You may not know it, but I was born with a curse, too. The fairy was one and the same- Lucinda. But she was ignorant, and hadn't realized that her wand was broken. Her gift meant to make me charming, much like a bunny. But her curse only half worked- I gained very large teeth as a child and never gained hair.
Embarrassed, Mum Olga wished me to wear hats every moment. This led me to be called Hattie, though my real name was Corimunde. It wasn't until I was eight, that I solved this problem with wigs. I could become a brunette or a blonde in seconds. But I kept my hair a secret, from everyone I met- even my sister, Olive.
Olive was born when I was six, and was not clever enough to notice that I had no hair. To this day, I believe she still doesn't know. But no matter, Olive is as dumb as her name, and happy.
Both Olive and I grew up in riches, but we lived modestly. Our father had died before we were born, though it didn't matter much. Mum claimed that he married for her title and her money. She was a dame, and proud of her title. It let her be invited to several royal parties and such. Sometimes she would let us go too, though Olive and I usually opted not to go. Such cotillions were usually boring and the prince was never present.
The prince-
It was shortly after I had gotten my first wig that we met. The royal palace was buzzing and energetic that night. It was to be the knighting of a man who had saved the life of a cousin of Kind Jerrold's. Naturally, Mum Olga was invited, and had taken me with her. Olive, still only two, was to stay home with a nanny.
The whole carriage ride to the palace, I begged my mother not to go. Knightings were as boring as the needlepoint meetings Mum went to, or worse. As soon as we arrived, I clutched the end of Mum's green taffeta dress, but she brushed me off airily and disappeared amongst her needlepoint friends to gossip wildly about the wardrobe of each guest before the ceremony.
I sulked in my own matching yellow taffeta dress and wandered, hoping to find a playmate. What I found was the acclaimed prince Charmont sliding foolishly down the great banister to the main foyer. I watched curiously from the bottom of the stairs. He was alone, and the last guest had already filed out of the hallway.
Charmont let a great whoop escape from his lips as he flew down gracefully. Expertly, he jumped from the bottom and landed like a cat on the floor.
"How do you do that?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. The prince looked surprised. He hadn't known I was there.
"Do you want to?" He grinned. I looked him over steadily. Though we were the same age, I was taller than him. But in his navy blue attire and kind eyes, I trusted him. We ran to the top of the stairs and he clambered to the top of the banister.
"I'll show you how first." He sat, ready. "I'll meet you at the bottom!" sliding down the banister was exhilarating. We continued on for a good ten minutes until one of the prince's caretakers escorted us to the ceremony. (Luckily we were both at the bottom before his caretaker could scold us.)
As predicted, the knighting ceremony was incredibly boring. But the prince and I continued to play with each other until we were thirteen and coming of age. I had always hoped that even though Lucinda's curses made me aesthetically challenged, I was still charmed. So far, that has been recanted.
But his effects were irreversible. I've been in love with him ever since.