Author's Note: This story has been updated on 21st August 2014. The update resulted in an extra chapter. Chapter 1 and 2 became chapter 1,2 and 3. From chapter 4 onwards the story is unchanged, except for a correction here and there.

FINDING PRINCE CHARMING

Chapter 1

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a beautiful princess. Not only was she beautiful, she was also intelligent. Her father, King John had called her Esmeralda after her mother who had died when she was born. Unfortunately, because she was his only child and because she had no mother, he could not resist giving her everything she wanted. The courtiers praised her beauty and her cleverness. They would drop anything they were doing to immediately carry out her orders, however trivial. Visitors too would be enchanted by the pretty girl and they would yield to her every whim. No wonder she grew up to become a very proud and totally spoilt young woman.

King John had no male heir. For him it was important that his daughter marry the right man because, although he loved his daughter dearly, he wasn't entirely sure that a woman with her pride had the right qualities to be a queen. When Esmeralda was eighteen years old he decided it was time to find her a husband. When the news spread throughout kingdoms far and near that the beautiful princess Esmeralda was looking for a spouse, kings and princes came from all over the world, saw her, talked to her, and fell head over heels in love with her.

When the suitors first arrived Esmeralda was distant, which made them think she had great modesty. When she told her father she was not ready for marriage, they thought it was maiden bashfulness. When she started to call some of her suitors too fat, too thin, too short, too long, too stupid, or too ugly the rest of her admirers thought these were correct observations.

She became cold and insulting to all her suitors, but that couldn't drive them away. They continued to follow her like faithful puppies, obeying her every command, giving her everything she asked of them. One prince, in an attempt to impress her with his wealth, gave her so many presents that in the end he had to go home on foot in nothing but his underwear. She asked the would-be husbands to do the silliest things and when those poor men, out of love for her, actually complied with her ridiculous requests, she laughed and mocked them.

Occasionally one of them, thinking he had a chance, would ask her "Princess Esmeralda, would you marry me?"

This would make her laugh even harder and she would answer, "Who do you think I am? A silly little girl to marry someone as stupid as you? Go away! I'm waiting for a better man, my Prince Charming. He's as clever as I am, as handsome as I am, as rich as the ocean is deep and he'll give me all he has."

And so the proud princess waited for her true Prince Charming to come to claim her, her hopeful suitors kept following her and praising her and as time went on and her dream prince did not arrive she became more and more rude to everyone.

ooOOoo

It was a bright day in late summer when King Henryk arrived. He had become king at an early age after the death of his parents in a boating accident. He had been on the boat with them and had been saved just in time but when his wounds had healed they had left a large scar on his face. It ran from the middle of his brow over his right eye and across his cheek, ending just under his right ear.

As he came into the big hall and went towards Esmeralda some of the ladies stifled a scream or turned away. Around the room you could hear the susurration of whispers.

"He is so ugly, look at his face."

"Dreadful, I wouldn't show myself looking like that."

"He does not look rich. Look how plain his clothes are."

"My footman wears richer clothes."

"He doesn't even have a proper gift with him."

"Ridiculous. He cannot even afford a bunch of roses."

When he had reached Esmeralda, she looked down at him and said:

"You wanted to speak to me?"

"Your Royal Highness, I brought you this special rose from my garden. Its beauty is created with you in mind. Please do me the great honour of accepting it together with my heart. "

Esmeralda took the rose. Its deep red petals looked like rich velvet. A dewdrop, caught in the middle of the flower, glistened like a diamond. She didn't see its beauty only the ugliness of the man who had given it. She felt insulted. How did that scarecrow dare to approach her?

"Ha! Look around you, look at all the men I've turned down. Any one of them is more handsome than you are, you ugly monster. They gave me precious jewellery, gold, gems, even palaces. And what do you give me? A weed from your garden and your heart. This is what I do with them."

And she crushed the rose and threw it at the young king's feet.

He wanted to shout at her, slap her. With supreme effort he kept his anger in check:

"I could never believe what people told me. That you are proud and hard and cold, that you are no more than a beautiful marble statue, a thing that can be admired but knows no love; a precious object that only fools would love. They were right. You throw away the best anyone can give you, a true heart. You should be brought back to life, and then perhaps you might be a wife worth having. Someone else will have to do that; I don't waste my time on lost causes."

At this he turned around and left the room.

You could have heard a pin drop. Princess Esmeralda just stood there, her eyes flashed with anger. Then she turned to the musicians.

"Play some music, I want to have fun."

As she went to the middle of the room to start the dance, she stepped on the rose petals on the ground.

ooOOoo

The sound of the happy music followed Henryk to the doors of the palace, mocking his feelings. He was glad to shut it off with the discord of the loud clang as they closed behind him. It seemed a fitting end to his dreams. Without looking back once he went straight to the stables to get his horse and leave. While he was saddling his animal Esmeralda's father came running. He apologised profusely for her behaviour.

"Please, don't let her destroy the friendship between our countries," King John said.

Henryk allayed his fears.

"What your daughter does has nothing to do with our countries. My father's promise stands."

"Thank you for that, Henryk," the older man said."

Henryk just nodded, mounted his horse and left.

When he arrived home Margaret, his housekeeper, asked, "And? Was I right?"

"Yes," he answered, "she's spoiled, thoughtless, hurtful, everything you said. And I don't want to talk about it anymore."

He went into the garden to the corner where a rosebush was growing with deep red, velvety roses. He stood there, just looking at the roses until he heard somebody behind him.

"Do we have a name for the rose, Henryk?"

Henryk looked at James, the young gardener who had grown the rose.

"No, we don't. I won't … I can't give it another name."

"I'll refer to it with the date it first bloomed then."

"Thank you, James. Perhaps one day I'll be able to rename it, but not now."

Henryk went to his room.

He thought about Esmeralda, about their childhood. Whenever their fathers had met on state business, always in King John's grand palace, she had been his playfellow. He remembered the last time he had seen her on her sixteenth birthday. She had been so happy to see him. They had talked, they had laughed, they had danced and he had fallen in love with her. There had been more young princes at her birthday party but she had favoured him above all the rest.

"You're my Prince Charming," she had laughed. "Promise me you'll come when I'm old enough."

"And how many Prince-Charmings will turn up?" he had joked. "Simon is charming, David is very charming, Frank …"

"Don't tease me," she had interrupted. "Will you come?"

She had looked up at him, sincerity in her eyes, and he had answered, "I will come. Nothing shall stop me."

Then the accident had happened. The healing had taken a long time; dealing with the aftermath even longer. He had stayed in his room, day after day, not wanting to face up to the death of his parents, his kingship or how the accident had changed his face.

It had been Margaret, always Margaret, who had told him that he had a duty to his people; that everybody knew what had happened to his face; that he couldn't hide for the rest of his life. He'd given in. In the end he'd given in to Margaret's insistence and she'd been right. He had been loved more, not less because of what had happened. He had been given a new goal; to become as good a king as his father had been. But a king needs a queen.

That's when he'd heard Esmeralda's father wanted her to get married. He'd remembered his promise, but it had taken him a while to find the courage to go to her looking as he did. Then Margaret had warned him, others had warned him. They had told him how selfish she was, how spoilt, how vain, how unfeeling. He had scoffed at them; he had told them they didn't know her as he did. He hadn't believed what people had said about her. All malicious gossip, rumours spread by disappointed men. He had approached her, thinking she would greet him as of old. She hadn't even recognised him. She had been so disdainful, so cold and distant and all he had gotten was her refusal and her heartless behaviour.

He buried himself in work. He did anything and everything to keep his mind busy, and tire out his body. He wanted to fall asleep like a log every night. He didn't want to think about Esmeralda anymore. The worst was when winter came and all the work had been done; when he had time to remember and relive her rejection.

Every night he heard her say, "You offer me a weed and your heart. This is what I do with them."

Every night he relived the moment when she had crushed the rose; crushed his heart.

ooOOoo