First Kiss

"Help me, Prince Benny!" I cried from the top of my play tower in my castle's courtyard. Ben leaped out of the bushes, waving a wooden sword around. "Be careful of the evil fairy!"

"Don't worry, Princess, I will save you!" he declared and looked around. "Uh, where is the evil fairy?"

"Oh, right!" I scrambled off my tower and stuck my fake horns on my head. "Beware, fair prince, for I am the most evilest fairy ever! You'll never save your princess!"

"Oh yes I will!"

Ben rushed forward and pushed his sword against my belly. I fell back, moaning as I clutched my fake wound

"No…no!" I collapsed, dead.

But then I sprang up, tossing off my horns, running back up my tower.

"My hero!" I exclaimed as Ben climbed and hugged me.

"You're safe. Now let's go home to my castle and live happily ever after."

Ben started to leaved, headed back to our kingdom that only existed in our six-year-old minds.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You forgot the last part of the story."

"What?"

I smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him quickly on the lips. "True Love's kiss!"

Ben stared at me for a good minute before he smiled, held my hand, and ran back down the tower.

"To our happily ever after!" he exclaimed and I cheered with him.

I sat in front of my vanity as Grammie undid my braids later that night.

"You and Prince Ben certainly had fun today," she remarked.

"He saved me from the evil fairy," I told her, spinning my tiara in my hands. I loved how sparkly and important it looked.

"Audrey, what the fairy did to your parents was very serious. I don't want you playing like that," Grammie warned me.

"Sorry."

She wrapped me up in a hug, her cinnamon perfume comforting me. "That's not what I wanted to talk about tonight, though, my dear. I saw you kiss Prince Ben."

"It was True Love's kiss!" I giggled, putting my tiara down.

Grammie crouched in front of me. "Audrey, sweetie, you realize you could actually do it? Love Ben, become queen?"

"I know."

"Will you do it?"

I considered my tiara resting on its pillow before I nodded. "Of course, Grammie. I'm a princess and Benny's a prince."

She placed her soft hands on my shoulders and made me look her in the eye. "It's up to you, Audrey. You have the power to be queen, to elevate our family. It's your destiny."

I grinned and hugged Grammie. "I'm going to live happily ever after!"