Pau's Stories

The Princess Aurelia

Princess Aurelia had a kind and loving heart. She was loved by the people of her kingdom. She always helped those who were in need, poor or rich. She was so loved that they wished her to become queen. But their wish could never be granted. Princess Aurelia had a brother and he was to be king. The people were never fond of the prince, for he was a distant person. He never spent time with the people, he never even had friends. He was too shy and he lacked confidence. He wanted the people to love him the way they loved his sister, but he did not know how. It made him very frustrated until it turned into envy. He had grown cold and bitter to his sister. Despite all of this, Princess Aurelia regarded him with love and support. She was ready to support him when he became king. She even felt uncomfortable with the people's wish. So the day finally came when their father passed away. The people grieved, and so did the prince and princess. It was fixed that Prince Cadel would be hailed as their new king. However, the people were displeased. They kept shouting: "Queen Aurelia! Queen Aurelia!" on the coronation day. King Cadel was beyond humiliated and outraged. Princess Aurelia did not like the protest at all, she was ashamed and uncomfortable. When the coronation ended, the new king made a plan to get rid of his sister. It was all too much. So the next week, he came to his sister, who was reading peacefully in the library. "Dearest sister," he said in a sweet voice which he had not used for a long time. "I would like to have some help if that will be alright with you." The princess nodded quickly, she was surprised and pleased to hear the sweetness of his voice. "Of course, brother. You shall always have it." King Cadel smiled, knowing his plan was going well. "The kingdom must soon have a queen. I cannot remain unmarried forever, and after a week of choosing a suitable wife, I have finally decided to wed the princess of our neighbor-kingdom." The princess listened seriously. "I wish to come upon her land, but that I cannot do. There are too many errands that I must do here in the kingdom, now that I am king. Thus, I will have you go in my stead." Princess Aurelia brightened. The thought of riding a ship across the sea made her hot with enthusiasm. "I shall! I shall! Oh, how long have I wished to travel!" Plans were made and the princess was to sail away tomorrow. Her friends were quite sad, they would certainly miss the lovable princess. "Do not worry, my friends," said the princess before boarding her ship. "I will return after five days and I will tell you tales of my adventure! And I will also give you a lovely queen." The king did not bid the princess farewell, for he was too busy. The princess understood but felt a little dismayed. So the ship sailed and Princess Aurelia waved farewell to her friends, who were weeping. She was very amazed by everything that she saw: the clear blue water, the sea-animals that swam, and the breathtaking horizon. She would read books under the warm sun and the fresh wind blowing her hair and the pages of her book. At night, before sleeping, she would sit with the sailors, and listen to their tales of vicious sea monsters. However, she still felt empty. She would have enjoyed this trip more if her parents and brother were here. Sometimes at night, she would stare at the twinkling stars, silently talking to her parents. They had been traveling for three days when something unexpected happened. Princess Aurelia had a tiring day, she had insisted to help the men clean. Therefore, she was deep in sleep. So deep that she could not hear the two men arguing outside her room. "We will not abandon this ship! Certainly, we will do our job, whether you like it or not." said a man firmly. His companion shook his head desperately. "Can you actually do it? Can you end her life? Her life that seems so sinless and pure. . ." The man snickered. "I see. You have grown fond of this girl. Look at her clothes, it is made by the sweat, tears, and blood of people who work for the damned royal family. What do they receive? Nothing but more work." "Yes, but this princess is different. She helps the people and I believe if she is queen, we would have a better life." The man spat at his companion. "You despicable thing. They are all the same. First, they'll be nice to have people support their lying asses. Once they've got what they wanted, they'll treat us as if we never existed. If I could also slay her damned brother, then I would. But alas! He offered us gold, enough to provide for our families, enough to leave that hell of a kingdom. So, if I were you, think of your family, and stop bothering me!" He left his worried companion. That worried man, whose name was Travaran, had grown to love the princess. He was only a cleaner here, that was why he was not treated very kindly by others. It was only when the princess helped him mop the floor that he received kindness. He had become her friend over the days and to spend time with her was truly enjoyable. Now to find out that they would end her life tomorrow did not bring him joy, only grief. He was resolved to rescue her life. So he entered her room boldly, a few hours after his argument with his cousin. He woke her up and the princess was perplexed and surprised. "Princess, you must leave this ship at once. Your life is in trouble," he whispered, looking back to see if anyone were awake. "I do not understand, Travaran. Why must my life be in trouble? Has there a sea monster?" Travaran had no time for simple jokes. He told her of the plan which bewildered the princess. "That is not true. . . These men are honorable men and they would never do such sinful thing," then she said very gently: "Travaran, it is not kind to speak of our king in such a disgraceful way." He grabbed her wrist. "These are no mere lies! Only truth, and come, we must save ourselves." He pulled her, but she fought back until his grip began to hurt. "Let me go. LET ME GO!" Her yell was so loud that every man in the ship woke up. The door was opened by the captain. He pulled Travaran and punched him in the face, it made him unconscious. "Travaran!" the princess shrieked. "You need not do that!" The captain sneered at Travaran's unconscious body. "Pardon me, princess. But what this man has done is humiliating. He should never have woken you up only to tell drunken tales." Drunk? He did not smell drunk at all. "Still, violence is very unnecessary. I shall not sleep soon, but take him to his room." The captain ordered his men to take Travaran to his room. But they really did not take him to his room, they took him in a room where he would receive severe punishment. Princess Aurelia panted. She was beyond bewildered and did not know whether to believe her friend or not. She stared at the captain, she began to feel uncomfortable and scared. "Princess, the air here feels bad. We must take the breezy air outside." He offered his hand. Her throat went dry and her heart went fast. "Ah, yes, yes. Fresh air. . ." The princess did not take his hand but simply led the way. They leaned against the ship's banister. The water shimmered and the sky twinkled. Despite this beautiful view, Princess Aurelia was uneasy. The captain began to tell her the tale of his first trip which Princess Aurelia did not pay much attention to. Her eyes focused on the men who were acting suspiciously. She was very troubled and disturbed indeed. "Princess? Princess?" Princess Aurelia shook her head. The captain had noticed her staring at a man. "Splendid tale, captain," said the princess. The captain smirked, suddenly his tone of voice changed. It was alarming. "Not paying attention, aren't we?" The princess frowned. "My mamma used to tell me not paying attention to people when they talk is disrespectful and rude. A princess ought not to be disrespectful and rude to other people. . ." He took a small knife and attacked. Luckily, the princess dodged and ran, but she was surrounded by men who held knives. There was no way for her to escape. The wind blew and made waves in the water. The water. Without thinking too much, she jumped and swam under the cold seawater. "What!" roared the captain. "You fools! Forget her, she'll likely get eaten by sharks. . ." Princess Aurelia did not stop swimming. She swam until her body went sore. She swam until her eyes shut and her breathing stopped.