Ruined Fairy Tales

Prince Not-So Charming

             

   "You will never get away with this!" I exclaimed halfheartedly, too focused on trying to wiggle my hands  free of the rope tied excruciatingly tight around my wrists to put much effort into following the damsel training that had been drilled into my brain since before I could walk.

Who would have imagined that Prince Alexander, who I had once thought so handsome and charming despite his overly pale complexion, would be capable of such an atrocious act that went against the very foundation of our realm? Princes did not kidnap princesses! It just was not done!

"Princess," Alexander drawled from his perch at the carriages driving seat, glancing back at me briefly through the small window between us. "Would you be so kind as to shut the hell up?" He turned away again quickly, but not before I saw the way his eyes darted around our surroundings with an insane gleam, as if he expected my royal guards to burst from the foliage at any moment. Though, to be fair, that was not completely outside the realm of possibility.

"Excuse me?" I gasped indignantly, sitting up straight, and abandoning the attempt to free my hands in my outrage. "Don't you dare curse at me, you imbecile! You have no right to treat me like this, you absolute ass!" I brought my bound legs up in front of me to slam my feet against the wall between us at the last word, hoping he would feel the impact against his spine.

"Do not make me gag you, Valera. I promise you I can make this far more unpleasant for you than you-"

I cut him off with another swift kick to the back of his seat. "You have no right to use my name, ever again! It is 'Princess' or 'Your Majesty' to you!"

He swung around too quickly for me to move away, an arm coming through the window cubby to grasp me by my jaw with a bruising grip. "This is your last warning, Princess." He snarled at me, and it wasn't until that moment that I noticed how blood shot his blue eyes were. "Keep your mouth shut or I will find another use for it."

I glared as he pulled away to face forward again but did not say anything else. This situation was so far out of the realm of the reality of our world that I truly did not know how far the prince would take this absurd situation.

I blew my blonde curls away from my face, all of the jostling from the old carriage must be destroying my stylish pile of hair pinned to the top of my head, and bent my face to inspect the tiny tear in my silk lavender ball gown. The gown had been specifically chosen because it brought out the green in my eyes perfectly, and while it could easily be repaired there would always be the slight imperfection that would be the talk of all the other perfectly dressed princesses. There was no use for it, once I was returned home, I would have to dispose of it.

Unfortunate, as it was one of my favorites.

It was comforting to know that all the training that had been forced on me since I was a child made this entire experience almost a comforting one. I have been preparing to be kidnapped my entire life, like all respectable princesses. Being stolen away in a carriage was familiar, fearing for my life was an expected reality that came with my birth-right to one day rule my kingdom. The only aspect of this situation that left me feeling fearful was the fact that it was a prince who had stolen me away. Princes were supposed to be a reliable role of bravery and protection, and I was not sure how I was supposed to handle Alexander.

If only I could have traded places with Princess Marianna. Just last month she had been kidnapped by a dragon in a dazzling performance of fire and screaming. She had been rescued by a wonderful young knight who would one day make an equally wonderful king just a few days after. The princess had been bragging about it ever since.