"Hi," said the boy.
"Hi," the girl responded.
It was love at first sight.
"BULLSH*T!" I had started reading romance novels when I was ten. I just found the stories fascinating, although, I never really understood it. What could possibly make you sacrifice yourself for someone other than family?
"I'm tired of reading this crap." Is what I would say every time, and yet, I would still continue to read it.
I threw my book across the room, knowing that later on during the day, I would come back for it, stroke it, and apologize for throwing it.
"I should start reading action books, and adventure books, they seem more my type."
I have tried this before, but, nothing could compare to the romance. They were filled with charismatic characters, dashing princes, handsome nights, and blindingly beautiful princesses. Some were about modern day people, an ordinary girl, dating with the devilish boy. The most popular girl, having her own romance with the class nerd. But my favorites are still the stories with the prince, and the princess. She is beautiful, and he is handsome, he could be a frog, and she could be trapped in a castle, either way, the story always has a happy ending. I have tried making a few romance stories of my own, but, something was still missing, but I couldn't quite place it.
My first story draft:
The Sun, and the Moon
by Ezra Gray
Once upon a time, there was a gorgeous princess, with hair the color of the sun, and eyes of deep ocean blue, with a smile as radiant as all of the stars in the sky. She was the princess of the sun. All the ladies of her court were dazzling, but were all put to shame next to the princess. One day, when the princess was about to go to sleep, she felt a sudden urge to peer out of her window, and when she did, she might have as well thought that she was looking at god, himself. But this man was no god, he was the glorious prince, the prince of the moon. His eyes shone green, enveloped by his flowing pure, silver hair. He wore a shimmering silver robe, that danced in the cool night breeze, the night that the princess saw him for the first time. She felt something in her heart, something that would change her forever, the deep urge, the same urge that pressured her to open the window that night. She felt the deep urge of friendship. The prince looked up to face the princess, and slowly examined her. He was preparing to fly back when the princess grabbed his hand.
"Wait, honored Prince of the Moon, please let me bestow upon you the meaning of my words."
The princess felt the urge inside of her grow and bubble up into her throat; she could not let him go.
"When I first saw you, I felt and urge, an urge which must definitely be...the urge of friendship. Prince, would you become my friend, as well as my ally?"
The prince looked back, but remained where he was.
"Of course, honored Princess of the Sun, but, may I ask, why have you decided to bestow upon me such an honor now, at this time?"
For this the princess had no answer, and so she released the Prince's hand. What had made her think this way, in such an urgent manner?
"Why, of course," said the princess, "the power of friendship was just too great."
"I see, well, I shall see you when your kingdom rises, at the time when mine falls."
And with these words, he flew off leaving the princess satisfied with her fulfilled friend request. From then on, the prince and the princess greeted each other daily, and conversed occasionally. Even when the prince and princess were married and well off with their arranged spouses, they continued to greet each other respectfully, surely a friendship that would last many generations.
-The End-
I still could not figure out what was missing, so I made a checklist:
Beautiful girl Check
Handsome boy Check
Prince Check
Princess Check
What was missing? I had everything I could have possibly needed. That was when I realized it. It had been so obvious. Every romance story needs this component, but how had I not seen it before? The thing that is the objective of every girl's heart, the component is: love.
There is only one problem though: What is it?
