In the palace, Prince Tsunari slammed the doors to the garden open.
"I've never been so insulted!" He yelled in a high pitch and walked past the Sultan, Al, who saw that the back of Tsunari's pants were missing.
"Oh, Prince Tsunari. You're not leaving so soon, are you?" He asked him.
"Good luck marrying her off!" He yelled and walked out. Al ran out to the garden to his daughter.
"Oh, Meiko! Meiko! Meiko!" Al ran towards his daughter, only to be interrupted by Iroha, Meiko's red tiger. She was holding a peice of cloth in her mouth wich Al yanked out. "Confound it, Iroha!" He realised that it had the same color that Tsunari's pants had.
"So, this is why Prince Tsunari stormed out!"
"Oh, father." Meiko said calmly. "Iroha was just playing with him, weren't you Iroha" Iroha walked up to Meiko and was hugged by her. "You were just playing with that overdressed, self-absorbed Prince Tsunari, weren't you?" She cuddled with Iroha, enjoying the moment, until she looked up at her angry father. "Ahem"
"Dearest, you've got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call. The law says you..." Meiko saighed knowing what was coming, "...must be married to a prince." Thay said in union as they walked to a bird cage. "By your next birthday." Al finished.
"The law is wrong."
"You've only got three more days!"
"Father, I hate being forced into this." She took a dove out of the cage and pet it. "If I do marry, I want it to be for love." Al sighed.
"Meiko, it's not only this law" He took the bird and put it back in the cage. "I'm not going to be around forever, and I just want to make sure you're taken care of, provided for." She walked to the fountain sitting down a petted a fish.
"Try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own. I've never had any real friends." Iroha growled and looked at her. "Except you, Iroha." She smiled and went back to sleep. "I've never even been outside the palace walls."
"But Meiko, you're a princess"
"Then maybe I don't want to be a princess." She splashed the water.
"Oooohhh! Yamaha forbid you should have any daughters!" Al stormed back in to the palace. Meiko sighed and walked back to the dove cave, opening it and let the birds fly to freedom.
In his room, Al played with a mini version of Vocabah while thinking about his daughter.
"I don't know where she gets it from. Her mother wasn't nearly so picky." A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Luka. "Ooh, oh. Ah, Luka-my most trusted advisor. I am in desperate need of your wisdom."
"My life is but to serve you, my lord" She bowed.
"It's this suitor business. Meiko refuses to choose a husband. I'm at my wit's-end."
"Tako! Wit's-end." Tako said with her cutesy voice. Al chuckled at her and took a small fish from a plate.
"Oh, ha ha. Have a fish, cutiepie!" He shoved it in her mouth as she nearly vomited. Luka and Al laughed heartly.
"Your majesty certainly has a way with dumb animals." Tako glared at her.
"Now then, perhaps I can divine a solution to this thorny problem."
"If anyone can help, it's you."
"Ah, but it would require the use of the mystic blue diamond." She said and put her finger on Al's ring.
"Uh, my ring? But it's been in the family for years."
"It is necessary to find the princess a suitor." Luka said, and pressed her pirahna like cane in Al's face, hypnotizing him. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
"Everything...will be...fine." Al mumbled.
"The diamond."
"Here, Luka. Whatever you need will be fine." He removed his ring and gave it to her. She quickly took it.
"You are most gracious, my liege. Now run along and play with your little toys."
"Yes...that'll be...pretty good." Al giggled, still hypnotized. As Luka walked out of the room, her expresion became more venomous. Tako couched up the fish.
"I can't take it anymore! If I gotta choke down on one more of those scaly, disgusting fishes...bam! Whack!" Luka pulled a rope, opening a hidden doorway.
"Calm yourself, Tako."
"Then I'd grab him around the head. Whack! Whack!"
"Soon, I will be sultana, and replace that addlepated twit."
"And then I stuff the fishes down his throat! Ha ha!" Luka laughed along with her octopus as she walked in to her secret room.
Outside at the palace walls, Meiko was trying to climb over the walls, only to be stopped by Iroha who was pulling her robes, not wanting her master to leave. Meiko hugged her pet.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Iroha. But I can't stay here and have my life lived for me. I'll miss you." She climbed again and was helped by Iroha who was wimpering. "Good bye!"
