A/N: Happy Day! You get a longer chapter! I'm trying a slightly different way of telling the story so tell me if you like it. This chapter is essentially the history of the princesses and the kingdom and stuff. I tried to tell it in a very basic fairy tale scenario. The Italics are the history or flashback kinda thingies that I can't explain.

In addition, thank you once more to my wonderful beta-reader, Kassi of Pirate's Swoop. Check out her Tamora Pierce fic, "In the King's Own".

Chapter Three

A Tale of Fairy

I followed him back to the guardhouse and cleared a pile parchment off a dusty stool before sitting down.

"So you want to know the story of the princesses, do you?" He shook his head. "It's not a happy one, I'll grant you that." He sighed and settled back into a dusty oak chair. "It began a few years before you were born…."

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Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom living peacefully under the rule of a just King and his beautiful queen. The people of the kingdom thought their rulers were perfect but between the king and the queen, nothing could have been farther than the truth. For although the king was a just man he was not a kind or loving one and their marriage was one of convenience only.

One night the queen, sleeping alone in her bedchamber, was awoken to a tall shadow looming over her. The Demon seeing her fear quickly began to speak. "Sweet Lady" It purred. "I was so moved by your great beauty that I knew I must meet with you." The Demons honeyed voice softened. "I knew that you could not deny the love I felt for you if I met you face to face."

The queen was undone by the mere mention of love, for in her young life no one had ever told her that they loved her. Her mother, a pampered princess, had immediately foisted her off on wet nurses and nannies and her father had been too preoccupied to realize he had a daughter. So, going against all common sense, she believed the Demon.

But Demons lie.

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Exactly nine months after the Demon's visit, the queen gave birth to twins, a baby girl and a baby boy. The kingdom rejoiced, for not only did they have their little prince but a princess as well.

One year later the prince disappeared and the queen gave birth to another little girl.

And so in ten years the queen gave birth to twelve beautiful girls.

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"…But sixteen years ago the queen died while giving birth to the youngest pair of twins."

"Which makes the eldest princess twenty-five, right?"

"Aye. But I'm not finished…"

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"Highness?"

Lyrael, the second oldest princess, jerked her head up just before it hit the table, her long black hair trailing over the wood surface.

"Hmm. What?" She looked around, disoriented, blue eyes red with fatigue.

The maid who had woken her looked concerned. "Are sure you're all right, Highness?"

Lyrael looked irritated. "Of course I'm all right!" she snarled.

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"So they stay up all night? Royalty can do things like that."

"Stop interrupting…."

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"What is this?!" The king held a tiny embroidered slipper, the sole worn completely away.

Ten faces turned towards Elaine, the seventh sister of the twelve. The tiny redhead shrugged delicate shoulders. "How should I know? It looks like a slipper," she replied with a grimace of distaste.

"I can see it's a slipper," the king ground out. "But why is there a pair of worn-out slippers under every single one of your beds?!"

A look of dismay appeared in Elaine's hazel eyes as she turned back to her sisters. "Couldn't you come up with anything better than that?!" she hissed.

The sisters exchanged chagrined glances. Amorita, the youngest by two minutes, answered. "We were so tired…" The other sisters nodded. At sixteen, Amorita was the most conventionally beautiful of the sisters, with long blonde hair and long-lashed blue eyes that now held a consternated expression. Her twin, Valencia, was like a reflection, exactly the same yet subtly opposite.

"Father."

As one the princesses gave a sigh of relief and turned towards the speaker.

In the middle of the throne room stood a young woman. Her hair was a rich dark red and hung in waves down her back, slanted forest green eyes narrowed and she drew herself up to every inch of her 5'3".

"Father." She repeated. "What is the meaning of this?"

The King glared at his eldest daughter. "I am getting weary of asking the some question!" With a violent motion, he threw the tattered slipper at the feet of his daughter. "What were these doing under your bed?!"

She calmly picked up the bedraggled bit of cloth. "I have no idea," she lied with sincerity.

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"Ever since then the King has found a worn out pair of slippers under their bed every night."

"And the princesses still swear they don't know why?"

"Aye. Finally the King put out a proclamation that whoever figures it out can marry one of the princesses and take half the kingdom."

I snorted. "I bet you've been neck deep in potential suitors!"

Aeron looked sober. "Not necessarily. The King also said that any man who failed would be put to death."

I sucked in a quick breath then let it back out with a few choice imprecations.

"Aye."

We sat for a while, pondering the failings of the world. Eventually we began to talk about past and present until the fire was nothing but white ash in the grate. As I bedded down on the floor that night, I tried not to think about the King, the princesses, and what tomorrow would bring.

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A/N: Thank you for reading! I was trying to explain why the princesses would have demon blood as they have sometimes in the stories. Review……please…. *Looks pitiful*

Thank you to:

Marvindamartin: I will definitely keep you updated as long as you return the favor. ; )

Nenya Adamant: Thank you!

Rachel: Hehe… I hope she'll be interesting.

I love you all…not that way you silly! : D