Beautiful: A Faery Tale

The Sea is Wine Red

"Aye! Back are ya? Come to steal my bride, eh? Well you've all got another think coming if you think I'll let you have her! You just wait until the King hears about the way his loyal subjects have been behaving towards their future que--" only he didn't get to finish his threat, because the beautiful peasant girl, the one who first voiced her jealousy towards princess Vienna, had clocked him in the head with a ginormous stone. 

The rest of the women never even blinked. They weren't even afraid of the wrath and havoc he would wreak upon them when he woke. It was for his own good, after all.  No way would they let him stay under the influence of that witch any longer. The first gal and the rest rushed into the castle, while the beautiful peasant girl stood watch over Guy. They found Vienna sound asleep in her bed, prince Guy's side of the bed undisturbed. Cautious to tie up her hands and feet and stuff her mouth with a piece of material they ripped from her bedspread, they lifted her from her bed and carried her quickly out of the castle doors. Vienna proved to be a heavy sleeper when she didn't stir a bit, even when they hit a bump in the velvet carpet and stumbled, jostling her in their arms. Outside, they found Prince Guy still knocked out on the ground, the beautiful peasant girl standing watch above him. They carried her hastily and stealthily down the stone pathway and to the very edge of the kingdom. Still, she did not wake. They lowered her onto the ground. 

One of the older women exhaled sharply and grabbed at her back.

"Hideous and unwieldy" cackled another one of the older women.

The rest joined in. As they laughed, princess Vienna began to stir. They quieted, watching her, anticipating her fear.

But, when those tiny baby blue eyes--her only attractive feature--fluttered open, not a hint of fear was reflected in them. She didn't even appear surprised. Just a little sad.

She sighed. "Why do you all hate me so? When have I ever dealt any of you a wrong? Did I not show only kindness and generosity," she asked, her voice full of resignation,

"Did I not give you---yes, I am speaking to you, the girl with the red hair--food when you were hungry? Did I not let you---yes, I am referring to you, with the green eyes--drink from my fountain when you were thirsty? And, when your--you know who you are-- farm was not productive enough to be lucrative, did I not give you seeds to plant and a place to lay those seeds? Why do you hate me so? Why are you causing me such woe?"

And for once, they had nothing to say. And for once, they were filled with guilt for the way they had behaved. And for once, they began to question their choices. And for once, they began to question their motives. Or at least, most of them did.

But it was then, when they were nearly completely swayed with Vienna's speech and logic and kindness, the beautiful peasant girl spoke.

"Aye, it is true that you have dealt a few of us a few kindnesses during your short time as princess. But what for? Why would such a high princess help such lowly peasants? To pay for a greater offense, maybe? Like, say, putting a spell on our prince? Because surely he would not have married you otherwise!" she spat.

"I don't understand---a witch? You think I'm a witch?"  sputtered Vienna, "But why would you think that?"

"Why, because you're so ugly, of course!" the red head informed her, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She wasn't even trying to be spiteful. 

"Ugly?" Vienna questioned incredulously.

"Yes, ugly!" the beautiful peasant girl snapped, "Or has no one ever told you?"

"Oh, I've been called ugly plenty of times in my short lifetime. But it's not true," she replied calmly

"Not true? Are you calling us liars? We're looking right at you!" said the green eyed girl, angrily.

"No, I am not calling anyone a liar. You cannot be lying if you truly believe what you're saying. You've just been misinformed is all," she informed them.

"Misinformed? Are you calling us ignorant?" questioned the first gal.

"No, not at all. You see, God created us in his image," she started, only to be cut off.

"Made you in His image? Are you calling God Ugly?" asked an older woman.

Vienna was starting to get frustrated. "No, you misunderstand! God created us in His image, yes. But there's one integral part of that statement that you're all missing: he created us, and nothing God creates can be ugly," she explained, "And the fact that he created us in his image does not mean that all the ugly people in the world look like him--which would in turn make God ugly--but that there is no ugly. If we are created in His image, then he doesn't look like us, we look like him, meaning that because God is beautiful, we are all beautiful."

"Or maybe, God didn't create ugly people like you. Maybe you're a product of the devil himself!" declared the older woman.

"No, you don't understand! Evil cannot create! Evil can only destroy!" Vienne pleaded with them to understand. But they were a stubborn bunch.

Desperate to educate them and for them to understand, Vienna extracted a tiny object from her dress pocket.

"Look! See!" she held it up for them to see, "Look at yourselves inside of it, and look at me! Could the devil create anything as esquisitely designed as us?"

Instead of the gasps of ahh Vienna had expected, she got gasps of horror.

"Witch!" cried the beautiful peasant girl.

"What is that horrible gadget? I can see myself in it! It's a witch portal!" yelled another.

"No, wait! It's only a mirror! It came from  my homeland, Magisty!" she tried to assure them, but her words were drowned out by screams.

"Witch!" they all cried.

"See, as I told you all! She's a witch! She must die!" cried the beautiful peasant girl.

"Aye," they all agreed.

"No, wait! Please!' Vienna begged.

But no one was listening to her, and her pleas for mercy were finally silenced when they pushed her over the edge of the kingdom. There was at first silence, and then a splash in the waters below.

Cries of victory followed. They had done it! They had saved prince Guy from her spell and their kingdom from turning into a replica of Magisty, as surely it would have with Vienna on the throne. Now Prince Guy would surely pick of them to marry, now that he was no longer under Vienna's spell!