A long time ago there was a queen who was about to have her twelfth child.
“It’s a girl your majesty.”
The king looked down at the tiny pink baby in the midwifes arms. “Another girl.”
“It’s a round dozen your majesty. Who ever heard of a kingdom with twelve princesses and no heir to the throne.” The midwife laughed her way out of a job and was lucky to escape with her life.
The king carried the child back into the room where his queen lay on the huge bed, her hair still slick with sweat.
“Should we have another naming ceremony my king, it hasn’t even been a year since the last and I grow tired of having to remember to invite every fairy out of fear of insulting just one?”
“I grow tired of them as well, have you thought of a name, we can just do it now and be done with it.”
“May I present their royal highnesses, Princess Compassion, Princess Desire, Princess Empathy, Princess Euphoria, Princess Hope, Princess Joy, Princess Acceptance, Princess Rapture, Princess Patience, Princess Vitality, Princess Tranquility, and the youngest of the line, Happy Birthday to Princess Merry.”
Everyone in the room ooohed and awed as the older eleven beautiful sisters entered the room. However, those same people fell silent when Princess Merry walked through the gilded double doors and the young princess would have sworn she heard someone gasp. She held herself together for a surprisingly long time standing at the top of the stairs, until she heard someone say, their whisper carrying through the quite room, “are those freckles?”
Merry felt her face grow hot, and not the pretty blushes her sisters had when they talked about a new knight or young lord, but a full face, hairline to neck unattractive kind of blush. She turned on her heal and ran out of the room, no one tried to stop her and she didn’t stop running until she was lost in the rose garden. When she found herself facing the back garden wall she turned and leaned against the cool stone.
“What’s this? A lovely young lady alone in the garden the night of a ball. Wouldn’t you rather be inside enjoying the attention of all your admirers Princess?”
Merry looked up to see the silhouette of a young man sitting on the wall, his feet dangling right over her head, the slowly setting sun behind him made it impossible for her to see his face.
“How did you know?”
“One would wear a crown on palace grounds.”
Merry reached up and ran her fingers along the golden circlet around her head.
“What’s wrong highness, I thought a lady’s sixteenth birthday was a happy occasion.”
“It might be if my parents actually cared that I was born at all.”
“I’m not following.”
Merry sighed and leaned against the cool wall again. Without warning the young man landed crouched in front of her. She gasped, “Are you all right.”
“Perfectly, but I doubt you could give the same answer.”
Merry sighed again, “Do you know what happens when a Princess is born?”. She continued without waiting for an answer, “When a Princess is born the King and Queen have a naming ceremony where they invite every important person they know and every fairy in the country so that they don’t offend any of them, bad things happen when you offend a fairy. Then everyone give gifts, but the fairies gifts are the most important, they give the gifts of beauty, song, sweetness, and who knows what else.”
“Did your parents offend someone then?”
Merry stared at him, open mouthed when she pulled herself together she sadly asked, “So you think I’m ugly too?”
“What, no, oh no, I’m sorry Princess I just meant that you kept what must be your natural charms. Your sisters are perfection itself, hair as golden as the sun, or a dark as a raven’s wing. But if you will forgive me, there doesn’t seem to be an ounce of sense between them and I hear their conversation is rather dull. But you, you’re pretty and interesting.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, “no one has ever told me I was pretty before when someone like Patience or Rapture are standing next to me.”
“Have any of you actually felt the emotions you are named for?”
Merry laughed, “no probably not, Euphoria complains about everything, and Empathy only thinks about herself.” They both laughed at the Princess’ expense, but then an uncomfortable silence fell between them.
“Have you ever been happy Merry? Shouldn’t tonight be all about you, to show you off?”
“My birthday was just an excuse for a ball, if anyone actually cared I would have the fairies gifts and they would admire me when I walked into a room too. I wish my hair fell in perfect soft ringlets like Compassion’s instead of these stupid tight curls right out of my head, and it’s this stupid copper red unlike Hope’s raven locks, and who ever heard of a princes with hazel eyes.”
“Anything else?” The young man was looking at her strangely and there was coldness in his voice Merry hadn’t heard yet.
“Yes, I am neither tall nor short. Vitality is so tall and thin, whereas Joy is so short and petite.”
“Maybe your name should be envy.” The young man’s voice was defiantly cold now.
Merry froze surprised and hurt, “How dare you?”
“Princess, maybe you should stop worrying about your appearance and think about how you can help those around you, improve on the kingdom, be a good and useful queen. Or maybe you can bring to everyone attention how wrong it is that the fairies only seem to serve to make girls pretty a vain. I thought you might be different Princess Merry, but I can see now that you are just like them. Good bye.”
The young man easily climbed a trellis and scrambled over the garden wall.
Merry stared after him for a moment then looked around and noticed that it had gone dark while they had been talking. She then sank to the ground. She worried about the state of her dress and the dirt that must be clinging to it as she sat, then a wave of guilt and shame about her attitude washed over her. Her parents had unknowingly given her the opportunity to be a better person but in the end she had turned out just as selfish, bitter, and vain as her cursed sisters.
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