Heera had set out as one of the first. As stupid as it seems, she also took the exam, she was still grateful for the opportunity to escape from the castle at least for a few hours. No one would be able to solve the test. In winter there were no strawberries. What made the Prince to give them a job that that cannot be met? Did He want to embarrass them all? Or has he hoped that some of them would not dare to come back into the castle, without the strawberries, and therefore prefer to leave voluntarily? Maybe it was a trick and strawberries were no fruit, but something completely different.
But Heera had not come to pass, as he told, in the forest, but was hidden at the edge in the branches of a tall pine tree. She looked like a chosen one after the others went out, most with sullen or even fearful faces. Medea came last, but she was not alone. - She was wearing the birdcage with the lark with him.
"Do you want to give your birds the Freedom? cried Heera down from above. Medea shrugged shocked altogether, as if she had been caught doing something forbidden.
"What are you doing up there?" She hissed at her sister angrily. Heera glided of the fir and landed next to Medea in the snow. "I've been waiting for you."
"Why?"
"You know all about the forest is not out, so I will make sure that you do are not lost."
Medea wrinkled her nose and walked past her. "I do not need your help!"
Heera ran after her. Medea had always been a little cocky, but with each passing day in the castle, it was worse. "You'll find no strawberries! No one will. "
"If Prince Lean provides us a test, it must also be possible to solve them", insisted Medea. She ran straight across the snowy ground, as if she follows an invisible thread.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" wondered Heera.
"I follow the call of my heart," said Medea, after the lark began to chirp. Heera looked around hesitantly. Yet their tracks in the snow were clearly visible, but soon the wind would blow away and new snow will lay like a blanket over the ground. If Heera followed Medea, she would soon have lost all sense. But she could not possibly leave her sister alone. It was her duty to protect her sister. That was the only reason she had applied for the prince.
When so much time had passed that the girl could not tell if she had left before minutes or hours, they discovered a small hut, from whose interior also shone the glow of a warm fire in the cold forest. Smoke rose from the chimney.
"Let's take a rest," suggested Medea, but Heera held her back. "What if the house belongs to a witch?"
"Do not be ridiculous! Now who's the coward? You or Me? "Medea taunted her carelessly.
"I know the woods better than anyone else and have never met the cottage. This may only be a charm ", Heera warned her again, but Medea was not deterred and withdrew from her sister.
They looked through the window into the interior. There were three dwarfs in front of a roaring fire, who worked with carvings. Medea threw a questioning look on her lark and as they excitedly twittered, she knocked on the door.
"Come in," she called from inside the choir. Heera and Medea entered the room.
"It's so cold that we freeze to death almost. Can we warm ourselves in your home? "Medea asked politely.
"Sit down as long as you want," replied one of the dwarves in a friendly manner. The two sisters sat down before the fire thankfully and unpacked the cake they had noticed as food provisions. When the dwarfs smelled the scent of pastries, they were also hungry. "We have left you in our office, now also shares your food with us," they demanded.
Without hesitation both girls broke apart their cake and gave half to the dwarves. They ate together before the fire, as one of the dwarves asked: "What are you doing in the winter alone in the forest? The snow is plenty and the night has already arrived."
"We are picking strawberries for the queen," Heera told without any reluctance by a shaking to make her distaste clear.
"If I return without that, I will lose any chance of becoming the Princess", Medea sighed. "Dear dwarfs, can you know advice?"
The dwarves pointed to three brooms in the corner of the room. "Return to the snow on the back door way and we want to help you."
Only when the lark sang in agreement, Medea rose and stepped out the door with Heera. The cold wind blew in their faces and made them shiver. Nevertheless, she went to work as usual. When the first layer snow was swept, came loud ripe strawberries to light that peeped from dark red white ice. Medea uttered a cry of joy and began hurriedly to collect the strawberries. She froze when she saw what Heera did instead. She put one berry after the other in her own mouth.
"What in heaven's name are you doing?" Medea exclaimed anxiously.
"The strawberries are delicious," Heera replied unmoved and held out one to her sister. "Do you want?"
"We should bring the queen strawberries and not fill our own belly!"
"If the queen wants strawberries, then they will go and pick themselves” Heera replied carelessly.
"Why are you so?" asked Medea in despair and close to tears.
"What? Honest? "
"You're behaving worse than any swineherd!" Cried Medea. "I'm ashamed to be your sister!"
Her words hit Heera with full force. "Did you therefore ignore me in the morning?"
"Yes and I will continue to do so! I do not want to be associated with your bad behaviour. Perhaps you do not care about the prince, but for me he is not like that! "
Although Heera was hurt, s she could not bear to see her sister cry. "Calm down, I'll not tell anyone that we have found the strawberries together. You will collect the praise and if we're lucky, the Prince will send me home at last. "
"It would be best for everyone," Medea agreed with her sniffed and nodded
Prince Lean sat on the throne, behind his mother and his father standing. For an hour they waited for the return of the candidates. Agnes was the first person who entered the hall. Snowflakes hung in her glossy hair, but her skin was so spotless and pure, as if she had spent the day in a warm place and not in the freezing cold. In her hand she held a basket, which was covered with a cloth.
They bowed to the royal family, but with a raised look.
"Welcome back, Agnes," Lean greeted her and tried to see if the basket filled or was empty. She was one of those candidates for whom he had put his hand into the fire, that they would come back with outstanding things. But Agnes rose and went to meet the Queen with a proud smile on her lips. Only when she had arrived before this, they aired peppy red cloth and came to light a large basket full of juicy strawberries, which she handed to Niobe.
The Queen smiled graciously. "Thank you."
Agnes stepped back, gave the prince a seductive smile and stepped out of the room. Lean did not know what to make of her. She was the oldest of the candidates and a cool beauty. In him she made both a brute energy, as well as mysterious impression. She aroused his curiosity, but met him from simultaneously by her apparent coldness. Perhaps he had mistaken her, how else could she have passed the test?
Next Selene, Lenya, Celestia and Jone arrived almost simultaneously. None of the four girls had found strawberries, so all four were visibly sad. Lean felt sorry, but he did not regret their failure too. He had not got to know any of them any closer. They all seemed unimpressive, apart from their beautiful appearance,.
Erina entered the room trembling with cold. Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair, but she had not come empty-handed and handed Niobe with shy smile who demanded strawberries. The queen kissed her affectionately on the cheek. Lean had noticed that his mother had taken a liking to this shy girl. Erina was only the second and previously he was with his bet that only three would make it, not bad.
The N EXT was Daphne. As soon as they entered the room, lean already knew that she had failed. Her anger was evident. Nevertheless, she showed them the empty basket.
"Has anyone ever passed the test?" She asked, without expecting a positive response.
"Already two girls have come back with full baskets," N
iobe said, smugly.
Daphne yanked incredulous eyes. "But how did they manage that? Whole forest is snow and the ground is frozen!""
"Maybe they have thoroughly searched than you," Lean grinned cheekily. He was pleased with her anger, which made them more human and showed him her ambition.
"Impossible!" Daphne uttered. ""There must be some magic at work!"
The Queen, however, did not like Daphne applied art. "Mind yourself! Don’t become interested in what way the others have mastered their examination. Simply give yourself more trouble the next time! "
Daphne pressed her lips firmly together. Angry tears sparkled in her eyes as she left the hall.
After her Medea and Heera entered the hall together. While Medea strode upright and with a beaming smile on the Prince, Heera shoulders slumped and did not even look at. Both bowed to the royal family, but only Medea handed the queen a basket full of ripe strawberries. Niobe felt confirmed in her view on Heera, but Lean could not believe that precisely the bravest candidates could not manage to pick the berries.
"Have not you gone along on the search?" He asked in disbelief.
The sisters looked at each other, but then both shook their head. However, none of them was able to look him in the eye.
""I am sure we would both meet your expectations," said Heera with dull voice.
"In fact", agreed formally to Niobe.
On seeing Lean, Heera said to the Queen. "Maybe you should send me home. It seems to me that I do not fit here. "
Lean was surprised and at the same time shocked by her proposal, which came just from his mother. "We will discuss it," the queen assured her as she stared at Lean wordlessly. He did not expect! Ironically Heera was now leaving on a voluntary basis? Why had she then ever advertised? It seemed rather as if the girl did not even begin to fight. Something had happened in the forest and he would find out what it was!
Apart from Agnes, Erina and Medea succeeded, also Phoibe, Xenia and Acelya found the strawberries. Thus Silas had won the bet. Lean had promised him for it, to make him known with Daphne, on whom his friend had thrown an eye from the very beginning.
Heera sat on her bed and was combing her long hair thoughtfully. . The Elena or Medea had always been at home for you.. She had always been reluctant, but now she missed the closeness of her sisters. Medea was just a room away from her and appeared to her anyway in the distant future. The castle and the pretentious luxury had always been uncomfortable for her, but she had never felt so lonely. At least her she could count on her sister: First of all she was here, only because of her. Even though it hurt her that Medea no longer wanted to have her close to her, she could also have tried to understand her. The castle dwellers and nobles whispered whenever she entered the room. She has not done anything, except satisfying herself with insurgent feeling, but Medea was ashamed of her. Although her mother would be disappointed with their early return, it was more important to her that Medea was happy. And if the chances of Medea, to get hold of the prince gets better by Heera leaving the place, she was more than happy to do so.
Unexpectedly, there was a knock on the door. Heera looked surprised. Medea came to her to apologize?
"Come in," she exclaimed excited and craned her neck toward the door, which now opened with a soft creak. Prince Lean came into the room. Heera stared at him with large eyes. "What do you want here? She burst out indignantly. She could see a grin passed over his mouth before he sat down on a chair and looked at her carefully. A candle burned beside her bed and gave a dim light. Heera crisscrossed and kept her arms across her chest defiantly. She wore only a nightgown.
"Excuse the late disruption," Lean sat politely. "For me, today's day, was not a good day, and I want to ask you something."
Heera shrugged her shoulders seemingly uninterested. In truth, the prince made a surprise appearance that she would have never expected in life. "Do you want me to pack my suitcase?"
"No!" He replied a little too quickly and vigorously, and then fell into silence. "To be honest, Heera, I cannot understand how you could not win the test. Previously I was asked as to who would win it, I would have put my bet on you. "
His confession was completely overrun. She had always assumed that he would not suffer any more than her. As Lean saw her wide eyes, he began to laugh. "Don't worry, this is not a love confession. I only assumed that you were most familiar one in the forest. "
You gave a relieved sigh from and countered: "We both know that knowledge about the events of the forest were not necessary for this task. No one knows the forest better than I do and since my childhood I have not encountered once a cabin in the woods. How did you do that?" there was an honest interest in her voice.
"I am the future King of Chóraleio. To my kingdom are not only the people but also the dwarves, mermaids, fairies and any other magical beings. They are also keen to assist me in choosing the right bride. The dwarves would have tested you for greed. Have you shared with them your supplies? "
Heera sniffed. "Yes."
"Have them swept away the snow?"
"Yes."
Lean frowned in confusion. "But then you should have found the strawberries!"
Heera grinned at him cheekily. "They were excellent!"
Lean plan only incredulous eyes, but then began to laugh out loud. "You ate it yourself?" He chuckled in disbelief.
Heera had to admit that he was laughing at her significantly different than he used to be stiffly on the throne. It made him less royal and more human. "If your mother wants to have strawberries in winter, she should go herself to pick it. Besides, I'm sure Amphion could conjure her that. "
"She might," agreed Lean. "You made a good impression on her."
"Well not even once" muttered Heera before she could think about her words. Almost from the moment they were uttered, Lean became serious again. That was the reason why he was here.
"Why did you apply for me?" He asked her straight out. He asked the question already since the first day, when she had stood in front of him on stage.
Heera sighed. Although she did not like the prince, she did not want to lie to him. He should know why she had come and why she wanted to go back. He ought to know the truth.
"Actually, I just wanted to go with my sister. I never expected that you would choose me, "she confided. At the corner of her heart she wished that he would explain why he had chosen her. But Lean did not agree with this reason.
"And why do you want now to go back?"
"I thought Medea would need someone to protect her, but it turned out that she would cope better without me." She could not hide the regret in her voice.
"You give up just because of her?"
Heera smiled unhappily. "Let's be honest, I would be a terrible queen and an even a worse wife. We would both be unhappy. "
Lean seemed to think her words, but then he shook his head. "I believe that there is more in you than that rebel. Maybe you could try to see me as more than a snooty and spoiled prince? "
At his words a faint smile flickered on her lips. He seemed to have read her thoughts. "If you want to find a good bride, you should choose Medea. She adores you, since she came into this world. "
Lean chuckled at her words, but did not go on to elaborate it, but instead he leaned confidentially closer to Heera. "Shall I tell you something?" The flickering light of the candle reflected in his dark eyes.
She grinned and nodded, as she expected that he would go on joking, but his eyes became serious when he said: ". I do not want to get married actually"
Incredulous and with big eyes she looked at him. She had believed that he could not wait to ascend the throne and the first hurdle it was now time to find a bride and marry her.
When she said nothing, Lean continued: "My father is a good king. I would not mind if he would stay for some time still, but my parents and the people expect that I will soon take its place. Everyone in Chóraleio looking forward to the big wedding party and I am supposed to give the people a quee
n they deserve and who should only be the best. It's up to me to find her. "
Heera thoughtfully observed his face as he spoke. She felt responsible for her family. Lean does not have just a handful of people to care, but many thousands. . He seemed to want the best for the people; She had always assumed that everything, that happened outside of the castle, didn't matter. It had to be difficult for him, not to decide about his life freely, but only and always need to meet the expectations of others. His whole life has been planned for him and he must submit to it whether he wanted to or not. She never expected that she would even feel compassion for a prince.
Lean rose from his chair. "I'll now leave you alone. Thank you for your honesty, but I would really wish you'd give me another chance. "
She began to giggle softly; Lean looked confused down at her. "What made you laugh?"
"The way you talk, you might think our roles were reversed and I had a choice, but you'll be the one who is making the decisions."
Lean returned her grin. "That's the reason why I chose you. It is easy to win a man as a third person. But you're like a test, the outcome is always uncertain. "
For a brief moment they saw each other's eyes in silent agreement. Almost nervously Lean stroked the brown hair from her face and stepped back. "Good night, Heera."
"Good night, Lean," she murmured absently as he went.
Only when the door had been shut and locked, she realized that she had done for the first time a normal conversation with Lean. They talked without offending each other or to bomb with prejudice. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that he was not the arrogant guy perhaps, the way she had always held him. Perhaps he would make her sister happy indeed.
A True Prince
distinguished not by his birth,
but by its deeds.
8
As Heera entered the breakfast room next morning, the other girls responded in a more hostile manner to her than the previous day. She quickly glanced at the wall on which the ranking of the candidates had been displayed previously, but so far there was no new list published.
Fairytale chosen Page 6