Pretty Pretty Princess by Brianna Burns
Once upon a time there was a pretty pretty princess. This princess was the most beautiful in the land. While everyone loved this princess for her looks she had one giant flaw. This princess had a weird speech and it was hard for people to understand her. Because of this the princess was shunned and ridiculed by her subjects. Because of the years of bullying, and torture the princess decided it was best not to talk ever again. She spent years' mute and that appeased the town folk and made her one of the best princesses in the land. One day a knight came riding into town on his noble steed. While strolling through town, he spotted the princess and fell for her beauty. He approached the princess and starts speaking to her but she doesn't respond. He keeps trying for hours and hours but she doesn't crack. Once night falls, he bid her farewell; he leaves crestfallen but determined. The next day he comes back but brings with him a bouquet of carnations. These carnations make the princess blush and smile but she still doesn't speak. The knight spends the entire day with her again talking to her, trying to make her speak. All he wishes is to hear this beautiful women's voice. Every day he comes back baring different gifts, each one more desirable then the last. The princess accepts these gifts with a soft smile and a thankful bow but never utters a word. One day the knight comes to her, not with an expansive valuable gift, but with a simple paper and pen. He tells her that if she never wants to speak to him then so be it, but he wants to know all about her. So, the princess and the knight spend the next several weeks together, no words are spoken, only notes passed. Every note was more meaningful then the last and the knight started falling for the princess not just for her looks. The knight decided that the princess needs to know of his feelings. The next day when he goes to see the princess he writes her a very special note. During their regular note session, he hands it to her. Three simple words were written on the paper, "I Love You." She reads the note, then rereads it. She didn't move for a long time and just stared down at the piece of paper. Finally, she looks up and stares him straight in the eye. "I love you too" she says to him, the first words she's spoken in years and there to the man she hopes to spend the rest of her life with. He looks shocked by her speech and doesn't say anything for a while. The princess gets scared that he will leave her for her difference and decides to leave first before he can break her heart more. As she's getting up to go he stops her, "Please don't go, I don't want to ever spend another day without you" he says. With tears in her eyes she looks at him and says "but what about my voice, doesn't it make you want to leave me." He smiles and says in a soft but strong voice, "Never, I love your voice, its apart of you and I love everything about you. I love your hair, your eyes, your smile. I love how your eyes light up when you talk about your family and how you look down at the ground when I'm reading something you wrote that embarrasses you. I love you for you, and most definitely love your voice. I want to hear your voice every night before I go to sleep and every morning when I wake up. I never want to live a day without you. I hope you feel the same." She nods her head vigorously and jumps into his arms. They stare into each other's eyes and slowly lean in. This kiss was the first of many they exchange throughout their life. The knight stuck to his word and listened to his princess as she told him about her day before they went to bed and listened to her when she told him her plan for the day when they awoke the following morning. They were happy, and nothing could stop this. The most important thing though was that the pretty pretty princess never was afraid to speak again and lived the rest of her life confident and happy.