Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale – Chapter I

I am a princess. Maybe I'm not exactly what you'd expect of a princess, but my
father is the king, I'm spoiled, we have our little kingdom and I never ventured
outside the walls. I even have long curly hair and light-coloured eyes. I mean, the
long dark curls that fall down my back are actually a wig. It's not like I'm bald or
anything, but I have to shave my hair because of lice. Truth be told, I love the cool
sensation that runs through me when I take the wig off before bed. I believe some
day all princesses will have short hair. My dad says I only predict nonsense, but I
stick to my ideas.

Do you wonder why I've never left the walls in twenty three years? Well, to begin
with, my dad has always told me that dragons and giants live outside the walls. I've
never seen one nor do I know anyone who has, so I'm starting to think he told me
an outright lie, like the one about the tooth fairy, but you never know... And besides,
no one ever told me a story about a princess who fights dragons with a long sword,
it's always the knights riding beautiful white horses that do the dirtiest things
(including when we're eating). Anyway, if dragons do exist, I hope they are not fond
of raw meat... Speaking of knights, there are also men outside the walls, and all this
talk about suitors is frightening me. Specially since my dad has already built three
different wards for my future children and thinks that the fact that I remain single is
a hecatomb, almost as bad as the appearance of Robin Hood.

Obviously, I have several suitors, not really for my beautiful eyes but because I'm
rich and have the title of 'king' to offer, so to speak. Lately, with all the suitors' visits
I've realised that I'm already on the down slope of our average life expectancy. Not
that I feel old, but I don't have many years left to live and suitors are all alike.
Nobles with nothing to call their own and who pretend to be deeply interested in
someone they've never even seen. They don't even try to find out what I look like or
how to recognise me before coming here - to the point that my current maids seem
to be collecting misguided proposals, and one ex-maid even married one of my
suitors! And the ones who are rich come looking for a “fair maiden”... and once they
see me, they feel a sudden urge to leave. They're out the door faster than our
adviser when he comes asking for money to pay his gambling debts and is “swept”
out by his wife (who is the castle's cook, and we all know that walls have ears,
castle's walls in particular).

My greatest helper when it comes to “dispatching” suitors without my dad's

knowledge is Claire. She is a black maid who is the same age as I am and was
found outside our door as a baby. My mother died the night Claire arrived and my
dad understood that as a sign. We grew up together and even though we had
rather different upbringings, we are like sisters. Claire is not exactly black, it's clear
to see that some of our conquerors are also being conquered by the new world.
Claire is probably more educated than I am, she can't play the piano nor read, but
she knows how to behave whenever we have visitors, she is brave enough to leave
the castle's walls and she has a natural elegance that grabs a lot of male attention.
She always looks beautiful in her maid dress. It makes me envious because her
practical dresses act as a constant reminder of my tight corsets and of that
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horrendous wooden frame that I have to wear underneath my dress to shape it.
That same frame that doesn't allow me to sit comfortably nor to fit in only one seat
at the balcony when we go to the theatre. It doesn't even allow me to walk through
any smaller doors!

Besides being my best friend, Claire is undoubtedly the most beautiful girl in this
castle, and probably in the whole kingdom. Not that she flaunts herself, but she is
dazzling with her two lovely braids and those big green eyes. I'm not sure if she
really walks, she just floats. The best part of any suitor's visit is to watch my dad's
angry face while my suitors propose to me but can't take their eyes off Claire. The
most daring suitors would ask me to some ball while making it clear that all my
maids would be most welcome. The truth is, Claire helped me to turn away all my
suitors: the ones that were too old or too fat, too tall or too short, too boring or even
too intelligent! After all, reading a whole page of a book is a task to keep me all day!
And fortunately my dad didn't have to marry me off out of convenience.

Nevertheless, three of my several suitors were able to take us out of our daily
routine in the castle: Bernard, John and Peter. They even came along in
alphabetical order!
Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale – Chapter II: Bernard

Claire and I were completely thrilled to meet my suitor Bernard. This gentleman had
sent me the most extravagant letter that this kingdom had ever seen. The writing
was so amazingly intricate that it took me three days to identify just the first letter.
We were quite fast to rule out this wedding, there was no way I'd be married to
someone called Bernard Edward Ernest Stuart Trevelian of the House of
Sandhurst. On the other hand, my dad was thrilled because Bernard was rich and
there were twins in his family, some aunt thrice or four times removed. I have to
confess my first sight of him rendered me breathless. I had pictured someone with
a lot of grey hair, a prominent belly and a lofty accent. Not to mention leprechaun
shoes, which are totally out of fashion!

To my surprise (only mine - Claire remained indifferent), Bernard was actually a

young, handsome man! I have to be honest, the fact that he still had all his teeth
was a magnificent surprise. Our eyes were the same colour and he had blond wavy
hair. My inner voice screamed “Wow”! Therefore, that suitor got to stay and I spent
all my afternoon drinking in his words, even though I didn't understand half of them.
Claire and I were mistaken: Bernard didn't have a nasal voice, but he did have a
speech impediment that made him spit all around. I was so dazzled by him that I
didn't even mind cleaning the tiny drops of saliva that were able to reach my side of
the table.

When the afternoon was coming to an end, my dad invited Bernard to our garden. I
could hear my maids sighting every time Bernard talked, especially if there was no
“s” in the sentence. Once he started using more “difficult” words, each of my maids
would raise their fans and laugh nervously, which was getting on my nerves. I
pretended to be listening , but I couldn't even concentrate: there was my soul mate
right in front of me! Claire insisted something was wrong about Bernard and I kept
telling her that it was just that she wasn't used to me being the centre of attention.
Bernard was my knight in shining armour! He had already proposed without even
paying attention to any of my maids. I was completely convinced of my true love for
Bernard and I was even practising my future last name: House of Sandhurst. The
only thing that was really worrying me was the wedding day. He would have to say
his full name while facing me. Stuart and Sandhurst were causing me some
consternation, and even Ernest had me a little worried, since I wouldn't be able to
take my fan with me.

As the wedding was drawing near, the castle was in ever-increasing turmoil. Every
night I would sleep less and less, from all the excitement. When the dressmaker
brought my wedding dress, I was so happy that I didn't want to take it off and
danced all around my dressing room feeling that I was the most beautiful woman in
the world. This sensation lasted until Claire started asking me a bunch of questions:
“but has he held your hand at least once?”, “kissed you?”, “come close to you at
all?”. I thought about our two-month engagement and there was really no evidence
that he had ever tried to get closer to me. But there was a simple explanation for
that, as I quickly told Claire: he was a true gentleman. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop
thinking about Claire's doubts after everyone was gone and I ended up in bed
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completely sleepless. So I decided to take a nightly stroll and catch some fresh air.
Once outside, I heard whispered voices: “oh, pumpkin, it's so good to be with you
again!”... chuac... chuac... “Shh, there's someone coming over!”. I was used to late
night lovers' rendezvous in the castle. Apparently everyone but me had a private
life, so I didn't care much about what I had just heard. However, my curiosity was
spiked. I pretended to leave the yard, but took my shoes off and came back without
making a sound. I hid behind a column and stood still while I waited for the
whispering to start again. “How can you not believe my feelings for you, after all I
am doing to be closer to you?”

I could hear an alarm ringing inside my head: that voice was too familiar! I tried to
get out of the yard because I didn't want to listen any more but I had to stop when I
realised two people were coming my way. I hid as best I could and held my breath.
“You know that the king expects offspring as soon as possible, don't you?”, “Yes, I
know! He keeps talking about it. I don't know what more to do so that he and his
daughter keep their hands off me - one day my mouth will dry out, because I can
only spit so much!” That was the final straw. “BERNARD!!!”, I shouted as loud as I
could. Claire appeared out of nowhere with a torch and half the castle's residents
came outside, trying not to miss whatever that was happening. There I was,
barefoot and in my wedding dress, crying like a baby and filling my ex-fiancé's face
with tears, spit and other fluids from my nose: “HOW COULD YOU? I WOULD
HAVE DONE ANYTHING FOR YOU! AND... YOU BETRAYED ME WITH...
LOUIS??”...

There is no need to explain what followed. And so my engagement with Bernard,

the spit-man, was called off.
Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale – Chapter III: John

John came along with sunny weather and a salty breeze. My dad never cared
about my constant requests to see the ocean because he believed the devil was
hidden beneath the waves. I don't think the devil would find the ocean that cosy, I
always imagine him holding his trident and surrounded by fire. In the water, that
image doesn't seem to work so well... a tiny column of smoke and the smell of
burning flesh? Well, I never really got into this discussion with my dad, if the devil
lives in the water then so be it. I don't even like to wash, myself.

But back to the salty breeze: the arrival of the new heroes, the conquerors of the
new world, brought a great commotion to our kingdom. First because it was
extremely unusual for them to come back and second because John Charles Scott
Sebastian was also returning. He was a thief who became a hero and was a real
Casanova who could set every single woman to sighing. He used to live his life by
stealing whatever crossed his path, married women included. Until the day he was
imprisoned and sent overseas to conquer the new world as an act of redemption.
He then became a popular hero and was one of our most successful conquistadors.

I was extremely curious about him, not only because I was the princess and so I
would have him as a guest in the castle, but also because my maids wouldn't stop
fainting and sighing at the thought of seeing him too (tight corsets, I tell you!). And
so there was a state of generalised hysteria when he finally arrived at the main
gates of the castle. John was a really good-looking man, golden skin as I had never
seen, very tall and very muscular. He seemed roughly the size of a horse! It was
easy to understand why no woman was indifferent to his charms. As he walked
through the crowd, women (married or not) would sigh, and their spouses (if they
had them) would stand their ground, casting defiant looks John's way. My inner
voice was like a broken record: “wow, wow, wow”.

After we all gathered around the dining table, I quickly discovered that John didn't
have a highly developed speech. He was incapable of maintaining a decent
conversation, but had these amazing stories that were like a spell and got
everyone's attention. I felt this urgent need to visit our lands beyond the sea,
though it was probably best to start with the sea and then the storms at the sea.
When dinner was over, I tried to get closer to John, weaving my way through my
own maids (and God only knows how difficult my dress made this endeavour).
Eventually I got close to him and almost forgot what I had to say, he was so
incredibly handsome! After I gathered as much concentration as I could, I told him it
would be a pleasure to have his company on a trip through the kingdom the
following day. He nodded but told me I would have to take my beautiful maids along
with us. This was followed by a loud collective sigh and, for once, I was the only
one offended.

The next morning, I was completely thrilled about seeing John again. But I didn't
have any good feelings towards having to share his attention with my maids. To
make things even worse, each of my maids seemed to be more beautiful than ever.
I took a deep breath and left my room with a bunch of hysterical women. John
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arrived an hour late and his arrival caused an uncontrollable outburst of emotion.
He was breathless and unbuttoned, but carrying the loveliest smile on his lips that
made us all melt at the sight. I had the carriage ready for our little trip (I had
planned to see the sea), but my plans went down the drain when he insisted we
should remain in the castle because the gardens were lovely and he had never
seen them. He insisted so fervently that we all reluctantly agreed to get back inside
with him.

Our walk was going well, and even though he tried to share his attention between
all women, he ended up talking more to me. I found out that being a princess had
some advantages: I could get the attention of beautiful men that wouldn't even look
at me twice otherwise. Suddenly, he asked if he could talk to me in private and we
moved away from the sighing group of women. I was a little afraid at John's choice
of words since his etiquette left much to be desired, but I could see he was making
an effort.

- You know, being an adventurer is great! We get to know lots of different places
and women, which is what we really miss while we're away from home.
- Hum... - I nodded because I had no idea of what I to say.
- People respect us! But eventually, we reach a point in our lives where a man has
to settle down, do you know what I mean? I'd really like to settle down as soon as
possible! And preferably with a...
- A...?

I didn't have time to listen to what he was about to say because a man appeared
out of nowhere running in our direction and carrying an axe. John started running
away as soon as he saw him. I was startled and couldn't move because I didn't
know what to do. It was only when I heard “Get out of the way, Your Highness!
Come here, you bastard!! I bet you don't think it's fun to steal other people's wives
now, do you??” that I understood what was going on. I started running after the
man while demanding him to calm down in the name of the king. Behind us there
were more angry men that had decided to join the first one. And these men were
followed by my maids crying out loud for them not to hurt John. I'm not sure I can
explain the mess that followed, but Claire told me afterwards that she was doing the
laundry when she saw John running past as if his life depended on it (which it did),
followed by a procession of people running after him. Men shouted: “stop running,
you bastard!”, “Oh, what I'd do to you if there weren't so many women here!”, “You
don't feel like coming close to my wife, now, do you?”, “Stop running!”, “I'll show you
what it's like to be a man in a minute!”. Their faces were all red with anger, but also
from the marathon effort. Falling a little behind, the group of women was crying and
begging for forgiveness among other things: “Maybe you're not as manly as Johnny
is!”, “Johnny, I want to have your babies!”, “Leave him alone, it's not his fault!”,
“Charles, forgive me!”. The female shouting was heard between grasps for air since
the corsets were way too tight. We were all running in circles because even though
the gardens are large, they are surrounded by the walls. Of course John was
outrunning everyone else since he had more reasons to run than we did. We kept
running until we ran out of breath, while John never stopped and eventually
escaped from the angry mob. I think this is one of those stories that will be passed
Fairy Tale

down to future generations.. and live on for centuries to come.

My dad had to arrange an urgent hearing where at least thirty betrayals were
counted. I thought this was really extraordinary since John had only arrived the
previous day. Some men were asking for the pope to annul their weddings, others
wanted permission to marry other women, but most simply wanted to lynch the
traitor. Married or engaged women asked for forgiveness, while others cried
because no-one knew John's whereabouts. There were even some extremely sad
women because John was gone before they'd had a chance to be with him! I had to
confess my sympathy for the latter group. Claire was having the time of her life with
all the mess John provoked, she was enjoying every second of it. Finally, and after
learning that there were at least 32 babies supposedly fathered by John, my dad
decided to send the guards after him despite the women's request for forgiveness.
Nobody left the main hall (except to go to the loo) until the captain of the guard
came back with fresh news. John had last been seen boarding a ship that had
sailed that same afternoon. This brought mixed reactions: sighs of relief, swearing
from some men anxious for revenge, and I finally joined Claire and laughed as
much as I could. We dined a little later that day and we invited everyone to join us.
Little by little, we drank and ate John out of our thoughts and out of the incredible
mess he created in just two days!

The most annoying bit of this story took part nine months later when there was a
shortage of midwives to assist all the women giving birth. But thanks to John, the
kingdom was rejuvenated (which granted him another royal pardon), and more
babies were born that year that in all the years that were to come.
Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale – Chapter IV: Peter, part I

My last suitor came during our kingdom's greatest festivities. The castle was filled
with guests and it was my favourite time of the year: the masquerade ball. It was
my favourite party because my dad couldn't watch me all the time since he couldn't
tell me apart from the other guests. It was also very funny because Claire would
wear my dresses all day and make people believe she was an empress from a
faraway kingdom. Men were particularly easy to fool as they were willing to believe
whatever Claire wanted them to believe - she could even have said she was a frog
turned into a princess. Well, this is why we like men, isn't it?

But going back a few days, I had started exchanging letters with Peter a couple of
months before the masquerade ball. He first wrote me because we have some
relative in common (an aunt, apparently) and she told him about me. He then
became very interested and wanted us to meet. A curious thing about this suitor
was that he would always send me a carefully dried flower along with his letters. I
thought this singularity was enough reason to meet “Mr. Sunflower” as Claire
started calling him. We agreed he'd come to the ball dressed as Robin Hood (even
though I didn't have the slightest idea of what that looked like) and I'd be wearing a
silver dress and a pink mask accessorised with two silver feathers on the right-hand
side.

The night of the ball came at last, and I could hardly breathe with all the excitement.
And perhaps because my corset was too tight. I stayed close to the entry waving at
every man that came in and eventually one of them caught my eye. He was
wearing a brown suit with reddish tones on his chest. I didn't know exactly why, but
“Robin” definitely suited him and so I had no doubt that I had found Mr. Sunflower. I
signalled Claire and went after my suitor.

- Good evening, and welcome to the ball!

- Good evening, my Lady.
- Have you recognised me yet? Pink mask and two feathers?
- Well, actually I haven't. I thought that was the whole point of wearing a mask?...
- Ah! You have a great sense of humour! That's good. It's me, the princess.
- The... the princess? I thought the princes was that dark skinned woman over
there.
- Oh, no. That's Claire! But yes, she is succeeding in fooling everyone. So, shall we
dance?
- Are you sure you want to dance... with me?!
- Of course I do! I bet you and I have a lot to discuss!
- If you say so!...

And there I was spinning through the main hall in the arms of my bird. He was
actually a little fatter than I had imagined. I was extremely happy to realise he didn't
have any speech problem and that he didn't attract too many female looks - or male
looks for that matter. But he seemed a little confused because he couldn't
remember any of the subjects we had discussed in our letters. Meanwhile, Claire
was happily dancing with a gentleman that was dressed in the most unusual way:
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his suit was bright green from head to toe and had an orange hat with a feather.
They were actually a pretty couple, they seemed to be a perfect match. But what
caught my eye was the way Claire was looking at him. It was a very lucky night for
the gentleman in green! After having danced for a while, my date asked me if I
wanted to walk along the gardens with him. Getting out of the main hall and way
from all the confusion surrounding us at the ball was a welcome prospect, so I gave
him an enthusiastic yes. Moreover, that way I could fully concentrate on Peter.
However, I had to keep in mind that I should keep a respectable distance between
us. He took his mask off and I was surprised by his good looks! It was true that he
had a little belly and had stepped on me at least three times during the dance, but
he was really funny and had lots of interesting stories to tell. He also had these big
grey eyes that seemed to be as silvery as my dress, or even the moon. He held my
hand and I felt the blood rushing to my head - I bet I was as red as a tomato! How
dare he hold my hand without asking my permission first??

- I think it's better if you don't do that. - And I took my hand out of his.
- Why?
- Because you haven't told me what brought you here in the first place, just like we
had agreed.
- What brought me here? What do you mean?
- Oh come on, what brought you to this kingdom tonight?
- What brought me?... But my Lady, I was already...

At that exact moment, a sudden loud noise echoed from the main hall and we both
ran there. There was a big flash of light and a tremendous confusion as people
screamed “FIRE!” and ran in various directions. It seemed that the chandelier had
fallen to the ground and made a huge exploding sound as it shattered into pieces.
Thinking about it now, I think a falling chandelier could be the apotheosis of a big
play...

- Princess, I think you should get away from here! You're going to be run over by
these people!
- No, Claire is inside! I have to go and get her!
- Claire? But you can't go inside! Can't you see what's happening there? It's
complete chaos!

I ignored him and tried to get in, but he held me back strongly. Aside from the
confusion surrounding me, I felt protected in that moment. I also wondered: if
holding hands was enough reason to marry someone, what about having that
someone completely clasping me? I bet this could bring down my reputation for at
least the next 20 years. After a few seconds, the danger of the situation finally sank
in. Smoke was making it hard to breathe and people were screaming and trying to
run. My head started spinning fast. I started crying while trying to set me free so I
could look for Claire.

- Ok, take it easy! Calm down! I'll go and get her. She is the one dressed as a
princess, right? I'll go and look for her. Please don't move, stay here!
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- I'll stay here. Hurry up!

- Only after you promise me that you won't move unless the fire is coming this way!
Promise!
- Ok, I'll promise! It’s a promise! Come on man, hurry up!

So there I was, biting my fingernails and hoping no one was looking at me so I

could also bite my toe nails. Things were happening in slow motion, as I could take
enough time to see all the details of what was happening around me. Flames were
trying to break through the shattered windows, people screamed for water and
more buckets, but the starry night was still there looking down on us passionlessly. I
felt like I didn't belong there... sound seemed to come from afar and my eyes
couldn't detect movement. I was thinking about Claire while looking for my father in
the middle of the crowd, even knowing that he should be safe because he was the
main priority there. In a kind of haze between reality and dream, I felt shaken when
a familiar sound finally cut through the air and reached me. At last I figured out
where the sound was coming from and I saw him: “Dad! Dad! Dad!”. I stayed there
hugging him while everyone else was shouting with despair, while others were
helping carrying buckets filled with water; making a final attempt to put out the giant
fire that was projecting our trembling figures in orange shades.
Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale – Chapter V: Peter, part II

The sun was already high in the sky when the fire was finally put out. People lay on
the grass in the garden, completely exhausted. I had been beaten by tiredness and
fallen asleep in my father's arms, still crying for Claire. He continued his royal duties
through gestures and whispers, fearful of waking me. I was only woken by his voice
calling “wake up!”. I rubbed my eyes, which were still stinging from the smoke, and
opened them at last. Claire was alive!! One of her sleeves was ripped, her hair was
hanging loose and her make-up was totally messed up. Yes, she was beautiful as
always. My sister was alive!! I embraced her so tightly that I think I may have
displaced one or two ribs.

- Calm down, everything is fine!

- I was so worried about you! You have no idea!
- Your Mr. Sunflower dressed as a bird saved me... I have no idea how he found me
because I only woke up when he lovingly poured a bucket of freezing water over
me.
- That explains why your hair looks like that. I can't wait to thank him! Do you know
where he is?
- Oh, he already left.
- He left? Where to? He didn't even propose!!
- He didn't? But wasn't that what he came here to do?
- I thought so, but apparently I was wrong. What about your green date?
- Oh, don't get me started! What a man! He proposed to me at least ten times last
night... I'm sick of looking for him. He went to get us some drinks when the
chandelier fell... what a horrible memory! I hope he's safe!
- Oh my gosh, you're actually worried about a man!
- I think I am allowed to, too.
- Of course you are! Tell me more about him!
- Oh, what can I say... the night was so short! Besides, he seemed to be a little
confused about who I was.
- My date was also slightly confused last night. Maybe they were guessing what
was to come. But hey, that can be the start of a great love anyway!
- True love at a make-believe ball?
- Well, you have to start somewhere!
- You're a hopeless romantic!...
- Oh, look! There's your Mr. Green! - And I pointed, like they always tell me not to
do.

Claire was growing visibly pale as Mr. Green got closer to us. The feather on his hat
was burnt and there was still a tiny column of smoke coming from it. That was
extremely distracting. He talked directly to Claire:

- Princess! I'm overjoyed to see you safe and sound!

We immediately looked at each other. I didn't know the right words to say, but it was
way too much confusion for a few hours. So I thought I should enlighten him.
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- I'm the princess, this is my friend Claire.

- Claire? But I don't get it... what happened?
- I was dressed up as royalty... - Claire confessed with a loud sigh.
- Oh, what a terrible mistake!!
- Terrible? - My turn to ask questions.
- Yes, it is only now that I notice that your dress is not silver! I'm colour blind and all
this matter about colours has always puzzled me.
- Silver?.. Please don't tell me you're... - my face opened up in terror as the
realisation of my error sank in.
- … Peter Michael Robert Anthony Charles, enchanted to meet you... princess.

Claire and I stared at each other and started laughing uncontrollably. It took us
several minutes until we regained our composure, and then we started crying
miserably. I guess it was too much for such a short period of time. The fire, knowing
we had both survived, finding out about our switched love life... We ended up crying
on each other's shoulders while Mr. Sunflower stared at us with a shocked look on
his face. I think he was assessing his chances of running away while he still could.

- I was already dreaming about the wedding... and he wants you, not me! - Cried
Claire.
- And I thought he was the other guy, and the other one had such lovely eyes!...
- But I'm the one left with no-one!
- And I want the other one!!! - And we started crying again, since there was nothing
left for us to do.

- Err... - He cleared his voice. - Sorry to interrupt you, ladies, but this is really a
regrettable misunderstanding! Claire, I'm so sorry!... Last night was memorable,
even after the chandelier fell and while I mistook you for the princess. Best night of
my life, in fact! You're incredibly beautiful, but I cannot marry someone who is not
royalty, I think you're aware of that. I'm so, so sorry... And regarding you, I'm sure
you're a lovely person, but I can't keep my promise and ask you to marry me. Not
after meeting Claire. I'm a bit shaken by all this...
- Of course, I totally understand it. I'll leave you now, I have to talk to my dad... - I
tried to get out of there as soon as possible. I was still hoping to find my bird
somewhere and they needed a moment alone.

Mr. Sunflower tenderly hugged a crying Claire. Claire's crying was actually getting
louder and louder, and I couldn't stand to watch any more. My heart was on the
verge of falling into a black hole too. The castle was now almost empty (of guests,
of course) and I didn't know a thing about my bird with grey eyes. Knowing that he
wasn't actually my suitor was a huge blow. What if he was married? Or maybe a
spy from another kingdom who was now filled with information regarding my dad?
And how was it possible that I had never said “Peter” throughout the whole night?
Of course, that was the reason he didn't get most of what I said! But what was
really worrying me was that I had no way to meet him again. Even Cinderella was
clever enough to leave a shoe behind! I strolled through the gardens asking
everyone if they had seen a man wearing a brown bird suit but nobody knew who
he was.
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In the weeks that followed, Claire and I acted as lost souls. We wouldn't leave the
room, we didn't laugh any more, we hardly talked. We would just lie and stare at the
ceiling, sighing. Not even the cherries that my father sent to my room made me feel
hungry. My once favourite fruit had no power over me whatsoever.
Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale – Chapter VI: Peter, part III

After a month and a half, I decided that if I were to die depressed, at least I would
get out of the walls for once in my life while feeling depressed. I went to the throne
room and informed my dad that I was going to finally see the kingdom beyond the
walls. I think that his first impulse was to say “no”, because he stood still with his
finger in the air and his mouth open, but eventually he nodded. Maybe because it
was the first time in several days that he was seeing me standing up. Anyway, he
told me to take ten guards with me and prepared me the safest carriage we had. I
asked Joe, the coachman, to take me to see the ocean; to take me to the place with
the most beautiful view of the ocean.

The ocean was farther than I thought. I opened my window and kept on admiring
our kingdom, the people and the smells. After a while, I just covered my nose and
breathed through my mouth. Once we got out of the populated area, the smell
vanished, but the scenery was filled with trees and rocks, which was extremely
boring. Time was passing by really slowly and I was getting restless. I needed
someone to talk to, but Claire had refused to leave the room.

Eventually, the carriage came to a halt and I got out, slowly and slightly afraid of
what I'd see. I felt goosebumps as I saw the ocean for the first time. It took my
breath away, it was beautiful! It smelled better than any perfume I'd smelled before.
I moved closer, a little afraid at first. I kept moving until there was no earth
underneath my shoes, only sand. I saw the waves bursting and my fear started to
wash out. I was completely dazzled by that sight: the blue ocean, the white foam
brought by the waves, the serenity of the scene was amazingly beautiful. The curls
on my wig were floating in the wind and I felt completely rested. I only woke up from
my dream when I realised that the sound of the waves was making me want to use
the loo! Since I was a princess, I couldn't just do it behind a bush, so I decided to go
to a nearby cottage that looked very tidy. It didn't take me long to realise that that
cottage had a better view than all the windows of the castle. As I was approaching, I
noticed that somebody was sitting at the cottage door, but he was facing the ocean,
so I couldn't see his face. I ran to the cottage and as soon as the person heard me
(or maybe he heard my ten guards running too), he got up and turned to face us.
Once he saw me, he walked back two steps and I let my mouth drop after letting
slip a somewhat dramatic “oh!”. After a few seconds of hesitation, and after my fury
at seeing him here in my kingdom without having had the decency to try to contact
me abated slightly, I was really happy to see him! I was happy enough to try and
get closer to him, but he moved back every time I walked towards him. Since there
was nothing else I could do, I shouted at him:

- What's happening? Don't you remember me? I am the princess!

- Of course I remember!... But what are you doing here? - He shouted back.
- I came looking for the ocean!
- The ocean!?
- What did you say?... We have some things to clear up between us, don't you
think? - I filled my lungs with air. - But first I need to use your toilet, it's kind of
urgent, thanks!!
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I gave him a few seconds to understand what I said. He finally smiled (I had
forgotten he had such a big smile!) and bid me to go in. When I came back outside,
he was still there, and we spent the rest of the afternoon talking. I was truly
impressed by the ocean. To be honest, I even felt like walking barefoot on the sand.
I learnt his name was Richard and that he wasn't related to royalty in any way.
Actually, he had only gotten into the masquerade ball because he had a friend who
was a noble and had lost his invitation to him. I didn't say much about myself -
compared to his life, my princess duties were as dull as could be. But I enjoyed his
company so much that I kept coming back to the little cottage, and every day I
learnt something new. I learnt how to peel an apple, fire a sling and fish with a line.
And mostly, I learnt that dragons do not exist (I had my suspicions on that one!).
After a few months, and without Richard having proposed to me, I gathered my
courage and told my dad I had chosen a husband, but he wasn't royalty. Funnily
enough, my dad didn't seem too bothered by this turn of events. Although he wasn't
happy about having to choose someone else as his successor. After promising him
I would live in the castle with him, I went to the little cottage to propose to Richard
myself. To say that he was shocked by my decision is probably a severe
understatement, but when he was able to speak again, he gave me a decided “I
do!”. But I still had one more thing to ask of him: I wanted a big, lavish wedding in
order to be able to invite people from other kingdoms. I wanted to kiss my royalty
goodbye in a royal way!

Claire made a huge effort to show me she was happy for me and even acted
surprised when she saw me wearing my wedding dress... again. My father's
advisers were all unanimous in declaring me completely crazy, but the wedding
went on as planned. My wedding day finally arrived and since I was already there,
the party started when Richard arrived, very elegant - he even lost his belly for the
wedding! But my happiness wasn't complete because there was one guest missing.
He finally got to the wedding, late as hell! He came in as the church ceremony was
ending, so everyone turned to see who he was. Richard held my hand, afraid that
he was a former suitor and I gave him a big smile. All the wedding's decency was
over when Claire finally looked back. She grabbed her skirts, ran through the nave
until she reached Mr. Sunflower and jumped into his arms. The kissed they shared
afterwards was enough for the priest to expel them from the church! Poor Peter,
trying to forget Claire was too much for him. It was actually too much for me too,
since I kept thinking about her as I planned my wedding!...

Mr. Sunflower stayed with us for several days until he confessed that he had turned
down his throne for Claire. His parents didn't approve such a wedding, and the only
person standing by him was that aunt we had in common. She was even there with
him. I was growing fonder and fonder of Mr. Sunflower while my dad grew fonder
and fonder of the young man's aunt.

After discussing some ideas with my dad, we both reached an important

agreement. Claire would be recognised as a legitimate heiress to the throne, which
was obviously hers since I had turned it down when I married Richard. As Peter
was brought up to be king, he was the best option to rule our kingdom, much better
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than I or Richard would ever be. When we broke the news to Claire and Peter, they
cried of joy for almost an hour, and in between so many tears and hiccups, I
couldn't understand a word of their appreciation.

Back to the future, I can tell you the castle is filled with joy! The three wards of the
castle, formerly empty, are now bursting with life! I got to have one for myself,
Claire lives in the largest and... my dad and his new wife live in the third one! It's
amazing to see my dad playing with his several grandchildren and to see how my
family grew so fast! We hired several people to help us with the royal bureaucracy,
but my dad always has the final word about his kingdom. At the weekends we leave
the walls and usually have a picnic by the seashore, where we run barefoot on the
sand.

I'll take my chances in saying that we will live... happily ever after.