True Love is Timeless Part 3: The Euphorian Princess
Author's note: Oh my goodness your reviews are SO sweet! I wish I had the time to just sit here and fish out ideas but I've been so busy within the last year! Now that I'm on a little vacation I can finally spend time to write this fic. Thank you so much again! :D
Especially written for Mercury, Kaosda, Rain Goddess, ADVcatgirl, Alison, satanicgnomes, Angel, Marah, Exintaris, Andrea, Llew, desinee and Kitsu- chan. Your words do mean something. :)
Disclaimer: I wish I came up with a cool idea like Ross' Science Guy comic, but unfortunately, these characters belong to BCK.
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I always hated being a Princess. I was constantly scrutinized in the public eye, unable to have a moment's privacy. I was ordered what to wear, which people to associate with, which subjects to study. I wasn't allowed to have a mind of my own, and whenever I tried, I was quickly lectured about my priorities. I got all of the flack, but none of the responsibility. Isn't it funny? I'm a princess with no power.
Oh no, not me. I wasn't the one inheriting the throne. I wasn't the one admired for my good deeds or my loyalty to the people of Euphoria. They didn't know it was me who would sneak out to cook meals at soup kitchens, who would sell my clothing and jewelry to pawn shops and donate the money to breast cancer research centers and children's art school funds. Of course my parents donated to local charities every year, but I never got to choose which ones the money should go to. It didn't matter what Monica wanted. I was an accessory to the royal family, not an actual family member. All of the attention was on Ross; my geeky, selfless, unbelievably caring yet stupid older brother. He was the gem of the family, and I was...well the thorn in their side.
And it didn't help that I was overweight. The sad part is that I seriously tried to lose the weight. I drank those nasty chocolate shakes that tasted more like regurgitated ovaltine (don't ask me how I know that), and I even went on that all protein kick that literally jump kicked my blood pressure. Nothing worked.
The media was cruel. They treated me like I was a freak show, or as though I had some sort of disease. I couldn't go out without tabloids speculating. Papers would read, "Princess Monica: Eat or Be Eaten", with a horendous picture of me inhaling a burger. The only public interview I ever agreed to do was with Barabara Walters. I thought she was a humanitarian, someone who wouldn't treat me like some spoiled fat girl. But I was wrong. Of course I did not want her to feel sorry for me, I was just tired of having to defend my eating habits, my body...me. I can't even remember what we talked about during the interview. I just remembered how incredibly uncomfortable I felt...and how I cried myself to sleep that same night.
That's when I realized I'd had enough. That was the last straw. This time I would finally do something about it...and I knew exactly who would help me.
There was this sorcerer who lived near Central Forest. He had a special shop in downtown Utopia, but only those who were invited or who had certain "connections" were allowed to enter. I never really believed in these things, but something inside told me to go for it, that I had nothing to lose anyway. The day after the interview, I snuck out of the palace with Sir Joseph, who was basically my only friend and luckily a trusted Knight of my father's. We ventured off for Utopia. He thought I was going to buy Utopian groceries and herbs. Instead, I was going to buy a Weight Loss potion.
The weird thing is, Mark didn't want money for the potion. All he said was, "Let's just say you owe me a favor." And when he noticed the hesitance in my decision, he dragged me to a mirror. Suddenly, my reflection began to blur. After it had stopped, I nearly fainted. Who was that gorgeous woman in the mirror? It couldn't be me...but it was. It was me if I wanted it to be, and I desperately did. I would have sold my soul at that very moment if I had to. "No more insults, no more invisibility, no more heartache. Look at what you can become...just say 'yes'."
And now, here I am. A few months later at 112 lbs., I'm thin, gorgeous and happy. But since that day, I've had this voice in the back of my mind constantly wondering what kind of favor the sorceror wants. Nobody knows I took the potion. My family, the media, our people...they all think I lost the weight by exercising and dieting. I don't know what I would do if someone ever found out the truth...
"Monica! Hey, Monica!!" yelled Ross right by ear.
I nearly fell out of the arm chair. "Ouch! What do you want?" I hissed. I flipped the page of my book pretending that I had been reading so intensely I didn't hear him.
He raised his eyebrows at me. "You know, you've been spacing out an awful lot lately. Are you alright? Are you having problems or something?"
I felt my heart skip a beat. "Of-of course nothing's wrong." Although I stammered, I tried to keep my tone even. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
Ross stared at me a few seconds longer before he said, "you know, it's great that you've been trying to take care of your appearance and all, but I loved you just as much then as I do now..." He smiled.
Damn him. It was hard not to love my thunder-stealing brother. "Thanks." I smiled back. "Now what was it you wanted?"
"Just to know if you wanted to come with me. I'm going to meet Joey at his place and help heal Lady Phoebe's dragon bite. I know you're a huge fan of hers and I just thought that- "
"Are you kidding?!? Lady Phoebe! Lady Phoebe Bouffe?! I LOVE her! Of course I'll go!" I grabbed my purse and pulled Ross out of the library.
Since Joey was permanently stationed near Central Forest, he had an apartment just outside Euphoria. The apartment was gorgeous, but I always felt it was too far from the palace. Without traffic, it still took a good 20 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, he can't move. There had been tension between King Green and my father for as long as I can remember. Nobody in my family really knows why and my father refuses to talk about it. And, since Central Forest is the only land that separates the two kingdoms, Euphorian knights border this side of the forest while Utopian knights bordered the other "just in case" the tension developed into something more. It's an honor that Joey is so trusted, but at the same time such a hassle.
When we got to Joey's, I noticed a beat up Toyota Corolla, in dire need of a wash, parked crookedly on the side. There were fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror and a sticker on the bumper that read, "Who needs Batman or Superman when you can have Crazy Snakeman!" I was tempted to call highway patrol and have his car towed just because it made the street look ugly. I stuck out my tongue in distaste as I followed Ross inside the building.
Moments later, Joey answered the door a little too anxiously. "What took you guys so long?! I don't know what's goin on but Lady Phoebe has smoke comin' outta her nose!"
"What?" asked Ross shocked. He followed Joey hurriedly into the living room. I took off my coat and hung it on the rack. I made my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. It was time for my daily dose of potion. I turned the corner to enter the kitchen, but was unexpectedly stopped by another body, and an unpleasantly cold liquid. Someone ran into me and spilled water all over my chest. I gasped.
"Oh. My. Gawd. I am sooooooooo sorry..." His voice trailed off until our eyes met. We froze. It was him. Again. I started to fume. He quickly turned around to get a towel. "What are the chances?!" he yelled exasperated.
"It's YOU!" I yelled surprised and angrily. "You're that clumsy moron who ran into me at the store! You're not blind! Why can't you walk with your eyes open like normal people?!"
"Princess, I really am VERY sorry!" He practically begged. "It's just that I..." He was about to wipe off my chest with the towel, then hesitated as he saw the expression on my face. I grabbed the towel from him and wiped myself. "I...umm...see, my mother is really sick and I was buying her medicine...I was in a terrible rush..." I narrowed my eyes. "No? Umm..." I saw a lightbulb go off on his head. "HEY!" He yelled loudly, "SMILE! You're on Candid Camera!" He Grinned. I shook my head. Was this guy kidding me?! He sighed. "Still no? Oh come on!" It was hard not to laugh. "Umm, ok...well, actually, I have a sickness..." My eyebrows raised. "Yes, it's true. I'm a very sick man." He frowned. "My name is Chandler Bingspeare and I'm addicted to bumping beautiful princesses." A slow smile crept on my face. I wasn't flattered, but it was cute just because he was so cheesy. He exhaled relieved. He smirked a little. He had a cute smirk. "I am really sorry Princess Monica, I'm just a clumsy, unfortunate fool who picked one hell of a day to be alive." Oh what the hell, it's not like I need surgery. I let the tension go and smiled warmly.
"That's ok. You can just call me Monica." We stood there for a few seconds, just smiling, before Joey came in and cleared his throat.
"Am I interrupting something?" He asked coyly. "I see that you've met Mr. Bingspeare, Monica-"
I cut him off. "Bingspeare?! As in THE Bingspeare?!" I asked in awe.
"Uh...yeah...I originally wanted my name to be 'clumsy moron' but unfortunately too many people already have that name. So, I had to settle for Bingspeare," he teased. I chuckled.
"Wow! I love your work! Your plays are terrific!" I beamed.
"Thanks," he said sincerely. "If you want I'd love to hear your input on some of the material-"
Joey interrupted. "Uh...Monica? Why is your face getting all puffy?"
"What?" I asked confused. I touched my face with my fingers. It did feel a bit swollen...OH MY GAWD! Shoot! I forgot to take the potion! I covered my cheek. "Uh," I stammered, "I think it's probably just some allergic reaction...it must be the forest or something...I'm just going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." I said quickly. I ran to the restroom before the rest of my body had a chance to completely transform in front of them. I shut the door, closed my eyes and let out a sigh. When my eyes opened, I was facing a mirror...facing my reflection.
It's been a few months since I last saw my true self. I almost forgot what I used to look like. No way would I go back to this. This person isn't me anymore. I shook my head sadly. Nobody, especially someone like Chandler Bingspeare would ever give me a second look. I couldn't go back. I wouldn't.
I pulled a tiny vile out of my purse and drew my head back as I swallowed. It was bitter. I put my mouth close to the faucet and washed out the taste with fresh water. I splashed some water over my face and wiped it with a towel. Within the next minute, my body began to transform again. The real "me" was back. The "best" me. The "perfect" me. I smiled at the mirror and opened the door of the restroom.
I went into the living room to find Chandler sitting patiently on the couch reading a magazine on a half burned coffee table. "Where is everyone?"
"Uh, Joey, Ross and Phoebe are outside because apparently Phoebe keeps melting things everytime she exhales. I would've gone with them, except that I already melted once today and if I do it too much, I get a bit cranky." I laughed. He continued, "And umm, Rachel's been asleep in Joey's room since before you and Ross got here. She looked tired."
"Wait, Rachel? As in Princess Rachel?" I gasped for the second time that day. "What is she doing here?" I asked.
"Is that going to be a problem?" Asked Chandler worried. "She's a friend of ours...Phoebe's and mine. Umm, to make a long story short, we were in the forest looking for flowers to make dye for the new play costumes...and well, the rest is history." He studied my face.
"Oh." I said. I really didn't know what else to say. I never got to know Princess Rachel personally, and the impressions I did get of her weren't very positive. Besides, a lot of the boys I went to school with worshiped her, and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
"She does have her prissy moments, but overall she's terrific. I'm sure once you meet her you'll agree." He smiled. It was as though he could read my thoughts. I smiled back.
I liked Chandler. I really did. I should've let him wipe off my chest.
To be continued!!
Author's note: Oh my goodness your reviews are SO sweet! I wish I had the time to just sit here and fish out ideas but I've been so busy within the last year! Now that I'm on a little vacation I can finally spend time to write this fic. Thank you so much again! :D
Especially written for Mercury, Kaosda, Rain Goddess, ADVcatgirl, Alison, satanicgnomes, Angel, Marah, Exintaris, Andrea, Llew, desinee and Kitsu- chan. Your words do mean something. :)
Disclaimer: I wish I came up with a cool idea like Ross' Science Guy comic, but unfortunately, these characters belong to BCK.
************
I always hated being a Princess. I was constantly scrutinized in the public eye, unable to have a moment's privacy. I was ordered what to wear, which people to associate with, which subjects to study. I wasn't allowed to have a mind of my own, and whenever I tried, I was quickly lectured about my priorities. I got all of the flack, but none of the responsibility. Isn't it funny? I'm a princess with no power.
Oh no, not me. I wasn't the one inheriting the throne. I wasn't the one admired for my good deeds or my loyalty to the people of Euphoria. They didn't know it was me who would sneak out to cook meals at soup kitchens, who would sell my clothing and jewelry to pawn shops and donate the money to breast cancer research centers and children's art school funds. Of course my parents donated to local charities every year, but I never got to choose which ones the money should go to. It didn't matter what Monica wanted. I was an accessory to the royal family, not an actual family member. All of the attention was on Ross; my geeky, selfless, unbelievably caring yet stupid older brother. He was the gem of the family, and I was...well the thorn in their side.
And it didn't help that I was overweight. The sad part is that I seriously tried to lose the weight. I drank those nasty chocolate shakes that tasted more like regurgitated ovaltine (don't ask me how I know that), and I even went on that all protein kick that literally jump kicked my blood pressure. Nothing worked.
The media was cruel. They treated me like I was a freak show, or as though I had some sort of disease. I couldn't go out without tabloids speculating. Papers would read, "Princess Monica: Eat or Be Eaten", with a horendous picture of me inhaling a burger. The only public interview I ever agreed to do was with Barabara Walters. I thought she was a humanitarian, someone who wouldn't treat me like some spoiled fat girl. But I was wrong. Of course I did not want her to feel sorry for me, I was just tired of having to defend my eating habits, my body...me. I can't even remember what we talked about during the interview. I just remembered how incredibly uncomfortable I felt...and how I cried myself to sleep that same night.
That's when I realized I'd had enough. That was the last straw. This time I would finally do something about it...and I knew exactly who would help me.
There was this sorcerer who lived near Central Forest. He had a special shop in downtown Utopia, but only those who were invited or who had certain "connections" were allowed to enter. I never really believed in these things, but something inside told me to go for it, that I had nothing to lose anyway. The day after the interview, I snuck out of the palace with Sir Joseph, who was basically my only friend and luckily a trusted Knight of my father's. We ventured off for Utopia. He thought I was going to buy Utopian groceries and herbs. Instead, I was going to buy a Weight Loss potion.
The weird thing is, Mark didn't want money for the potion. All he said was, "Let's just say you owe me a favor." And when he noticed the hesitance in my decision, he dragged me to a mirror. Suddenly, my reflection began to blur. After it had stopped, I nearly fainted. Who was that gorgeous woman in the mirror? It couldn't be me...but it was. It was me if I wanted it to be, and I desperately did. I would have sold my soul at that very moment if I had to. "No more insults, no more invisibility, no more heartache. Look at what you can become...just say 'yes'."
And now, here I am. A few months later at 112 lbs., I'm thin, gorgeous and happy. But since that day, I've had this voice in the back of my mind constantly wondering what kind of favor the sorceror wants. Nobody knows I took the potion. My family, the media, our people...they all think I lost the weight by exercising and dieting. I don't know what I would do if someone ever found out the truth...
"Monica! Hey, Monica!!" yelled Ross right by ear.
I nearly fell out of the arm chair. "Ouch! What do you want?" I hissed. I flipped the page of my book pretending that I had been reading so intensely I didn't hear him.
He raised his eyebrows at me. "You know, you've been spacing out an awful lot lately. Are you alright? Are you having problems or something?"
I felt my heart skip a beat. "Of-of course nothing's wrong." Although I stammered, I tried to keep my tone even. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
Ross stared at me a few seconds longer before he said, "you know, it's great that you've been trying to take care of your appearance and all, but I loved you just as much then as I do now..." He smiled.
Damn him. It was hard not to love my thunder-stealing brother. "Thanks." I smiled back. "Now what was it you wanted?"
"Just to know if you wanted to come with me. I'm going to meet Joey at his place and help heal Lady Phoebe's dragon bite. I know you're a huge fan of hers and I just thought that- "
"Are you kidding?!? Lady Phoebe! Lady Phoebe Bouffe?! I LOVE her! Of course I'll go!" I grabbed my purse and pulled Ross out of the library.
Since Joey was permanently stationed near Central Forest, he had an apartment just outside Euphoria. The apartment was gorgeous, but I always felt it was too far from the palace. Without traffic, it still took a good 20 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, he can't move. There had been tension between King Green and my father for as long as I can remember. Nobody in my family really knows why and my father refuses to talk about it. And, since Central Forest is the only land that separates the two kingdoms, Euphorian knights border this side of the forest while Utopian knights bordered the other "just in case" the tension developed into something more. It's an honor that Joey is so trusted, but at the same time such a hassle.
When we got to Joey's, I noticed a beat up Toyota Corolla, in dire need of a wash, parked crookedly on the side. There were fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror and a sticker on the bumper that read, "Who needs Batman or Superman when you can have Crazy Snakeman!" I was tempted to call highway patrol and have his car towed just because it made the street look ugly. I stuck out my tongue in distaste as I followed Ross inside the building.
Moments later, Joey answered the door a little too anxiously. "What took you guys so long?! I don't know what's goin on but Lady Phoebe has smoke comin' outta her nose!"
"What?" asked Ross shocked. He followed Joey hurriedly into the living room. I took off my coat and hung it on the rack. I made my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. It was time for my daily dose of potion. I turned the corner to enter the kitchen, but was unexpectedly stopped by another body, and an unpleasantly cold liquid. Someone ran into me and spilled water all over my chest. I gasped.
"Oh. My. Gawd. I am sooooooooo sorry..." His voice trailed off until our eyes met. We froze. It was him. Again. I started to fume. He quickly turned around to get a towel. "What are the chances?!" he yelled exasperated.
"It's YOU!" I yelled surprised and angrily. "You're that clumsy moron who ran into me at the store! You're not blind! Why can't you walk with your eyes open like normal people?!"
"Princess, I really am VERY sorry!" He practically begged. "It's just that I..." He was about to wipe off my chest with the towel, then hesitated as he saw the expression on my face. I grabbed the towel from him and wiped myself. "I...umm...see, my mother is really sick and I was buying her medicine...I was in a terrible rush..." I narrowed my eyes. "No? Umm..." I saw a lightbulb go off on his head. "HEY!" He yelled loudly, "SMILE! You're on Candid Camera!" He Grinned. I shook my head. Was this guy kidding me?! He sighed. "Still no? Oh come on!" It was hard not to laugh. "Umm, ok...well, actually, I have a sickness..." My eyebrows raised. "Yes, it's true. I'm a very sick man." He frowned. "My name is Chandler Bingspeare and I'm addicted to bumping beautiful princesses." A slow smile crept on my face. I wasn't flattered, but it was cute just because he was so cheesy. He exhaled relieved. He smirked a little. He had a cute smirk. "I am really sorry Princess Monica, I'm just a clumsy, unfortunate fool who picked one hell of a day to be alive." Oh what the hell, it's not like I need surgery. I let the tension go and smiled warmly.
"That's ok. You can just call me Monica." We stood there for a few seconds, just smiling, before Joey came in and cleared his throat.
"Am I interrupting something?" He asked coyly. "I see that you've met Mr. Bingspeare, Monica-"
I cut him off. "Bingspeare?! As in THE Bingspeare?!" I asked in awe.
"Uh...yeah...I originally wanted my name to be 'clumsy moron' but unfortunately too many people already have that name. So, I had to settle for Bingspeare," he teased. I chuckled.
"Wow! I love your work! Your plays are terrific!" I beamed.
"Thanks," he said sincerely. "If you want I'd love to hear your input on some of the material-"
Joey interrupted. "Uh...Monica? Why is your face getting all puffy?"
"What?" I asked confused. I touched my face with my fingers. It did feel a bit swollen...OH MY GAWD! Shoot! I forgot to take the potion! I covered my cheek. "Uh," I stammered, "I think it's probably just some allergic reaction...it must be the forest or something...I'm just going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." I said quickly. I ran to the restroom before the rest of my body had a chance to completely transform in front of them. I shut the door, closed my eyes and let out a sigh. When my eyes opened, I was facing a mirror...facing my reflection.
It's been a few months since I last saw my true self. I almost forgot what I used to look like. No way would I go back to this. This person isn't me anymore. I shook my head sadly. Nobody, especially someone like Chandler Bingspeare would ever give me a second look. I couldn't go back. I wouldn't.
I pulled a tiny vile out of my purse and drew my head back as I swallowed. It was bitter. I put my mouth close to the faucet and washed out the taste with fresh water. I splashed some water over my face and wiped it with a towel. Within the next minute, my body began to transform again. The real "me" was back. The "best" me. The "perfect" me. I smiled at the mirror and opened the door of the restroom.
I went into the living room to find Chandler sitting patiently on the couch reading a magazine on a half burned coffee table. "Where is everyone?"
"Uh, Joey, Ross and Phoebe are outside because apparently Phoebe keeps melting things everytime she exhales. I would've gone with them, except that I already melted once today and if I do it too much, I get a bit cranky." I laughed. He continued, "And umm, Rachel's been asleep in Joey's room since before you and Ross got here. She looked tired."
"Wait, Rachel? As in Princess Rachel?" I gasped for the second time that day. "What is she doing here?" I asked.
"Is that going to be a problem?" Asked Chandler worried. "She's a friend of ours...Phoebe's and mine. Umm, to make a long story short, we were in the forest looking for flowers to make dye for the new play costumes...and well, the rest is history." He studied my face.
"Oh." I said. I really didn't know what else to say. I never got to know Princess Rachel personally, and the impressions I did get of her weren't very positive. Besides, a lot of the boys I went to school with worshiped her, and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
"She does have her prissy moments, but overall she's terrific. I'm sure once you meet her you'll agree." He smiled. It was as though he could read my thoughts. I smiled back.
I liked Chandler. I really did. I should've let him wipe off my chest.
To be continued!!