The Faceless Princess

by Acton Cooper

to his bright emerald green eyes and took his breath away. At once, he felt both blissful and miserable. Prince Anthony’s heart longed to stay beside this enchanted creek forever. He sighed and ran his fingers through his tousled waves and laughed at himself for feeling so strongly about a glittery brook that would most likely dry out one day. Nevertheless, Prince Anthony stayed in the forest and spent as much time near the creek as he possibly could. Every morning his handsome face reflected on the creek’s surface, the stream welcomed it with enthusiastic ripples and happy splashes happily splashes his face. One day, as he sat by the edge eating his bread and wine a gentle puff of air danced around his golden-haired tresses, lifting them. The breeze whispered to him.

  “Release me…” it murmured, “help me, unbound me…”

  Prince Anthony sprang to his feet. His eyes were alert and his muscles tense. He curled his fingers slightly around his sword, a frown darkening his face. The Prince moved around slowly, scrutinizing his surroundings like a wild cat.

  “Saaaave meee…” the breeze whistled.

  “I do not know how,” he responded. “Tell me how. I’ll do anything, anything at all!”

  The breeze spoke no more but the Prince knew what to do. He must dry out the creek. At first, Prince Anthony resisted the idea. He could not bear to destroy something so lovely and magnificent. But the breeze insisted. He knew that he would have no peace until he had carried out the dreadful act and leave the animals in the forest without such a luminous resource.

  Prince Anthony’s face gloomed and he left his camp to find the creek’s source and seal it. Tears rolled down his rosy cheeks. Tears streamed down the handsome Prince’s face as he piled rocks in front of the brook’s source. The soothing, trickling noise coming from the source came to a halt with a horrible hiss. He watched the silvery stream turn to nothing more than a drop of cool dew in the fragrant forest.

  Suddenly, a girl rose from the moist sand of the creek bed like a silver feather. Princess Camryn was freed from the warlock’s spell. The Prince couldn’t look her in the eye as she levitated. She was beautiful!

  “Thank you,” Princess Camryn said, blushing at the handsome Prince. “A warlock’s spell was holding me down in the creek. My apologies if I frightened you. It was the only way to tell you how I could be freed.” Prince Anthony bowed and then looked around him with wide eyes. There were all kinds of flowers surrounding them and the dead trees were alive and green again. “I believe the warlock might be dead.

  “And how did you survive?”

  ”I was not thinking of myself. I was thinking about you,” she said. “Perhaps that is why the warlock’s death freed me. You are like an angel. I have a great deal to thank you for.” Princess Camryn’s cheeks flushed.

  “There is no need to thank me. Fate restored your life,” smiled the Prince, taking the Princess's hand. “Please allow me to take you safely to your home.”

  As they walked hand in hand through the forest, Prince Anthony realized that he wished never to part from the kind and beautiful princess. He became sensitive to fate and embraced the thought that right, takes you places. Would this notion be everlasting? Yes, I have come to love her greatly, Prince Anthony thought. He was pleased to learn Princess Camryn had fallen just as much in love with him. She told him about what her mother and aunt had done to her. They went to his kingdom instead and informed Prince Anthony's father, the King, about they love and wished to be married. The King was overjoyed his son had finally found someone to love and hardly blinked when Prince Anthony told him about the Queen. He had heard of this wretched Queen.

  “Don’t worry, my dear, you are safe with us and your blood is welcome to be part of our lineage.” The King led the happy couple to a magnificent chamber where Princess Duana sat absentmindedly drinking tea by a great fire, dreaming of marrying the King’s son so the two crowns could both sit upon her beautiful head. At the sight of Princess Camryn she quickly rose to her feet. The white and gold porcelain cup she was holding crashed to the hard floor. Shards of porcelain flew by her feet. The color drained from her face, exposing her freckles. She would have fallen had the king not put out a hand to catch her. “It is a shock, isn’t it, my lady?” he said.

  “A happy one, indeed,” Princess Duana said bitterly. Her face turned green with envy and her eyebrows pulled together in frustration. She quivered like a leaf and her hands formed fists on the sides of her silk skirt. Princess Duana couldn’t keep from showing her true colors and all the hatred she felt for Princess Camryn came tumbling out of her mouth like a swarm of bees.

  “Why didn’t you drown or turn to ashes like your mother, horse face? I hate you!” Princess Duane screamed. Prince Anthony was pale with disgust. The King called the guards.

  “Mother is dead?” Princess Camryn asked softly.

  “The warlock from Wickery Mountain turned her into ashes after marrying me in payment for casting a spell on you. Then a few days ago he turned into a plume of smoke! Now I see why. Why didn’t you die, witch?” Princess Duana nostrils flared and her eyes were crazed. She picked up a piece of broken porcelain and charged Princess Camryn. The royal guards got there in time to stop her.

  “Take her away!” the king said, waving his hand.

  At once, the heartless Princess Duana was apprehended and locked away from Prince Anthony and Princess Camryn.

  Princess Camryn and Prince Anthony married on Princess Camryn's eighteenth birthday in a lavish ceremony where burgundy and white flowers rained over them and a carriage pulled by white horses paraded them around town. All the faces around them were bright and happy, and Princess Camryn didn’t wish to hide her face. She'd come to realize that she wasn’t ugly; she just didn’t have a happy expression on her face. Her whole life she was drowning in sorrow, knowing her mother didn’t see her as fair and beautiful. The truth was, she the Queen, was jealous of Princess Camryn’s beauty and kind heart.

  So it was that Princess Duana watched the kingdom’s festivities for the marriage of her niece from a tiny window in the highest tower in which she had been imprisoned. Her royal subjects… a pigeon and a horde of dirty gray rats.

  ***THE END***

  Thank you for taking the time to read my book. Please take a moment to leave a comment at the site from which you downloaded. This book is free; feedback is the only payment I request! You may also contact me at https://emmieactoncooper.blogspot.com/ Check out my other short stories

  Aonghus, The Shoemaker’s Raincoat, An Enchanted Seahorse and the Case of the Missing Cupcakes.