Finding Her Joy

The Princess And Her Shadow

*A/N- "But even in a story, there is some truth. Whether it is happy or sad is really up to you. What will you tell, and what will be kept? It's no wonder at all that after the story, they all wept." Happy reading! Enjoy!

(MIA POV)
"There once was a girl from Nantucket -"

"Amelia Roberts!" Charlotte yelled at me.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell the real story," I laughed.

Charlotte was sitting at the foot of the bed, glaring at me, but trying to hide a smile. The girls were on either side of me in Olivia's bed and lying with their heads on my chest. I wrapped my arms around them and started the story:

Once upon a time, in a land not so far from here, there lived a princess. This princess was known to be very quiet and meek. Yet, she was still the most kind and gentle soul in the whole kingdom. Her subjects adored her. They called her their little Sundrop. The boys wanted to marry her, and the girls wanted to be her. 

Any time someone saw her, she was smiling. Her smile was bright and warm. Everything about her was so calm and inviting. Her eyes were soft, and the brightest shade of blue. So bright, in fact, that they matched the sky. Her hair was always a perfect, subtle shade of red, and it fell softly on her shoulders. She was kissed with freckles all over. Never was there another person in the world as beautiful as she, but she would never admit it.

There was no one else in the world that she loved more than children. Her greatest joy came from taking care of them, and she loved to watch them grow. There was never a child who went without. Whether it was food, housing, or love, she provided it all for them. She did it all without being asked.

Not much further away, deep in the woods, there lived another girl. She was not a princess, more like a servant. This girl was quite the opposite of the princess in every way. She was quite scary to those around her. Everyone feared her. She was mean and angry all the time. When people saw her, she was always frowning and trying to cause fights. They nicknamed her Shadow since that is where she always lurked.

The girl was pretty. That much is true. Her eyes were blue like the princess, but hers were dark like the sea. Her hair was a deeper shade of red, and her smile was nowhere to be seen. Someone had taken it from her.

This girl was trapped in the woods by an evil monster. His name was The Rat King. He'd stolen this girl and taken everything from her. He kept her locked away to use to hurt the sibl- no, the fairies in the forest. He couldn't let her have friends or be happy because he knew she would get away.

In order to keep her with him, he had everyone convinced that the girl was evil like him. The subjects in the town avoided her at all costs. They would call her names when she came in. They wouldn't let her play with them and always hid from her. Even the fairies, who once loved her, hated her because of him.

Everyone trusted him. Everyone believed him. She was utterly alone and desperate for someone to save her... and someone would.

That was when Shadow saw her. The beautiful princess was playing with the children. She was stunned by her smile and felt her warmth from across the way. Shadow didn't know it at the time, but that was the moment she fell in love with the princess.

She had to have her.

Every so often, if the princess was in trouble, Shadow would go to save her. She fought monsters off, brought her back any stolen items, and even left unmarked gifts for her.

The two had become almost like friends over the course of a few weeks, but then the rat found out. He was furious with Shadow for even feeling the slightest bit happy, and he knew he had to stop it.