|
Once upon a time, a princess was taking a stroll down the same dimly lit path she visited every evening. Her long auburn hair was held back by a glittering barrette of gold, though it could not capture the soft curls that framed her face. Her cheeks were sprinkled with freckles, and her eyes were gray like two dark rain clouds. She wore a long black sleeveless dress, and a matching shawl covering her bare shoulders.
It was a beautifully clear night. Sparkling stars lit up the sky like diamonds. A light warm breeze brought life to otherwise idle trees. The princess loved this trail, especially at night. In the daytime, the brightness of everything left nothing to the imagination. But at night, face to face with the magical moon, its soft radiance made her spirit dance. She liked the crunching sound her shoes made on the cobblestones. Singing night birds kept her company. She smiled, fluttered her arms out and twirled around as if dancing with an imaginary partner. For a moment the loneliness was forgotten.
Men from the kingdom stood in line at her father’s palace hoping to catch a mere glimpse of her. She always questioned their motives. Very few were lucky enough to accompany her on daily strolls through the forest. The ones who did were either too shy, too conceited, or downright uninteresting. Furthermore, the topic of conversation was usually about her father and the great powers he held. Some even used their charm as a manipulating tool, hoping the princess would reveal sacred secrets of the land. She laughed at their foolishness. A princess never tells. For others, their desire to be with her is otherwise influenced. Her beauty made even the most confident man feel threatened. Anyone gallant enough to get past that seemed unable to look beyond the outside layers and show an interest as to who she was inside. Her heart and soul remain a mystery to most. Being part of the royal family and living in the majestic household certainly attracted many, but she never could identify their motives. This made the princess very frustrated and ready to give up on love all together.
The king constantly reminded her how it is still considered a great honor to walk with a princess. Knowing this didn’t help ease the pain. The princess felt alone and misunderstood. Sometimes the princess secretly wished she could be a plain and simple peasant girl from the village. Maybe then others would take the time to get to know the person she is rather than craving a taste of the rich blood flowing through her veins.
But their flattery, for whatever the reason, never worked. She saw right through their kind and flowery words. And now by choice she walks alone.
She stopped at the bench by the old oak tree. Here she spent many nights reciting poetry for an imaginary audience. Once in a while animals surrounded her as if to listen. This made her feel less lonely.
From the corner of her eye the princess spotted something glittering in the grassy patch. For a moment she thought it might be the remnants of a falling star. Up close however, it was a stone, but unlike any stone she had ever seen before. Its texture was very smooth and its color was black. Little facets within the stone made it sparkle. The princess stared at the mysterious stone wondering where it came from.
“Someone must have lost it,” she mused, and looked down the path to see if anyone might still be there. Seeing only darkness, she slipped the stone inside her pocket and went on her way.
She reached her favorite bench by the old oak tree and knelt beside it. A huge rock sat on the soil. With both hands she lifted the heavy rock and retrieved a piece of paper from underneath it. It was a poem she didn’t have the chance to read last night. This special rock kept her secrets safe. She sat down to read the poem but then noticed it wasn’t hers. This is what it said:
I see this Beauty every night
Under the enchanting pale moonlight
Offering her heart with every poem
Secretly wanting a prince for her throne
Her words are spoken magic spells
Musically hypnotic chiming bells
I hide in the dark and listen and learn
Hoping one day it will be my turn
To walk beside this Beauty of the night
But my fear keeps me out of her sight
The princess read it again and her eyes welled up with tears. Her heart fluttered as she scrambled to her feet searching for the person who wrote this beautiful poem. All she saw was darkness. She sighed and slumped down in disappointment. Then she said, “Who would write such lovely words in secret? Is there any body out there?”
The sound of rustling leaves caught her attention and a man stepped out from the shadows. He stood quite tall wearing a long black cloak, which covered his evening clothes. His brown hair fell past his shoulders and he looked nervous. The princess trembled as this dark visage made his way a little closer. She was more fascinated than afraid of what might happen next.
The man bowed before her, “Hello, princess.”
“Hello,” she whispered.
“I hope you liked it.” He pointed to the poem in her hand.
She looked at the piece of paper and then at him. “It’s beautiful, I-I don’t know what to say except thank you.” She looked down at the ground and said, “No one has ever wrote me a poem before. No on has ever gone to so much trouble.”
He managed a smile. “It was no trouble at all. I’m so pleased you like it. I was afraid you wouldn’t.”
“Oh no. Oh my, but I do like it. I truly do. You are a wonderful poet.”
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’m not a poet, I just wrote down how I feel about you and it came out like that.”
“How you feel about me?” the princess asked.
“Yes princess. I thought it was time-” he started to choke on his own words. “I thought it was time to let you know that someone has been here listening to you.” He took a step forward, his eyes barely meeting hers. “Your poetry speaks to me and my lonely heart. I understand the message and I-” he stopped and turned away suddenly feeling ashamed.
“You what?” The princess held her breath.
“I want to learn more. More of you, more of your pain, and more of your passion.”
“I don’t know what to say. This is all such a surprise.” She got up from the bench and faced him. Her hands were clasped tightly together in an attempt to keep them from shaking.
He reached out his hand as if to touch her. “Please let me finish. If don’t I say this now I never will.” Clearing his throat he continued. “I just knew you’d find it.”
Confused she asked, “Find what?”
“My stone.”
“Oh yes, the stone.” She reached inside her pocket and took it out. It sparkled magnificently. “I knew someone lost it.” Extending her arm she said, “Here, I’m glad I found it for you. You must have been frantic with worry searching for it.”
He closed his hand around hers with the stone still inside. “No, you misunderstood me princess, I left that stone for you. Don’t you see? I left the stone for you and only you. I knew you would find it and I want you to have it. Please, I know it’s not much, but please accept it as a small token of my love and devotion for you.”
The princess was taken aback by his words. She didn’t know what to say or how to say it. She put the stone back inside her pocket and managed to thank him and then grew silent. His kinds words tugged at her heartstrings. The princess admired his honesty. He took her hands and gently caressed them. It knew it was time to open his heart in a way he had never done before.
“I have fallen in love with you, princess. As utterly crazy as this may sound, it’s true. The first time I found you here was the happiest day of my life. I sat hidden for hours as you wept and sang and read your poetry. I wanted so much to hold you in my arms and comfort you. I was devastated when you left and prayed for your pain to be lifted. I came back to this spot every day for a week hoping you would return, and just when I gave up on ever seeing you again, there you were. I started looking forward to coming here and seeing you even if you didn’t see me, just hearing your lovely voice and seeing your beautiful smile was enough for me. Until now.”
The princess felt as if she were dreaming. Her mind told her this couldn’t possibly be real but her heart was swelling with a love that for so long she only fantasized about. How many times did she wish upon the stars, the same stars that were shining bright tonight, to bring her someone like this angel sitting before her now? How many lonely nights did she get lost in the dream of finding her prince someday?
A tear trickled down her face and he wiped it away.
Taking her hand he said, “I have a question I need to ask you.”
“You can ask me anything,” she whispered.
Taking a deep breath and gathering up some much needed courage he said, “I would like nothing more than to be your prince and walk beside you. That is, if you will have me."
Without hesitation the princess surrendered to hearts desire. The darkness and pain, which were a part of her soul for too long was now being outshined by love. A love she only dreamt about.
As if reading her mind he said, “Princess, we don’t have to dream anymore. The hands of fate have brought us together. The stone proves it.”
She touched his cheek bringing her lips dangerously close to his. “I would like nothing more than to be your princess.”
When they kissed the stars up in the sky shone brighter than ever before. The moon smiled down upon them. Yes, love was in the air. He picked her up, twirling her in his arms. She laughed like a child and held on tight. When he set her down he kissed her cheek and they continued walking along the path, hand in hand. For the first time the princess finally knew what it felt like to have a dream come true. And they lived happily ever after.
Copyright
© 1997 -2008,
Scarlet Black - All Rights Reserved. |
