Fairytale chosen

by Maya Shepherd

  "You like it?" She said suddenly on a male voice. Shocked, she went on together and promptly choked. She began to cough, but as a hand touched her gently on the back and all of a sudden she could breathe again. Embarrassed, they looked into the face of her counterpart. He wore a dark blue robe that identified him as the royal court conjuror.

  "I have never eaten anything better " she confessed honestly and felt caught.

  "If you don't prefer the dance floor as the other? If you're hiding behind the buffet, no one will notice you. And certainly not the prince. "

  She grinned. "That was actually my plan."

  He looked at her. "I fear that it is already too late. After your insult everyone should know your name."

  Heera shrugged her shoulders unimpressed. ""Why don't you dance?"

  Amphion seemed surprised by the question. "I? I am a magician and not a dancer! "

  "And I am a farmer and not a princess," Heera countered, laughing. "Especially for you as a magician it had to be easy to float, on the floor. You can be whatever you want. Even a dancer, if you feel like it." "

  Amphion conjured always what the royal family demanded of him. Ever since he was a boy, he lived in the castle and was the king of services. He never used his magic to give himself an advantage. "No one would dance with me," he answered Heera, before he could think on his words. Despite their rowdy manners he could talk with shame or stuttering as in the presence of young girls often been the case otherwise.

  "I know someone," she replied with a meaning smile. He was afraid that she might even think, but she gestured with a nod to her beautiful sister Medea, who came straight out toward her. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair slightly dishevelled from the dance. Amphion came back in a panic, but Heera held him tight at the arms. "Calm down! You do not need to be afraid of her. Medea is not only pretty, but also nice. She likes everyone and everyone likes her! "

  The young wizard could not imagine that a girl like Medea would share more than a polite nod to him. She would never dance with him alone Heera’s proposal would make him the laughingstock of the whole room.

  But as far as it should not come, because suddenly the tall Agnes put Medea in the way. The girls had a certain similarity with their long black hair, although they were different as night and day. Medea was gentle and reserved, Agnes was confident and demanding. They jostled against her rival and splattered with the contents of her glass. Dark red wine spilled on Medea's blue dress. Tears gathered in her eyes and she stared in disbelief up at Agnes.

  She threw her hands theatrically over her mouth and wailed loudly: "Oh no, but I'm sorry!"

  Amphion did not take the repentance from second. Nor Heera, the already overcrowded on the onlookers. Medea looked alternately between her dress and Agnes back and forth, unsure what to do next. Finally, she sobbed out loud and ran out of the room crying. Agnes looked at her triumphantly afterwards, but the joy did not last long. Because the next moment, her cheek glowed red of the handprints of Heera.

  "You lousy snake!" She said Agnes in rage. Agnes formed eyes to slits and she pulled hard on Heera’s brown hair. These Agnes screamed and kicked in the shins. One blow followed the next. Even grown men have not delivered a better fight. Soon the whole court was gathered around the two girls who stood up to each other, struck, dragged by the hair, torn clothes and scratch the faces. Only Queen Niobe finished the fight.

  "Stop it!" She yelled outraged. "That's not a behaviour for a lady, let alone for a future queen."

  Agnes ceased from Heera. Her hairstyle was completely ruined and the right sleeve of her dress hung from her shoulder. Heera looked no better. Her cheek, a bloody scratch and brown spots covered pulled the fabric of her dress. However, unlike Agnes she showed no remorse. She seemed entirely right to feel what they now announced more loudly. "I have only defended my sister!"

  Niobe was quite pale in the face, gasping for breath outraged. Her husband, the king, came to her for help. "It is not proper for a girl to defend the honour of her sister. There are men! "

  Heera laughed out loud. "Men? Tzz ... Where was the prince, as Agnes has poured the wine on Medea?""

  All pairs of eyes jumped to Lean. This was an evening entirely to the taste of the court: scandals, intrigue, jealousy and heated verbal exchanges. Heera had to leave, she knew to entertain the onlookers. One can almost think that they did this on purpose.

  Prince Lean stepped forward. ""I am sure it was not the intention of Agnes."

  Hastily nodded his head while Heera angry grabbed a drink from the buffet and therefore marching on Lean. "Then that's not ..." she began, but she did not continue, because Amphion let them stumble so that she noticed the glass from his hands and shattered on the floor. The liquid splashed on the hem of her dress. That was still better than she spilling the contents over the Prince, as they had planned it. Again broke the audience into laughter and Heera turned red, whether in anger or shame was hard to tell.

  She turned on her heel and stormed out of the ballroom. The music started again and all took the dance again. But Niobe took her son aside. "Enough," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Send this girl or I do it! It is an insult to the whole family."

  Lean crossed offended her arms across her chest. "I choose my bride or you?"

  "This is not a bride! That's not even a real girl, but a crazed fury. I no longer want to see! "

  Egeas put his arm around his wife and tried to calm things down. "Now calm down, at least it's entertaining."

  "But we do not seek court jester, but a future queen," Niobe snapped applied. How could her husband dare her to fall in the back?

  "I decide which girl will remain and which goes," Lean said imperiously. Amphion doubted that he harboured serious interest in Heera. He only estimated the power struggle with it as with an untamed horse. She challenged him and he could not resist the temptation.

  "I would rather watch the goat, rather than watching this bumpkin ascends the throne," Niobe teased further and thus brought her son to grin: "Beware of what you wish for, mother. you might get it. "He glanced in the direction of Amphion, who immediately raised his hands defensively. He would never dare to enchant the Queen, not even if Lean Commanded it.

  Niobe let out a frustrated cry and retired to her chambers. The king, however, grabbed his son's arm. "Boy, you are not far too young. You've had your fun! Think about it, if you really want to let yourself continue to dance around this girl on the nose. It makes you a laughingstock before your own people."

  Egeas meant it only works well with Lean, but he remained stubborn as a donkey. It was only when the king left him alone, Amphion dared to advice his friend. "Lean, should you have?" He asked accusingly.

  "I don’t let anyone tell me what I have to do and what I had to!"

  "How Stubborn are you?", Amphion scolded him. "Your mother's not wrong. Heera is not the right bride for you. "

  "I saw how you talking to her. What were you talking about? "

  "Are you listening at all?" The wizard replied angrily.

  "Well, tell me!"

  "She told me how good the food was" Amphion relented, but left unmentioned that she had promised him a dance with her sister.

  Lean kept laughing from the abdomen. All you people dance and enjoy the food. I should have time to do even better things. What do you say?"

  "She thinks you're obnoxious!" Amphion reminded him.

  "Wonderful, then we are doing the same. It is a real nuisance! "Said the Prince.

  "Your mother should spank you. You're behaving worse than any boy who is still wet behind the ears. As king you should bear children, but you are still one. How can you be so unreasonable?"

  Lean appeared appeasing and put his arm around his best friend. "Amphion, I still have weeks to decide. Waiting only for the first tests, then Heera is just a wide search. I think for myself something little extra nice. Do we want but let's see how brave she really is! "His grin was no good suspect.

  Who is instinctive and goo
d,

  Of a pure heart and joyful nature,

  The strawberries are to grow in the deepest of winter.

  7

  Medea was crying on her bed. Whenever she calmed down once again, she would think of how Agnes had poured the wine over her dress in front of all the guests and began to sob again. But that's not enough, and then Heera made a scene once again. She knew that her sister is only meant well and probably could not help herself, but they went through her behaviour with Medea into the laughing stock. Everyone now knew that she was the sister of loudmouth Gore without consultation. You probably thought you already have the same bad behaviour. Why Heera could not control herself? Nobody would have talked more about the incident the next day. But now she was on everyone's lips.

  Bad enough that Agnes had taken her chance to dance with Prince Lean. Although he had not yet been asked by the time, but she had noticed that he had always looked back to her. Perhaps she would have been the next. You could impress him is positive way, however, he would retain only Heera’s outrageous insults and accusations in memory. Luckily, he was kind and not punishing them for it. From this Medea took him even more appealing. Lean not only looked good but also had a good character. He was charming, courteous, helpful and empathetic - just as she had always imagined him.

  It would break her heart if she had to watch him marry another girl. She broke again in loud sobs. Her mother had asked her to rest so that the next morning her eyes would not be swollen, but she was not there to advice Medea. Also their youngest sister Elena was missing her very much. she used to go to bed teasing Medea, her painted hair and she was comforted with whispering words. The only one who remained here was Heera, who could not empathize with them. Heera was right if she was a big brother who defended their honour. But she lacked empathy. She could only speak her fists and fight with her sharp tongue still from head to collar.

  A faint chirping came from the birdcage on her windowsill. Medea looked on in disbelief. The Lark looked in her direction. Had she awakened the little bird with her tears? Normal songbirds will sleep, when the moon was high in the sky.

  "Dear lark, as far as I am concerned you will find no rest? She asked and padded on bare feet to the window.

  "Beautiful Medea, when your heart is suffering, I can feel the pain as if it were my own," the lark answered her in human language. Medea was frightened and backed away from the cage. Only children and fools believed in talking animals.

  "Fear not, I will help you!" Chirped her the brown bird.

  "Oh little bird how are you going to help me?" Medea sighed loudly and stepped back to the cage. Perhaps she was already gone mad.

  "Pull a spring out of my feathers and paint this on your dress, so it should be more beautiful than ever."

  Medea hesitated. She opened the door of the cage and when the bird is not flying off, she says: "I would not hurt you."

  "I'd rather give you one of my feathers rather than see you cry longer," said the lark. Medea took her courage stroked the brown plumage and moved with a jerk of a spring and out. She was tiny as usual. No gloss. No gold.

  But Medea nevertheless followed the advice of the bird and ran his pen over the spots that had left on her dress of wine. As if by magic they disappeared already at the slightest touch. But not only that. In the collar of plain dress created beautiful embroidery of silver yarn. A shout came from her mouth and she jumped back to enjoying the lark at the window.

  "Dearest lark, how can I thank you?"

  "To see you smile, is thanks I need," chirped the bird. "Sing and talk to me every night, so I will never depart from the side."

  "Nothing better than that," said the girl happily.

  The next morning as Heera walked into the breakfast room, there was already bright smooth running among the candidates. They crowded all together in a corner in front of a large billboard. Curious, she stepped closer and realized that on the blackboard were written the names of the elect. They were arranged in a sequence of numbers,

  Erina crept out from the group and made a pitying mouth as their eyes met. More girls came back, so Heera now could see the whole board.

  1.Xenia

  2.Daphne

  3.Medea

  4.Phoibe

  5.Acelya

  6.Celestia

  7.Erina

  8.Jone

  9.Lenja

  10.Selene

  11.Agnes

  12.Heera

  The list clearly showed the order in which the candidates were in the favour of the prince. Only three of them would reach the next round and have to be reinforced against the princesses from the four cardinal points.

  Heera filled her placement with satisfaction. The Prince would punish her, because she dared to say the opinion. If he only, he was interested in her! She noted that she was the only one who was still standing in front of blackboard and all were watching. Her feeling of triumph vanished and she felt shabby with a time in her peasant dress among all decked out girls. But she had the dress, which the prince had given her, which can no longer afford. It was dirty and torn. She turned to the table and realized that Medea not only wore a clean, new dress, but had also sent to another place. Between Xenia and Phoibe - away from Heera. She did not even notice her, but chatted excitedly with the other two chosen. Heera was pleased with the high placement of her sister, but her rejection hurts. Buckled she took at the end of the table next to Erina place. This indicated her grief but completely wrong.

  "Do not worry. We do not even have the first test behind us. The Prince can change his mind, " the girl was trying to encourage her.

  Heera already wanted to disagree with her that the Prince was not interested, but she took back the comment and nodded instead. Why Medea ignored her? Did she have anything to do with her own sister, only because she was at the end of the rear of a stupid Ranking? Would all the people get to face this list? Your mother would be ashamed of her, even though Medea was among the top three. The last place was unacceptable. Although Heera did not care aboutThe Prince and the whole court, she felt that Medea or her mother were ashamed for her. Maybe she'd better not even open her mouth in the future.

  Lean entered into the room in which the elect took their morning meal. Immediately silence fell on the lively discussions and a heavy silence fell over the table. He hated it, that each time he achieved this effect in the case of girls. If they were silent as fish he could get to know them badly. He would have known what they had laughed. His gaze slid to Heera, who sat at the other end of the table, as far away as possible from her sister. She fell on her own by their poor clothing. Medea had apparently cleaned her dress and Agnes was the magnificent ball gown, which he would have liked All the girls had combed their hair and lips wore make-up, only Heera wore the hazel hair in a pigtail, without great care. He almost expected a stubborn look in turn, almost longed for it. But she remained silent and looked past him, as if he was not there. Did she dislike her placement or something? He could not imagine that anything that he could say or do, the fearless Heera could take. Her interest in him seemed so low that he doubted that it was present at all. He did not know why she had applied for him, but to him she was making sure not to have applied.

  He cleared his throat. It was not necessary to make attention. All the girls stared at him already. "Good morning the Ladies."

  "Good morning, Prince Lean" she played the flute in the choir. His father would have enjoyed himself immensely over.

  "I want to thank each of you for the wonderful last night. I've never danced so much and never before I found myself in such lovely company. "His words sounded hollow to his own ears and learned by heart, as his mother had dictated to him. But the girls beamed and smiled at him with confidence and hope.

  "Furthermore, I hope that I have not hurt any of you through their preliminary placement. Everything is still open, and I don’t want to offend anyone. Our time together was too short to get to know each of you."He did not know one of them. None was dearer to him than th
e other. The placement came from more of his mother than his own pen.

  "Already today, your position may change, as your first test is before you."

  A murmur went through the girls and worry excelled in their faces from.

  "Do not worry, it's nothing difficult", Lean assured them and suppressed a mischievous grin. Heavy was the eye of the beholder.

  "My mother longs for fresh strawberries. Each of you will therefore go into the forest and pluck her a basket full of them"

  He thought it was hardly possible, but the girls were even more quiet than they already were. They didn't seem to breathe any more. could have bet, who was the first to break the silence: Heera.

  "Is this a bad joke?" She asked coldly and without the necessary respect.

  Lean shrugged and acted as if he had no idea what she wanted out. "Queen Niobe is not known to make jokes."

  "In winter, strawberries do not grow. The ground is frozen, and the snow has covered everything, "she said was what every chosen one must have thought when they heard the exam.

  "The test can only be fulfilled by the girl who returns with the strawberries into the lock," said Lean strictly and gave each girl a packet, in which some cake was there for the way they travel. He had already made bets with Yanis and Silas on how many of the candidates would pass the test. Yanis sat on nine. Silas chose the arithmetic mean and said six. But Lean was sure that there would be no more than three. He knew the solution and therefore also knew what the candidates had to do in order not to return empty-handed. Perhaps his mother would think at the end of the day differently about Heera. She may have a big mouth and was perhaps not the fairest of the elect, but at least Lean could be safe with her fighting spirit. If someone would pass the test, then it is she. She would never bear the disgrace, return with empty hands.