Once Upon A Time.
What a most peculiar set of words. It's the most accepted way to start a story, at least a pleasant one. Some would even say it is the best way to start a bedtime story. In this case however it simply means that this story happened so long ago, nobody is truly certain when it happened. I would even dare to say it happened so long ago nobody kept the time yet. Can you imagine? A time without time, what a ridiculous notion. Oh but of course you can. Your mind is still so young and unscathed by this world, innocent. You still believe in magic, the impossible is still possible, and there are no rules for your imagination to follow.
Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Engal, there was quiet. Not silence but quiet. Nobody said a word but there was still so much to be heard. The townsfolk smiled as the boys and girls played games. The women sat together in circles sewing colorful blankets, or weaving necklaces out of flowers, all the while smiling brightly. The men drank joyfully, enjoying a rest from their chores while playing cards. All the while everyone waited in earnest.
You see today was to be a special day, the newly founded Kingdom was to have it's very first princess. Oh what a celebration there would be! There would be music performed by the finest minstrels, dances performed by the fastest of dancers. Why they would have feasts throughout the land with pies, sweets, and roasts of lamb. Games would be played by all the boys and......what was that?!
----------------------------------------------------------------
The King smiled as his Queen took his hand, and the Kingdom's silence was broken by the Princess herself. There was something very special about this though, the baby Princess did not cry, she laughed. The Princess came laughing. In fact she laughed so loud and happily that you could see it. It formed like a bubble of glass being blown from her mouth, shining with the luminescence of a small sun. You could even see the laugh move and bounce around like fireflies as she giggled and squealed into its magical bubble. It grew and grew, with each delightful little sound. Until finally, it POPPED!
The laugh burst into several sparkling beams of light, and began zipping around the room in a frenzy. This way and that they ricocheted around until finally they escaped. The shattered laugh shot out the window and into the air showing the sky as it exploded into millions of tiny pieces. The shards of laughter rained downward, most of them vanishing before they touched the ground, like embers of a crackling fire. There were a few that made it to touch the earth. A few landed on puddles in the streets, or the stones they were made of. Some landed on rooftops and others on treetops. There was one however, just one, that landed in the welcoming petals of a small tulip. The shimmering shard of laughter slid down into the flower, and when it did, it glowed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The King stood over his precious daughter, cradled in his mothers arms, as he thought aloud. "I just don't understand, never in all my life have I seen such...such...magic. What could have possibly caused such enourmous power out of such a small child?"
In the corner of the room the midwife crooned her neck and chimed in, " 'Twas the laughter my dear King it was. Yes, laughter a most powerful magic. The more innocent the laughter the more powerful 'tis. A babe's laughter, well nothing is more innocent than that."
The Queen smiled as she kissed her child gently, "Evagelia" she said. "Thats what we will call our magical child. Princess Evagelia of Engal"
