Fiction Short Stories
The Fairytale Part 1

The Fairytale Part 1 | 2

Once upon a time in the mythical land of Baltan, there lived a Prince. His name was Prince Adiere. The land was ruled by his parents, the King and Queen. Prince Adiere was next in line for the throne.

One day, the King had taken ill and was not expected to live much longer. The Prince was very sad and went into a state of depression. He and his father were very close and it was hard for him to accept it. The Queen became concerned for her son's health. She decided to try and focus his attention on something she thought he would enjoy. Hence, she came up with an idea to look for a wife for his son. After all, he would eventually be King and would need a Queen by his side. She would have to ensure that her son choose the right woman. She put out a proclamation, announcing to all young maidens in the Kingdom, that her son was looking for a wife. Each young maiden was to bring to the Prince an object of special meaning to them. They would then give it to the Prince as a token of their love. If the Prince chose the item, the owner of that item would be the wife of the Prince.

The Queen informed her son about the plan. He was delighted with the Queen's plan and it helped him quickly emerged from his depression. In the following few days, all the young maidens of the land visited the castle with their gifts. Some brought beautiful jewellery, some brought family heirlooms and others brought rare coins. The Prince was amazed by the beautiful maidens that were in his Kingdom. For weeks, he looked through the different gifts that were brought by the maidens. He grew weary and disappointed as he could not find a gift to please him. One by one, the maidens left the castle. The Prince thought that he would never find a woman to sit beside him on the throne.

That evening, Prince Adiere sat in the garden and watched swans swim in unison in the pond. The night was dark except for the light of the moon and the twinkle of the stars. He heard someone step up quietly behind him. He turned quickly and noticed a woman. Her face was covered except for her eyes. She wore a long silk garment that shimmered brightly under the moonlight. Her eyes were black as coal and she spoke softly to him as she handed him a gold sceptre. It had a silver band that intertwines around the sceptre starting at the bottom and ending at the top. At the top of the sceptre was the head of a dolphin with ruby eyes. She told him it belonged to her father and when he died he gave it to her as a gift. She told him the sceptre had mystical powers but it could only be used by the person who possessed it. She went on to say that the sceptre grants three wishes to the owner. She warned him to use the wishes wisely because once they are chosen, the sceptre must be returned to her. She then turned and ran into the darkness of the forest. The Prince chased after her but she continued to run. He chased her to the edge of the forest leading to the beach. However, she had disappeared without a trace. All he noticed were footsteps on the sand leading to the sea.

Who was this strange woman? She had a voice that sounded like the Sirens who summoned the ships with beautiful love songs. He was enamoured with just the hint of her eyes. Where did she go? As he walked back to the castle, he tried to remember what she had said about the sceptre. He thought about the three wishes of his choice and quickly ran to his father's bedroom. He joined his mother, who kept a constant vigil at the King's bedside, leaving only to check on her son occasionally. The Prince knelt by the bed and looked at his weak and feeble father. He took his father's hand and held the sceptre over his body. He asks for his father to recover as his first wish.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy vibrating in the sceptre and it began to glow. A blue light enveloped his father's body and the aura widened until it filled the entire room. He looked down at his father and watched in amazement as the King's eyes opened and a healthy red color came back to his cheeks. His father sat up and looked at his son and wife. He was puzzled because he was completely healed. The Prince was ecstatic. He told his parents about the strange young woman who visited him earlier that night and explained how the sceptre would grant him three wishes.

Prince Adiere became obsessed with finding the mysterious woman. He called upon his royal foot soldiers to search the kingdom for the elusive woman. Weeks passed and he still could not find any trace of her. He began to give up hope.

The Fairytale Part 1 | 2