Born This Way

Third : Princes and Princesses

Organisers Note: This is probably one of the sweetest entries we received. A fairy tale. Third place (second runner up), Shivangi Mukherjee. Happy Reading!

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Princes and Princesses

Meera walked her way home, very conscious of the weight of the envelope in her pocket.

Upon reaching her home, she hastily called out "I'm home Mumma!"

Devaki came out of the study just in time to see her daughter casting furtive glances and scuttling away upstairs but not before her eyes fell on the hand consciously clutching the pocket from which an envelope stuck out like it didn't belong there. She sighed to herself and cast a forlorn smile briefly replaying flashes of memory long buried.

Later that night after dinner Devaki entered Meera's room and found Meera smiling at her from her bed, reading.

Devaki walked over to the bed and smiled at the cover. It read 'Once upon a time of Prince and Princesses'.

She looked at Meera and said, "Remember how I used to tell you stories of Princes and Princesses when you were little?"

Meera's dimples showed through the dim light as she nodded slowly.

"Well, would you like to hear another story?" Meera nodded to that eagerly.

They snuggled in and made themselves comfortable.

"Once upon a time there lived a Prince. The Prince was different from other princes in one aspect.
The Prince wanted to court Princes and not Princesses."

At this little Meera's eyes widened, "Is that acceptable? I've never heard of princes courting princes before!"

"Yes Meera, contrary to popular belief Princes do court Princes and Princesses court Princesses.

You haven't heard it before because the kingdom believed that princes should only marry princesses.

They were hesitant to understand someone who made different choices like our Prince." So saying she continued the story.

"One day the King found out about this. He was enraged. He banished his son and sent him to reparative healers who practiced some very crude methods.

The King believed that through reparative healing his son would begin to despise courting princes and would take an interest in princesses instead.

The Prince wrote to the King multiple times saying that he did not wish to remain there but such pleas were ignored.

The Prince later fled from there and led a happy life away from there. However, the cruelty shown towards the Prince affected his sister and she promised to herself that she would be a better parent than her brother was graced with."

"Meera, now you know that princes can chose princes, princesses princesses, and at times both a prince and princess if they wish to.

I want you to remember that, accept that and never be ashamed of it. Remember that people who love you will never judge you because of how you were born and the choices you make as a result of it."

After Meera had fallen asleep, Devaki went to her room and took out an old photo of a little boy and a girl.

The girl resembled Devaki.

She held it close to her chest and teary eyed whispered, "I love you and I miss you. Everyday."

That night also witnessed Meera slipping out of her covers and slowly opening her study drawer.

She took out the envelope sealed with a red heart and opened it. She read its' contents and drew out a paper and a pen to write a response to the girl which she never thought she would.

As she wrote it she remembered what her mother had taught her.

-Shivangi Mukherjee