The Cursed Prince

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen. They had everything they wanted with one exception: a son. Though they had a beautiful daughter already, she was unable to rule, and the king had therefore dedicated his life to attaining what he wanted. He neglected his royal duties in favor of praying incessantly for an heir. He left his work to his councilors, who could not manage the kingdom properly, and before too long there was a great famine throughout the kingdom. The queen, knowing she must do something, but unable to think what, went to her garden, where she was always able to think more clearly. As she tended to her plants, which were also wilting and weak, she noticed a small garter snake slithering out of the shrubbery. At first she was startled, but she soon realized the snake was not poisonous, so she decided to let it be. When it spoke, she was astonished, for though she had grown up in the provinces hearing fairy stories, she had never thought such magic existed here, in the capital.

"What brings you out here, Majesty?" the snake asked. "It can hardly be satisfying to care for dying plants."

The queen was hesitant to share her problems with a snake, but she soon realized that nothing bad could come of it. So she poured out her troubles, of her husband and the starving countries that could only be saved if she gave birth to a son.

"There is a simple solution, Your Majesty," the snake said. It opened its mouth and spat out a tiny seed pearl. "Take this pearl and lay it beneath your pillow tonight. Do not tell anyone how you came by it, or the magic will not work. If you do this, you will have a son in a year's time."

The queen, overjoyed, immediately did as the snake had said. That night she dreamed of herself holding a wrinkled pink baby, and she knew this was her child. When she awoke in the morning, she told her husband that she had dreamed she would have a son. When he questioned her, she told him that the messenger was an angel, who said her dream would only come true if the king returned to his duties. She feared he would discover the true source of her dream, for the king hated all things magic, so she took the seed pearl and set it into a ring, which she wore around her neck.

All came to pass as the snake had told her. She bore the king a healthy son, and the king named him Theodore, meaning "gift from God." The citizens celebrated his birth as well, both because their king now had an heir and because with the prince came prosperity. It was only a matter of time before the kingdom was restored to its former wealth.

The king, wanting no magic to have anything to do with his family, declined to invite the fairies of the kingdom to bless his heir. Because the prince was a gift from God, magic had no power over him, the king reasoned. He feared no retribution.

But the queen had seen his rashness, and she was very worried. At their daughter's christening, the fairies had blessed the princess, but the crown prince was far more precious, and the king would not bow to the old traditions if it could possibly mean any harm to their child. The queen, however, knew that in not inviting the fairies, the king had probably angered them, and that would do Theodore far more harm than the fairies would have done otherwise.

Theodore and Angelica grew up, and they were as close as any brother and sister ever have been. Though they were as different as night and day, they spent nearly all their time together, Angelica studying the law and policy of the kingdom and Theodore reading the old legends of the provinces. He dismissed her studies as boring, and she thought fairy tales impractical. But Theodore found that when Angelica explained obscure laws, they became interesting, and Angelica could not help but listen when Theodore read his stories aloud. They spent every possible hour together, much to the joy and despair of their mother, for while she was happy that her children were so close, she feared for their safety. What is more appealing to a fairy curse than a brother and sister?

The king, meanwhile, could not help but wish Angelica could be his heir. While he was quite proud of Theodore, he knew that his daughter would make a better ruler. Unfortunately, the laws of the country prohibited her sitting on the throne, and it was for this reason the king had so desperately longed for a son. Now he found himself wishing that Angelica could be his son and Theodore his daughter.

Angelica and Theodore, despite their mother's worries, grew up without incident. Angelica's beauty and intelligence became legendary, and by her twentieth birthday she was beset by hundreds of suitors. She refused every one, for she planned to remain unmarried and perhaps even rule someday, if it became possible. Theodore, however, was fifteen, nearly sixteen, nearly at the age of adventure promised in every story he had ever read. He knew the story of his baptism, and the story of his conception, though not the true story, and so he knew he was vulnerable on his sixteenth birthday. Still, when the evening came, his troubles slipped his mind as he danced with countless girls. Near midnight, he slipped outdoors into the garden. The night was warm, although a cool breeze brought the heavy scent of jasmine to his nose. Above him the moon, nearly full, beamed down, and the stars were shining at full summer brilliance. When Theodore looked down from the sky, he saw before him the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

She had long hair the color of moonlight, and her eyes glowed a pale blue. Her features were perfect, her skin alabaster. She was clearly something otherworldly, but Theodore didn't care. Every thought of curses and fairies was driven out of his mind by the beauty of this woman. He found himself moving toward her involuntarily, as though some magic propelled him. As he neared her, he heard the castle clock begin chiming midnight. As the twelfth stroke rang, Theodore's lips met the woman's in a kiss. Suddenly, everything around him seemed bigger. He tried to cry out, but all he heard was a bird's song. The fairy had transformed him into a bird.

The prince flew away, and it wasn't until the next night that he came back to himself, when the rising of the moon transformed him back into a human. He was in a forest, and he knew nothing else besides that. He wandered about a bit until he discovered a clearing, in the middle of which was a house. The windows were cheerily lit, and he could hear voices from inside. He knocked on the door, and it was opened by a young woman perhaps a year younger than he.

"Father!" she called back into the house. "A young man is here. He looks quite wealthy."

Theodore frowned. He didn't want these people knowing who he was, for if they did, they would return him to his family, and once there he would never have his curse broken. Still, he followed the girl in, trying to think of a cover story. The main room of the cottage was low-ceilinged and cozy, with well-worn furniture crowded around the iron stove. A man of perhaps the king's age sat in an armchair, and around him sat two beautiful girls, the elder perhaps Theodore's age, the younger two or so years younger.

"I thank you, kind sir, for your hospitality," Theodore said with a bow.

The man laughed. "It's no trouble, sir, I assure you. May I ask your name?"

"Ted," the prince replied without thinking. He winced internally. He never used a nickname, for he hated them, and Ted was the most loathsome, as Angelica used it often to annoy him.

"How nice to meet you," said the youngest daughter. "My name is Eleanor, and these are my sisters Marian and Theresa. Would you like anything to drink?"

Theodore noticed then that he was parched. "Yes, please," he said politely. The eldest daughter, Marian, pulled out a chair for him and gestured to him to sit down. A moment later a cup of hot tea was sitting in front of him, and he was mulling over his situation.

The circumstances were similar to those he had read about in his folk tale studies. Here was the cursed prince and the three peasant daughters. The older two, he knew, were selfish, conniving, and jealous, while the youngest was kind, loving, and generous. Eleanor, then, would be the one to save him, and she would be his wife. He studied her, wondering how she would do as a bride. She was beautiful, yes, but they all were, and she was nothing exceptional. She had been the one to introduce her family and to offer him a drink, which indicated she was polite, but he knew little else about her. He cursed himself, for now he would have to wait until he and Eleanor got to know one another before the spell could be broken.

The father, at least, was discreet. He asked few questions as to Theodore's circumstances, sensing that the prince did not want to discuss them. The daughters were polite, although Eleanor did most of the talking while her sisters listened. She seemed far friendlier than her sisters, and she was the first to ask for a story when she discovered Theodore's knowledge thereof.

He ended up passing a good deal of the evening telling stories to the three girls, until finally their father instructed them to go to bed.

"I apologize, my good sir, for my daughters' enthusiasm," he said. "I'm afraid I must also inform you that we have no room for you to sleep here. There is an inn a mile or so away, if you wish to stay there."

Theodore nodded. "I wouldn't wish to impose," he said politely. "Thank you for everything."

The older man showed the prince the door, and Theodore spent the night up in a tree, pondering his predicament and waiting for the moon to set.

Weeks passed, and Theodore took to spending his evenings with the three young girls. Upon getting to know him better, the older two girls opened up more, and while it was clear that Eleanor was interested in the prince, the oldest, Marian, could not keep from flirting as well. While she was quiet, she was more grounded than her sister, and Theodore found that he preferred her company to her sister's. However, he knew nothing could ever come of their relationship, for Marian was the oldest, and while he knew that she was hardly the demonic being portrayed in the old stories, he also knew that she would be unable to save him. She didn't fit the formula, and therefore she was his friend before she was his lover.

One evening the prince took Marian out for a walk to confide in her. He told her his entire story and asked for her help in wooing Eleanor.

"Do you know how to break the curse?" Marian asked, once she had begun to understand the true nature of Theodore's problem.

He shook his head. "From what I know, the curse can be broken by a kiss from my true love. Eleanor must be she, for she is the youngest daughter."

He didn't notice the tortured expression on Marian's face when she heard this. Her voice barely wavered when she replied. "I think if you tell her what you have told me, she will understand and free you from your curse. I know my sister, and she would be overjoyed at the opportunity to live one of her favorite fairy stories."

Theodore turned and embraced his friend. "Thank you, Marian! I will talk to her immediately."

A million thoughts raced through his mind. He could break the curse, go home, see Angelica and his parents again. He and Eleanor would marry— the thought of that gave him pause— and he could take Marian to the palace with him. She could be one of his advisors when he was king and, for that matter, so could Angelica. She would love that. He smiled at the thought. When he reached the cottage, he could barely contain himself. He asked for Eleanor, and he took her out into the woods to walk with her. As they walked, he told her the story of his curse, and explained his belief that only she could save him. Her reaction surprised him.

"Of course I can save you!" she said cheerily. "I've been waiting for this my entire life. I've studied the old fairy tales, and I knew that if something like this ever happened I'd be the one to marry the prince. When you showed up at our door, I couldn't believe it. And now here you are, asking me to break your curse. Do you know how it's done?"

Theodore shook his head. "I believe a kiss of true love would do it, although the fairy who cursed me never told me. Do you think—"

Eleanor cut him off with a kiss. She looked at him expectantly when she broke away.

"Do you feel different?" she asked.

Theodore shook his head. He had felt nothing when Eleanor had kissed him, not even love for her. He realized now that she wasn't the right girl.

"I don't believe it worked. Perhaps I had it wrong."

Before Eleanor could reply, her father called from the cottage.

"I have to go," she said. "We can try again tomorrow night."

Theodore nodded and bid her farewell. He collapsed at the base of a tree, thinking hard. If not Eleanor, who? Surely he hadn't come to their cottage by chance. And surely it was the youngest who was meant to save him...? Thoughts raced in circles through his mind until finally he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Inside the cottage, Marian heard the sordid tale from her younger sister, who despite her calm in front of Theodore, was absolutely distraught. She begged her sister for help, knowing that Marian was in love with the prince. Marian promised to help her, and bid her go to sleep. Once she was sure that everyone else in the house was asleep, she slipped out and found Theodore asleep beneath a tree. She bent down and kissed him gently, knowing that he would wake in the morning and think his kiss with Eleanor had worked. She felt a jolt of electricity as the magic was nullified, and she saw golden sparks dance around the sleeping prince. Knowing her work was done, she slipped back into the cottage and went to bed herself, but not before some instinct told her to take the seed pearl ring Theodore always wore on a fine chain around his neck.

Theodore awoke the next morning and was shocked to find himself in human form. The kiss with Eleanor had saved him! He ran to the cottage, disregarding the early hour, and pounded on the door until it opened to reveal Eleanor's startled face.

"It worked!" she cried. "Ted, it worked! I saved you!"

Theodore couldn't help but smile. "It has worked. Come, I must speak to your father before I take you back to the castle."

Theodore and Eleanor returned to the castle, where they were greeted with much rejoicing, for he had been gone for nearly three months. He introduced Eleanor as the girl who had saved him, and they set the wedding date for a month later. Theodore spent the next several days in the company of his family. His mother and father expressed their relief, and Angelica cried for the first time in recent memory. She told him that she was now betrothed, to a king of a faraway country where the queen was an equal ruler. She would not leave until after her brother's wedding, and Theodore knew that while she would be happier far away, he would miss her desperately.

Eleanor, meanwhile, was petted and spoiled by her new maids. A beautiful wedding dress was made for her, and several other gowns besides, all intended to set off her beauty. She allowed her inner imperiousness to show and became demanding and haughty in her new setting. Theodore, kept from his bride as he was, did not notice this, and looked forward to his wedding, although his thoughts turned all too often to Marian.

Marian, meanwhile, had grown more quiet and withdrawn at home. She would spend hours lost in thought, fingering Theodore's ring, which she now wore. Although she knew she should have given it to Eleanor as proof, she simply hadn't been able to part with it. She wore it instead close to her heart, and though it broke her heart she never took it off. Her father and remaining sister Theresa began to worry about him, and after a couple of weeks Theresa sent Eleanor a letter asking if Marian could go stay at the castle. When she received an affirmative response, she sent her sister away, knowing that at least in the presence of her lover she would be happier than she was here without him.

When Marian reached the castle, she was greeted by a beautiful woman with hair like molten silver and eggshell-blue eyes. This woman escorted her to her chambers, which connected to Eleanor's, and then began to question her most oddly.

"You are in love with the prince, aren't you?"

Marian felt her eyes welling with tears and could only nod in reply. She fell weeping into the beautiful woman's lap, and it was several minutes before she was able to speak again.

"Marian," the woman said gently, "I am a fairy, the same fairy that cursed Theodore. I saw what you did for your sister's sake, and I see how you suffer for it. I would like to help you win your prince back."

Marian shook her head. "Forgive me, my lady, but it would not help. Theodore is set in the ways of the old tales, in which the youngest sister is always the one to break the spell. I fear he would not believe you if you told him."

"I shall ensure that he believes me," the fairy said kindly. "And you have his ring, as proof. Would you like my help?"

Marian nodded enthusiastically. If she could but have a chance to win Theodore back, she would surely be the happiest girl in the kingdom. The fairy instructed her to stay in her chambers and reveal her presence to no one but Eleanor. Then she disappeared, leaving Marian alone. When Eleanor returned, Marian revealed herself to her sister, and they reunited joyfully. Though Eleanor was puzzled when her sister swore her to secrecy, she agreed to it quickly, knowing that her sister's presence would draw Theodore's attention away from her. That evening, when Theodore visited his bride-to-be, he found her in the company of the beautiful fairy woman. At first he was enraged that the fairy who had cursed him so terribly dared to show her face in the castle, but when the fairy explained that she was here to help, he accepted her presence.

"Your Highness, have you asked Eleanor the details of the kiss?" the fairy asked.

Theodore shook his head. "I know what happened. I was there with her. Nothing changed when she kissed me."

The fairy looked puzzled. "Then surely she did not actually break your curse, for I know my magic, and there are always ways to tell."

Eleanor blanched and ran into her sister's room. She begged Marian to tell her about the kiss she had given the prince, and Marian, sensing this was part of the fairy's plan, agreed. She told Eleanor exactly what to say and sent her sister back into her chamber.

"I was so upset when I realized our kiss hadn't worked that I returned later that night, when you were asleep under a tree, and I kissed you again. This time it worked."

"How did you know it worked?" the fairy asked.

Eleanor ran back to her sister's room and quickly returned with an answer. "I felt a spark of electricity between our lips, and when I looked at Theodore I saw gold sparks flying all out over his body."

The fairy opened her mouth to speak again, but Theodore raised his hand to stop her. "Since that night," he said, "I have been missing my seed-pearl ring, which I have had for as long as I can remember. Do you know what happened to it?"

Eleanor's eyes widened in panic, and she turned again to run into Marian's room, but before she could take a step Marian appeared, holding the ring between her fingers.

"I took the ring," she said. "Something propelled me to take it. Perhaps it was fate. It was I who kissed you that night, Theodore. Eleanor was so upset that she hadn't been able to break the curse, and I knew you would never let me try, since I didn't fit your formula. So I broke it on her behalf, and as I suspected you took her word for it."

Eleanor began screeching terribly and threw herself at her sister, but Theodore blocked her path, protecting his love.

"Take her away," he said to the guards, who had entered on hearing the commotion. She was dragged out of the room, still screaming and kicking, and as soon as she was gone Theodore turned to Marian and kissed her.

"I hoped it would be you," he said. "No matter what I said. I just thought it had to be Eleanor, because of the birth order. I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Only if you will forgive me for deceiving you, and for taking your ring," she said happily. The fairy smiled and disappeared unnoticed.

Theodore and Marian were married later that day. Marian wore her sister's fine dress, which looked better on her than it had on Eleanor, and despite the confusion over Theodore's change in brides, the royal court rejoiced still, as they had never seen the young prince so happy.

As for Eleanor, she was sent with Angelica to her new kingdom, where the princess punished her by sending her to the palace laundry, where the backbreaking labor destroyed both her beauty and her haughtiness. She never did get that handsome prince she thought she deserved.

Theodore and Marian ruled fairly, and unlike his father, Theodore honored the fairies of the kingdom, and was quite happy when none of his children were cursed as he had been.

I'm ALIVE!!!

So for a final project for one of my classes, our assignment was to write our own Grimm-style fairy tale. This is mine. I also have a lovely explanation of it that I was required to write, and if you would like to read it, PM me or leave a review.

I had been toying around with this idea for a while. While the way that it was written here corresponded to the way a Grimm's fairy tale would be written, it was not the way I had originally intended to write it. My first version was going to be longer, a bit more abstract, and a lot more modern-sounding. Still, I'm posting this, mostly because this version is complete and the other version might not be for years.

It's nice to be posting something on here finally! I promise that I'm still thinking about APOP, although I haven't written anything and probably won't until Christmas or so. I'm attempting NaNo this year, but don't expect any new stories on here for it, as it's a companion to APOP and it contains what I consider spoilers. When I reach a point there that I feel safe posting it, it'll go up, I promise.

Thanks for reading, and drop a review!

~~Mazzie~~