by A. W. Cross
Ming enjoyed playing the princess in danger. It was hilarious watching the little creature pretend to be helpless while Claire played the dashing prince. When those stories concluded, they celebrated by eating cake and drinking tea.
Claire was happy with the distraction, but she was aware that there was more to her living in the palace than playing games and making friends. The prince was still cold, and the kingdom cursed to a horrible winter. How was she supposed to make the prince happy when he seemed fine with being dour and angry? How could she help him if he was being obstinate and not talking to her?
10
“Lady Claire, there’s news from the capital and items to help pass the time and keep you fed.” The butler peeked in her room. “The fairies are collecting the items, but I thought you would want to collect the letter personally.”
Claire bounded out of bed and straight to the chariot waiting outside. She peppered the driver with questions, but all he did was give her the letter and stated that the kingdom was counting on her to make the prince happy. While grateful for the news, she was getting tired of being treated as if the curse was her fault.
The fairies had brought in a load of new things—beautiful fabrics to sew new dresses and other lovely items. There were also new books to read, so that they could create new adventures to help pass the time, and scrumptious food to keep up their sustenance. There were so many items, Claire almost felt guilty. All of this food would feed her poor neighborhood well, yet it was just for a few people within the palace. She recalled the unfair disparity between the rich and poor. Perhaps she could change it if the prince made her his queen. As if I’d marry that stuck-up and pompous prince!
Claire focused on the letter she received. It was from her mother, and that alone made the young lady smile. The Regent had been kind to her parents, helping them face all financial hardship. Her mother was recovering from her disease and able to do more around the house. Mother was also glad that Claire had a chance at a better life with the prince. She asked her not to worry about her and Father, but also reminded her that many citizens were preoccupied with the fact that the winter was still there. Blizzards were getting worse, and the prince needed to be happy. That way, spring would come to the kingdom in time for crops to grow. Mother gave other news about the nation and ended with the usual ‘I Love You.’
Guilt gripped Claire’s chest. The letter was a godsend and a sad reminder. She was not just at the palace to play with the fairies. Their kingdom was in turmoil, and for that year, she was the one that should make the prince happy and hold back the winter. She had tried to reach the prince before with no success. Now, she was more determined than ever to get William to pay attention and let happiness into his life.
When dinner came that night, Claire was ready with her questions. “Prince William, do you like the tomato soup?” she asked but got no answer. “I think it’s delicious, and the fairies did an amazing job preparing it for us.”
“That’s their job.” The prince didn’t even look up.
Claire felt as if someone had splashed a bucket of cold water on her face.
“Actually, it isn’t their job,” she dared to say. Her throat went dry, but she continued. “They are here because they like to help people in need. They want you to be happy as much as everybody else in the kingdom. It’s not their job to cook for you.”
“They can leave whenever they want,” the prince grumbled.
“And who would attend to you if they did?”
The prince stopped eating and put down his spoon. “Do you want me to thank them?”
Her voice came out cold when she spoke. “It would be a start.”
His perfect lips pursed as his eyes aimed at her face, slightly narrowing. It was the biggest display of emotion since the occurrence in the Throne Room. His glare was supposed to be intimidating, but Claire found herself lost in the blue of his eyes. She wondered how he would look if his skin wasn’t so pale. Was he like that because of the curse or because he didn’t go out into the sun?
Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by Ming. “There’s no need to thank us, Your Highness.” The pink fairy smiled as she landed next to Claire’s hand. “We enjoy being here with Claire. She’s the nicest of them all. You should spend some time with her to get to know her.”
The prince groaned instead of forming words.
Claire gripped her spoon harder due to his behavior. Be nice. You need to please him. “We made a lovely dessert. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Dessert?” His eyes widened with surprise. “Hazelnut chocolate cake? Vanilla pudding or sweet bread?”
“I thought you didn’t care about dessert,” Claire said under her breath.
“Why would you think that?” the prince asked.
“Claire has stopped making your favorite desserts because you didn’t seem to enjoy them,” Ming clarified.
The prince looked from Ming to Claire and from Claire to Ming. “You let her do this to me?”
Ming shrugged. “We are your godmothers, not your servants.”
“Yes, my godmothers. You should like me more than you like her,” the prince complained.
Claire pursed her lips, trying to swallow her grin.
“Claire made us her favorite dessert for tonight,” Ming said, placing her hands on her hips.
“I don’t care about her favorite dessert. I want my favorite dessert;” the prince protested.
“Spoiled and self-centered just like Deborah. I wonder if the Regent made the right decision. They seem perfect for each other,” Claire commented out loud, looking at Tasha and Kara who were seated on the other side of the table. They giggled.
Claire pointed her fork at them. “It’s probably your fault. You let them do whatever he wants.”
“They do their best to make me happy. What do you do?” the prince asked with a frown.
Claire looked at him. “I make you your favorite desserts and try to talk to you during dinner. I wait around the palace to see if you want to talk to me or spend time with me. I can’t do anything more than that since you’d rather be alone than spend time with the fairies and me.”
The prince got up. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Claire shrugged. “More chocolate cake for us.”
The prince glared at her.
Ming let her tiny presence be noticed. “Sit down and finish your dinner,” she ordered. “I’m still your godmother, and you will obey me tonight.”
The prince sat down and played with his food. “I don’t like peas.”
“Vegetables are costly. More expensive than meat since they are all imported from other kingdoms. The poor would be happy to eat your peas if they had them,” Claire informed him.
The prince looked at his plate and ate his peas without protesting or looking up again.
Claire watched him in silence. Once he was done, she looked at her plate. “I’ll make you your favorite sweet bread tomorrow if that makes you happy.”
No reply.
Claire put her fork down and looked at him. “Are you going to stop being so childish about this?”
“I’m not childish.”
“Then answer me when I talk to you.”
“I don’t know what to say,” he mumbled.
“Yes, no, okay, I’ll think about it, maybe, as you want,” Claire enumerated. “It’s not that hard.”
The prince relaxed against his chair, and his perfect lips moved. “As you please.”
Claire grinned. “Then I’ll make you dessert.”
A moment of silence, and he answered, “Okay.”
Claire resumed her eating.
“What might you want to talk about with me?” the prince questioned.
“Aren’t you the slightest bit curious about me?”
“No.”
She frowned. “Okay. What about what’s happening in your kingdom?”
“The Regent sends me a weekly report.”
“I doubt he tells you everything.”
“He tells me what I need to know.”
Claire sipped on her water. “A chariot arrived today from the village with goods and news. Mom said that …”
“I have no wish to know news about what’s happening with your family.”
“Well, you should because they are counting on you and me to make their lives easier. I live with my parents in a simple hut ...”
“Are you going to keep prattling on?” Prince Williams cut her off. “No matter. I’m finished.”
He left his side of the table and walked to the exit.
Claire got up. “But the dessert …”
He didn’t even bother to turn around. The door closed behind him.
“You tried your best.” Ming flew up and landed on her shoulder.
“It wasn’t good enough.” Claire sighed. “Is there a way for anyone to get through to him? So many have failed so far. Is he ever this unpleasant with the other girls or he just doesn’t like me?”
“He seems to lose his temper faster with you,” Kara, the blue fairy, replied.
“That’s terrible to know,” Claire said. “He hates me. I shouldn’t be here. I lose my temper too fast when I should be nicer to him.”
“He just confessed he likes your desserts and misses them. Just take that as a win and stop doubting yourself. It’s not your fault that he’s an insensible idiot who can’t see how nice and friendly you are.”
“He’s cursed, I can’t really blame him for being cold to me. His personality is different, and he probably doesn’t do it on purpose when he’s rude and unthoughtful.”
Kara folded her arms. “Are you defending him?”
Ming sighed. “William gave up a while ago. He’s been harder to reach. Being annoyed by you is hardly negative. At least, he’s feeling something.” She tapped Claire’s head. “You need to try again tomorrow. We’ll make another dessert and no peas this time.”
Claire smiled with Ming’s attempt to cheer her up. “William is lucky for having you by his side.”
“We promised his mother to take care of him until he found someone to love with all his heart and soul,” Ming shared. “She was our friend, like you. We miss her, and I’m sure that William also misses his parents. He’s all alone in this huge palace.”
“Maybe he’d spend more time with you if I wasn’t here. Do you think he resents me for being friends with you?” Claire asked.
“William never liked to play with us,” Ming replied.
“Only when he was a little boy,” Kara added.
“Yes.” Tasha smiled. “When he was young, he was a cute and affectionate kid. The curse transformed him into someone else. Someone that we have a hard time recognizing.”
“Stop,” Kara protested. “You’re making me sad. I miss old William. Let’s eat cake. Chocolate makes everything seem better.”
Claire giggled. “We can go to the kitchen, practice our play, and then eat cake and drink tea.”
Kara nodded in approval. “If we are good enough, we can invite other fairies to be our audience.”
Claire clapped her hands. “More fairies! Do they have different colors like you?”
“Some may have,” Ming answered. “But we are the prettiest of them all.”
“Without a question.” Claire laughed.
“Back, evil pirate!” Claire held a broom like a sword. “I will not allow you to make the princess walk the plank. For a girl so fair and kind does not deserve to become food for the vicious sharks below.”
“Save me, brave knight!” Ming played her role as a princess hostage perfectly.
Tasha, the green fairy, flew in a circle, playing the silent but mean pirate captain. Their latest choreography in the kitchen was Claire’s favorite. The late parties helped take her mind off all her failed attempts to get the prince’s attention.
“Throw the princess to the sharks!” the blue fairy playing the pirate crew declared.
“What are you doing?” a voice asked out of the blue.
Silence fell as Claire, and the fairies looked at the prince. He stood by the door with his eyebrows raised, and his arms folded.
“Acting out a story we created.” Claire spoke up and rushed to his side. “Do you want to watch?” Her hand reached to grab his arm, but she stopped when the fairies chittered as if in a panic.
The prince looked down at his arms and then at her.
“What are you doing here this late?” Claire asked him.
“I wanted more sweet bread. Did you eat it all?”
Claire shook her head. “We were planning to eat it after the play.” She offered him her hand. “Come and sit down. I’ll serve you tea and bread. You can be our audience and critique our performance.”
The prince refused her hand and brushed past her, stopping by the kitchen table and sitting down.
The fairies flew around, placing a cup, filling it with water and some leaves, putting honey in his tea, and bringing a plate of sweet bread for him to eat.
Meanwhile, Claire resumed her place on the improvised stage and decided to ignore the fact that his presence made her nervous.
“Do you need anything else, sweet William?” Ming asked with a tender voice.
“No, godmother. Just continue with the story.” He stirred his tea. “I want to know what happened next.”
The play continued as the prince watched them perform until the end.
Claire rushed to his side and sat on the chair next to his. “What did you think of our play?”
William raised his eyes to meet hers. “Not bad for amateurs.”
“Do you think the fairies will like it?”
“More fairies? Did my godmothers invite their friends to come here?”
Claire nodded.
“You’ll need to practice more if you have such a tough audience,” the prince suggested.
“Do you think they will hate it? Did you hate it? Were we too loud and silly?”
“It was fun. Ming plays a dramatic princess and you a reckless hero.” He looked at the fairies cleaning up the mess they made. “The pirate could use more lines, though. He’s not very menacing. You should ask the butler to be the captain. He’s menacing enough.”
Claire laughed. “You’re right. He would be perfect.”
When she looked at the prince, his eyes were on her, and she felt her cheeks warm up under his scrutiny. “What?”
“You need sword lessons. Your fighting abilities aren’t convincing enough.”
Claire leaned closer. “Are you going to teach me?”
The prince’s face became stern, and his eyes lost the amused glint he had before. He got up and scrubbed his hands against his coat. “It’s late. I should go to bed.” He turned around but didn’t walk away. “Can I watch you practice again tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
“You can use the dining room for that. I can help with the decorations and the props.”
“We’d love that!”
The prince glanced at her. “It’s a date then. See you tomorrow.”
With those words, he left.
Disoriented, Claire turned left and right, unsure of what he meant by calling that a date. At least he was opening up to the idea of spending time with her. Watching the plays might bring joy to his heart. Maybe she had found a way to make him happy. He had smiled while he was watching them perform. She hadn’t imagined that.
Turning to the fairies, Claire clapped her hands. “Listen up, troupe! Tomorrow, we need to be more organized and perform better. We need better lines and funnier moments. Understood?”
The fairies stopped what they were doing and answered at the same time. “Aye aye, Captain!”
11
For the next few nights, Claire and the fairies happily play-acted stories for the prince after dinner, enjoying every second of having an audience. Even the butler gave a nod of approval.
Prince William smiled as the fairies and Claire battled and pretended to destroy the evildoers who plagued the wo
rld of fantasy they created.
At dinner that night, Prince William was more talkative than never. “Where did you come up with these ideas for the shows?”
“When I was younger, Mother told me stories of pirates and evil witches who kidnapped children and were jealous of beautiful princesses. She liked to tell me bedtime stories. I didn’t mind she repeated them and often asked her to tell me the ones I loved the most. Once I grew up and learned to read, I often went to the town’s library to request books. Mother likes me to read them to her while she’s embroidering.” She sighed. “Now that she’s sick, I don’t have time to read stories because I need to help with all the chores at home. Dad doesn’t have a lot of free time either. He works in the mines, and he’s doing double-shifts to keep up with the demand for more minerals.” Her eyes aimed at him. “Sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about the struggles of the commoners.”
The prince’s face didn’t change, which showed that her words had no moving effect on him.
“Are you surprised that I know how to read?” she dared to ask.
“Should I be?”
Claire looked at her plate. “Apparently not.”
“I like the sound of your laughter when you are playing with the fairies. It doesn’t sound fake,” the prince shared.
Claire raised her eyes to meet his. Her heart melted a bit with the effect his words had on her. “What else do you like?”
“I like that you believe that evil is always defeated by good.”
“It’s a naïve conception, I’m fully aware of that.”
The prince tilted his head to the right. “Sometimes, trying to do what’s right can cause harm to others.”
“Was that why you were cursed?”
His eyelids fluttered. “Beauty can be a curse. I’m sure you’re aware of that too.”
It was Claire’s turn to tilt her head and squint. “Are you saying you find me pretty?”
“To some, you might be. I was just saying that you were sent here because someone thought you were beautiful enough to seduce me.”