F - Fairy Tale - #AtoZChallenge

 
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a handsome prince. The prince would spend his days riding his horse through the forest and enjoying the beauty of nature. He would go swimming in the lake and meet up with his friends in town to laugh and sing. He had a good life. He had an easy life. He was a very happy prince.

Except for one thing.

His father, the king, was growing older. The king kept reminding the prince that he needed to be married soon and start a family. If the prince did not marry, there would be no one to take his place if something happened to him. There always had to be another son to take the place of the father. Having no king, even for a short time, meant chaos for the kingdom.

The prince never looked his father in the eyes during these talks. "I understand, father."

"I don't think you do. It's not just what would happen IF something would happen to you. It is what WOULD happen. If you are king and don't have a prince son to be the next king, you would be in danger of someone getting rid of you to try to take your place. This is why the next in line must already exist. The good of the kingdom depends on it."

Despite the prince's promises to find a wife, the king began to search for the right woman to one day be queen. He reached out to surrounding kingdoms to inquire about their princesses. He sent word to the lords of his realm to ask about their daughters. Many were interested. Every week, a new announcement was made of an arriving caravan carrying a high-born father who was hopeful about the chance for his daughter to be the future queen and secure an alliance with their families. There were many women who wanted this honor as well. The palace was swamped with requests from surrounding realms to be invited to meet the prince.

The prince always attended these ceremonies and met with every princess and high-born daughter that had traveled to meet him. Some he did not like right away. Others he gave a chance, but a walk through the garden with them helped him realize he didn't want to spend years married to them. He tried to be fair, for his father's sake, but he just wasn't meeting a woman he liked. As the months went by, the king grew more and more impatient. All this pressure made the prince less happy every day.

One morning he saddled his horse early and rode off into the forest to enjoy a quiet day away from the disappointed eyes of his father. Deep in the forest, he got off his horse near a quiet creek to eat his lunch under a tree and listen to the birds singing. Enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest, he soon forgot his troubles and drifted off to sleep.

Soon, he was awakened by someone gently shaking his shoulder.

"Sir, sir, are you alright?"

He opened his eyes and saw a lovely woman standing over him. The prince was smitten immediately. "Who are you?" he asked with wonder.

"My name is Samra. I live just over the hill there. I came to get water today and when I saw you there so still I thought you were were hurt."

The prince was even more in awe at the sound of her voice. He stood up quickly to introduce himself, but his sudden movement startled Samra and she jumped back.

The prince realized he frightened her and started to apologize, but he got a head rush from standing too quickly and started to swoon. Samra immediately stepped forward to steady him. As soon as he felt her touch on his arm, he knew he was in love.

Not wanting to scare her off, the prince decided to play it cool and come back prepared to court her. "It was lovely to meet you and thank you for your kindness. I hope I see you again."

"If you ever come back this way, you probably will. I don't venture far from my home." She flashed him a beautiful smile as he whistled for his horse. He was soon speeding back to the palace to tell his father he had met the woman he was going to marry.

The king was not excited that he had chosen a commoner to be his bride, but training a commoner on how to be royalty was better than having no one as queen. He gave his approval.

The next day, the prince dressed in his finest silks and selected the strongest stallion from the stables. He wanted to display his wealth and influence to impress her. He armored forty aides to accompany him to Samra's house to declare his love to her.

Upon arriving at Samra's house, the aides and assistants lined up in two formations in her front yard. The prince, with his back straight and head held high, rode between the two perfectly-lined groups and called out her name. No one answered.

He called again.

Silence.

He dismounted and approached the front door of the modest cottage. He knocked and heard a feeble voice. "Coming."

After a few minutes, the door slowly creaked open and a frail old man stood in the doorway. "Oh, there are so many of you. What can I do for you gentlemen? Would you all like some tea? Let's see, there's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."

"I am here seeking Samra. Do I have the correct house?"

"Samra is my granddaughter. She's at the market right now. I hope she is getting more tea. Come to think of it, I don't think I even have more than four or five teacups. Oh, dear. Where are my manners? Come in. Come in. Oh, no. That won't do at all. I have only two chairs. Stay where you are. I'll be right back."

He turned around to head back into the house. "I'll start the kettle going. You're going to have to share cups."

Exasperated, the prince turned around and saw Samra giving apple slices to his horse.

"Hello, again," she said. "I see you've met my grandfather."

"I did. He is very hospitable." 

"Yes, he is. How can we help you?"

"I wanted to thank you for your concern yesterday and be honest with you."

Samra raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Did you lie to me yesterday? You really didn't say much at all."

The prince continued, "I am the prince of this land. You were helping the future king."

Samra nodded and gave the horse another slice of apple, "Yes. I saw the royal insignia on your sleeve. It wasn't as big and shiny as the one on your chest today, but I recognized it. No need to thank me. I was just asking if you were alright. I did nothing."

"But, Samra, you did everything. You are the loveliest creature I have ever laid eyes on and I have come to ask for your hand and make you my queen."

Samra smiled, "No. Thank you." She turned and headed toward the house.

The prince had never considered that his offer might be rejected. "Wait!"

Samra, almost to the door, looked over her shoulder. "Did you need something else?"

The baffled prince answered, "You don't want to be queen?"

"I don't know. I never thought about it. But I do know I don't want to marry a man I just met yesterday." She stepped inside her house and shut the door.

The prince rode slowly back to the palace with his head hung low. He hadn't experienced much rejection in his life and wasn't handling it well.

When the king heard the news, he couldn't help but laugh at his son. "This girl did not say she would not marry you. She said that she could not marry a man she didn't know. It was an invitation to court her. Go let her get to know you. Show her you are worthy of her hand. Then, she will say yes."

The prince realized his father was right. He would win her. Starting the next morning, the prince spent his days in the forest near her house hoping to run into her. Most days, he was able to see her and talk to her. They took walks through the trees and he occasionally accompanied her to the market. He would even carry her things for her.

One day, after spending several weeks together, she gave him a kiss on the cheek as he was about to depart. "Ah," he exclaimed. "You are beginning to like me."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Whatever do you mean? I have always liked you."

"You rejected my proposal of marriage."

Samra laughed. "Liking someone you just met and wanting to get married are hardly the same feeling. You seem like a sweet guy. That's enough for now."

The prince didn't like it, but he understood. "So, maybe we could get married someday?"

Samra sighed, "I love my life here. It is so peaceful and quiet. Keeping court behind tall walls sounds boring and stuffy. The clothes look so uncomfortable. Plus, I have my grandfather to take care of. He still asks when all my new friends are coming back to have tea. He had me buy more cups."

"Samra, your grandfather can come to live with us. We'll have dozens of servants to take care of him and us. Life will be great for us, your grandfather and our children."

She looked at him with wide eyes, "What children?"

The prince smiled from ear to ear, "The many children we will have. One will be a son that will be the next king after me."

Samra pulled away from the prince. "I've never really felt that I wanted children. And I certainly would never have a child who already had his whole life planned out for him. That is not a life for anyone. I don't think you should come around anymore. I will never be able do what you want me to."

The prince pleaded with her, but she would not budge. She was very polite, but tried to get him to understand they had very different goals in life. Plus, being royalty is not something everyone yearns to be. The prince went home defeated.

Weeks later, the king came to see him in his chambers to convince him to get out of bed and continue his search for a wife. But the prince didn't want another woman. He only wanted Samra. The king knew the fate of the kingdom was possibly at stake, so he sent for the old witch who lived deep in the woods. He was willing to do anything to get his son into a better mood and moving again.

The witch came and listened to the king's story. She claimed a simple love potion would solve this problem. She returned the next day with a small bag of powder and gave the king instructions on its use.

The king rushed to his son's chambers and explained what he had done. The prince was doubtful, but was cheered slightly to learn that there was still hope of winning the woman he loved. He left the palace that night to do as his father told him.

The prince went to Samra's house and sprinkled the powder on the windowsill of Samra's bedroom. The witch said the person sleeping in that room would fall hopelessly in love with the person who placed the powder. He did his job and went back home.

The prince awoke the next morning to a servant knocking on his bedroom door. There was someone here to see him.

When the prince came downstairs, Samra was there talking excitedly with the king. When she saw the prince she ran into his arms and started kissing him. The witch's powder had worked. Samra was infatuated with the prince.

The prince sent for her grandfather to move into the palace and joyfully started making plans for the royal wedding.

Everyone was in attendance at the wedding. Lords and ladies from all over the realm came to offer gifts and their good wishes. It was the event of the generation. Everything went splendidly.

Within a few months, it was announced Princess Samra was with child and the kingdom rejoiced. 

She gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The prince could not have been more proud of his beautiful wife and son.

However, deep in the woods there was a disturbance among the animals. The old witch, who was very very old, had grown sick. She spent many of her days in bed and the numerous spells she had cast over the years were growing weaker. The animals she had enchanted no longer brought her the herbs and spices she needed for her spells. Some of these herbs were for making the potions she used to prolong her life.

Soon she grew too weak to rise and she died alone in the forest late one night.

At the instant of her death, all the power of her magic died with her. Samra awoke suddenly in the night in terror. She remembered everything she had done for the last few years, but had no idea why. All she knew was that she had been a slave trapped in her own body unable to say and do the things she felt. Her life had been a nightmare as she married this man she had previously rejected. Her body forced her to smile and wave at people who came to see the royal family in court. For years, she had wanted to scream as her unwanted husband bedded her. She had wanted nothing more but to escape, but her body would not cooperate.

She looked over at his sleeping body and felt the hatred rush through her as he slept there smiling. She didn't know how he had done it, but he was the cause of all her suffering for the last few years. The last time she was in control of her own body, she had rejected him. He had to be the one behind it.

She slipped out of bed and picked up the dagger on the table. She tiptoed back to her sleeping husband and slit his throat. His eyes opened and looked at her in fear and confusion as he clutched at his bleeding throat.

She raised the dagger above her head and shouted, "NO MEANS NO!" as she brought it down again and buried it deep in his chest.

---

 

All this month, I am participating in the A to Z Challenge. A new post will go up every day (except Sundays) using a letter of the alphabet as the starting off point. My theme for the month is literary genres. I am writing in a different genre of flash fiction each day. Today's letter is F for Fairy Tale.

This post was inspired by the idiot who has been leaving all the spam on the blogs I've been reading this week. The spammer keeps suggesting the reader contact a "spellcaster" to make your life better. She uses the story of how her cheating husband came crawling back to her after contacting this person. It disgusted me. This story grew out of that.

Psychos Need Love Too

Earlier this week, "Jen" E Sais Quoi shared some stories about nightmare dates her and her friends had been on. There are some great stories over there. At the end of her post, she asked her readers to share some stories of their own. I wanted to participate and tried to remember if I had any really bad ones. I was about to give up when I remembered an experience with a girl that I was surprised I had forgotten about. Her name was Kelly.

Time seems to stop
on these shifts.

I was about twenty years old and working the midnight shift at a gas station. There was almost no business all night until about 5 a.m. I had no tv or radio and this was before the days of internet. It got pretty boring. After cleaning up the lot, sweeping the floors, and making coffee, I would just pray for customers to come in to help me pass the time. Kelly was one of those customers.

Kelly worked at a local restaurant and would get off work about midnight. She would drop buy most nights to grab a soda or sandwich before going home. Being one of the regulars I saw almost every night, we talked a little more each time she came in. There were several customers that I enjoyed conversation with, but she was the only one that would stick around and just talk. Being by myself all night, I was happy for the company.

In the beginning, she hung around an extra 10 minutes or so after making her purchase. Soon, she began to stay longer. She sometimes stuck around for over an hour before heading home for the night. I didn't think much of it. I had learned that she lived in an apartment by herself, so she had no one to get home to. She seemed to enjoy my company also. We were both happy to help each other pass the time.

The amount of time she spent at the gas station increased more and more. Being happy to have someone to talk to, I never considered it until one of the mangers said something to me. She had been seen on the security cameras and spent so much time their during my shifts they advised me that my girlfriend could not hang out there any more. I couldn't get them to believe that she was just a customer, but I understood their point.

That night, when I told her she couldn't stay so long anymore, she understood. She then admitted that she had been hanging around in the hopes that I would ask her out. As usual, I was totally oblivious to this type of thing. I had no idea she liked me. You know in past posts how I have stated that I have no game? This is an example.

She also said that if she couldn't hang out any more, then the opportunity for me to ask her out had come to an end. So, she asked me. I had enjoyed her company for the last several weeks. She was great to talk to, so I agreed. We exchanged numbers and she went home.

The following day, after getting a few hours sleep, I ran into town to do a few errands. She saw me and followed me back home. I was quite surprised when she pulled in my driveway behind me. I invited her in and we chatted for about an hour. When I started trying to bring the conversation to a close so I could mow my lawn and get some more rest before heading back into work that night, she wasn't picking up on my cues.

As time went on, I gave up on getting my lawn mowed, but bluntly said that I had to go to bed before going in to work. She stated she would be quiet and let me sleep. Notice that Kelly did not say she would leave. She would just stay quiet. 

Not being as bold as I am today, I didn't object. I thought it was strange, but I said nothing and decided she was weird enough that our "date" was never going to happen. I went to my bedroom and went to sleep. I woke a few hours later, took a shower and walked into my kitchen to find her sitting at the table with a full cooked meal. I had forgotten she was there! I always appreciate food, but this was a little bizarre.

I was able to get her out of the house when I left for work, but didn't recognize this as the problem it was soon going to be. Had I made my reservations clear, I might have avoided what was to come.

 She showed up at my house almost every day. I was always polite, but would try to get her to leave. Often, I would not invite her into the house, but she was happy to talk outside. Once, when she showed up, I told her I was on my out the door for a friend's emergency. I hopped in my car and sped off. She followed me.

Kelly started showing up at my favorite bar. I would be hanging out at a friend's house and she would pull in his driveway. She found out what restaurants I liked to go to. She started showing up at my friends' houses when I wasn't home looking for me. My friends put up with her for a while, but eventually grew tired of her coming around all the time. After several weeks of this, they started treating her like crap. A few of the girls went as far as to tell her that she was not welcome in the group. However, she never seemed to hear it.

One day, I woke up to find her sitting at the foot of my bed. I decided I would have to throw being polite out the window. I yelled at her to get out of my bedroom. Once I got dressed, I found her in the living room asking what we were going to do that day. I told her she was going to leave and not come back. She was confused.

I reminded her that we had never gone on that date because she freaked me out. I had never, not once, invited her anywhere; she just came. My friends hated her and no one wanted to see her around anymore. She started crying and left saying that she couldn't believe she was being treated this way. I was relieved to finally have her out of my life.

The next night, I was sitting in the bar with my friends telling them the story of how it all went down. Now that she was out of the picture, they were volunteering more information about how they felt about her. They were telling me that she had referred to me as her boyfriend since the first time they met her. One of them said he thought she was my girlfriend since she was often at my house when I wasn't there. He had stopped by to drop something off once and she answered the door in a towel. She looked like she had just taken a shower. I had no idea this had been happening.

In the middle of this conversation, Kelly walks into the bar and joins us at the table, smiling like nothing had ever happened. One of the girls asked her what she was doing there.

Kelly replied with a smile, "This is where we are every Friday night."

She got up to go to the bar to get a drink. When she came back, she kissed me on the cheek and sat down beside me. She had never done that before. What was she doing?

We were all looking at her trying to figure out what was going on when she reached out and took my hand.  Once again, this was new. I jumped up and said I was leaving. The rest of the group followed me out the door. We went back to my house.

We were sitting in my living room discussing what had just happened when Kelly walked in the door. I stood to say something to her when one of the girls got up, walked up to me and started kissing me.

This had been joked about a few weeks earlier. One of the guys had wondered what would happen if Kelly saw a girl making out with me. This girl decided to find out. She then sat next to me, curled up close and glared at Kelly.

Everyone froze staring at Kelly to see what would happen. Kelly stood still in the middle of the room for at least two minutes. Suddenly, her face turned red and she started screaming. She threw herself on the floor and sobbed. We all looked at each other. What do we do now?

I started to get up, but the girl beside me said, "No, we already know she won't listen to you. This needs to be a territorial thing."

She told Kelly to get up and get out. Kelly got up and started cussing at me. She called me every name I had ever heard, plus some new ones. Her voice was shrieking as she confessed how much she loved me, would have given everything to me, and would have been good to me.

Then she abruptly stopped crying. It was like a switch had been flipped. She was in full hysterics and then...BOOM!...total serenity. She smiled like nothing had happened. She picked up her purse, laughed as though someone had told a joke and said she would see us later as she walked out the door.

Not only did we not see her later (much to our relief), but none of us ever saw her again. She disappeared. I never did hear what happened to her. Of course, I never really tried to find out.

For the record, Kelly was NOT a redhead.

Red Braves the Accused Axe Murderer...and Lives

For those of you who have been watching (and you know who you are), this is the post that you have been waiting for. Red and I finally got to meet in person. This was not over the phone or through email. She and I were actually in the same place.

In the week leading up to this day, some of my friends have asked me if I was nervous. I can honestly say that I was not. We have talked extensively over the phone and through email. We have heard stories about each other's families, childhood, pet peeves and dreams. We far from know everything about each other, but have already learned a lot before we met face to face.

The progression leading up to this day took several steps. Here's a QUICK recap for the new followers:

• Red writes a phenomenal piece on February 13 about Valentine's Day. I was so moved, I proposed to her in the comment section of her blog. This was intended as a joke. My expectation was a little joking back and forth about it and it would be over.
• The next week, we each mention the proposal and her acceptance in our blogs and have a little more fun with it.
• The intensity grows as more people begin to chime in and watch to see this develop further, especially when Red admits to having a dream about meeting me. Once again the real action happens in the comment section. She explains her reluctance since I could be an axe-murderer for all she knew.
• I responded on my blog with Evidence that I Am Harmless. I carefully explained how I could not be an axe murderer and then asked people that new me personally to vouch for me in the comment section. Over 70 people responded.

While this was fun, Red lives in Delaware and none of it is being taken too seriously, although I was feeling a definite attraction to her. Despite the fact that we would never actually meet, the flirtation was fun. She eventually makes a comment that tells me she is feeling the attraction as well.

Soon after, it is determined that she is moving to Indiana which would put her 150 miles away rather than 900. She sends me an email, so we can begin to communicate privately rather than on display for the entire blogging community to read as well. This is the first time I learn her name, despite the fact that she didn't mean to share it yet. A few weeks later we exchanged phone numbers and have spoken almost every day since then.

Red arrived in Indiana last weekend (YAY!!) and that brings us to today.

That is the shortened version. Click some of the links I provided to see the exact way it happened. There is much more to be seen in the comment sections of several posts, but you will have to find those for yourself. I tell this story because I have gained several new followers since this all started who may not be up to speed.

---

Yesterday, after close to three months since this all started we were finally face to face. I didn't have many expectations, but had been looking forward to this day for some time. I even had pictured how the initial meeting would take place.

SHHHHH!

After seeing each other, as we began to approach I would hold my fingers to my lips as she started to say something. Then, I would kiss her. Without a word, just a kiss. I figured since we were engaged before even trading names or numbers, why not kiss before we speak face to face? Plus, after all this time, I really wanted to. However, as is often the case, the way things happen in the real world rarely match up with what I saw in my head.

I have come to the realization that I am a much cooler guy on the internet than I am in the real world. I have several theories as to why this is:

1. There is less of a chance of getting slapped online
2. I don't normally have physical contact with the other person
3. The fact that I am in my underwear is not looked down on
4. I can easily step away from any conversation online with the push of a button

All of those factors give me much more confidence to say whatever I want without considering any negative repercussions. I am not socially inept. I live and work in the real world and have many close friends, but I have a boldness online that is not part of my real life personality. Despite my online persona, I was now crossing a parking lot toward the woman that I had been talking to for the last few months. This was no longer online. It's the real world and the first thing I noticed was that her pictures do not do her justice. I know that none of you in the blogging world have seen her, but Red is a beautiful woman. You just have to trust me on this. I immediately lost my nerve to start the day with a kiss. We greeted each other with a long hug.

Since we had met at a state park, we decided to walk one of the trails since many of the attractions were closed. We quickly discovered that the three days of rain preceding this meeting has made a mess of the trails. Red eventually took her sandals off to brave the mud while I did my best to find my way around each messy area.

Somethings I had learned about Red, I was not putting into practice at this time. After talking to her few a few weeks over the phone and internet, I discovered that she wasn't psychoanalyzing me by measuring the amount of time between phone calls. I didn't want to call too often and appear smothering, but also didn't want too much time between contacts to appear disinterested. This and many other factors were laid to the side when I realized that it was okay to just relax and be myself. She didn't have a bunch of crazy unpredictable expectations.

Now that we were face to face, I found myself being uptight. There was no reason for this. We had talked for months and already knew each other. It took a little time to relax. Since the state park was not working out the way we had planned, we decided to relocate. We chose a small town of historical significance to go see the sites there. The drive over (separately) gave me time to refocus.

The conversation flowed easier as we took the historical tour, although I did struggle to behave myself. Every new piece of information the tour guide gave us, brought snarky comments to mind. Also, Red seemed to be interested in the things he was saying, so I didn't blurt out every thought as I normally do.

We followed the tour with a late lunch and ended the day back at our cars. After a goodbye hug, she did what I had chickened out on earlier and kissed me. I immediately told her how much I had wanted to do that all day. She then admitted that she had wanted to when we first saw each other, but decided against it.

Maybe I should follow through on my instincts more often. I could have kissed her at the beginning of the date. In fact, it would have changed the tone for the entire day. It was a wonderful day as it was, but an initial kiss would have changed it. I don't know in what way, and I am happy with how it played out, but I didn't need to second guess myself.

After laughing at how neither of us had followed our first impulse, we shared another kiss and said our goodbyes.

It was a very good day and I expect that the next time we meet, it will be much more relaxed...and next time we meet, I will start with the kiss immediately.

---

Red's take on the day can be read HERE.