The Horse Prince

One fine evening, a princess whose name was Marcolena was playing near the stable with her golden ball. She threw it high, she threw it low, she threw it near, and she threw it far. Once, she threw it too high and too far, and the beautiful golden ball rolled into the stable, out of the princess' reach. She began to cry, and said,

"Alas! If I could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the world."

Then, a dirty, ragged horse with its fur matted with filth stuck its head outside the door of the stable.

"Princess, why are you crying so bitterly?" The horse asked.

"Oh!" Marcolena exclaimed, "Please help me, dear horse sir! My golden ball has rolled into your stable, and I am unable to get it."

"I do not want fine pearls, money, fine clothes or food, but if you love me, and let me live with you, eat from your golden plate, to sleep on your fine bed, I will bring the ball back to you

'What nonsense,' the princess thought, 'The horse can speak and I must be losing my mind. But oh, no matter. I will get back my ball and that's all that matters.'

"Oh! I will do all those things, I will love you, let you live with me, eat from my golden plate, and sleep on my fine bed if you bring me back my beautiful golden ball." The princess promised, extending her hands toward the stable door. The horse's head disappeared back into the stable, and after a moment or two, with much racket and noises coming out of the stable, the horse reappeared, with the golden ball in his mouth.

"Here you go," The horse said, "Now keep your promise."

Normally, if any other princess was in Marcolena's place, the princess would have just taken the ball straight out of the horse's mouth and run back to her palace, ignoring the promise she had made. But Marcolena was a very kind and honest princess, good to the core, and she always kept her promises. So, this is what she said:

"Of course, dear horse sir! Thank you so much for getting my golden ball! I will lead to you the palace immediately and explain to my mother, the Queen, and my father, the King, about the promise I made. I'll order the servants and the maids to comb your hair, polish your mane, and to shine your hooves! Your tongue will only taste the food from my golden plate and the drink from my golden cup. You will rest your tired body on my fine bed and you'll live with me from now on. So come, dear horse sir, follow me to the palace."

Marcolena unlocked the stable door and led the horse out, gently patting its mane, mindless of the filth that covered it. With her golden ball in one hand and patting the horse with the other, she slowly walked back to the palace, talking and laughing with the horse all the way.

"So, say sir, what is your name?"

"My name is Jean."

"Jean? That's a nice name. My name is Marcolena. But my friends say Marcolena is too mouthful so they just call me Marco too. You're welcome to call me Marco too, Sir Jean!"

"It's just Jean. Can you scratch that one spot on my back again? It's really itchy and I can't get it."

"Oh, of course, Jean. Here?"

"Uh-huh. Yes, right there. No, a bit too the left, yes, perfect. Ahhh…it feels so good…"

"I'm glad that you think so, Jean. Ah, we have arrived to the palace. Open the door, guards!"

The big, magnificent doors of the palace slowly opened, and as soon as Marcolena and Jean the Horse stepped inside, they were flooded with maids, servants, and butlers.

"Oh, there have you been, Princess Marcolena? We've been worried sick!"

"What this this….eh, handsome stallion beside you, Princess Marcolena? He's filthy; I will prepare a bath for him immediately."

"Oh, your dress is filthy and you are an absolute disaster! I will prepare a bath for you, Princess."

"All is good and well, there is nothing to be worried about." Princess Marcolena calmly assured her servants.

"Yes, I would love to have a bath and prepare one for Jean too, but before that I must speak with Mother and Father. Where are they?"

"In the throne room, Princess. They've been worried sick about you."

"Alas, I am so sorry! I will visit them immediately. Please notify them that I am here and would like to talk to them, as soon as possible."

"Yes, Princess. But that is unneeded. The King and the Queen has requested for you to come to them as soon as you arrived."

"Ah. Wonderful. Let's go, then."

The horse and the princess walked down the long hallway, with servants hurrying behind them, busily wiping and cleaning the dirty footprints Jean left behind him as he trotted. The princess was not hesitant to point out interesting things in the palace as they walked, explaining everything with great knowledge and pride.

"That is the picture of my great-great-great grandfather King Pixis the First. It is said that he was a great playboy and made many women cry. It is rumored that he died because all the abandoned women became angry at him and assassinated him. And that picture over there is of my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother Queen Rico. She led many great battles in war and won every single one of them. And this is the picture of my mother. Queen Mina. She used to be a commoner, you know? But my father-he's the one on the wall right there-King Thomas the Second fell in love with her beauty. He greatly adores me too. He says that I got my mother's beautiful black hair and freckles."

"You certainly are beautiful."

"Why, thank you. And I think you're very handsome for a horse, too."

"Thanks."

Soon, they arrived to the pair of great, big wooden doors, not unlike the gate but smaller and fancier. The rim of the door was painted with gold, and the intricate carvings and patterns on the door was covered with silver. The door was made of golden oak, polished fine.

"Mother, Father, I'm going in," Princess Marcolena called out, wait a moment or two for the answer.

"Enter." The King's voice boomed from within, and the guards pushed the giant door open, which swung open silently thanks to its well-oiled hinges.

"Oh, Marcolena dear, where were you? You're an absolute disaster! Your dress is filthy and your hair is as messy as a bird's nest, and what is that poor excuse of a horse next to you?" The Queen, cried out in horror at Marcolena, eyeing her with shock. She was a petite woman, with Marcolena's fine black hair tied into two ponytails and slight burst of freckles across her face and cheeks. The King, sitting next to the Queen, had light blond hair with goatee, a heavy crown weighing down his head.

"Yes, dear, where were you? We sent out guards to find you but you weren't anywhere." The King chided more gently, shaking his head.

"Well, Father, Mother," Marcolena began,

"I was playing with my golden ball near the stables, and then I threw it too high and too far so it rolled into the stable. When I was weeping bitterly because I had loved that ball but I lost it, this handsome horse-his name is Jean-stuck is head outside the window and offered to get the ball back for me. I promised that I would live with him, let him eat from my golden plate and sleep on my fine bed, and that I would love him, so I needed to keep my promise. I hope you understand, Father. You were the one who told me that promises must be kept with your life, after all."

"Yes, I have indeed taught you so, and I am glad that you are following your promise." The King sighed. "However, such a commoner as a horse must not be allowed to stay near a princess."

"But, Father-"

"So, I hereby announced that I crown the horse Jean as the first Horse Prince, thus allowing him to stay by the princess."

"Oh, thank you Father, thank you!"

"Prepare baths for the Princess and the Horse. Make sure the horse-was his name John or Jean?-is fine as a stallion when I get back to take a look at him."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The maids chorused together and scurried to their work, and the sentries guide the horse to groom his fur and polish his hooves, and do their best to make the dirty, ragged horse look like a fine stallion. And when Jean was washed and brushed, indeed like a fine stallion he did look, and the princess gently kissed his snout and told him what a fine horse he was. So, the Princess and the Horse Prince Jean lived happily ever after.


What? Why are you looking at me like that? What, did you expect the horse Jean to turn into a handsome prince when the Princess kissed him? Things like that are impossible and only happen in fairy tales. Huh? What, are you telling me that Horse speaking Human language is also impossible and this is a fairy tale? Well, then, this is an alternate ending.


"Yes, Your Majesty." The maids chorused together and scurried to their work, and the sentries guide the horse to groom his fur and polish his hooves, and do their best to make the dirty, ragged horse look like a fine stallion. And when Jean was washed and brushed, indeed like a fine stallion he did look, and the princess gently kissed his snout and told him what a fine horse he was. Then, with poof and magical mist surrounded the princess and the horse, and when the mist was cleared, the Princess has turned into a female horse. From that day on, Marcolena and Jean lived happily ever after with clusters of ponies as their babies and the kingdom has been ruled by horses ever since.


A/N: Hey There! Tian Lee here, reporting! While writing the last chapter, the Eren and the Three Bears, I realized I could just write a whole novel about it, like the bear stew Eren ate affected Eren in some way, and Levi is responsible, etc,etc. But I decided to just write the Horse Prince instead. Isn't Jean like, perfect for this one? Sorry if this one was boring, I was...low on creativity juice. Thanks for reading, please review or Jean the Horse is going to...um going to...going to trample you over! Aha!