A Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, long ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a beautiful girl. She was a servant to the Tira Palace, home of a rightful king who ruled over all the kingdom of Caprien. The palace was a place of silver and gold, of magic and guardians at every bend. It had stood for a thousand years, and looked as though it would stand for a thousand more, thanks to the magnificence of each ruler who had graced its throne. The king, who was called Andrew, had only recently ascended from the ranking of prince after his parents died defending their kingdom from an enemy land…so he was still very young, and very handsome.
The girl, Lily, worked day to day with a smile on her face, tending to the rose garden or making the beds. It never bothered her in the least to get her hands dirty, and all the labor she went through made her more agile. When she was alone, sometimes, she would sing to herself. She had no ordinary voice, however; it was so lovely that it was enchanting, and whoever heard it would become inspired to change their life for the better. But Lily was very shy, and whenever someone asked to hear her magical songs, she would shake her head and smile sadly. "I cannot do what is impossible for me," was her reply to everyone hoping to be amazed.
One day, while assigned to clean the King's room, she couldn't help but drop her jaw at the sight of all the cool things he kept. Exotic things, from other lands and worlds, vases and colorful furs and silks and his rya, and portraits of people and things that looked so different from anyone in Caprien. She had visited all these places, as he had, if only in her dreams. They made her feel very content inside, and she couldn't help but began to sing the most beautiful song she could think of. She worked with it in her heart, dusting and dancing along.
Well, that was quite a lazy day in the palace. The jasmine wind blew through the windows in any attempt to perk things up, but Andrew only smiled at it, sitting bored and appreciative as possible. He was just waiting for another of his numerous advisors to tell him some trivial piece of information that he need not concern himself with. The kingdom was fine, with good laws and people, so why should he give a mule's tail about what type of liquor sells the most over another?
And that's when he heard it, the strange sound coming from his quarters. He glanced toward that hall, his aquatic blue eyes making sure it wasn't his imagination…it enticed him somehow, making him stand and walk toward it with an oblivious eye to anything else. When he got there, stepping ever so quietly, he placed his ear against the large wooden door. It sounded like…singing. And not just any singing, it was like liquid gold sliding down a rainbow. In all his travels and encounters, he had never once crossed anything so magnificent.
As quickly as possible, he flew to the other side of the palace, lifting a tapestry with a unicorn on it to step through one of the many secret doors leading into his bedroom. He hid behind a stream of blue drapes, catching glimpses through the narrow spaces in between. The voice belonged to a girl so beautiful, she would make the stars bristle with admiration if they ever came in contact with her, or the angels sing with glory when the time came she ascended to Heaven. Her long, russet hair flowed about her with elegance, while she sparkled in a simple dress that matched her deep eyes. Perhaps it was only the majesty of her voice…but he was taken aback by her sheer existence. He watched as she stood with approval at her work of dusting his collection of outlandish items.
"Servant girl." The King stepped out from his hiding place, making her gasp and spin around, her hand accidentally striking an ivory vase from India, sending it crashing to the floor in a thousand pieces. She made a sound of utter horror, and threw herself at the ground.
"Please, your highness," she stared at the marble floors and brought all the hair she had to the right side of her neck. "Use your sharpest blade."
But the king kneeled with a smile, and lifted her chin with his softest fingers. "What is your name?"
The girl stared at him strangely for a moment. "Uh…um…Lily, your highness." Her eyes wandered to the shattered vase and then back to him. His were the color of an early morning sky, one she did not have the right to gaze upon.
"Lily…it is a beautiful name." The king took his fingers away and gently sat her up to an equal level with him. How he could have overlooked her before was an awful cauldron of luck.
"Pardon me…your highness…" Lily tucked one side of her chocolate-colored hair behind her ear out of desperation. "Your vase is broken…" She glanced at it. "Do you not care?"
And as if out of reply, the vase began to rise and form like a shaft of light, repairing itself until it was as new as a drop of water. "These…are all just things. It is you I want, Lily." The king clasped his hands together, and opened them with a bouquet full of white and purple lilies.
The girl's eyebrows rose with a world of confusion. "But…you cannot put me upon that shelf with all your other treasures."
"No, but I can put you upon a throne, in Caprien, and in my heart." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, creating a diamond ring to end all rings in midair. "Lily…" he took her hand in his own, the contrast of size making space tingle with laughter. "Will you love me as much as I love you, and make me yours as I want to make you mine?" And with that, he slipped the ring upon her slender finger. She watched only him the whole time, sitting in total silence until that moment, when a smile appeared on her face like a slow dream.
"Yes!" She threw her arms around the king in happiness, her worn old clothes against his elegant ones. Their kiss was passionate and still, defying the minutes that passed by, never wanting to let go. Eventually she pulled back, and smiled warmly at him with her arched eyebrows. "But we're so young…are you sure you don't want to be with any other girls?"
"Of course not." The King stroked her hair. "I've found who I want to be with. All I ask is that you sing as much as you can…let everyone hear your gift the way I have. Don't ever hide it again."
"I'll sing." Lily smiled. "I'll sing for the universe, and for us." She stood up, pulling him along with her, embracing his warm body in hers. "By the way, your highness, what is your name?"
And so news of their future marriage spread like sunshine throughout the land, the virtuous young king and the beautiful servant girl with a voice of lore. Everyone was ecstatic and peace had reigned in over seven kingdoms so far, thanks to the exposure of Lily's voice and the king's joyful tax cuts. Everyone…except for Aidan, the lead advisor and friend of King Andrew, who was just as young and almost as handsome as he…not to mention quite popular with the ladies of the court. For he had secretly been in love with Lily all his life, and planned one day on making her his bride. He did his best to suppress his feelings for sake of his friendship with Andrew and the happiness of his love, but inside he knew it was killing him. Each night, in his bedroom, he would read through his leather notebook, every page full of "Lily", written in over ten hundred languages and in every font imaginable. He dared to put Lily and Aidan, but it was small and scribbled over several times. The day he found out she was marrying, and none other than the king himself, he slipped a sword halfway through his stomach, pleading for courage to put it all the way in, but in time pulled it out and healed the wound. The scar was still there, though, in his heart and mind.
"Where do you think you're going?" Andrew pulled Lily aside, who was now dressed in the finest clothes made even more radiant by her beauty. "Just to clean your room." She smiled and laughed with surprise as he leaned over to kiss the nape of her neck. "You don't have to do that anymore, that's why we have maids." The king began to dance with her to a song only they could hear. "Once a servant girl, always a servant girl," she retorted, and reached for the knob as they fell in together, slowly shutting the door.
And Aidan saw everything. He stood by the throne, staring with a blank face at it all up to the privacy of the king's room. All of the other subordinates smiled warmly at the sight of the two, their faces wrinkled from too many years in the service, or as Aidan saw it anyway. When they asked him what was wrong, he only leaned against the cashmere walls in annoyed stillness. "Go gather your trifling information." He sneered and broke through them to stalk to his room. "Rogues."
In his chamber, he sat on his bed with the heaviest of sorrows, his black boots thundering against the ground. This was too much a coincidence to be anything but planned, and planned out to torture his soul until the day he died. Even then…Lily and Andrew would still be together in Heaven. His back sunk low and he placed his elegant face in his hands.
Together…in Heaven…
He arose with a gasp. If one of them could live forever, then they could surely no longer be united. If he and Lily were to live forever, she would see how much he was the one she truly loved, and not Andrew. But…to do that…he would have to kill him. "And I would never do such a thing." He laid on his back to stair up at the mirror ceiling, which was also secretly a camera into the King's room, meant to check up on him if he was ever in trouble. Closing his eyes, he sent a ray of energy up to it and saw the two of them, kissing softly on the bed, Lily staring straight at Aidan with a smile, yet not actually seeing him at all. He saw his reflection inside both of them, also staring back, yet with cold eyes.
"Aidan…" a small voice called. The vision disappeared and he was left staring at himself, which frightened him more than anything. The voice spoke again, louder this time, making him check around the dark room with a suspicious raise to his eyebrows. He unsheathed his sword from his side in full preparation to use it.
"Aidan, lay back down." It was unnatural and strange sounding, yet he did what he was told for reasons he didn't understand. His reflection was looking back at him again, only this time there was no face, just a grinning skeleton. He gasped and blinked, but it didn't go away. "Aidan, this is what you are right now…a soulless cage of bones." The voice grew from tiny and high to low and almost demonic, yet it was still calming in an offbeat way. His reflection grew skin and a glowing face; it was his own but enhanced with some kind of magic. "This is what you could be…if you had what you wanted." A silver music note floated down from the mirror and penetrated his skin, flowing into his heart like icy metal. Lily flashed quickly near him, and then disappeared into the air. Aidan stood up and spun around the room. "What do you want from me?"
The voice grew foul. "Kill Andrew."
The ceiling melted to shape a metallic form next to him, appearing in the form of a body with no face. It placed a hand up to its to where its heart anatomically was, and a black cape protruded from around its back. The body now wore a long, sleek dark outfit, and its face formed to be a man the same age as he. He put a gloved finger to its lips and smiled, surveying the room. "Not bad…" he began, his boots clicking against the ground as he slowly circled Aidan. "Not as…interesting as Andrew's…" his eyes flew to Aidan, "but not bad. I kind of like it."
"Get out." Aidan stalked to the door and turned the knob, when the man faded out and back in next to him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you…you might just cause an explosion." He leaned back against the walls and grinned. "I'm not the devil, but if I were I'd definitely blow up if other people saw me making a deal." His voice was arrogant and British, as was expected. Aidan folded his arms. "So you're not the devil, but from Hell no less."
"Yes." The man replied, glancing at him sideways. "If you were Andrew, you'd definitely get the devil himself. Andrew gets everything."
"You're not convincing me." Aidan glared and smiled. "I can make you disappear and never bother me again, and I know you know I know this."
"Of course…" the demon grew shorter and formed into Lily, now wearing a long black dress. She leaned in to touch his face "But why would you want to? I mean…I can help you." She stepped forward, gazing into him. "Don't you want…what I have to offer?" She took two gloved fingers and shut his eyes, leaning closer to slip her tongue into his. Aidan couldn't pull away.
"Ugh…you kiss like a girl." The demon pulled back and wiped his mouth, his eyes full of mirth. "Or maybe that's just me."
"You make me sick." Aidan lunged for his throat, wringing it back and forth with a strong force. The man's eyes bulged as he put his hands on Aidan's to try and pull him away. "Wait a minute…" his voice was compressed and small, like a weird pixie's. "Wait, we're both…" he finally yanked Aidan off of him, holding his own throat with an angry glare while recomposing his calm. "We're both adults here. We can act like them, or we can play childishly." He ran to Aidan's bed and lunged on it, reaching for something on the other side. "I know about your notebook!" He grabbed the leather book and flipped through it. "Oooh, I love you Lily! Mi amour…Lily…oh yes, Lily!" He did a somersault off the bed and ran again to jump on it. Aidan put his hands on his hips. "You idiot."
"Idiot I may be…but powerless I ain't." He swaggered to Aidan. "Do we have a deal?" And as his hand extended, so did his smile.
Lily spun through the halls kissing everyone she saw on the cheek and giving each one a flower. Her voice floated like an angel through the guardian palace, for today was the day of their wedding. All of her bridesmaids were, indeed, the maids, whom she had grown up together with and would always remain friends. When she came to Aidan, which Andrew picked as the Best Man, she tucked a flower behind his ear and hugged him tight. "Thank you for making him so happy." She looked straight into his eyes, a darker shade of blue. "You're his best friend."
Aidan managed a smile, though it was small and more of a smirk. When he said nothing, she grabbed his hands and led him down the hall backwards toward the King's chambers. "We've got to go see him."
And they did, for an hour they sat around and talked and laughed, Aidan forgetting everything and being with the two people who meant the most to him. Lily, remembering her days as a servant girl and how far she had come in only a matter of months. And Andrew, who had traveled to the ends of time and back, just to find true happiness in the place he loved the most…his own home.
The castle filled with astounding silence when the doors opened, two bluebirds flying overhead and taking their place on each throne. Lily walked through smiling, her dress flowing as long as the room was wide. It was something so lovely, so magical, that it couldn't possibly be explained…only envisioned. Her hair was halfway up with a silver crown of fairy bough—a certain leaf that was said to be more beautiful than even roses themselves. It was trailing long silver and white ribbons through her hair, though they were hard to see through the veil that was pulled back already. Her bouquet was a full supply of white and purple lilies.
Andrew caught his breath, even though he looked just as handsome in his spectacular outfit, for beauty was never recognized so violently until that moment. And Aidan had to look away after one second, remembering the scars he carried around for eternity. When she got the altar, her dress carried by the bridesmaids who indeed looked pretty, she turned to him and smiled for an instant, before staring straight into Andrew's eyes and holding her hand in his. Aidan stared at the bluebirds for a moment.
"…And do you, King Andrew De Tira the twelfth, take Lily of Raolin to be your wife and the next queen of all of Caprien?" asked the priest, his mystical wisdom plain in his eyes. "I do," replied the King, without hesitation. A bluebird took flight from his throne.
"And do you, Lily of Raolin, take King Andrew De Tira the twelfth to be your husband and the responsibility of becoming queen of all of Caprien?" The bluebird from her throne rose and fluttered its wings. "I—"
At that instant, a fireball shot through the door and darted through Andrew's stomach. Lily screamed in horror as did everyone else, with the exception of Aidan who was staring calmly, and the priest, who was sitting down with pure shock. Several more shot through, flinging randomly in the air and hitting some people. Everyone panicked and ducked or ran to get out, except for Lily, who was bending down with the king in her arms, ripping off the back part of her dress and her vale to use as a binding for the wound. Her tears fell on him and trailed down his face as if they were his own. When Aidan walked over to them, she stared up at him with relief that everything would be okay. "Aidan…you can heal, can't you? Please heal him…" her words trailed off, because the more she looked into his eyes, the golden twists of light in the center of his pupils, the arched eyebrows and his smirk…the more she understood. "…Oh my God…"
Before she could stop him, he already had his sword through Andrew's stomach, pulling him up with it and jerking him up by the hilt and his collar. "All my life I've been nothing but a friend to you." His words were pained and twisted, though Andrew could say nothing. "You've had it easy since the day you were born, but I've had to work for everything. You repay me by taking away the one thing I wanted and you flaunt it in front of my face." He jerked him harshly and pulled him closer. "But everything is right now. You're going to Hell and I will live forever." Once again, he calmed himself and acted elegantly, brushing back his hair and smiling mysteriously into Andrew's eyes. He dropped him on the ground next to Lily, who was staring with her hands on her nose and mouth with something like utter horror, but worse. He pulled the sword out of the king and walked leisurely to stick it on the seat of his throne, staring at it for a long moment. Lily couldn't breathe, couldn't move, only stared at Aidan in that terrified expression. Very slowly, he turned his head until his eyes met up with hers, that twisted half smile still tainting his handsome face.
Lily practically hyperventilated and grabbed Andrew's weak body, pulling it up and hurrying as much as she could across the room in any attempt to get away. She wasn't very strong, so it was tough, though Aidan's slow, calm walk toward her did help speed things up a little. She ran through the opened double doors and down the halls randomly, looking back every once in awhile. The clicking of Aidan's boots followed her, though she could never see him. Several times she tried to wake Andrew, but he was a limp rag in her arms. Without thinking, she dragged him to a mural of a night sky, stepping through and into Andrew's room. It led to a small crevice behind his bedpost, where she finally sat him down and shook him with everything she had.
"Boo!" She gasped and raised her eyebrows at the man lying on Andrew's bed, staring at them through the spaces of the bedpost. His clothes were black and his face was mirthful, though there was something about him that didn't seem right. "I found you." He smiled. "I win."
At that instant, they were back in the main room, Aidan now in different clothes, much like the way that man had looked, and pulling her away from Andrew like a leaf off a branch.
She looked around for anyone to help her, both of her wrists tightly held in one of his hands, but nobody seemed to notice, as they were still panicking over the chaos that had broken out. "Andrew!" she called behind her, tears brimming all over again. Her love lay unmoving on the cold marble floors facing her direction, with her tears still wet on his face. She called his name several times more, certain he would wake up, until finally Aidan turned to face her. "He is dead." His face frightened Lily, his cruel eyes over a mocking smirk that never faded. He was still very handsome, but now that too seemed to be evil somehow, as if it still showed his true identity underneath a mask of something tainted. When she said nothing, he began to stroke her cheek lightly, the leather of his glove rough against her skin.
"…Leave…Lily alone…" a small voice crept up against Aidan's side like a scraping thorn. Lily turned quickly, letting out a sound of joy to see Andrew weakly get up. He held one of his hands to his stomach to help the pain, letting the other be his walking stick as he stooped down to half crawl with support. Aidan snarled and kicked Andrew where he was holding his stomach, sending him crashing to the floor again. Lily cried out and Aidan kneeled and grabbed him by his hair with a mean smile. "Still alive," he said calmly, bringing Lily on her knees next to him without moving anything but his arm. "I'll show you what you should be watching from your place with Satan." And with that, he gave Lily a fiery kiss, holding her head close to his with hardly any force. Andrew used all his strength to pull himself toward them by his free arm, ignoring the pain from what he saw as much as he could. His lips were numb, with trickles of blood on either side, though they seemed to be trembling with determination.
"Lily…you have to sing…" he managed to get out, trying his hardest to rise off the ground, even an inch. Her eyes, which were staring at Aidan with terror, fixed on him, curious. Aidan turned to him slowly, raising his eyebrows with amusement and pulling Lily's head close to his shoulder. "And now, you're psychotic. This is almost too easy."
"That's not…Aidan…anymore, Lily…" Andrew ignored his words, staring only at her.
"Of course it is!" he cried, standing up with intensity, naturally dragging Lily along with him. He pulled Andrew up by his collar. "This is years of my loyalty to you, and finally getting what was meant to be. It's suddenly "not me" anymore when thing's stop working out for you, isn't it, Andrew?"
"You've…let it swallow you, Aidan…look at what you've done…to everyone you love…" Andrew stared fearless into his cold eyes. Aidan slowly looked at Lily, letting go of Andrew's collar and moved his hand to touch her face…in which she flinched back and looked desperately at Andrew. He pulled back with horror, looking from her to the king to her again. "That's not true! This is how it's supposed to work out!" He placed a hand on the back of Lily's neck, fearing something new. "Lily…sing…" Andrew touched her arm with a smile, angering Aidan as he tried to rip it off her, but it would not budge an inch. Lily tilted her head downward at the king, staring straight into his beautiful blue eyes…nodding with comprehension.
And she began to sing, a song so beautiful rose from her throat that the people, still panicking, literally stopped in the middle of what they were doing to listen. Lily's eyes glowed a fierce white and Aidan's whole body quivered with an unfamiliar force, causing him to let go of her and step backward, slowly falling to the ground. All he remembered was a huge bright light coming out of…everywhere…and a feeling like warm metal running throughout his veins. When he awoke, a girl was standing over him, her face serious and beautiful. It was Lily…though she had changed somehow. She tucked one side of her long, dark hair beside her ear and grabbed his collar, dragging him to the throne and then putting his head in between his legs and left him there. Her dress was ripped to above knee-length, and her shoes were off. What…happened?
She walked over to Andrew, laying on the floor with a cloth against his stomach, amidst several hundred people, all cleaning up the damage and surveying the area. No one looked twice at him. Lily held the king in her arms, singing him a song soft enough for only the two of them to hear. Instantly, his back jolted and a white surge of energy rushed through him. He stopped moving for a moment, but soon enough he looked up at Lily with a smile, touching her face with his once bloody hand. And as they held each other, Lily glanced up at Aidan, a glow blazing in her eyes just for an instant, and then a small smile. He raised an eyebrow…and grinned back. He understood now…
Though he still had slight feelings for Lily, he learned to live his life in peace, eventually marrying and having children. His descendants went on to be scholars and artists, their passion most likely developing from none other than himself. Eventually he burned the notebook he kept, putting everything from those days behind him, never to come out again…except for penetrating his mind once in awhile. It turned out he did make it into Heaven after all, what with him dealing with his problems finally. But, he was definitely surprised…a little too surprised for comfort.
As for Andrew and Lily, of course they married and she finally became the Queen. Their children were gorgeous, as was expected, and peace reigned throughout the kingdom as long as it was still a monarchy. Actually, when it became a democracy several hundred years later, their descendants were right there, ruling along with the other politicians. Lily was permanently enlightened after that night, growing wiser and tougher, though no less beautiful. Andrew owed it to his parents to make a perfect family, and felt he had accomplished all that and more. He too wasn't exactly bad looking by his sixtieth birthday…ahem…and as they grew old together, getting less and less senile, still having the most fun of times, they realized that life is meant to live, not to serve or sit on a boring old chair all day long. And only when you're truly happy is when you're truly living. Their portrait still hangs on the walls of the Tira Museum, shining for all to see, watching over life and love as if they could still be there, dancing in the halls.
***
AN: One note on this. I didn't really like Lily being so helpless. She may not have any fighting skills or anything…but…I don't know, it's just that she seemed a little too weak during that second to last part. In all defense, I did try to make it like an authentic fairy tale (*cough* Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. etc. etc.), so in keeping with the continuity, the heroine isn't able to fend for herself too well. I hope you enjoyed it!