The Yellow-Eyed Princess
Q ueen Hestia held the baby close; she would not feel safe until she was far from the Kingdom. The carriage windows remained closed, blocking the harsh winter winds. The little baby had dark, brown curls, pale skin, little red lips, and bright yellow eyes. She was sleeping quietly. The baby wore a fine, white, silk night gown and was wrapped in a cape weaved from a unicorn's mane. Queen Hestia smiled, for she had outwitted her cruel husband.
The queen's loyal maiden, Ivory, sat next to her. Ivory had helped deliver the little baby and arranged their escape. King Philip had been furious and horrified to hear the child had been born with yellow eyes. He declared the baby must be burned, he believed it was evil. The queen could not bare the thought of her only and first child to die. So Ivory had helped them escape into the winter night.
The driver of the carriage had been paid handsomely in a great deal of gold. He whistled happily as he drove them on into the night. Queen Hestia stroked the baby's little, brown curls of hair. She sighed, wishing the king had seen how beautiful the baby was. The little princess yawned and opened her eyes. They were large, bright yellow eyes, like cat's eyes, but pretty none the less. She smiled at her mother and shook her tiny fists.
Suddenly, a growl came from outside. The horse reared, shaking the carriage, and screamed terribly. The queen gasped, the baby bawled. Ivory opened the window, and called to the driver. There was another scream, shriller than the horse's. Ivory heard the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing,
She slammed the window shut and shuddered. Another, final scream sounded from outside the carriage. Then silence from outside. The queen rocked the baby in her arms, softly singing. The child continued crying for a moment, much like a kitten, then yawned and fell silent. Ivory knelt on the carriage floor, and pulled out a box. The box was made of polished oak, and jewels were encrusted in it. She opened it, taking a dagger from it. The dagger blade was made of silver, and a large pearl was embedded in the hilt. The queen, knowing what ivory was going to do, shuddered.
"No, I wanted to leave the palace, take the baby, I shall lead what ever is out there away" the queen said bravely.
"My Queen, it is a huge black, beast, are you sure?" Ivory asked.
"I am sure, I shall lead it away, not far is a small town, I shall meet you at the inn shortly." With that, the queen kissed her baby's forehead, and gave her to Ivory. She took the dagger from Ivory, and opened the carriage door for a moment, then ran into the dark woods. A huge black wolf quickly followed.
Once they were out of sight, Ivory, holding the child tight, started hurrying down the snow covered road. As she ran, they child opened her eyes, and looked at Ivory as though she was going to ask her a question. Ivory went on and on, holding the child to her. Finally she came to a clearing, full of houses and shops. She looked back once, hoping to see Hestia, but there was nothing but snow. She got a room in the town's inn and waited for the queen, who never came.
SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER
Ivy wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, the sun was bright and hot, she wore a straw hat, but it did little to keep her cool. Ivy sat on her knees, pulling weeds from the garden. Ivy's long, dark brown hair curled down her back, she wore a simple dress and the hat on her head. Ivory, now in her mid thirties, came up behind her, tapping her shoulder. She handed Ivy a cup of cool water.
"Mama, are we to go to town tomorrow?" Ivy asked, taking a gulp of water. Ivory slightly winced, every time Ivy called her mama, she felt she had betrayed her queen.
"Yes, of course we shall go to town. A young woman of seventeen needs a gift" Ivory said gently. Ivy smiled her yellow eyes wide. Her whole childhood, living at the cottage with Ivory, she had learned life is hard, and gifts were expensive. And any gift from Ivory would be worth more than a king's bounty.
The next day, Ivory was standing in the town square she had stood in seventeen years ago with a tiny baby. She had been lucky the innkeeper had been kind and let her stay there for free, with a promise of working it off. Ivy, on the other hand was happily looking at the wares for sale Necklaces, dresses, tall riding boots, Fancy boxes full of fairy song, silver flutes, knives, horns, a unicorn horn, bows, arrows, swords, shields, silverware, crystal goblets, porcelain, and jewels.
"Oh, Mama, I never knew there were so many beautiful things one can but for three silvers!" Ivy whispered excitedly. Ivory smiled, the queen would be happy to know Ivy adored the Kingdom's craftsmen.
In the end, Ivy chose a set of silver throwing knives with black, leather handles. Ivory was pleased with the choice; knives were far more useful than a silly trinket. They wandered around town for a while more, then Ivory said she had a surprise for Ivy, and they headed home for the cottage. Inside the snug little cottage, was a beautiful cape, weaved from the mane of a unicorn. Ivy lightly touched the white cape, it was just her size. It even had a hood to block the cold night air.
"Oh, Mama! It's beautiful, how ever did you get this?" Ivy asked, close to happy tears.
"I must tell you the truth. I am not your true mother, I raised you, but you are Princess Ivy, daughter of Queen Hestia. You were wearing this cape the day I helped you and your mother escape the kingdom. You were just a day old."
Ivy stared at Ivory, shocked at what she was hearing.
"How can I be a princess, my eyes are unworthy for those of royalty."
"The day you were born, and your father, the king, saw your eyes, he declared you a work of evil and that you should be burned. Your mother saw you were a beautiful gift from the magical beings, and she vowed you would live. In the night, I paid a driver to bring us far from the palace. You were so small and your mother so brave"
"On the way, in the night, we were attacked by a huge wolf. I was going to try and fight it, seeing the driver was dead. But your dear mother, laid you in my arms, took a dagger and said she would lead the beast away, while I got you to safety. I waited for her to run one way, and then I carried you through the cold to the town, and waited for your mother, who never returned. I eventually went back to the carriage we came in, took our supplies and bought this little farm, and we remained here ever since."
Ivy hugged Ivory, and told her she did the best anyone could do. Ivory brushed away her tears, and told ivy how the king was old and weak, that she must reclaim her throne. For Ivy was the king's only child, and she would be a better ruler than her spoiled cousin.
The next day, Ivy , wearing her white cape, and carrying a rucksack with food, and her new throwing knives. She set out for the two in-a-half-day walk to the capital. She spent the fist long day walking through thick forests. She slept in the roots of a huge tree, where a fairy secretly watched over her. At dawn, she awoke to a huge table covered in fine food, and the fairy fluttered near the table.
"Princess, do you wish to eat fine foods with friends, or with your feast to a starving hag?" the fairy asked, and a hag emerged from the bushes. She had wrinkled green skin, a hooked nose, greasy, white hair, glazed eyes, and wore rags. She smiled at ivy, revealing black, toothless gums.
"I would graciously invite this kind woman to feast with me and friends, instead of denying my friends a meal, or embarrassing this woman." Ivy said.
"Wise choice your grace" the hag said, and revealed a dagger with a silver blade, and a pearl embedded in the hilt. "This dagger is the same dagger your mother used to fight off a evil wolf. She lost her life, but you may one day triumph over the beast."
Ivy accepted the knife and promised to invite the fairy and hag to one day feast in the palace. As she walked through the woods, the sun rose high and streamed through the trees. She suddenly heard a cry for help, and she hurried toward the crier. She came to a clearing, where an ogre was tying a young man to a large spit over a fire. The young man saw her, and her motioned for her to run, she shook her head and knelt in the brush. Ivy slid her rucksack off her back, and took out her throwing knives. She laid the three knives on the ground. She picked up on of the knives, and threw it, it stuck in the ogre's leg. He cursed and fell to the ground. Ivy jumped up, and dashed around the ogre, pulled her dagger from her leg and cut the young man free.
The young man had black hair, amber eyes, and a light tan. He wore a white shirt, a leather vest, and brown pants. He jumped up, grabbing a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He readied his bow, and aimed at the ogre's head.
"Wait! I think it only fit the ogre explain why he was trying to roast you" Ivy said. She walked to the fallen ogre, and touched the deep stab wound on his leg, it instantly healed. Ivy's eyes got big, the man stared at her, then fell to his knees, as did the ogre.
"My wife said a maiden with yellow eyes would one day cross my and. I never suspected she would be a princess" the ogre said, with a voice like grinding stones.
"My princess, forgive me for staring, I am honored you have freed me from the ogre's fire" the young man said.
"You may both rise, now, Sir Ogre, why were you trying to cook this man?" Ivy asked as the man and ogre stood.
"I do not allow common folk on my family's land. This man trespassed, and I must feed my wife and children somehow." The ogre said.
"I trespassed on his land because my father is ill and my siblings are starving. I must find meat for my family, the woods are near empty, for a huge black beast hunts in these lands. I was hoping to find some meat when the ogre caught me." Ivy nodded when the stories were told, and felt she knew what to do. She touched a patch of moss, and two carts full of food stood by the fire, each one with a donkey harnessed to it.
The ogre fell to his knees, and kissed Ivy's shoes, the young man kissed her hand. She kindly asked the ogre to stand and advised they should take their carts o their families. They both invited her to supper, and she politely refused. The young man insisted on accompanying her to old father's castle. He left her in the clearing for an hour's time, then returned without the cart, and they set off.
The young man told her his name was Knight. Ivy and Knight traveled all that day and camped in a clearing, where the ground was covered in soft moss. The next day, they shared what food they had and talked as they traveled. Knight told her about his three sisters and two brothers, they were all younger than him. Ivy told him about the little farm she had grown up on with Ivory; they both enjoyed their time together.
They came upon a huge, black wolf. He was five feet tall, with teeth longer than a man's finger, and evil red eyes. Ivy froze; she knew this was the wolf who had killed her mother. Knight readied his bow; ivy stopped him, for it was her mother's fight she must finish. The wolf had yet to notice them, ivy took out her throwing knives, she threw the first one, and it flew through the air, sticking deep into the wolf's hind leg. The beast roared in anger. He turned, eyes blazing with hate and charge. Ivy threw the next knife, it hit him in the ribs, black blood oozed. She threw the third knife, the wolf caught in in his jaws, the way a dog might catch a stick. He was nearly upon her.
Ivy dug into her rucksack, knowing the arrows Knight was firing were useless. She grasped her mother's dagger, and held it over her head, thrusting in the wolf's head, just as his jaws were about to clamp down on her neck. She pulled her dagger from the wolf; Knight stared at her, his eyes huge. Ivy used her dagger and cut the wolf's head off then, they continues their journey.
They came to the huge city, the guards stared at Ivy carrying the wolf's head, and they let them through the gates. As they made their way through the city, people stared. Children thought she was a magical warrior maiden, adults thought her a barbarian. They entered the palace; Ivy stared at the old man laden with silks and jewels. He stared at her and fell to his knees.
"Can this be? My child who was born with yellow eyes lives?" the old king said.
"I am the daughter of Queen Hestia, and of you, I carry the head of the beast I killed, the same beast who killed my mother, to show I am worthy of the throne."
The king stood shaking, he begged his daughter to forgive, and she did. A few months later, ivory was standing in the palace, next to a fairy and an old hag the same from ivy's journey. Ivy and Knight were being married. Ivory cried happy tears, knowing ivy would live happily ever after.
The End