Love And Laughter

Troubled Talia

Many years ago, there was a kingdom ruled by a good King named Hank (not Henry, just Hank), who lived in the castle with his wife Henrietta and their daughter Talia. While the early years of Talia's life were full of joy and laughter, complete with frolicking through the palace garden and marketplace just for fun, her happiness came to an end when her mother passed away. At that time, Talia was almost a teenager, and it seemed like the flame of joy was snuffed out in both her and her father's lives. Both she and the King were stricken with grief at the thought of losing such a figure as the Queen, and while the King learned from other heads of state how to accept and move on, no support came to Talia.

At first, Talia didn't mind the fact that King Hank was getting all the support, especially since she had royal duties to learn about for her future. However, the King's comfort turned him into a rather serious man, and that seriousness was soon passed down to his daughter. Although she was too busy with royal schooling to notice anything, it wasn't until Talia was 16 that people finally realized that something was missing from her face and her father's: a smile. Not even on her own birthday were people graced with the sight of her smile, which used to bring delight to so many when she would run through the marketplace, giggling freely as a happy child would. That's when some of the wisest men in the Kingdom decided to work on how to fix the expressions of the monarchy, but just as before, none of the assistance was aimed at Talia.

Talia didn't seem to notice anything at first, but when she saw King Hank smile for the first time in several years, she almost passed out from shock. After thanking the wise men for helping her father, she watched as they simply nodded and walked away without looking back, and that's when she started feeling miserable about being ignored. When her father asked her what was wrong, however, she told him that she was alright before going back to her room. Even though the Kingdom was respectful to both men and women, it seemed like everyone was so focused on the King's changed countenance that they didn't even notice Talia's gloominess, but she was mostly okay with that.

When she wasn't being tutored in the Kingdom's private school, she resorted to staying in her room and reading from her small assortment of books, all of which were historical and boring instead of whimsical and cheery. She initially didn't mind how dull her books were, but as the years passed, she was finally growing tired of how her life was about as wearisome as the stories in her books. On the eve of her 24th birthday, King Hank asked her if there was anything special she wanted, promising to grant whatever request she had. Even though part of her was nervous about admitting such a request, she took a deep breath and sighed.

"Father? More than anything in the world right now, I... I wish to know what it's like to feel joy again."

It took her a lot of courage to make such a request, and even though she didn't feel any better after answering her father's question, she suddenly felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders when he nodded and hugged her close. That's when he proposed a grand search throughout the kingdom and surrounding regions, and since they were looking for someone to make her smile and laugh, Talia helped add on a reward: if anyone succeeded, she would marry them with no questions asked. Many came to the castle hoping to change the Princess' expression from melancholy to merry, with acts ranging from the neighboring kingdom's jesters to bizarrely dressed magicians, but none succeeded. Having reached her limit with all the repeated jokes and dull routines, Talia stormed off to her room at the end of one of the tryouts before packing a satchel for herself, planning to find her own joy.

When her father saw how bent she was on getting herself to smile, he canceled every upcoming comic trial before wishing her the best of luck, and she changed into a comfortable village dress before leaving her tiara and most of her jewels at the castle. After saying goodbye to her father and promising to return once she could laugh and smile, she cried as they embraced each other at the castle's back door before she took off, escaping through the kingdom's village before entering the forest on the border. She had never been outside of the castle before, but when she was determined to find her own happiness, she had to go past her comfort zone.