Final - Rachel Selenia
This is a story about love. The story is about a princess. It starts
in a wealthy land. The story begins with a surgery, climaxes with a door
being opened, and ends with someone pretending to be someone else.
____________________________
Once in the wealthiest land in the whole world, there was a princess born. The queen was very happy because she had always wished for a little daughter. The king however wasn't very pleased when he woke up after his surgery. He had been out hunting and broke his leg as he fell off his horse while daydreaming of the son he wanted. And so the princess grew up being loved by her mother, but always feeling that she should have been a boy to please her father.
The years passed by and the queen didn't have any more children. Then one day during the princess' fifteenth year, the king decided to get re-married. The former queen and the princess were moved to a different part of the castle. Within a year the new queen became a mother of a prince.
"You'd better leave this land," the princess' mother told her. "Now that your father has a son, the prince will inherit everything. There's nothing left for you here. It's better for you if you go to some other land and find someone to love."
The princess cried and begged her mother to let her stay, or at least go with her. But her mother just shook her head and told her no, she was too sick and tired to go on such a journey.
The princess finally agreed to search for happiness elsewhere, and so she left the castle one night in disguise, wearing clothes fit for a salesman's daughter and not grand enough for a princess. She only brought enough belongings that could easily be put behind a saddle or carried by herself. And she rode off with only a maid and a stableboy as company.
After weeks of travelling, the group reached a far-off land where the prince was looking for a girl to marry. The princess heard of this one night when they had stopped at an inn to have dinner.
"How can I meet this prince?" she asked the innkeeper.
He looked at her in disbelief. "You think you could marry a prince? You, a salesman's daughter? I'm sorry, but I don't think you stand a chance. He's supposedly looking for a beautiful princess. Not that you're not beautiful," he hastily added, "but you're not a princess." He started to leave the table but the princess once again asked where to find the prince. "Continue on this road," the innkeeper said, "until you reach a big city with white walls around it, deep in a green valley. That's where the castle is. More than that I cannot help you."
The group set off towards the city and reached it within a few days. They found the castle but when the princess asked to meet the prince, she was stopped.
"The prince will meet no-one," was the answer. "Anyone who wishes to marry him is to meet the royal council and they will then decide whether the girl will get to marry him or not."
"But won't he meet the girls and make his own decision?"
The answer was no. And the princess felt that this was wrong so she decided not to meet with the council. Instead she stayed close to the castle and observed it day and night. She saw the prince from a distance many times but never found a way to meet with him in person. But she kept admiring him from a distance, because he was very young and handsome, and his manners were very amiable.
One day the princess got the chance she was waiting for. She was accepted as a maid in the castle. She was running errands here and there, learning every room and every corridor in the castle. She knew where the prince lived, she could see him every day, but she couldn't get close to him. And if she did, she thought, he wouldn't notice her anyway. Here she was, a princess from the wealthiest land in the world, working as a maid, she thought bitterly.
But her chance came one day in winter. It was a very cold winter and many of the maids were ill because they didn't have enough clothes to keep warm in the cold castle. The princess and the other maids who weren't ill got even more work to do. The princess almost dropped the water bucket she was carrying when she was told to bring a tray of night snack to the prince in his room.
With a pounding heart the princess knocked on the prince's door. It seemed like forever before it opened, and there he was standing in front of her. His golden hair curled up against his shoulders, his clear blue eyes met her dark brown eyes.
"Here's your food, your highness," she said, handing the tray over to him and curtsying more elegantly and gracefully than any maid could ever do. The prince had meant to send her off right away but noticed how different she was from the other maids.
"Aren't you freezing?" he asked when he saw how little clothes she wore. He didn't wait for an answer but led her inside his room and let her sit down in front of the fireplace. There she sat for some time and got warm again, and the prince even gave her some of his food. But she didn't tell him who she was. She felt too embarrassed to let him know she was really a princess.
The winter passed, but from now on it was more pleasant. The prince sent for her many times a week, let her sit by the fireplace and eat his food with him, and they enjoyed each other's company. After some time the prince started giving her small amounts of money, telling her to use it as she liked. She saved every penny and when spring came she went down to the city and bought some beautiful fabric out of which she made a dress almost as beautiful as the ones she had worn as a princess, but lacking the embroidery and pearls. She wore it sometimes in the evenings, when she was alone and no-one was there to watch her. Slowly she started to feel somewhat like a princess again, even though she was a maid during the days.
One evening when the princess was wearing her beautiful dress, dancing around in an empty room, pretending she was attending one of her father's balls, she heard someone knocking on the door.
"Jezabel?" she heard the prince call softly. That was the princess' name. "I was told you were in here." And he opened the door. The princess didn't have time to go anywhere and she wasn't sure what to do, which resulted in her just standing there in the middle of the room.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, milady," the prince said and bowed.
"Don't be sorry, you are not interrupting anything, my prince," the princess answered. Upon hearing her voice the prince looked more closely at her and gasped.
"Jezabel?"
"Yes, my prince," she said, bowing her head slightly. "Princess Jezabel of Carenia."
"Princess?" he said, confused. "But why then are you working here as a mere maid?"
"Oh, that's a long story," she answered.
"Well, that story has ended now," the prince said and took her in his arms.
Later that summer, the princess married the prince and they lived happily ever after, and so did her mother the former queen of Carenia, who got her own rooms in the castle and was very happy that her beloved daughter found love and happiness.
____________________________
Once in the wealthiest land in the whole world, there was a princess born. The queen was very happy because she had always wished for a little daughter. The king however wasn't very pleased when he woke up after his surgery. He had been out hunting and broke his leg as he fell off his horse while daydreaming of the son he wanted. And so the princess grew up being loved by her mother, but always feeling that she should have been a boy to please her father.
The years passed by and the queen didn't have any more children. Then one day during the princess' fifteenth year, the king decided to get re-married. The former queen and the princess were moved to a different part of the castle. Within a year the new queen became a mother of a prince.
"You'd better leave this land," the princess' mother told her. "Now that your father has a son, the prince will inherit everything. There's nothing left for you here. It's better for you if you go to some other land and find someone to love."
The princess cried and begged her mother to let her stay, or at least go with her. But her mother just shook her head and told her no, she was too sick and tired to go on such a journey.
The princess finally agreed to search for happiness elsewhere, and so she left the castle one night in disguise, wearing clothes fit for a salesman's daughter and not grand enough for a princess. She only brought enough belongings that could easily be put behind a saddle or carried by herself. And she rode off with only a maid and a stableboy as company.
After weeks of travelling, the group reached a far-off land where the prince was looking for a girl to marry. The princess heard of this one night when they had stopped at an inn to have dinner.
"How can I meet this prince?" she asked the innkeeper.
He looked at her in disbelief. "You think you could marry a prince? You, a salesman's daughter? I'm sorry, but I don't think you stand a chance. He's supposedly looking for a beautiful princess. Not that you're not beautiful," he hastily added, "but you're not a princess." He started to leave the table but the princess once again asked where to find the prince. "Continue on this road," the innkeeper said, "until you reach a big city with white walls around it, deep in a green valley. That's where the castle is. More than that I cannot help you."
The group set off towards the city and reached it within a few days. They found the castle but when the princess asked to meet the prince, she was stopped.
"The prince will meet no-one," was the answer. "Anyone who wishes to marry him is to meet the royal council and they will then decide whether the girl will get to marry him or not."
"But won't he meet the girls and make his own decision?"
The answer was no. And the princess felt that this was wrong so she decided not to meet with the council. Instead she stayed close to the castle and observed it day and night. She saw the prince from a distance many times but never found a way to meet with him in person. But she kept admiring him from a distance, because he was very young and handsome, and his manners were very amiable.
One day the princess got the chance she was waiting for. She was accepted as a maid in the castle. She was running errands here and there, learning every room and every corridor in the castle. She knew where the prince lived, she could see him every day, but she couldn't get close to him. And if she did, she thought, he wouldn't notice her anyway. Here she was, a princess from the wealthiest land in the world, working as a maid, she thought bitterly.
But her chance came one day in winter. It was a very cold winter and many of the maids were ill because they didn't have enough clothes to keep warm in the cold castle. The princess and the other maids who weren't ill got even more work to do. The princess almost dropped the water bucket she was carrying when she was told to bring a tray of night snack to the prince in his room.
With a pounding heart the princess knocked on the prince's door. It seemed like forever before it opened, and there he was standing in front of her. His golden hair curled up against his shoulders, his clear blue eyes met her dark brown eyes.
"Here's your food, your highness," she said, handing the tray over to him and curtsying more elegantly and gracefully than any maid could ever do. The prince had meant to send her off right away but noticed how different she was from the other maids.
"Aren't you freezing?" he asked when he saw how little clothes she wore. He didn't wait for an answer but led her inside his room and let her sit down in front of the fireplace. There she sat for some time and got warm again, and the prince even gave her some of his food. But she didn't tell him who she was. She felt too embarrassed to let him know she was really a princess.
The winter passed, but from now on it was more pleasant. The prince sent for her many times a week, let her sit by the fireplace and eat his food with him, and they enjoyed each other's company. After some time the prince started giving her small amounts of money, telling her to use it as she liked. She saved every penny and when spring came she went down to the city and bought some beautiful fabric out of which she made a dress almost as beautiful as the ones she had worn as a princess, but lacking the embroidery and pearls. She wore it sometimes in the evenings, when she was alone and no-one was there to watch her. Slowly she started to feel somewhat like a princess again, even though she was a maid during the days.
One evening when the princess was wearing her beautiful dress, dancing around in an empty room, pretending she was attending one of her father's balls, she heard someone knocking on the door.
"Jezabel?" she heard the prince call softly. That was the princess' name. "I was told you were in here." And he opened the door. The princess didn't have time to go anywhere and she wasn't sure what to do, which resulted in her just standing there in the middle of the room.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, milady," the prince said and bowed.
"Don't be sorry, you are not interrupting anything, my prince," the princess answered. Upon hearing her voice the prince looked more closely at her and gasped.
"Jezabel?"
"Yes, my prince," she said, bowing her head slightly. "Princess Jezabel of Carenia."
"Princess?" he said, confused. "But why then are you working here as a mere maid?"
"Oh, that's a long story," she answered.
"Well, that story has ended now," the prince said and took her in his arms.
Later that summer, the princess married the prince and they lived happily ever after, and so did her mother the former queen of Carenia, who got her own rooms in the castle and was very happy that her beloved daughter found love and happiness.