The Princess and her Fairy Godmotherby Angie
3 Aug 2008
11:08 am1
… continued from Part I: “The Prince & The Captain.”
The Princess was in distress. What on earth could she do when the Prince, her fine husband, was so downhearted? She knew that his courage and integrity would make him perfectly suited to his new responsibility, but she couldn’t imagine being cheerful while he was so sad. She helped the royal cook prepare very special meals and asked the court musicians to play his favorite tunes, but all to no avail.
Finally, she had a wonderful idea: She would call her Fairy Godmother! The spry and thoughtful magical lady always had good advice and perfect remedies for the Princess’s troubles. The lovely Fairy appeared almost instantly to the summons in a shower of silver snowflakes (which, luckily, did not melt into a puddle on the carpet but instead shrank to tiny silver sparkles and then disappeared).
“What can I do for you, my dear Princess?” asked the beautiful Fairy.
“Well, you see… it’s my husband, the Prince. He’s unhappy. I mean, he’s had a… disappointment.” and the Princess explained the whole story to the attentive Fairy. When she finished with, “…so I hoped that you could, perhaps, do something for him…?” the gray curls bobbed around the Fairy’s face as she sadly shook her head.
“My dear child, there is nothing that I can do for him. It is not within my power to change how someone feels and thinks.”
“Then tell me what I should do!” urged the Princess. “I am prepared for any quest that would secure his happiness: send me over the golden hills to the North or beyond the great sea to the West or past my father’s kingdom in the mountains to the East or into the desert wasteland to the South! I will tread any path to bring back any treasure that will aid my beloved Prince.”
The Fairy Godmother knew that the Princess was in desperate earnest, but she gently shook her head again, this time with a soft smile on her lips. “There are no treasures in the wide world that will grant your desire. Your Prince has great treasures within himself which will bring about the change you seek in time. But, there is some advice I can offer before I go. When you were born, you were also given treasures by me and my sisters. Do you remember?”
“I remember learning of them as I grew up.” the Princess replied, curious as to how her fairy gifts might help her Prince.
“Do you remember what gift you received from my second-youngest sister?” The Fairy raised one eyebrow and her smile broadened as she added, “it is a gift which must be exercised and practiced to stay useful. If you find it and dust off the cobwebs, I believe it will stand you in good stead now.” The air shimmered and the Fairy Godmother vanished, leaving the Princess with her thoughts. She sighed, and then managed to smile.
“Alright, then. I’ll be patient.”
…to be continued (one more time)…
The Prince and the Captainby Angie
30 Jul 2008
9:07 am6
Once upon a time, in a kingdom by the sea, there lived a handsome Prince. This Prince was married to a beautiful Princess and they lived in a lovely little castle surrounded by gardens and fountains, where all was peaceful and pleasant.
One day, the Captain of the royal army visited the Prince and asked if he would be willing to take some time to work with a group of young men that the Captain was very interested in. Though a little wild and unruly, they were all honorable and of noble families, and the Captain was confident that they could be trained as fine knights if they had a good friend and example like the Prince to help them. Willingly, the Prince agreed to do all he could for the young men.
The Prince began to meet regularly with the noble boys. Sometimes it was to teach and train them, and sometimes it was to lead them in great adventures and quests. As their friendship grew, the young men learned to admire and appreciate their Prince and wanted to emulate him and win his approval. The weeks grew into months, and the Prince felt gratified to see what fine young gentlemen his boys were becoming.
When the months had almost become a year, something unexpected happened: The Prince received another visit from the Captain of the royal army. He looked very serious and began,
“My Prince, I’m afraid there is trouble at our borders. We are not yet in a state of war, but I feel it necessary to begin preventative action to protect our kingdom from future attack. I need someone to act as our negotiator and strategist in these endeavors. I have considered every one of my officers and generals, but I have come to the conclusion that you are the best man I could choose.”
The Prince was surprised, and said, “I feel I am hardly qualified for such military responsibilities…”
“You have integrity and intelligence; that will be more important than military training in this situation. You are also trusted and loved by the people of your kingdom, and that is vital in these dangerous times.”
“Thank you. I do feel trusted and loved, especially by the young men I have spent so much time with of late.”
“Yes, that is another thing,” the Captain responded. “These responsibilities, added to the work your birth and position have placed upon you, will leave you no more time for lessons and adventures with your young knights-in-training. I will see that they are taken in hand by another nobleman as soon as possible.”
A year seemed to pass in a second as the Prince, dismayed, stared searchingly into the face of his royal Captain. The command left a sharp pain where his love for the boys had grown. He felt he must have failed them, to be so suddenly and easily replaced. The Prince knew his Captain well, and had always trusted his judgement, and always before found it easy to sustain the wise decisions of the brave veteran. It never entered the Prince’s mind to refuse, yet it was still very difficult to agree.
But He did.
To be continued…