This is another fairy tale, but this one is straight from my imagination, no retelling involved. Also, this one is not yet finished, so it will require me updating. Here's hoping I do. XD

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In the early morning, a farmer stopped his cart in the middle of the road. It was true that he was still rather behind schedule, but he had heard something in the woods off the side of the road. He was quite probably the first traveler this particular path had received all day—the sun itself had barely risen. Few birds were up at this hour, and yet he was not the only human up. This he decided while listening to the voice of a woman, who was singing strongly from some location he could not see. There was much about her that he did not know, actually—her age, her appearance… But he made up his mind about her soon after hearing her sing. The moment he got to the market, he would tell all who passed that he had heard the most beautiful young woman singing a beautiful song in her beautiful voice. Smiling, he continued on his journey, thinking about the envy he would inspire once he got to town.

He would only be half right in his retelling, though. It was true that the girl’s voice was marvelous—few had heard anyone better, and though she realized it, no one wanted to confirm her thoughts. But she was not beautiful. In fact, she was not even pretty. She was quite homely, in fact. But her parents loved her and knew that her voice and her kindness more than made up for her appearance.

But the girl herself, Lynia, was worried. All of her friends were happily either engaged or married. She, however, was still less-than-happily unattached. Her parents insisted that she just had not met the right man yet, that he was coming. Lynia wasn’t quite sure if she still believed them, but sometimes, at night, she found herself hoping for her fairy tale prince. He would be amazingly handsome and immediately sweep her off her feet. He’d take her away to his castle, where she could feel beautiful, and maybe, if she was lucky, find her happily-ever-after.

Even then, in the early morning, as she sat on the tree stump on the edge of her family’s property, she was secretly hoping for him to come. But she contented herself with singing the way she wanted to—loudly, and with few restrictions. She had arisen before her parents, before almost all of the townspeople, so she wouldn’t distract anyone but herself.

It wasn’t too long before she remembered that she had chores to do. With a small sigh, she got up and went back inside.

The farmer, meanwhile, had reached the marketplace. As he set up his stall, many people stopped to talk, for this particular farmer was very social. Today, he was especially excited to talk, for he had an especially interesting tale to tell—and he did tell it, to any would listen, throughout the entire day.

When the sun went down, the farmer was invited to the tavern and went. After a few drinks, he was shouting the story to the entire room.

“She was beautiful,” he yelled, “real beautiful. ‘N she ‘ad the most increbidle voice I ever heard. She was this young thing, too. She was jus’ amazing.”

“So, then, she was beautiful?”

The doors to the tavern had slammed open. The crowd, so loud and raucous moments before, was instantly silent as a pair of footmen and three guards, all dressed in the livery that marked servants of the royal family, entered the room. Just behind them strode the prince of the land, Matthew Charles. It was he who had spoken. As the tavern-goers looked on, completely shocked at the arrival of such an important figure in their local tavern, he spoke again.

“Well, farmer? Tell me your story. Tell me about this woman you met.”

“Well, Your Highness,” the farmer said, standing. His eyes darted from the prince’s face, which showed that he was listening intently, and those of the guards, who were peering suspiciously through the crowd, as if looking for a riot to begin. “I heard ‘er long before I met ‘er,” the farmer continued. “I got up ‘specially early this morning so’s I wouldn’t hafta rush t’get my things set up, see? But on my way in, I heard this girl singing. She was real good, so I stopped t’listen. In fact, she was so good I almost din’t leave.

“I knew she ‘ad to be a beautiful girl, I jus’ knew it. I wa’n’t wrong,” he finished. He hoped neither the prince nor any of his servants would notice that he never actually said he had met the singer.

“Tell me where you saw this girl, farmer,” the prince demanded, already opening the door to leave.

“I ‘eard her somewhere along tha’ path what goes from the bakery to my farm. There was a hedge along mos’ of it. Might’ve been the bit with the pretty purple flowers. She was on the other side of the hedge.”

“Thank you, farmer.”

With that, the prince, the footmen, and the guards were gone.

“You better hope this turns out well,” one of the men told the farmer, “or things may not turn out so well for you.”

Yes, another story from Rena!
I enjoy reading your writing, and I'm especially excited about this one since it's totally made up.
Keep it up!

Thanks. It's great to know this one already has a fan.

I'm not exactly sure how the middle of this one is going to go, so there are sure to be all sorts of delays and stuff. XD

I love this story! I hate people who care only about someone's looks. Your writing is amazing!

really nice good XD

awesomish story! good job. keep writing because your work is amazing. ;D

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the comments, even though I respond to them in very generic ways. ('Cause I fail. XD)

I think I'm going to try and update every Monday, if I continue writing at the speed I am now. If I get more time, I might add in another day per week... Or something. Should try and keep to a schedule so I don't get really behind. So, let the Monday chapters begin!

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Prince Matthew Charles had been of marrying age for almost two years already. Normally, he would either be married already or, at least, have a betrothal ready for the time when a wedding could be set. In fact, he had been betrothed to one of the minor princesses of another land who would give his country some extra land and wealth without much chance of being dominated. The match had been made when both of them were children, and had stayed together for years. Unfortunately, an epidemic had come over their kingdom, and the princess had recently died of a terrible fever. By this time, few kings were willing to marry off their daughter to someone so much stronger and older.

So Matthew had been seeking out the perfect woman for him. Aside from wanting someone good for the kingdom, Matthew also wanted someone who he could love as well. He was a passionate sort, rather musically inclined, despite his parents’ resentment toward the subject. They wanted to make sure the kingdom would be left in good hands, although their son’s happiness was important as well.

That was why Matthew was looking to meet this woman that the farmer had seen. She could sing, which Matthew was sure he would instantly love. She was beautiful, which was sure to impress the other rulers—beauty was always prized. As for her intelligence—well, if she was politically knowledgeable, all the better, and if not… Matthew was perfectly capable on his own. But he suspected that the longer he stayed unwed the more worried his parents would become. They wanted the kingdom to prosper, and that required an heir. They knew that he didn’t need to have a son immediately—he didn’t even have the crown yet—but they wanted to make sure he had a woman with whom he could have children before he began his reign.

Matthew rode ahead of his group. He hated that he had to travel with guards, for the kingdom was full of good people. He had read about other kingdoms whose populations consisted almost entirely of thieves, and he pitied those rulers, for they had to balance kindness to the rest of the people and righteous justice for the criminals. In Matthew’s home, he could barely remember the last time he had seen a thief tried—if there were many, it seemed to be that the townspeople settled things themselves.

There was only one woman who could ever pose a real threat to the prince, as he had had the best training in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat that his parents could find. He could easily defend himself against anyone foolish or traitorous enough to attempt an open assassination… Save one woman who might just be beyond his steel.

“This is the road,” Matthew said, leading his horse down it. “She’ll be along here.” The guards followed. They seemed bored, but remained fairly alert. They were all aware of the low likelihood of an attack.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Each man was listening hard, straining to hear this voice that was so beautiful one of the men in the tavern (who, admittedly, was quite drunk) suspected it belonged to an angel.

One of the guards heard her first. “Wait,” he said.

Matthew, already past the spot in the hedge the man was staring at, turned back. “What—”

The man made a shushing gesture. Matthew opened his mouth to reprimand him—he was, after all, a prince—but he stopped when his ears picked up something coming from the other side of the hedge. He strained to listen harder. As he did, the voice got louder, as if the person speaking—singing—was moving closer to the hedge.

The drunkard in the tavern was right—the voice was angelic. She was just singing a little working song, something about ripening vegetables, but her voice was exquisite. “How do we get to the front of her home?” the prince asked.

“I’m not sure,” one of the guards responded. “We could go around…”

“The land could go on for acres. We couldn’t be sure if it was really her home. Nothing for it but…” And with that, Matthew leaped off his horse and onto the hedge, which he climbed over with little effort.

He was met with a squeal and a rain of carrots and cabbages.

He put his arms up over his head as they fell down on top of it. He looked up when he thought they had all fallen. He shook the dirt off his sleeves—wincing as one last carrot struck the back of his head—and saw a young woman running away from him. He walked quickly after her. There was no need to run, as he could see the cottage she was clearly headed toward, and running after her would most likely scare her just as much as jumping over the hedge had. Before long, he had reached the door of the cottage. He knocked politely on the door.

The door opened only a few inches at first, but was quickly flung wide. A middle-aged woman curtsied, having recognized the prince.

Matthew nodded in acknowledgment, than asked, “May I come in?”

The woman said, “Of course, Your—” before a voice cut her off.

“Do not let him in, Mother!” It came from another room, for the one just inside the door was empty but for the woman. Matthew’s head snapped up when he heard it. “Even when she speaks,” he muttered, “her voice is beautiful.”

The woman did not hear him. “Lynia, I do not think you understand. You see, our guest is the royal prince!”

The girl spoke over her mother. “You know, he decided the best thing to do was—wait.” She seemed to have heard her mother over her own words. “Did you just say…?” A door opened slightly off to the side of the room. The only part of the face that peered out from behind it that could be seen was the owner’s right eye. A small gasp came from behind the door. The door opened slightly farther—enough to expose the other eye, but not enough that the shadows over the rest of her face dissipated.

“Well…” the voice continued from the other room, “he did decide to climb the back hedge, you know.”

“Really—I mean, did you, Your Highness?” her mother asked him.

Matthew looked slightly abashed. “Yes, madam, I did.”

As the woman looked at him, clearly at a loss for what to say—how do you reprimand your prince?—another voice spoke from behind the prince. “Yes, he did indeed, and, if I might say, it was a very stupid thing to do.” A gloved hand clasped his shoulder.

“Ah, I see my escort has finally arrived,” Matthew said, turning to see that all of his guards—without their horses—stood behind him.

“Did they come in through the front gate?” the girl asked.

“From the looks of it, no.”

“Then they can leave too.”

“So, you are banishing the prince?” Matthew asked, drawing up his height and deepening his voice a bit.

“Yes,” Lynia replied. She sounded sure, though her mother definitely was not.

“I like that,” the prince replied. “You are bold—not many would dare to do what you just did.” He smiled. “Any chance I may pay you another visit?”

“If you come through the front gate. No more leaping over hedges—that is why they were grown, you know, for privacy. It is rude to just ignore them like that.”

He laughed outright. “Very well, then. Tomorrow, I will come to your house through the front gate. I will see you again in the morning.” He paused, then turned back to the girl’s mother and spoke in more hushed tones. “Er—how exactly do I get to the front gate?”

This got a smile from the woman. She told him that if they had just continued along the road for a little while longer, they would have been able to see the sizable, though unpaved, road that led to the house. The guard who had spoken before hit the prince on his head gently enough to not leave any damage but hard enough that he would notice. “You dolt,” he said. “I told you we would be able to find a way in. But no, you just had to jump over the hedge like an idiot. You know…”

The group walked back over to the hedge, where the man who had been talking, and who seemed to be the leader of the escort, gave the prince a hand up over the hedge first. The others followed.

After they had all vanished back over the hedge, Lynia’s mother sat down at the table and let out a sigh. The sigh could have been one of relief—she had been terribly worried about what she should have done when the royal prince, heir to the throne, had knocked on the door—or one of anticipation, as she could not wait either for her husband to come home so she could tell him what had happened or for the prince to arrive the next day.

“Just think!” she said to herself. “The crown prince in my home, speaking to my family. Oh, the others will be so very jealous.”

this is a great story!
can't wait for the next part!

Ooh I really wonder what's going to happen the next time the prince visits! And I love how his guard knocked him on the head. XD Great writing as usual!

Thanks everyone!

Hope it's still Monday wherever you guys are. I procrastinated a bit too much when it came to writing this one. XD

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The next morning, Matthew was back on the roads leading to the house. He was accompanied by only one man this time: the captain of the guard, Brian. When the prince had thanked his friend for reducing the size of the guard, Brian shrugged. “You wanted to get up too damn early for any of the others. They are not as used to long hours as soldiers should be—this kingdom is far too peaceful for that. So, should someone attack us, we might just both die. But the men assured me that we will survive this trip, and that no reprimand or other punishment will be as difficult to bear as the loss of sleep that would have been caused by accompanying you here today.”

“Nice to see they have their priorities straight,” Matthew replied, smiling.

“What can I say? The men like their hours,” Brian replied.

“And what can I say? I am rather excited. You know how much I love music, and you also know that I am eager to get my parents off my back. ‘The kingdom must be left in good hands, Matthew. With no queen, we will look like our new king was so undesirable he could not marry!’” Brian laughed. Matthew gave him a slightly exasperated smile in return. “It is rather ironic, though, as my mother was the one who told me that. I love her, really I do, but we all know that she does nothing in the politics of the kingdoms.”

“It is true. But she does organize quite a lot of festivals for the people,” he replied with a grin.

“We are a happy kingdom,” Matthew said. He looked around to make sure they were on the right road and smiled. “Ah, we are almost there. I can see the gate—and the hole in the opposite hedge.” He frowned. “Two questions. One, who did that, and two, how did I not notice yesterday?”

“Ah, that,” Brian replied with a shrug. “That was Ben. Poor boy still has some trouble mounting his new horse. Fell off a few seconds after trying to use the hedge to stabilize himself and ended up halfway in it. But I’m sure the thing will fix itself,” he said hastily. “Plants do that.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow at him and dismounted so that he could open the gate. Brian followed suit, and the pair walked their horses through the gate and onto the pathway leading up to the front door of the house.

“Do you think anyone is even awake at this hour?” Brian asked, looking around. The grounds did seem rather empty.

“It is a farm,” Matthew replied. Still, he was a little doubtful when he realized just how silent the farm was. He walked over to the door and paused, his hand raised to knock. “But maybe we should wait?” he said, frowning. “I mean—”

He stopped speaking. Brian said nothing as well, for it was obvious why he had fallen into silence.

Lynia had begun to sing.

Waking earlier than her parents to sing was something she did very often. In fact, she did so as often as she could. Singing was the thing she enjoyed most, and she loved to be able to sing loudly, as she did during each of her morning sessions. She was sitting on the stump again, eyes closed, singing for no one but herself.

And so she was quite shocked when she heard the applause at the end of her song. She opened her eyes with a start and looked around. This time, she recognized her visitor as the prince much faster than before. She quickly sank into a curtsy—so quickly, in fact, that she nearly lost her balance and fell. Before she could fall—before she could even have a chance to regain her balance—the prince had caught her arm.

She glanced up at him. He seemed concerned. She looked away again, furious to realize that a blush was creeping up her face. She pulled her arm away and began to walk to the house. “I’ll let you in, shall I?” she called back to them as she went.

They followed her, but not before Brian told Matthew that he was honestly not sure if she liked him or thought he was some sort of deranged person who liked to jump hedges, a comment for which he received a well-practiced glare.

Lynia sat them down at the kitchen table before going to wake her parents. “I told you this was too early,” Brian whispered.

Before Matthew could respond, they heard a stifled squeal from the other room. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” Lynia’s mother hissed to her daughter as she scrambled to get dressed.

“They only just arrived!” she replied.

“Like I said, too early.”

“Shut up, Brian.”

“Yes sir.”

Matthew rolled his eyes as Lynia returned. “Apparently,” she said, speaking loudly so that her voice would carry to her parents’ room, “I am to entertain you while my parents wake up. She shrugged and sat down with a smile.

And so Matthew got his first good look at her face. He was not sure he had actually realized that he had yet to see her face. Then there was the farmer’s saying that she was beautiful. That, together with her voice, had made him sure that she was beautiful, and he had built up an image of her in his mind to go with it. The image seemed to shatter as he looked at her.

Her hair was stringy and lank, though it was a fair shade of brown. Her nose was rather large and flat. Her lips were rather thin. Her shoulders were a little broad for a girl, and her arms and legs were a bit large as well. But her eyes were sharp and alert, bright with mischief and humor.

And it was quite obvious that she was kind. Despite having been interrupted in her singing and having her mother tell her what to do, she was very polite—to a point. She got along very well with Brian, and he found himself telling stories about the crown prince. Lynia was laughing at them just as hard as Brian was.

“And then he just walked away. Rather quickly he moved, too. Turning all shades of red, he was,” Brian finished. He and Lynia laughed again.

“Poor dear,” she said, trying—and failing—to keep a straight face.

True, they had both been making fun of him. But he expected nothing less of Brian—he was one of his closest friends, after all—and she was never actually harsh. She simply shared Brian’s sense of humor. Actually, many people shared Brian’s sense of humor, and many found the stories he told to be quite laughable. Matthew, being the unwed heir to the throne, ended up in rather a lot of awkward situations, all of which seemed to end humorously.

Matthew joined the conversation, asking Lynia about her life. She told them that she was an only child, and since her mother tended to have her hands full inside, she helped her after getting some of the farming done. She told them that they didn’t mind being so far from the other townsfolk—they went into the city often enough, and they welcomed the privacy. “One problem with the city is that it is very crowded,” she pointed out.

It was clear that she knew what she was talking about, even when they brought the conversation to the political status of the kingdom. She was quite well educated and very likable.

That last one was what really got Matthew’s attention. It was what made him want to come back for another visit most.

Nice. I can't believe that the parents took so long to get dress considering how excited they are.

When much of the food she had brought out was gone—Brian for one had the appetite of a horse—Lynia realized that her parents were still not out of their room yet. “That’s strange,” she muttered. She excused herself from the conversation and walked back to the door. Without saying a word, she swung it open.

Her mother stumbled out of the room, nearly falling onto her. Her father regained his balance faster than she did. Neither looked very proud of themselves, especially when they realized that their daughter was quite furious with them.

“Mother!” she hissed. “Father! What do you think you are doing?”

“I’m sorry,” her mother whispered, “but we couldn’t resist! It sounds like you’re doing such a good job of getting along with them, and we didn’t want to ruin it!”

“But Mother, he came here to meet with all of us, not just me!”

“You know,” her mother continued, a gleam in her eye, “we’ve heard that he’s looking for a bride. Something about the last one not working out for some reason… Maybe he’ll pick you!”

“Mother! Now you’ll go and get your hopes up,” Lynia replied, exasperated. She thought she might do this. It looked as if her fears were not as groundless as she had hoped they were. “Mother, he’s a prince,” she said, “and I’m… Well, look at me! I am not princess material. He’s supposed to marry some foreign beauty and gain control of another kingdom when he becomes king. He is most definitely not supposed to marry some girl as common and unattractive as I am.”

Before her mother could reply, Lynia dragged her parents out in to the kitchen, where she introduced them to the prince and his companion. They were all quite polite, though the parents were still rather starstruck by the handsome young man who had been sitting at their kitchen table, calmly eating a roll, before standing up to shake their hands. They were almost equally impressed with Brian, who was well known as a trusted member of the royal court, despite his preference to stay in a more military position.

Matthew and Brian stayed and talked with the family about all manner of things, from the weather’s effects on the crops of the farm to the quality of the ale in the tavern to the advantages and disadvantages of living in a castle. It seemed to be only a few minutes before it was midday. Matthew and Brian stood, looking rather regretful, and said that they had promised to be back in time for lunch at the castle.

“Although I must say, I think I might prefer the food here,” Brian said. “The castle cook’s a personal friend of mine, and I do adore him, but his food’s been off ever since his wife became pregnant. I imagine she runs him ragged everyday—the quality of the food has taken a bit of a dive recently.”

Lynia’s family was delighted when they requested—requested!—to be able to return for a proper meal. They were informed that they were welcome to stop by anytime that they wished and stay as long as they wanted. They would be only to eager to do the kingdom’s hospitable reputation justice.

They returned the next day. This time, Matthew was accompanied by the same small band of guards that had been with him the first time they had passed by Lynia’s home. The company arrived an hour or so before midday, time during which Lynia’s family was introduced to the guard and treated with many stories about life in the castle.

When the time for the meal arrived, the guards, though they insisted that they had brought food with them, were treated to bread hot from the oven and vegetables that had been picked that morning. It was all quite good, and perhaps what brought more men along for the next trip.

This time, Matthew refused to let them be fed simply on the family’s good will. “At the rate the men are coming,” he said with a smile, “the entire castle will be dining here within days. We cannot have you turned out of your home because some guards want a free meal, you know.”

Lynia’s mother took the coins with a smile so bright it was almost glowing.

The prince continued to visit the family regularly. The rate of the visits decreased some, as the family had expected—he could not reasonably come every day—and quickly stabilized at three a week. Her parents found it quite helpful as well as being gratifying—the townspeople heard of the prince’s fondness for the food and took to purchasing it. That, as well as the prince’s continued purchases for the men of the castle, which he said would most likely last until the cook’s baby was a good year or two old, led to the family being able to finally open an official stall in the town square. They found a pair of brothers who were quite happy to cart the goods from the house to the stall, man it, and return later with the money. It helped that the brothers had been quite impressed by their new employers’ connections when a group of royal guards showed up on the first day. These guards did the stall the favor of making it obviously Lynia’s family’s as well as making sure the brothers were honest, as Matthew had asked them to do.

Lynia found herself becoming more and more attached to Matthew as his visits continued. It had not been long before Matthew told her she could simply call him by his name, something only the royal family, guard, and tutors were permitted to do. She had been quite shocked at this—it meant that he trusted her.

Indeed, he did. Matthew often brought along the exercises his parents assigned him. They were mock situations a king might be put in, and he was to figure out the most diplomatic method of solving them. He always took Lynia’s opinion into consideration—she had a natural talent at seeing ways to avoid angering people.

It was not long before the pair connected musically, either. She allowed him to hear her sing, and he was quite as entranced as he had been the first time he had heard her, though he refrained from leaping over or through any tables or walls to get to her. Oftentimes he would bring along an instrument or two of his own, with which he both accompanied her singing and played his own compositions. His talent was evident. They helped each other to become much stronger musicians. This was where their bond was strongest.

After a few months, the visits started to increase in frequency again. Lynia simply assumed that he wanted more time away from his responsibilities in the castle, something she did not blame him for. He was the only prince the kingdom had, after all—there was plenty of pressure on him. She did not think it had much to do with who he was going to see as much as where he was leaving.

That was why she was the one who was most surprised when he asked her to come and live in the castle with him.

“As my bride,” he said, his hands trembling even as they held hers. Matthew was quite nervous. There are some things that you can never be truly prepared for, and this was one of them. Lynia was unlike any girl he had ever met—if anyone had the will to refuse a prince if his desires did not match hers, it was her. “As my queen. As my other half. As the angel you are, to be the voice to my music.”

An expression of true happiness burst onto his face at her reply, though her voice was choked with happy tears.

“Yes. Of course. Nothing could stop me.”

Lynia’s parents had never been happier. They had never imagined anything like this could ever happen to their daughter, to their family. And yet, here they were, packing enough of their possessions to make their rooms in the castle comfortable for a month’s stay. The business would be put on hold until the end of that time. Matthew had invited them early—he wanted them familiarized with the castle long before the wedding.

A group of heralds had been sent out to inform the people of the kingdom that their prince was to be wed in three week’s time. While the masses could obviously not all come to the ceremony and reception themselves, the day would be marked by feasting. The royal family would be sending out carts of food with which the meals might be prepared.

When Lynia had gone with Matthew to the castle just after the proposal, she had been in a state of shock more complete than she suspected anyone had ever experienced. In the space of an hour she had gone from being a country girl whose family was just starting to become a local staple for supplies to a princess-to-be—one who would become queen—entering the castle for the first time, and not just for a visit. She would be living there.

It was impossible for anyone who saw her to think for even a moment that the tears on her face could possibly be of sadness. Her bright smile and irrepressible smile reflected her emotions far too obviously for that.

She was not alone in her joy. Matthew was happier than he had ever been, than he had ever imagined he could be. He led her to the throne room, where his parents sat. “This is Lynia,” he said, grinning.

“Ah, Lynia!” the king said, beaming as well. “We have heard so much about you! It is wonderful to be meeting you.”

“Welcome to our home,” the queen said. “Your new home. You are a welcome addition to the family already—Matthew was never happy with the betrothal we had arranged for him. And I have never seen him happier than when he is talking about you.”

“Until now, that is,” the king said with a laugh.

“It is true.” At this, the queen’s smile, which had been looking a little too regal, became more natural.

“Thank you,” Lynia said. The curtsy that accompanied her words was rather shallower than normal because her crying had increased. When she looked up, they saw that her smile had grown as well. “Th—thank you,” she said again.

Matthew took her hand and showed her to the room that was to be hers until the wedding. He led her to the bed and sat down on its edge next to her. “Just relax for a little while,” he said. “Breathe. I am sure you will be just fine once the excitement wears off a bit.”

Lynia laughed, but she continued to cry, holding his arm. “I keep thinking that this is all just a dream—a wonderful dream, but one that I will soon wake up from.”

“I promise,” Matthew replied, “this is real. This will never end.”

i love youre story rena! ^_^ its soo good. and it is came from youre imagination? wow you are good at story telling but im not

Aww, so sweet. Is it the end? Or is there still some drama?

Thanks!
Nope, not the end. First half, I think. All kinds of plot twists and magic coming.

So... It's been over a month of me not updating. Sorry I suck at it! D=
But I'm back now, and school's started! That means that I will either be 1) busy and likely to still be late with my updates or 2) so looking forward to procrastinating that I will update more than ever.
Anyway... Update time!

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“You wanted to see me, Mother?”

“Ah, yes, Matthew,” the queen replied. She set down the brush she had been combing her hair out with and turned to face him. Though the meeting took place in her room as opposed to the throne room, it was still rather formal. “I wanted to ask you something.” She paused, apparently unsure if she really wanted to continue.

“Yes?” he asked after a minute of silence.

“Are you sure you wish to marry this child?” the queen asked. She spoke slowly and carefully, as if to show that she did not mean to offend, but the words did not lack confidence.

“Mother! Of course I am!”

“So she is no siren who enchanted you with a song?”

“No.”

“Or a troll who is blackmailing you into this?”

“No.”

“Or a—”

“Mother. She is human. She is a human with an amazing mind and a beautiful voice and a beautiful heart, even if the face that most see does not reflect her spirit.”

“But, dear—”

“Mother, I love her. I am marrying her. Should you not be cheering and planning the wedding? You do so love to plan.”

She smiled and nodded. “You do know me, Matthew. You may leave.”

He did. The queen sighed and stood. She was not as happy with her son’s choice in bride as she had told herself she would be.

-----

The feasting in celebration of the betrothal had died down, but that in honor of the prince’s wedding was to last a full week, as were the festivities. Those who lived near enough to the castle would be travelling to it to watch the wedding.

The wedding the people would see was only the first of two ceremonies the couple would be having, the public ceremony for the people. The second was the one that truly mattered—the wedding that only their families would attend, the wedding whose vows would not mention the throne, the wedding that they would always remember.

Though the participants of the first wedding—including the entire royal court—would be dressed in royal apparel, for the second, Lynia wore the beautiful dress that every young girl dreams about. Her family was there to see the day that even she had suspected might never come, and not only was she marrying the man she loved, he was the crown prince. When the minister spoke the first words of the ceremony, she knew that this was right. She could feel a piece of her life she had never really noticed was missing clicking smoothly into place.

Matthew’s vows came first. “When I first met you,” he said, “it was because of something I heard in a tavern. Now, the stories one usually hears in a tavern are generally greatly exaggerated. But when that man said he heard a girl singing with the voice of an angel, that was no exaggeration. And when he said the girl was beautiful? Well, that was no exaggeration either. And I promise you that if nothing else, what I say now will never cease to be true: I will always protect you. I will always be there for you. I will always love you. Forever.”

Lynia smiled. Had she any doubts in her mind before, they were gone now. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

“When you first leaped into my life,” she said, causing Brian to chuckle quietly in his seat, “I found you absolutely remarkable. I had never seen you before, never imagined meeting you before. I never imagined meeting anyone like you before. And you… You are so much more different from the way I thought you would be, and, though this may seem overly romantic… I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. The first time I really saw you, when you sat at my kitchen table and spoke to me and my family. You made me feel like we mattered—like I mattered. I wasn’t just a girl with an unattractive face and a beautiful voice. When I was with you, I was me, I was Lynia. For that, you will forever have my gratitude. You are my first and only love, and for that I will be forever yours. You make me the happiest I have ever been, and for that, my love for you will never end.”

She wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes and smiled as the minister continued the ceremony.

A few minutes later, they were officially married.

WOW! This story is awesome [and sweet] Rena! Can't wait for the rest

Thanks Sana! Monday update time.

-----

“Mother, please tell me you have something different to say tonight,” Matthew said as he walked into his mother’s room. This was the third meeting she had called for him in as many days, and each had been the same. “I will not have the marriage annulled, and I do love Lynia. My love for you, however, is not staying so constant.”

“Do not say such a horrible and untrue thing, my son.” The queen’s voice was rather cold, but it was clear that she was hurt by his words.

“Very well, Mother.” Matthew sighed. “However, my frustration grows. Why do you insist on this, Mother? Why is it that you are not happy that I am finally married to someone I love?”

She sighed as well. “It is just that I do not feel she is worthy of your affection.”

“Mother!”

“These opinions are shared by some of the people, Matthew. They wonder how this common girl caught the eye of a great prince. They worry that she has enchanted you.”

“That is ridiculous. I have already told you—”

“But you have not told them. The people of the kingdom will want reassurance of her goodness. You will need to show them who she really is.”

Plans to do just that were put into action over the following week. Criers announced that there would be a public concert in week’s time in the square of Lynia’s hometown. Bad roads were paved, parks marked off, and public education bettered, all in the name of the crown princess.

It was the concert that captured the hearts of its audience. No one who heard Lynia sing could dislike the owner of her voice, and neither did they have any reason to dislike her. She handled a meeting with a nearby kingdom quite diplomatically, despite the visiting prince and princess’s derogatory remarks about her appearance.

“You may take pride in your looks,” she replied calmly, “and perhaps you should, for you are both very attractive. However, there are more important things to do than focus on vanity. I am sure that, you being the royalty you are, you know this already. I apologize for repeating information that is sure already embedded into your memory.”

But according to the queen, there were still some people in the kingdom who worried about their future ruler.

“I have heard rumors, Matthew. The people wonder. ‘How long before she ceases to react so well to the insults?’ they ask. ‘How long before she uses her royal authority to start a war, to shatter the peace that has lasted so long?’”

Matthew chuckled. “Mother, you know that would never happen. Lynia has proved herself to be quite competent in these matters.”

“The cases I gave you were hypothetical, Matthew. You know as well as I it is not as easy to turn the other cheek when someone means to hurt you as it is when you are simply reading a piece of paper.”

“What do you suggest I do, then, Mother? She cannot change her face, and she does not need to change her behavior in the least.”

“There is a way for her to become more beautiful, actually,” the queen said. Matthew frowned. “There is a forest not too far beyond the castle gates. You know of it—you used to play there when you were younger.” He nodded.

“There is a place in the path I am sure you have noticed—it curves sharply to the right, as if the road were forked there, yet there is no left path.” Matthew nodded again, more slowly. He had wondered why it turned so sharply. “Take the left fork anyway,” the queen instructed.

“But, Mother, there is nothing there!” he protested.

“The path will appear after about a hundred paces. Only those who seek help will be able to see it.”

“What lies at the end of the path, Mother?”

“An old enchantress.”

“And how do you know of her existence?” He was curious now. A character as interesting as a witch ought to have come into conversation years before.

She sighed. “It is a long story full of youthful foolishness and insecurity that I would rather not tell. I do know, however, that the sorceress has the power to change people—both their appearance and the behavior. She can make your wife beautiful in a matter of minutes, surely.”

“Very well then. I will go to see her in the morning.”

-----

“Hello, Brian.”

“Ah! Your Highness!”

“Oh, stop, Brian. You know me—you do not need to call me that.”

“Oh no, Your Highness. You should not allow a mere captain to address you so comfortably. In fact, you ought to have me call you Highness all the time because I know you so well.”

Lynia smiled. “That does not even make sense.”

“It surely does!”

“Well then, I order you to stop calling me ‘Your Highness’ and just call me ‘Lynia.’ All the formalities of castle life are strange enough without my friends using a formal title when they talk to me.”

“Very well then, Lynia.” Brian grinned. “So, any particular reason you came all the way down to these lonely old barracks?”

“Well—”

“It’s not because you missed me already, is it? Oh Lynia, if you can’t take even a day away from me, how will your marriage work?”

She laughed. “That is why I need you, Brian. I need a break from all this seriousness. I could do with a laugh every now and then, you know. And you are great for that.”

“You can always come and see me,” Brian replied. His smile was smaller, softer—he was serious.

“Thank you, Brian. It is nice to have people to depend on.” She smiled again.

“So, was there a reason you came here?”

“Just to get away from the queen for a while. Matthew is… Elsewhere, today, and I do not think his mother likes me very much.”

“Well, she was very protective of him. It might just be something she’s built up over the years. I don’t think it can possibly be anything you’ve done.”

“Really?” Lynia looked up at him hopefully. She hated to have her new family be so disapproving of her.

Brian looked back at her, completely serious now. “Really.”