Heart Themed Canvas [UsUk]

A Wish For A Smile [Ch.4]

In Which Four Requests Are Made Of Alfred

None dared to visit Arthur's cottage anymore. Back when the townsfolk did though, they always took the long road, leading them all the way around the castle. The queen tried to provide them with an easier path to take by building a new road, one which cut down on the distance by going right next to the castle walls. Sadly, like many of her efforts to improve things, the venture was in vain. The townsfolk felt uncomfortable using the new road, as they felt it was disrespectful to stroll so near the castle for a casual walk (that, and most of them did not want to run into the royal children).

Alfred, being a fool, did not think of any of this. All he knew was that one road was long and the other was short, and it would truly being foolish to take the longer path. If he had but known he was meant to be a fool, perhaps he might have done the foolish thing. But he thought himself to be a hero, and so he heroically went the way that would take him to his goal faster.

After walking for some time, he passed the royal stables. At that very moment, there was but one person in the stables, and she was Princess Deirdre. She was the only one in there because she had flirted so often with all of the stable boys, and they fled at the sight of her because of nerves. As a result, she had to prepare her own horse when she wanted to go riding.

Naturally, Alfred had no idea of any of this. There had been no chance for him to learn of the drama of the kingdom's royal family (though even if there had been, he likely wouldn't have bothered with it). Thus, when he saw her in the stables, he believed her to be a lovely servant preparing the horse for some great lady.

For her part, Deirdre had no idea who Alfred was. She had never in her life seen someone use the shorter road so casually. The few times anyone had walked it, they had slunk by as if they would be shot on sight by the guards. She found Alfred's care-free behavior to be interesting, and found herself wanting to know more about him. As he drew near, she waved.

"Good day, dear stranger," she called.

He drew nearer to her and gave a blinding smile. "Good day, dear lady," he said.

She gave a smile of her own in return. "If I may be so bold, may I ask where such a handsome fellow is on his way to?"

Alfred's eyebrows creased in genuine confusion. "I am afraid I do not know where any handsome men are going to, at this moment. Were you curious about one in particular?"

Now it was Deirdre's turn to be truly confused. Usually it just took that smile and a sentence to turn any man into jelly. She had been trying not to, really, but she had thought for sure that a newcomer to the kingdom would be very easy to charm. He was really oblivious to it though and, to her surprise, she found this didn't bother her. Flirting with him did not bring the usual burst euphoria. For once in her life, she decided to skip the coyness and speak to him directly.

"If I may be so bold, where are you going?" she asked.

"Ah!" said Alfred, relaxing. "Now that I can tell you! I have been sent to find Royal Wizard Arthur, in the hopes of finding his lost smile."

"Oh, you too?" she asked. "Well, if you are already on your way there, could - could you possibly...?" She bit her lip, struggling to think of if she ought to go through with her request or not. Finally, she blurted out, "Could you ask him how I may solve the problem that is troubling me?"

"Certainly!" said Alfred, flashing another beautiful smile. "What problem should I ask about?"

She looked horribly embarrassed, but went ahead. "I...I must confess that I have a terrible habit. I love attracting the attention of men, but I never am able to find one I want to stay with. They all lose my attention too quickly. I do not know what to do about this! Please, ask Arthur what I must do to find myself happily in the arms of one man? I would ask him myself, but he will no longer speak to me, you see..."