello, Shanaya! My name is Doc and there are my six brothers. I think you might have heard about us, I think we are pretty famous in your world. You are in a mystical place right now, how do I explain it? I have heard that people come here when they need it the most and they this place always helps them in some way. While you can't control when or how to get here, you will have to find a way to get out of here yourself. There lives an all-knowing sorceress deep inside the forest, she will help you to get out."
Shanaya was in shock, first dwarfs and now a sorceress? This place couldn't get any weirder. It appeared to her that she was in a dream, but you can't stand by even in your dreams. "Okay, tell me where to find her. I guess she's my only hope."
"Doc, um..why don't we go along with her? Show her the way? After all, she helped us by cleaning our little house too, now we won't have to clean it for another year! I think we should help her in return." The dwarf who had woken Shanaya spoke with excitement.
"I couldn't agree with you more, Happy. The forest can be a bit tricky when you're alone, but it can open new paths when you're in a group. Also, Shanaya, you remind me of another certain white beauty that came to us for help once and we couldn't turn her away either." Doc spoke.
Shanaya expressed her gratitude and they all sat together to eat a meal that had been prepared from the materials the dwarfs had gone out to collect. After the lunch, they all set off for the sorceress' dwelling.

2

Shanaya tried a lot but she couldn't walk as easily on the rocky path as the dwarfs walked. They had always lived here and we're accustomed to it unlike her who was just an outsider here. She was reminded of Doc's words, it's a mystical place and only those who need it the most can come here. Was it fate that had brought her here then, and how would this place help her? When she got her head out of her head she found out that she now lagged dangerously behind the others and tried to increase her pace.
Something caught her attention though, something on the ground shined at her. Shanaya got down on her feet and took out something shiny that was stuck behind one of the rocks below. It was a glass slipper! And how it shined when the sunlight hit it! It was the most beautiful slipper Shanaya had ever seen!
"What have you got there, Shanaya?" Bashful asked her and then took the slipper in his hands to see it. He couldn't breathe for a moment and then said, "Wow!"
""This must be Cinderella's! Poor girl, she keeps losing it. The last time she wore it was on her wedding and since then it has been missing. There is even a reward on finding this slipper. Come, let's take it to her! I mean, if it's all right with you Shanya, after all the reward would be yours since you found it." Dopey said to her.
Shanaya thought about it for a moment and then agreed to return the slipper to Cinderella. Even if she was in a dream, it would be interesting to see a castle and meet a princess! "Although, the reward wouldn't be just mine, Dopey, we all found it together." She told the dwarfs.
They changed there course and soon emerged upon an open road from where they took a horse carriage to reach the palace. The guards at the entrance checked if the slipper was counterfeit and upon finding that it was indeed real, let all of them inside. They were the heroes who had found the long lost slipper of the princess and were treated with the utmost respect inside the palace. They were sitting in a big hall with big and comfortable chairs and food of all sorts was placed in front of them. Soon enough, Cinderella came out herself to thank them.
Shanaya was impressed by the way Cinderella carries herself. It was very similar to the way she wanted to carry herself (and almost often did). Here was an actual princess and her smile was sweet as she had always imagined it to be. "Thank you, all, for bringing what's mine back to me. May I ask who I thank?" She asked courteously.
"We are the seven dwarfs. You must know about us we are famous!" Grumpy blurted out, "and this is our friend- Shanaya."
Cinderella looked at her and said, "What a beautiful name, but I don't think I have ever heard it here. Where are you from, darling?"
Shanaya took a moment to answer her question. She finally said, "I, um, am not from here. I come from a different land and to get back there we need to go to the sorceress right now. So, now that you have your slipper back, may we go?"
"Oh, I won't keep you from such an important task. Also remember, you can visit whenever you want. Shanaya, it does seem a little like you are lost." The look in Shanaya's eyes said it all, she was indeed lost. Cinderella smiled at her and said, "I like to think that being lost is the perfect time to find a way. Trust your Fairy Godmother Shanaya, you might not see her but she's watching and she has your back. You will be fine. Anyway, do tell how can I reward you?"
"Candy, can you give us some candy to take to the witch, ah-chooo?" Sneezy sneezed out the question as everyone around him starting laughing.
One of the servants of the palace brought a basket full of candies and handed it to Doc. "It's really weird how that witch can still like candy do much after what Hansel and Gretel did to her. But it is really appreciable how she turned her life around after that. Oh, being saved from an imminent death can really change a person! Who would have thought that a hateful soul like her could ever change into the darling she is now? Well, I guess this is good-bye, you should reach her dwelling before night-time. Godspeed, my friends! I do wish I can meet you all again." said Cinderella and showed them out of the palace.

3

They smelled the witch's dwelling before they saw it, the aroma seemed to assure them that something good was about to come. After walking many more miles they finally reached their destination. Shanaya was very tired from walking, though eating the sugar filled candies helped in giving her energy. The dwelling was exactly like the one that has been described in the book- it was a small hut that was made of candy! If she and the dwarfs hadn't already eaten so much sugar, they would have been all over it!
They opened the gingerbread door of the hut. Inside was an old woman wearing a black cloak shouting at the black cat sitting on the floor near her, there were cauldrons and antiques in every corner of the room. The soreceress suddenly noticed that she had company and welcomed them inside. "Ooh- guests!" She stared at Shanaya, "and an outsider! Haven't got that in a long time! Marcus, go inside!" The cat ran away and disappeared inside a small chocolate door. "So, I guess you are looking for a way to go back home, aren't you? Oh, don't be surprised, every outsider that comes here asks me the same thing. Okay, give me your hand!" Shanaya nervously went closer to the witch and gave her her hand. The witch pressed it tightly and closed her eyes. "Hmm, yes, I see it- I see where you need to go. Huh!" She let go of her hand suddenly and started dancing around the room. Clearly, her past life had taken a toll on her sanity.
"Listen to me for I know how you can get out! You need to go to the dragon's lair and slay it! Only then can you go out!" pronounced the crazy witch.
"What? Dragon's lair! Are you crazy, old woman?" Grumpy shouted, "and kill a dragon? Nobody has done that in hundreds of years! Penelope is the only dragon that remains now and she lives in peace, she doesn't disturb her and we don't disturb her, then how can we kill her for no reason?"
"I only tell you what I see. I held this little dove's hand and saw the image of Penelope, the purple. That's all I saw, kill her, tame her, maim her, I don't know, but if you need to go out then you need to go to her! You can either sulk up and remain here or go on and embrace your destiny, the choice is yours."
Shanaya knees buckled. She sat on a small blueberry muffin and started taking deep breaths. Every dwarf around was arguing of how stupid it would be to go there. She herself couldn't agree more but she had no other option. It seems like this mystical place was taking her to some unthinkable new paths and all she could do was keep walking on it and leave the rest to God. "If this is what I have to do then I'll do it. I will go to the dragon's lair." Every dwarf let out a gasp.
The soreceress waved her hands and suddenly an old box came in her hands out of nowhere. "Young girl, go and do your task but remember, time is running out." She opened the box which contained a glowing pink rose inside. She took it out and held it in hand. "You have to get out of here before the last petal of this rose falls, otherwise, you would be stuck here forever." Just as the witch spoke this, a petal of the rose fell down. She again waved her hands and a golden chain encased the rose now so that it could be worn as a necklace. She gave the necklace to Shanaya to wear.
"How long do you think it will take for all the petals to fall?" Shanaya asked her.
"According to me, less than even twenty-four hours. Go, time is running out." She said gloomily.
Shanaya thanked her and went away with the dwarfs as one more petal fell. Shanaya couldn't help feeling afraid now but she did her best to hide it from even herself so she could focus on going back.

4

The dwarfs took Shanaya to the market where a particular swordsmith's shop was. Although Shanaya didn't want to waste more time to find the dragon, she agreed with the dwarfs that she needed some kind of weapon if she was to indeed, slay it. So, here they were.
The swordsmith put out many samples in front of Shanaya to choose from. She looked at the different types of swords, and couldn't understand what she wanted. She had no knowledge of swords! The swordsmith asked her to close her eyes and let her hand choose one. So she closed her eyes and moved her eyes over the swords. Finally, without peeking, she touched the hilt of a sword that seemed comfortable in her hand- it was more than comfortable, it felt like it belonged in her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at what she had chosen.
"Wonderful, this sword is now yours. I should tell you though, it is the same sword that the warrior Mulan once wielded. You must have heard her story, she was a woman warrior in the times when it was deemed inappropriate for a woman to fight. She went on to prove to the world that the gender does not matter, only a person's chi does. And she had a very powerful chi! It helped her all the way in her difficult struggle!"
Shanaya looked at the sword with awe, what a great piece of work and it was now hers! She now felt powerful!
"Wow, this sword is really special!" Happy said.
"This sword is ordinary. The hand that wields it is special," the swordsmith corrected him. "The power you are feeling is not because the sword contains great power, it's because it shares a connection with you, you both feel like you belong together."
With the sword in her hand, Shanaya set off on her journey.

5

Shanaya's legs were killing her. She had spent the entire evening climbing up on a mountain. It was dusk now and yet she couldn't stop since only half the petals remained on the rose that the witch had given her, the other half had fallen away. Finally the group came at a crossroads.
"This is the last point we can accompany you to. Take this trail to the left and you will reach the lair. Take care, Shanaya." Doc told her and looked at her with regret.
"Thank you so much for all of your help. I'll never forget the kindness that all seven of you had shown me. I wish there was something I could do for you in return!" Shanaya told them.
"You have already done enough, we would take a year to clean the house in the way you cleaned it. There is not much else we require help with. Now go on, girl, it's getting late and it seems like your petals are falling off by the hour." Shanaya agreed to Doc, she had to go now or else it would be too late.
"Shanaya," Happy came up to her and plucked out a hair from his head, "there isn't much to give you that would help you to remember us, so, please, just take this hair." Shanaya gladly accepted the strand or hair that Happy extended to her. She never thought that she'd be tearing up at this moment. The remaining six dwarfs also plucked out hairs from their heads and gave it to her, she also gave each one of them one of her hair in return. It really was the most awful parting gift in the world but it meant a lot to each of them in the moment.
And then the dwarfs turned around and started their downward trek on the mountain as Shanaya started walking on the trail that led upwards.
She walked and walked until she came to an open space that would definitely be the dragon's lair. The horrid smell that hung in the air and the bones of animals that littered here and there screamed at Shanaya to turn back but she had to go home. She stepped carefully and quietly on the rocky path and saw that someone or something was hidden behind a large rock. She changed her direction and while still hiding, saw that it was indeed the dragon she had come to kill, but it was curled up on the ground and squirming. The dragon was already close to death!
She observed from afar from a moment but the dragon was turning here and there in pain. She couldn't help it any longer, she went to see what the problem was. The dragon was so much in pain that he didn't even notice that Shanaya was standing infront of her. She couldn't really figure out what the problem was, until she saw that a huge thorn stuck in the left foot of the dragon. She put down her sword on the ground and sat down to pick it out. She calmly touched the foot of the dragon and didn't get any reaction so she went ahead and started to pull out the thorn in one quick reaction. As soon as the thorn got out, the dragon screamed and hit Shanaya with its leg as it soared high in the sky and breathed out fire in the clouds.
It came down to earth and did something that could only be described as a hug. The dragon crouched down to Shanaya's height and put its head on her shoulder, although it put no weight so Shanaya didn't feel a thing. She petted it on the back of its head and soon another friendship was born.
"Everyone told me that I should kill you, but that's not who I am. I knew it in my heart that it's not something that I can do. What I do is help a person in need, soothe a person in pain," she paused and smiled, "or a dragon in pain. But Penelope, I am afraid that now I can't ever get out of here. I just want to go back home but looks like that door is soon closing and I know no other way to leave." She looked at the rose necklace, only one petal remained.
Just then, the dragon turned around and then put its two front legs on the ground, it seemed to Shanaya that it wanted her to climb on its back. Meekly, she followed and climbed on its back. And with a whoosh of air, she was suddenly flying and going up towards the sky. At one point, her face was in the clouds. She could barely keep her eyes open but she tried to see it all, the sky which had turned purple in the twilight and the dying orangle sunlight on the horizon- how beautiful it looked from up here, from the sky itself! Everything else on the ground looked so small, she could only see the outlines of the land mass from here!
And before she could comprehend, she was crashing down to the ground again. She screamed and screamed and screamed and held on tightly to Penelope's back. But her grip loosened and now she was holding on to nothing, she tumbled from the dragon's back and fell out of the sky and onto the ground- but the ground was her own bed! She looked around, she was in her room! Shanaya couldn't be happier, she was back home, or had she never left? Was it just a dream she had? She got out of the bed and looked at her face in the mirror. She was still wearing the rose petal necklace but the rose was much smaller and made of metal, but had all of its petals. Was it really a dream? She checked the pocket of her jeans, seven strands of tiny hair still remained with her. Was it really a dream? But what a really good dream it was, it made her realize who and what she really was! © All Rights Reserved