| Fairy Tale by Destiny Prince Lance sighed as a string of beautiful women paraded before him. He dared not yawn as the king sat to his right, the queen to his left. Their only son was to choose a wife. He was nearing twenty-two, far too old to be single any longer. The jeweled crown sat atop the Prince's head and his eyes drifted over each young woman. They were all quite pretty but he wanted more, much more. He craved a woman to meet his mind, a woman he could fall in love with slowly. He imagined picnics on the grounds near the stream and horseback riding on the beach. He dreamed of quiet dinners in his chambers and long leisurely nights of love making. "Lance. Please focus." His mother tapped his knee with irritation. "You're birthday is soon, my son. You'll be married that day. You need to make a decision today." Lance nodded obediently. He watched as a new group of giggling girls were brought in. Nothing new. All the same. While their hair and eye color changed, they were still the same shell of a person. None of them really wanted him for him...they just wanted to be Queen someday. The king was growing agitated by his son's fickleness. "Lance, you will select now or the choice will be made for you." "No, father. I will choose," he said with a weak smile. Standing up, he descended the steps to the floor. He tucked his hands properly behind his back and weaved through the line of females. "They're all very lovely," he commented. Inside he knew none were suitable for him. Their eyes spoke of no magic, held no sparkle, no challenge. He wanted a passionate woman, a woman who would speak her mind and be an equal. These girls were subservient. He could just tell. He scratched his temple and gazed back at the King. Maybe he should let his father select. It really didn't matter. He was destined to be unhappy. The queen left her throne and stood beside her forlorn son. "Lance, you will be happy. Whichever wife you pick will make you happy." She cupped his face in her hands and smiled at him. "I promise you. She will bear many children for you and fulfill your desires. She will someday wear my crown and the two of you will sit side by side like the king and I." Lance leaned in and kissed his mother's cheek. "I don't know, mother. I mean, did father choose you like this? Did you and father get a chance to fall in love or was it random?" The queen's eyes clouded over with such an inappropriate question posed. She touched her ruby necklace absently. "Lance. You are not to speak such things," she murmured lowly. "Your father will have you whipped if you do. You know this is your fate, your destiny. Accept it and choose lest you want the king to choose for you." She touched his cheek softly. "Choose my son." Her eyes softened as she looked at him. Lance frowned when the queen's back was turned. His cape was suffocating and his crown was prickling his scalp. He wanted to run from the room, tear off down the waxed halls and seek out his cousins for help. His four cousins who sustained him through childhood and young manhood. If it weren't for them, he'd never have learned so much about life and love. They were allowed to do things he was not. They regaled him with tales so fantastic it made his green eyes shine and his heart long for the same. He simply could not choose. Turning on his heels he retuned to his father's side. "You may choose," he sighed, slumping into his chair. "Father, you may arrange my bride." Lance was miserable as the manservant clapped his hands for the young women to leave the ballroom. They filed out in a most orderly fashion and once the huge doors closed, the queen rose. "Your father will choose wisely for you," she said simply, pecking the king's lips and sweeping out with her servants in tow. Lance looked at his father. The king was a larger than life figure. His face never smiled and his body never faltered. He held his position with grace and power. "Lance," he spoke, never turning his gaze toward his only son. "A wife will await you on May the fourth. So it shall be." "Thank you father," Lance bowed his head slightly as his father rose and was assisted out of the room. "He's gone?" Lance looked up and smiled to see his four cousins slip in. "How did it proceed my cousin?" Master Justin asked with shining eyes. "Have you a bride?" "Ah, it is being arranged," Lance said, stepping down from his velvet chair. "I could not choose." "Why, you're a fool," Master Joseph said with a deep laugh. "I saw the women walk from here. They are magnificent." "And you're a dolt," Master Joshua said, tapping Joseph on the head with his hand. "The prince desires a love so pure and true it will create rainbows." He turned his head to look at Lance. "Is that not right?" Lance nodded with regret. "My cousin speaks the truth," he replied, untying his cape. A manservant attended him and took the cape and crown. "Tonight we drink though. Tonight I drown my sorrows for love that will never be." Master Christopher tilted his head as the manservant disappeared. "Tonight we escape the confines of the castle and join the peasants for real drinking." His eyes gleamed mischievously and he looked at the others for support. "Tonight we take the prince to the land and find some wench to comfort us." Joseph banged on his chest roughly. "Tonight we shall be real men. Tonight we shall take what we will, drink what we wish, and have relations with the town hussies." Joshua blushed deeply. "Tonight we will be lashed by our elders when we are caught." He appealed to the prince's good sense. "Surely you do not wish to go along with this inane plan. Surely the prince has more logic than that." The prince rubbed his nose and clapped Joshua on the shoulder. "Tonight we shall fear no one, my cousin. Tonight we shall ride the horses into the town and be free. The day of my birth will soon be here and I cannot escape once that day is here." Justin let out a long breath. His blue eyes shone with excitement. "You know, my cousins, I have yet to see the outer confines of the castle." "Ah, that is because you are not yet twenty-one. You are still a baby." Christopher laughed heartily as he tousled the younger man's golden curls. "The baby with the cherub face and darling heart." Justin scowled and folded his arms neatly over his chest. "I am no baby," he complained with dark eyes. "I am a man. My body is a man's body." "Let us see what the wenches think of that man body then," Joseph chuckled, leading the charge out of the ballroom. "Let us hear what the wenches think." |