Prologue
I was born Luchia-Schuyler Napralina Hanon, Crown Princess of Sylfaen, and I had three gifts bestowed to me.
There was a great feast that my father, King Niall held, to celebrate my birth. By then, I was almost two weeks old. I don't remember much, or anything, for that matter, but I've heard it from my Aunt Napralina enough times to recount it.
The way she said it, the way she remembers it, the day of the feast was complete and utter panic. First of all, the lazy cook hadn't finished cooking the goose, the main course of the feast. The kitchen staff had finished the rice pudding and rice and other dishes, but they made far too little. There were too many guests.
Second, I wouldn't stop crying. I was setting my father into a terrible mood, and my mother was too busy telling the other maids what to do than to help me.
But then, Aunt Napralina would say, smiling kindly at me, everything worked out right before the first guests came. It was such a sight to behold, she'd exclaim, laughing at the memory. The tables were piled high with this and that, fruit bowls and pork rinds and marmalade and toast—anything the kitchen staff could cook up in such short time. The goose was finished, and I'd stopped crying, with phantom tears still trailing down my little cheeks.
The first guests to arrive were the royal family of Tania, a powerful neighboring country. They brought with them their son, who was three at that time, Prince Zachary. We had an arranged marriage planned. In groups, guests filed in quickly, dukes, archdukes, sirs, and nobles. Most of them were my father's court men.
Many other royal families came too, Aunt Napralina said, waving her hands. There was Queen Thelia of Burmon, the baroness of Cincinnati, the king of Richfeld…
But the best sight was all the magical creatures. Fairies, nymphs, and good witches came, dressed in all sorts of dresses. Three of those good fairies gave me gifts.
Their names were Nephena, Susena, and Mayena. They were sisters, hence the rhyming names, and apparently very competitive. They were all trying to come up with the best gift for me, Aunt Napralina explained.
Nephena was the fairy in a dress of sewn together rose petals. Susena, not to be outdone by Nephena, was in a dress of lilies. And Mayena came in a blue bell flower dress. Each fairy was sure their dress, and their idea, was the best.
Before the feast began, the three fairies lined up next to my crib, my father and mother behind them, and behind them the royal family of Tania. They shushed the crowd of people and Nephena stepped forward to address me.
"My gift shall be beauty," Nephena said, a proud smile perched on her lips. She touched my forehead with her index finger. "This little princess shall be the most beautiful girl the world has ever seen." Nephena knew her gift was the best. Who didn't like to be beautiful?
"Mine shall be the gift of song," Susena said. She was still miffed by how Nephena took her idea, but she figured that the gift of song was also valuable. "Not only will her singing be beautiful, but so will her words."
Mayena stepped forward thoughtfully, watching me. Susena and Nephena were both cheaters. Who had decided that they would go before her? They had taken both of her ideas.
This is the part of the story when Aunt Napralina's face goes ashen and she abruptly closes her mouth.
"What happened next?" I asked her.
"An evil fairy appeared. Her name was Maleficent, and she was very angry at your father for not inviting her. She cast a spell on you, so you would prick your finger on a spinning wheel and die, on your sixteenth birthday." Aunt Napralina smiles kindly. "But then Mayena saved you. She gave you the gift of not dying. She said, 'Instead, Princess Luchia-Schuyler will live as a commoner until she finds true love.'"
I stared at her skeptically. "We don't have any spinning wheels around the castle."
"Oh, Luchia." Aunt Napralina would stroke my hair. "That's because your parents burned them all. They're trying to prevent this."
"Why?"
"They know you wont survive as a commoner." Aunt Napralina whispers now. "All those thieves, all those evil witches. Have you heard of Hansel and Gretel?"
Then I would shiver and move closer to my aunt.
"There, there. It wont happen, I promise." Aunt Napralina would smile at me, cheerfulness on her face again. "Besides, there are still ten years before you turn sixteen."
I smiled and closed my eyes. Still ten years. I had nothing to worry about.