That Dancing Princess

Chapter Two

 Tommy was on the road for days. He stopped in plenty of towns and villages, but there wasn't anything very exciting going on in any of those places. As his journey went on, he began to feel less and less sure of himself. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he never should have left home. If he went back, hopefully his family would forgive him for running away.

 But one night he stopped at an inn to try to sleep, and he had a dream. In the dream, a woman in a golden dress stood before him, with a kind smile. She said in a soft whispering voice, "Do not go home just yet, Tommy. Continue on your journey tomorrow. Go to the city, and there you will marry a princess."

 Tommy awoke from that dream startled and confused. He wasn't sure why he had it, but the next day he continued on his walk. He hadn't gone back to sleep again after that dream, and he felt tired and weary. He didn't think this day was really going to be any different than the others days he'd had.

 But he soon saw, in the distance, a city, with a castle reach above it all.

 Tommy stopped, and stared. For a few moments, he didn't what to do but stare. And then he broke a run, running as fast as he could towards the city.

 He walked through the streets and the marketplace, gazing all around him. He had never been to a place such as this before. Here was the city, and the woman in his dream said that here he would marry a princess. Perhaps the castle was the place to go.

 Tommy cautiously walked through the open front gates, and looked around. The gardens caught his eye, and there he went. He heard the sound of someone singing within, and turned a corner to see a man clipping at some bushes.

 The man glanced up, saw Tommy, and asked, "You looking for something?"

 Tommy wasn't sure what he was looking for, so he wasn't sure what to say. But he blurted out, "I'm here to offer my services."

 "You want a job?"

 "If-if you have any, yes. Inside or outside the castle, but I'm more used to working outside, sir."

 The man stood up straight and lowered his clippers. "You know anything about gardening, kid?"

 "Not too much," Tommy admitted, "But I'm used to outside work, and I'm good with my hands. I can help. If you need any help, that is."

 "Well, I did just fire the last one. And what a twit he was. What's your name?"

 "I'm...I'm called 'Stargazer'."

 The man raised his eyebrows. "'Stargazer'? Right. Now, what's your real name, kid?"

 "That's what I'm called," said Tommy.

 "And how did you get that name?" When Tommy just shrugged, the man sighed and said. "All right, listen here. I'll give you a chance. Lucky for you, this is a difficult job for one man alone, especially one who's getting on in years. You're going to do what I tell you, but I am certainly not calling you 'Stargazer'. You understand? Good," he said when Tommy nodded. "Now, I'm Roy, and you'll be working with me. Come on."

 "Where are we going?" Tommy asked.

 Roy sighed. "Where are we going, he asks. I'm going to show you the gardens, and tell you what you'll be doing. Now, every morning, I'm going to give you twelve bouquets of flowers. When the princesses get up, you're to present each one with a bouquet. You're handsome enough, so they should like you."

 "Why twelve bouquets?"

 "Because there are twelve princesses."

 "Twelve princesses?" Tommy cried. And he thought he was from a big family.

 "You're not from anywhere around here, are you?" Roy asked. 

 "No, I'm not. Sorry, I-it just seems like a lot, doesn't it?"

 The gardener shrugged. "I suppose so. Anyway, you'll probably be out here with me for the rest of the day. Can you handle that?"

 Tommy nodded again. "Yes, sir."

 "Good. It's getting late now, but you can officially begin tomorrow. I'll show you where the servants' entrance and the kitchens are. Now, I don't know where you're from or why you're here, kid, but if you can do a good job, I'll let you stay."

 Tommy quietly followed the gardener into the castle. If he was to marry a princess, he wondered, and there were twelve of them, how would he know which one he was supposed to get married to?