I grew up on the Swan Princess movies so this concept is very near and dear to my heart. If you've never seen the films before, I highly recommend the first one; it's fantastic and iconic. I'm still extremely new to writing, but the ins and outs of this story have existed in my mind for far too long, so I finally decided to just get them all down in words. I'm anticipating quite a journey with this one, but I'm super DUPER excited! Hope you like it :)
June
Age 6
The morning of their first meeting starts off a bit rough.
"Clarke Elizabeth Griffin!" The shrill voice of a chambermaid echoes off the heavy stone walls of the royal family's highest castle tower. "You get down from there this instant!"
The little princess doesn't waver as she slowly rises from her knees to her feet, finishing a courageous climb onto the ledge of her bedroom window. The morning summer breeze gently brushes by her features as her wide blue eyes overlook the gardens hundreds of feet below. Clarke thinks the summer air smells like a mix of her favorite yellow flowers and freshly cut grass; it's wonderful. She takes two cautious steps toward the window's edge when her maid gasps, "Clarke, no!"
The mischievous young girl tosses her wavy blonde locks over her shoulder, smiling wickedly.
"Please, please get down from there."
"And what if I don't?" Clarke giggles to the red-faced maid behind her.
"If you don't, then I'll tell Queen Abby about your little science project."
Clarke gasps, turning her head to the open drawer of her table; two bent-winged butterflies are perched peacefully there on top of a fresh quill. She rescued them a few weeks ago. They couldn't fly the same as the other butterflies and it made her heart hurt; she was only trying to help.
"You wouldn't!" Clarke hops down from the window, rushing over to her table to protect the injured insects. "They're hurt, Martha. I'm saving them! If you tell Mama, she'll make me let them go…" The small princess looks up at her maid with wide teary eyes. Her butterflies Buttercup and Daisy had become her best friends, listening to all the fantastical stories she whispered to them at night. What would she do if they were gone? "Please, please, Martha. They could die out there."
"Who's going to die out where?" Clarke beams instantly at the sound of her father's deep voice paired with the sight of his sparkling blue eyes and cheeky grin now peeking out from her bedroom doorway.
"Daddy!" She jumps into his arms and squeals as he picks her up swiftly and swings her around.
"What's going on, kiddo?" King Jacob's voice is warm in Clarke's ears and she loves it.
"I'll say what's going on, your Majesty." Martha huffs. "Princess Clarke has decided that stepping off the edge of her window on a sunny Monday morning suddenly qualifies as a great idea."
Clarke gulps, quickly burying her face into her father's neck to avoid seeing the disappointment in his eyes.
"Clarke?" King Jacob's tone is soft, but Clarke can hear that it's not quite as chipper as it was a few seconds ago. It makes her squirm a little bit.
She pushes her nose further into her father's skin, muffling her response- "Yes?"
"Is what Martha saying true?"
Clarke stays silent for a moment before squeezing her eyes shut whispering, "Yes, Daddy."
"Clarke…"
"But-but- Martha did something bad too!" The little princess looks at her father now with her small chin pointing up, and her hands on her hips. Clarke thinks her Dad has always told her to stand up for what she believes is right, so she's only doing exactly that.
King Jacob chuckles warmly, eyebrows raised in amusement. "Oh yeah? What did Martha do?"
"She said that she would tell Mama about my secret friends!" Clarke huffs exasperatedly.
Martha shakes her head and sighs in defeat. "Alright Princess. I won't mention it."
Clarke beams triumphantly and smooths down the ruffles of her bright pink shirt in satisfaction.
When Martha leaves the room, the little princess clings to her father's arms as he kneels down to place his daughter back on her feet.
"Baby girl, you have to promise me you'll never do that again." Jacob's tone sounds firm and final. "You know I love our adventures as much as you do, but we have to stay safe remember?"
Clarke thinks back to all the secret trips she's taken with her Daddy throughout the years; they've gone exploring in the forest, played hide-and-seek in the gardens, and even ventured off the royal grounds to camp out somewhere in the wilderness. It's true, her Daddy always did take the time to end each of his late-night mystical stories with the words, "Stay safe, Clarke" or "Work smart, not hard, my little Princess".
Clarke takes in the frown lines that have settled into her father's face and bows her head shamefully. "Yes, Daddy." She mumbles.
She feels her father nudge her chin up gently with his finger. "Why ever would you try such a thing, my little Princess?
"Well… because maybe if I stepped out of the window I could fly like the butterflies."
"And why would you want that?" King Jacob's eyes dart back and forth between Clarke's, searching for her answer.
Clarke looks down at her feet letting out a quiet exhale. "So I wouldn't have to get married." She grumbles.
Jacob chuckles softly as Clarke lets herself be pulled into his warm, safe embrace. "Don't worry, Butterfly. That day won't come for a long time."
"But I don't want to be married any day!" Clarke sighs dramatically and scrunches her small nose. "It's yuck."
Clarke watches her Dad shake his head at her furrowed brow. "You haven't even met your partner yet! How could you be so sure that marrying them would be so disgusting?"
Clarke narrows her eyes and knits her eyebrows. "Because I just know."
"How about I make you a deal, Pumpkin?" Her Daddy's smile is right back to being bright and wide and it makes Clarke's insides feel warm and happy.
"If you can promise me you'll listen to your Mama and get ready for the carriage ride on time, I'll tell you a secret I heard about your future partner. How does that sound?" Clarke's heart beats a little faster at the subtle twinkle in her father's eyes and the mention of a secret.
Clarke rocks back and forth on her heels, eyes wide open in intrigue, eyebrows wiggling with mischief. "I promise!"
"Pinky swear?" Jacob extends his smallest finger out for Clarke.
Clarke flashes her father a big toothy smile and interlocks her much smaller pinky with his.
"Pinky swear."
The carriage sets off toward the neighboring Kingdom of Polis that afternoon. Clarke takes the two-hour trip as an opportunity to recreate the events that have just occurred in her room. After several failed attempts at sneaking out of the carriage window followed by dramatic gasps and chastises from Queen Abby, the stubborn princess grows too tired to fight her impending doom. She knows she promised her Daddy not to make such a fuss over her trip, but come on. A meeting to get married? No way. Nuh-uh. Never.
She spends the remainder of the journey with her chin propped up on her hand, staring glumly at the scenery outside her window while her mother runs down a list of lady-like mannerisms that she expects Clarke to perform for Polis's royal family.
"Mama, why couldn't Daddy come with us?" It's only been a few hours since she last saw him, but Clarke feels herself already missing her father's hearty laugh and lopsided smile.
"Daddy had to stay at home so he could make sure our people would be happy." Clarke notices her mother's tone is sharp, short. She sounds as though she could say more, but she doesn't. Clarke tries not to linger on the thought for too long. She's too busy thinking about the best way to run away from Polis the moment they arrive. Maybe the royal family there will have a few secret passages in their castle that'll allow her to escape…
"Clarke." Queen Abby's voice is low, a warning for her daughter to stop slouching and pull herself out of her thoughts. "We're here."
Clarke reluctantly fixes her posture and plasters a perfect princess-like smile for her mother.
Queen Abby nods in approval. "That's my girl."
The two step out of the carriage, Clarke shadowing her mother more than usual. At the first sight of Polis' Queen, Clarke gasps a little. She's beautiful. And she's quite a bit younger than her mother. Her thick blonde locks are positioned in a regal updo, the features on her face are sharp, and Clarke thinks she's never seen jewels sparkle as much as the ones draped around the woman's neck.
"Queen Abby of Arkadia, a pleasure to meet you." Clarke thinks the tone of Polis's Queen is as gentle as it is strong. She watches the Queen extend a welcoming hand to her mother.
"And you as well, Queen Talia." Clarke gazes up at her mother as she watches her accept the woman's handshake.
"And you must be Princess Clarke." Queen Talia's smile is subtle, yet warm. Still, that does nothing to stop the heavy sinking feeling in Clarke's stomach. She wonders if faking a proper introduction could be her key to coming back home sooner.
Clarke curtsies as best as she can in response to regal woman's greeting. "Pleased to meet you, Queen Talia." She can practically hear her mother's thoughts of approval.
The little princess drowns out the pleasantries exchanged by the two Queens to search the open expanse of the castle's grounds for the presence of any escape routes. The magnificent fortress is enormous, but still manages to feel inviting. It sits on a large bed of cobblestone surrounded by the brightest green grass, and flocks of bustling maids and ground workers move quickly about the property. Clarke smiles a little. She doesn't know why, but she somehow pictured Polis to be sad, dark, and covered in mud; now, she thinks it looks similar to her very own home.
Clarke's eyes tear away from her investigation of the castle grounds as soon as she hears Queen Talia raise her voice.
"Alexandria Amelia Woods!" Clarke notices that Talia's command is loud, but it's still controlled. Cold. Distant. It's confusing; whenever her mother yells, it's always dripping with emotion.
Clarke quirks an eyebrow in curiosity as she watches a small girl suddenly jump off the branch of a large tree on the side of the castle grounds. A maid standing at the base of the tree shrieks in shock and instinctively drops her large bowl of potatoes. Clarke reluctantly smiles to herself at the maid's dramatic display of surprise. She thinks that if her dad was here, he'd be biting back a smile too. Of course, her mother doesn't look the slightest bit amused.
Clarke whips her head back to observe Talia's reaction. Where she thought she would see disapproval, an unaffected expression remains settled on the woman's face. Clarke tilts her head in wonder; Queen Talia isn't angry with her daughter's behavior?
The Queen elegantly flicks a small mosquito off her shoulder. "You'll have to excuse my little Lexa. She's not very graceful."
The mischievous princess quickly runs over to Talia's side, now directly facing Clarke.
Clarke takes in the full appearance of the girl. She's incredibly small for a six-year-old, her forehead only reaching up to the tip of Clarke's nose. The girl's wavy brown hair is a bit messy as certain strands stick to the sweat on her forehead, and her eyes sparkle a deep forest green. Clarke's eyes widen at the color- she's only ever seen a shade of green this bright on the wings of one of her butterflies.
The princess has matching streaks of dirt on her cheeks, shirt, and shorts. Clarke notices scrapes and bruises all over the little girl's knees too. Clarke thinks this princess must get into a lot of trouble. The brunette appears to be squinting at her, eyebrows scrunched in judgement, and arms folded protectively in front of herself. Clarke understands that the girl must have been as upset about this meeting as she was this morning.
Queen Abby clears her throat loudly. Clarke knows this is her cue to turn on her princess charm. She curtsies once more, "Pleased to meet you, Princess Lexa." She tries her absolute best to say it without gritting her teeth. She thinks she's more than ready to go back home at this point.
Lexa narrows her eyes at Clarke, still not moving a single muscle since Clarke's introduction. Queen Talia seems to have noticed this, as she also clears her throat expectedly.
"Lexa, what do we say back to Princess Clarke?"
The girl finally uncrosses her arms. "I heard you collect bugs." She spits out gruffly.
Clarke's cheeks go red and Talia sends a stern glare Lexa's way.
Clarke clenches her fingers into small fists by her sides. "I don't collect them. I help them."
Lexa has one eyebrow raised and a small smirk playing on her lips. Clarke thinks the girl looks a little too pleased with herself.
"I heard you like to chase people with sticks." Clarke snaps. It's far from how her father phrased the secret of Lexa's penchant for combat back at home, but it just sounded much more disgraceful this way.
Princess Lexa's offended gasp and gaping expression gives Clarke a small smile of satisfaction.
"I don't chase people with sticks." Lexa spits. "It's called a spear and I fight with it."
There's a palpable tension in the brief moment of silence that follows. Queen Abby brusquely breaks it, "Well, I believe it's time for me to get going back to Arkadia." Clarke knits her eyebrows in confusion as she watches her mother gracefully nod to Talia and Lexa. "It was a pleasure to meet you both."
"Mama, you're leaving?" Clarke squeaks incredulously.
She watches in astonishment as her mother kneels down to face her. "Clarke, we talked about this." Her tone is serious. Clarke doesn't know if she'd rather scream or cry.
"You'll be staying with the Woods family every summer now, remember?"
"But- I- I mean- you weren't serious, right?" Clarke feels like there's something big sitting in her throat which makes it little hard to breathe.
She feels briefly comforted when her mother places a warm hand on her cheek. "I'll see you in a few months, okay? It won't feel like too long, I promise."
Clarke hangs her head low. Her lip is shaking a little and her eyes sting. She knows she's a few seconds away from letting a tear escape, but Daddy wouldn't want that, and she most certainly doesn't want Lexa seeing that either. Clarke knows Daddy would tell her to stay strong; he'd say that things will get better. "Okay." She whispers.
Queen Abby straightens back to her full height and makes her way over to the carriage that they arrived in. She's about to step inside when Clarke notices her suddenly hesitate. Abby turns her head a touch to look at her daughter. "We'll have a conversation about the bugs when you come home." Clarke gulps, eyes widening.
Queen Talia speaks next, distracting Clarke from her wandering thoughts of all the trouble she'll be in when the summer ends. "I'll leave you and Lexa to catch up." The Queen turns away and begins to walk toward the castle. Keeping her eyes straight ahead she adds, "Norma will be watching you both. If you need anything, just ask her."
Clarke notices the presence of the Woods family's maid and recognizes her as the same woman who had dropped her bowl of potatoes just a few minutes ago. Norma smiles warmly, but Clarke notices the maid's nervous fidgeting; she thinks Norma reminds her of Martha back at home. The thought makes her smile just a little.
It only takes a few hours in Polis for Clarke to realize that Lexa is absolutely nuts. She's unruly, energetic, and moderately destructive. Any time the brunette leaves Clarke's sight, Clarke is never too concerned about looking for the girl since the constant echoing shrieks and chastises from maids lead a path straight to the young princess's location.
Clarke feels tired. Lonely. At this point, Lexa is the only one she recognizes on the castle grounds, and it's not like she can just go ask the girl to play with her. Lexa is too busy swinging short pointy swords with a few boys that look about her age. And it's not like she can ask to play with the boys either cause boys are gross. They're loud, wild, and ruin everything. Sort of like Lexa right now. Clarke frowns at that thought.
She settles into a shady patch of grass under a magnificent tree in the gardens instead, clutching a worn-out sketchpad her Daddy bought her last year. The faint smell of parchment when she squishes her little nose to the book reminds her of him. The scent makes her heart hurt. She closes her eyes just as the summer breeze picks up; then she starts drawing.
Too focused on the precise movements of the dark charcoal in her hand across the smooth parchment, Clarke jumps a little when she suddenly notices the tips of small leather ankle boots beside her.
Clarke looks up, squinting as the sun partially blocks Princess Lexa's face. She can see Lexa is chewing her lip and wiggling her fingers anxiously by her sides. Clarke notices that this is the longest time she's seen the girl be completely silent. It's odd, but a little refreshing.
"I'm sorry I spilled your bug secret." Lexa's voice is small and covered in guilt. There's a moment of silence, and a second breeze passes through the gardens.
"It's okay. I think she was going to figure it out anyway." Clarke shrugs. Another beat of silence. "I'm sorry I spilled yours too."
The girl abruptly plops down next to Clarke. "It's okay. Spear fighting isn't a secret to Talia. It's a secret from my dad."
Clarke scrunches her nose in thought. It's a little strange to hear Lexa call her mom by her first name. She doesn't know if she should ask about it; her Daddy always says it's best not to get too much into someone else's business.
Clarke thinks Lexa must be a secret mind-reader because the girl quickly says, "Talia isn't my real mom, you know. My dad says that my mom died when I was born, so I don't remember her."
"Oh." Clarke blinks. She doesn't know how to talk about death since she's never really had it happen to anyone around her. She settles for putting her hand over Lexa's and it seems to make her smile. Clarke thinks Lexa has a really pretty smile.
"So why can't you tell your Daddy that you like to fight?"
Lexa tucks a few strands of her brown curls behind her ear and picks at the grass nervously. She waits a few seconds before she mumbles, "Cause he says it's not for princesses."
Clarke thinks about how much it hurts when her mom tells her to put down all of the frogs she's picked up from the pond outside her home because it's not lady-like. Clarke decides that no one should be told they're not allowed to do something that makes them happy.
Lexa lets out a loud sigh and shakes the frown off of her face. "It's okay, though. Talia likes when I fight." She flashes Clarke a confident toothy smile. "She says it's important for a girl to be tough."
Clarke smiles easily in return. "My Daddy says that too!"
Clarke thinks Lexa seems way nicer than she originally came off. She's smiling a lot more now and she talks a lot with her hands. And she sounds excited about everything. She giggles quite a bit too. Clarke thinks Lexa's laughs are like happiness makers- every time she does it, Clarke senses herself smiling. She feels bad about thinking Lexa was like a boy earlier.
"Can I show you something?"
Lexa nods vigorously. A few tendrils of her chestnut colored hair bounce up and down from her enthusiasm.
Clarke giggles at the girl's infectious anticipation and takes out the small wooden box that she had successfully snuck under her dress before leaving home. Clarke hears Lexa's soft gasp as she opens the lid to reveal Buttercup and Daisy resting there across from one another.
Clarke beams at the two of them. "These are my butterfly friends."
Lexa's wide green eyes flash with excitement. "That's cool. They're pretty."
Clarke nods energetically in agreement.
"Can I hold 'em?"
Clarke notices the hopeful lilt in Lexa's voice, but shakes her head no. "Sorry, they get scared of people. They don't really let anyone hold them except for me." Buttercup takes this moment to climb out of the box and perch peacefully on Clarke's little finger. "Well actually there was this one time when Daisy sat in my Daddy's hand for a few seconds!" She says excitedly. "But then she left real quick after."
"Oh." The brightness in Lexa's voice is replaced with soft disappointment. The girl goes back to picking at the blades of grass in front of her.
Clarke opens her mouth to say something but is immediately silenced by the sudden crooked flapping of Buttercup's wings. Buttercup shakily flies her way over to Lexa and lands promptly on the tip of her nose.
Clarke gapes in awe. Lexa crosses her eyes looking at the bright green wings of the butterfly sitting right on the center of her face.
"Clarke!" Lexa whispers excitedly. "I think she likes me."
Clarke smiles and squeezes Lexa's hand a little. "Yeah, I think she does."
Lexa's gone off to play swords with the two boys in the castle yard for a little while longer, making Clarke choose to stay under the tree and draw. Lexa tells Clarke that Roan and Gustus are good at fighting, but not so good at talking. She says that Roan can be a little mean, and Clarke believes her.
When Norma waddles up to Clarke about an hour later and tells her it's time to go eat dinner, Clarke thinks this day is moving a little faster now that Lexa talks to her. It's a nice change that finally makes her breathe a little easier.
The dining room looks almost exactly the same as the one Clarke has at home. There's a long wooden table that stretches throughout the hall and it's lined with tons of fancy chairs. Only two plates are set up at the table though- one for her and one for Lexa. Clarke thinks it's a little weird that Lexa doesn't eat with her parents. Daddy always says it's a Griffin family rule to have dinner together every night. She wonders if this might be another thing she shouldn't ask Lexa about.
Lexa and Roan show up at the doorway of the dining room dripping in mud, each holding a dirty sword in their hands.
"Alexandria!" Norma nearly drops the giant glass pitcher she's holding at the sight of the princess's filthy face and clothes. "Look at yourself, you're a mess!" Norma is wiping Lexa's face aggressively with a clean washcloth while Lexa scrunches her nose, wiggling away from her maid's mildly aggressive hand movements. Roan in the meantime is hunched over in laughter, clutching his stomach and gripping the edge of the doorway to keep upright.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, Lexa." Norma mutters as she continues to wipe the princess's face.
"What about Roan?! Shouldn't he be ashamed of himself too?!" Lexa sputters in between the maid's harsh dabs.
"You are a princess, Lexa. Princesses don't look like this." Lexa huffs angerly and crosses her arms. Norma shuffles out of the dining room mumbling something about fetching a few more washcloths.
Roan takes this as an opportunity to lean in close to Lexa's ear and snap, "Yeah, Lexa. Princesses don't look like you, stupid!" He sticks his tongue out mockingly and Clarke feels sudden sparks of anger burn bright in her chest.
Lexa's eyes narrow dangerously. She pushes the boy back by his shoulders, "Shut up, Roan! You don't know anything, you big idiot!"
Norma's sharp gasp could probably be heard from miles away. It's followed by the loud clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen- likely items that she was holding before hearing the words leave Lexa's lips. Clarke is beginning to think this woman drops more items per day than a normal person does in a week.
"LANGUAGE, LEXA!" Norma's chastise echoes loudly off the tall walls of the castle as she reenters the room.
"But- but- he said it first!" Lexa stammers. "And what he said was way way worse, Norma. I promise!"
Clarke catches herself unknowingly clutching the tablecloth in her fist, and wonders if it's possible for the material to catch on fire from the angry heat radiating throughout her body.
"I don't care what he said, Lexa. I care about what you said. That is no way for a princess to be speaking!"
Roan smiles wickedly next to Lexa. Clarke thinks that if Roan doesn't step away from her in the next few seconds, Lexa might clock the little boy straight in the nose.
Norma clears her throat, evidently proud of herself for handling the situation. "Roan, you should be getting back to your family now, it's past dinner time." Roan leaves the room with a smug smile on his face. Clarke is surprised she can't see actual steam puffing out from Lexa's ears.
Lexa shuffles over to the dining room table to take a seat beside Clarke. She leans her elbows on the wooden surface and plops her chin in her hands. It's hard for Clarke to gauge the distraught princess's current state since her muddy locks shield her face like a curtain. But that doesn't stop Clarke from noticing the tiny droplets of water that quickly appear one after another on Lexa's spotless white plate.
"It's baloney, you know." Clarke whispers by Lexa's ear.
Lexa sniffles softly beside her but doesn't move an inch. "What is?"
"The fact that he's allowed to say all that stuff and you're not."
Clarke watches Lexa lift her head briefly to face her. She didn't think it was possible for Lexa's green eyes to sparkle even more, but now they are- shining impossibly bright behind the young girl's tears. Lexa lifts the corner of her mouth slightly to form a weak smile, but it fades soon after she turns right back to burying her face in her hands.
Clarke's heart sinks a bit- she really misses Lexa's smile.
"Norma?" Clarke squeaks.
"Yes?" Norma is currently balancing a few empty dishes in her hands. Clarke worries for the future of the delicate porcelain plates once she enacts her perfect plan to get Lexa giggling once more.
"I know what Lexa said is bad, but how are we supposed to watch our language if we don't know which words we should watch out for?" Clarke's smile is plastered wide on her face, eyebrows as high as the sky.
Norma seems to consider her question. "Well, I- suppose I'm not sure."
Clarke glances over in Lexa's direction and sees that the girl's face is still buried in her arms. She continues, "I guess we have to go over them, right?" This makes Lexa lift her head, green eyes wide as ever.
Clarke nudges Lexa softly with her elbow. "C'mon Lexa, let's say all the words we can't say so that we'll know not to use them next time!"
The next few minutes in the dining room are filled with Clarke and Lexa's echoing giggles as the two princesses rattle off a long list of bad words much to Norma's chagrin. The dinner in front of them lay forgotten by the fun of Clarke's devious plan, and the only tears spilling out from either of their eyes for the remainder of night is the result of manic laughter and an incomparable happiness.
The rest of the summer flies by faster than Clarke ever thought her favorite season could.
The two had spent so many hours on the first night running around Lexa's room howling in laughter that Clarke asked Lexa why she couldn't just sleep there too. Thus, Lexa's bedroom had become "L & C's Secret Lair" for the remainder of the summer's months. The two had even so creatively scribbled the letters on Lexa's large mahogany bedroom door in colorful red charcoal to commemorate the event. Norma wasn't too happy about it, but she didn't bother washing it away.
Clarke thinks the summer felt like having a never-ending sleepover with her best friend every single night. She dreads the return to Arkadia in the morning.
Clarke stands shoulder to shoulder with Lexa when a carriage with the official crest of the Griffin royal family rolls onto Polis' property on the last day of summer. Clarke feels like the dark gray clouds in the sky must understand the sadness of today.
Lexa takes Clarke's hand and squeezes it a little. "It's okay, you'll be back next summer right?"
Clarke beams. She thinks that if every summer can be exactly like this, she never wants to spend it any other way.
But change is inevitable, and Clarke feels this just a few hours later when she notices that her usually chipper butler's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes at the front gates of her castle in Arkadia. Something has changed since she last stepped foot in her palace. A darkness has settled around the kingdom, but she can't understand why.
Each chapter is designated to each age, so this should run until the sixteen summers are over. Thanks so much for reading! Feel absolutely free to drop likes or comments cause those things always make me light up like there's no tomorrow :) Till next time!