Finally after three weeks of uncomfortable travel on the back of his bony stallion, we faced a stony expanse, which he called "home

Finally after three weeks of uncomfortable travel on the back of his bony stallion, we faced a stony expanse, which he called "home."

"I want you to meet my country," Charming pompously stated.

"No gardens? No trees? No greenery? No animals, or insects?" I whined. If this were my fate, I'd kill myself! No one listened to me, I felt like a statue.

"Of course, gardens need tending, and we can use the gardening slaves for cleaning, or cooking or dressing us. Gardens are frivolous."

"They are pretty, and now your, 'house,' is a prison. If you want your coun-."

"We are a warring country. If we had gardens they would be ignored when we went off to war."

"I could tend them, oh please." I couldn't believe I was begging. I never beg!

"No, I don't want you ruining your complexion in the sun. You can embroider in the castle."

"If I embroider, then I could pierce my finger." That was the dumbest thing I had ever said, but I hoped Charming would fall for it.

"Yes, you are right. You can play with a golden ball in the courtyard. Of course there will be slaves to pick up dropped balls, and to hold a canopy above your head." No better. I was escorted to my room, and I picked through the closet, each dress looked like the last. They were all gray or brown with huge heavy stones sewn in.

"Gross!" I felt dirty, and my dress was stiff with dirt and grime. Consequently, I went to castle tailor, and asked if they could make dresses like the one I was wearing. They had to ask the prince. My marriage and his coronation would happen on the same to day, much to my dislike. When I tried to wash my dress, so it wouldn't fall apart in my hands, for Faerieian dress were so finely made, I had to wash them specially.

"You can't wash your own clothes, this is a scandal," the washerwoman said, very flustered. I was standing in my white slip, and my long gold hair was in my face, hanging loosely over my shoulders.

"I needed to wash my dress, it was very grimy."

"Princesses don't wash their own dresses, this is a outrage!"

"I needed to wash it in a delicate way, and I've washed my dresses all my life, we never had slaves or servants, or whatever!" I hate slaves, when I am queen I shall outlaw very single one of them.

"Now, we need to practice being invisible, you need a lot of work. Now be quiet, and serene, and look pretty."

"NO! I'm not going to be some sculpture of a queen, I want to outlaw slaves, and create schools in every town, and then all the young can read and write. Reading and writing are wonderful, everyone's illiterate here, except the nobles, and your library is miniscule! I want to do something!"

"Women are to be seen and not heard." I stormed out of the room, out of the insanity of the maid, and her beliefs. I walked to the throne room, where Charming was sitting, and eating bon-bons, and amazingly not getting any fatter.

"Charming, can I not even wash my own dress? Your servants don't know how to wash the magic fabric, but it's caked in dirt. My dress is stiff!" I yelled.

"Are you insulting my slaves?" Charming screamed back at me.

"No, I just need to clean my dress, and they won't let me," I said.

"Wear the ones in your closet," he replied.

"They are ugly," I spat. "Who would wear gray, when they could wear pink and lavender, or floral dresses?"

"We do, it's style," Charming replied. I walked back into my room, I hoped that they had normal slips and petticoats here at least. They did, and from then on I went everywhere in my slips, and scandalized the whole court. The summer weather let me wear the thin white satin fabric.

"You are our future queen, will you act like one? The coronation is tomorrow, and I need you try on this wedding dress," Charming handed me a white dress, thick with embroidery, beads, and pearls. I tried it on; it was stiff, and hard. I took it off, and jumped on it, finding I could easily step on it and it stayed the same shape. It had no give. I left the dress on my bed, and walked to the stable, petting the horse's muzzles. I found the horse I was looking for, a gold mare, with a white mane and tail. She was independent and fast, the perfect horse to run away on.

"Tonight we'll leave, don't worry girl," I cooed. I had named the horse Day Lily, after my friend. I walked up to the castle, and was intercepted by an unknown girl; she was around my age though.

"Hello, who are you? I'm Opal, duchess of Wishwillows," Opal said.

"I'm Rosamund, heir to the Faerieian throne, and soon to be queen of Kyria," I answered gloomily. Wishwillows, a fief of Eldornia, where have I heard that from? Eldornia was a country east of Faerie, which many fairies go to, if they want to marry. "Eldornia, are you part fairy?"

"No, my family, the Wishwillows, are as blue blooded as possible. Why do you ask?"

"Many fairies went to Eldornia in the Siege of the Conqueror. After the Siege, many of the fairies stayed. I was wondering if you were one of the families who interbred."

"Tell me about the Siege, I never learned about it."

"Well, the Conqueror, her name was Tigerlily. She was as described in the text books, as a brown haired, determined fairy. She was sick of our government, that we had a queen, and a board of merchants, and a board of nobles. She thought we should have a dictator, an all-powerful ruler. Many objected, the royal family included, but she got many followers, mostly farmers, because she would understand them, they thought. She mustered up an army of mad growers and their magic grew dangerous, but they were no match for Her Majesty's force. It was made of the best mage-fairies in the kingdom, and many trained warriors. So she struck, at our main port, Port Lotus. The mages there fought a desperate battle, before her Majesty's force came, and threw a fire spell at their the Conqueror's main force. They left, but reeked havoc throughout the surrounding villages, and many people fled to Eldornia. We finally beat her, we never kill in Faerie, but her legend remains."

"Why is this not in our history books?" Opal asked.

"It was a scandal, especially in Eldornia, for they had fairies now in their land, where Eldornians were known for their blue-blood. I strongly believe that you are as not as blue-blooded as you believe. They covered it up well, but it took awhile, that was more than five hundred years ago, and it still leaks out."

"Oh, I see." I walked back to the prison like castle with Opal. She seemed so interested in my story, I thought everyone knew it, but, yet, it was a huge scandal in Eldornia, maybe they blocked it out of history. I was bustled away from Opal, only to enter a room filled with weavers, and sewers.

"I'm wearing my slip, for marriage, and after. I even found an especially fancy one. Get out of my face, all you people! I'm not wearing the diamond necklaces, or embroidered slippers," I screamed, and ran away.

"But you must, my dear, for you are our future queen," continued the maid.

"Your queen! I am but a statue, to look nice to next His Serene and Royal Highness, Prince Charming of Kyria, soon to be king," I mocked.

"Ah, you are wrong. Prince Charming is fair, trustworthy, and just. You will not equal him in every court, and ball. He is mighty, and great, you will never equal him," the maid countered.

"Ah, but I am smart, and I know how to rule," I replied. The maid was dumbstruck, and I used her pause to my advantage. "I will marry your prince, if we can go to Toren, for our honeymoon."

"I cannot promise anything, I am but a slave. You must talk to His Majesty," she said. I stormed off to the court, ignoring the fact that they probably had foreign ambassadors.

"Prince Charming of Kyria, lady of the slaves, princess of thick gray dresses, I command a compromise," I ordered. I heard giggles, covered by hands around me. I didn't care, I could only do damage to the royal family, and little damage was done to me. "I wish we would go to the beautiful land of Toren, for our honeymoon."

"For what purpose, Rosamund my dear," Charming replied.

"My dear Charming, your Serene and Royal Highness, I wish to see the lovely mages towers, sparkling with their magic, and see King Peregrine of Toren," I said.

"Ambassadors of Eldornia and Zamera, please listen to my betrothed wishes. Are they harmful to my country?" Charming asked.

"My Highness, no, they are not. Listen to your betrothed she may have something to say important. It may help your kingdom," replied an ambassador from Eldornia. He was mocking the prince too, I thought evilly.

"Charming, I think you should free your slaves, and hire them as servants," I said as innocently as possible.

"Rosamund, I can't, we will have a lack of work, our culture will go downhill. Do you have other suggestions, perchance?" questioned Charming.

"Yes, may you put the table scraps out to the local peasants, for food. We have much waste, which could be saved and help homeless people," I said.

"It's all the same to me. I think we shouldn't though, we would pamper our people, and the peasants won't produce as much crops as usual. For then they shall only grow for taxes," explained Charming pompously.

"And, I think that is overly selfish. You have starving people, and you wish to keep them sick? Schools should be mandatory, and the royal family should have a twice, or three times a year trip around the kingdom, financing farm families and villages," I stated. Many foreign ambassadors were nodding in agreement, and glowering at Charming.

"Your Majesty, I agree with your betrothed, Rosamund. Her ideas are profitable," an Eldornian ambassador remarked. He turned to me, and asked, "for you are the producer of your wonderful plan, may we in Eldornia use it, perchance?"

"Of course, who am I to object?" I replied. He nodded, and I stared at Charming's response.

"Well, you see, you may, but only this once. She is under my rule, being my soon to be wife," said Charming, interrupting the ambassadors' thanks.

"You majesty, I quite object. For you see, her ideas will profit your kingdom, let her rule alongside you, and enter Kyria into a golden age," added a Zamerian diplomat.

"NO! She is a woman; she should not be among us men now. She is inferior to me, and only a noble," screamed Charming, obviously getting annoyed.

"Only a noble! I am the only daughter of Queen Delphinium, heir to the Faerieian throne, inheritor of the Gardens of Lilac. How dare you call me purely a noble! Do you understand our society, our power structure?" I asked, enraged.

"Kings rule everything. I order you to leave, you are disrupting my meeting," said Charming bluntly. The diplomats held wide smiles, and soft laughs behind their hands. I left, and ran towards my room, I need to regain my magic. I needed to get to Toren. Kyria, was desperate for knowledgeable rulers, Charming didn't qualify.