A Faerie's Tale: Fairest of Them All
Erienne C. Lee
Prologue
"PAPA! PAPA!" REI'S voice carried louder and stronger than one would attribute to the small, cherubic girl of barely eight summers. She careened around the corner of the castle, her sandaled feet kicking up the dirt of the ground and her loose, unadorned raven-black tresses flying behind her. A broom two feet too long for her was clasped tightly in her hands, all but forgotten in the excitement of the news just imparted to Rei on the best authority from one of the young temple maidens. Endymion was on his way! The young prince from the neighboring kingdom had come for the past three summers to train under Rei's father Ignatius, King of Fieryn. As the only daughter of the king, Rei had known only a lonely existence before Endymion's visits. The other children living in the castle, being too far below Rei in station and peerage, were not allowed to associate with her according to dictates of society.
The last three summers had been remarkable, as she seemed to have gained an older brother in the spirited and friendly Endymion. When he was not training in the lists, he would find Rei, and together they would embark on marvelous journeys through the woods separating their two kingdoms, letting their imaginations run wild. Sometimes they would be two knights set off on a quest to rescue a princess from a fire-breathing dragon, other times they would be enemies on the battlefield, and yet more often times they would simply scamper through the trees and meadows enjoying the unrestricted summer of a child. But it was yet April, and the late spring snow had just melted into the warmth of a beckoning summer. Endymion was arriving two months early this year. Rei gave no thought to ponder the reason for the timely visit; she simply wanted to see her friend again.
"Papa! Endymion is to come!" Rei began again before she raised her head to run across the courtyard to the front hall. She skidded to a halt, dropping the broom, as she realized her father and an entire congregation of elegantly dressed strangers were standing in the center of the courtyard. Her father stood straight and tall, his regal bearing innate and apparent to all, enhanced by the austere features of his face. More interested in political affairs and diplomacy, Ignatius normally paid little attention to his daughter. The times he did notice Rei were usually attempts to curb her behavior with disparaging remarks and reprimands. Rei felt the heat of his gaze on her, and saw his eyes narrow. Too late, she realized her mistake, and winced in anticipation of the verbal lashing she would receive.
Instead, a much warmer voice than her father's cut through the silence. "Ah, so this is the lovely princess!"
Rei opened one eye to look speculatively at her father, then slid her gaze to the tall man next to him. He looked to be of an age close to her father's and stood just as tall and confident. But where King Ignatius' eyes and mouth were etched in chronic seriousness and reproof, this man's face held warmth and a smile.
Ignatius flushed to the roots of his hair that was streaked at the temples with gray. "Yes, my daughter Rei is the image of her mother. Unfortunately, I have to rid her of the bad habit of escaping daily ministrations with her maid."
Rei blushed and tried to swipe inconspicuously at her dusty frock. She rather thought it wasn't her fault if her maid was a wrinkly old lady who put too much force into hair brushing and face scrubbing. So why should she succumb to the mean old lady's admonishing every morn?
Clearing his throat and sending a warning glance to Rei, Ignatius summoned Rei closer before turning to face the man with the kindly voice. "Georgios, allow me to present the Princess Rei of Fieryn. And Rei, my darling, you must surely recognize Endymion's father, King Georgios."
Rei's eyes widened with surprise, but quickly recovered from the revelation that the man was Endymion's father. Indeed, the resemblance between the king and prince of Terran was easily discernible; both had black hair and startling blue eyes and the same tall and lean frame. Rei searched her brain for the proper behavior in this situation before deciding on a deep curtsy and beaming a smile at Georgios. "I am very much pleased to meet you, your highness."
It seemed to have worked, because the crowd murmured its approval on so charming a child. Even Ignatius' face deemed to relax slightly.
A laugh rang out, and the crowd parted behind the two kings to let a young black-haired boy about twelve years old march to the front. Behind him trailed four more youths about the same age.
"Rei, have you been practicing your sword fighting with a broom again?" the boy asked, one eyebrow raised in mock disdain.
Immediately forgetting the presence of her father, Rei picked up her broom and rolled up the sleeves to her frock. "I beat you last summer, and I'll do it again, Endymion, you noodle-brain!" Although said with much conviction, there was no malice behind her words. Still, as an afterthought, she added a small smile in case her vehemence might scare Endymion away.
King Georgios guffawed and slapped Ignatius soundly on the back. "My son has told me about the princess' fiery spirit, but I must confess I didn't believe him until now."
"I assure you, Rei is normally not so outspoken. She but needs a few more lessons at court, and she shall be as ladylike as her mother was," Ignatius quickly put in.
"Nonsense! Rei is as much a lady as my own dear departed wife. Such spirit should not be meted out," replied Georgios, sensing the rising ire of Ignatius. Expertly maneuvering Ignatius towards the front hall, Georgios changed the subject to the more innocuous topic of the new trade routes planned for the eastern cities. Before stepping into the cool darkness of the castle, Georgios turned and gave a wink to Rei and motioned with his head to Endymion.
The congregation followed the two kings, leaving Endymion and his friends with Rei in the courtyard. Endymion smiled at Rei as she eyed his friends with open curiosity.
"Rei, you demon-child, it isn't polite to stare, no matter how handsome you find my new guard," Endymion admonished teasingly. He crossed his arms and waited for the ensuing retort.
Blushing, Rei opened her mouth to argue with Endymion. Goodness, it was great fun to have someone to tease again. "I wasn't staring, and what else am I to do since you haven't the good manners to introduce me to your friends?" Mentally, Rei was hopping about in excitement over the idea of more playmates.
The largest boy stepped forward with a bow. "Princess, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Kunzite, companion to Prince Endymion." He said his words as solemnly as an adolescent could. He was without doubt the most exotic-looking one in the group with tan skin and hair pale as moonlight hanging past his shoulders. He was dressed in the garb of the youths training in the Terran army, gray tunic and matching trousers.
Following Kunzite's example, the next tallest spoke. He had long chestnut brown hair and deep brown eyes. "Princess, Endymion has told us much of you, all of it in high praise," he began, then paused to rethink. "Most of it in high praise," he amended, slanting a teasing look at Endymion. "I am Nephrite, at your service."
Not to be outdone by the others, the third boy came forward with a bow deeper than the previous two. His strawberry blonde hair was tied back in a queue, and his green eyes smiled at Rei with amusement. "I am Zoisite, my lady, and I certainly hope you will not hesitate to call on me if ever you need assistance against rogues like them," he said, smirking at the other boys when Rei graced him with a wide smile.
Endymion rolled his eyes and made a gagging sound, but did not have the chance to comment before the last boy made his way in front of Rei. This one had blonde hair cut short much like Endymion's, as well as similar blue eyes. Rei could do nothing but stare with wide eyes as he took her small fingers in his larger hands and brought them to his lips. "Princess Rei, Endymion did not do you justice when he described your vibrant spirit. You are the embodiment of your fiery kingdom. Please allow me to introduce myself as your humble servant, Jadeite," he said, looking into Rei's eyes and not breaking contact with them even after he finished speaking.
For a moment, with her feet rooted to the ground and her large violet eyes unblinking, Rei seemed awestruck. The one thought reverberating through her mind was that this boy had the most beautiful face she had ever seen.
And then just as quickly in the next moment, Rei frowned and decided she was being quite silly because he was a boy, and boys weren't beautiful. She shook her head as if to rid herself of the ridiculous thought and found Jadeite's bemused gaze on her. She flushed, wondering if he could read her mind.
Endymion could contain his amusement no longer and burst out with a loud snicker. Rei jumped at the sound of his laugh, fearing that he had found her out, but his next words reassured her.
"One week under the court master of chivalry, and the lot of you turn into sissies!"
Zoisite sniffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "We are only doing our best at excelling in preparation to be the best guards for you, my lord."
"Ingrate," Kunzite muttered under his breath.
"And it doesn't hurt that the ladies seem to like the results of this part of our education," Nephrite put in. A few years older than Endymion, they had just recently started to regard the fairer sex as more than just delicate beings in dresses.
But Rei paid no attention to their banter. Instead, she was marveling over Zoisite's words. "Are you all truly training to become warriors of Terran?" she asked eagerly.
At her interested tone, the four members of the guard immediately ignored their charge for the chance to boast. They were disappointed a few minutes later when they realized Rei's interest was not in admiring how they trained but in whether or not she could train with them.
"Why would you want to do anything strenuous when you are a royal princess, my lady?" Zoisite asked, clearly bewildered that Rei would desire such a thing.
"Girls can't be warriors, princess," Nephrite stated with strong conviction. "You should let us men worry about such things."
Kunzite remained silent, watching as Rei's expression turned irate in reaction to the two foolhardy statements issued. Although his face did not show it, he smiled inwardly and anticipated the set down the spirited princess would give Zoisite and Nephrite.
Balling her fists at her side, Rei approached the two unsuspecting boys. "Who was the addle-pated instructor that spoke such nonsense?" she asked loudly.
Jadeite had also kept quiet, gauging her words and voice before deciding on the best course of action. He jumped in front of Rei, flashing her one of his charming smiles that had recently begun to enrapture the female populace of Terran. "I have a feeling you might yet prove our teacher wrong, my lady," he murmured, offering his hand to Rei. "I, for one, would be delighted to demonstrate some of our training lessons. And, when my lady princess thinks she may handle a weapon, I would be honored to stand as opponent."
The moment Rei softened her expression and began to smile at Jadeite favorably, he continued, "Mind you, my lady princess, choose a small weapon that you are familiar with, perhaps a wooden spoon or a knitting needle, in case you strain yourself."
That wiped the smile abruptly off her face. "Why, you ninnyhead! You are even worse than those two!" Rei was about to turn in search of the discarded broom before she caught the sparkle of amusement in Jadeite's topaz eyes. Realizing that there was no true scorn in his words, she clamped shut the mouth that had been open to spew out more insults, then decided to let them fly anyway, since he had purposefully baited her.
Jadeite laughed loudly at Rei's colorful words and led her on a merry chase around the yard when she found her broom. Endymion and Kunzite watched the spectacle with identical grins on their faces while Zoisite's and Nephrite's opinions of the Princess Rei rose in light of the thrashing she seemed to be inflicting on their fellow soldier.
Thus, the summers of Rei's childhood passed in the company of Endymion and his guard until a dark shadow befell the royal house of Fieryn, unbeknownst to its inhabitants until it was almost too late.
End Prologue
(c) 2003 Erienne C. Lee