Chapter Two: Memories Come Flooding
819 Words
I know I've mentioned this before, but perhaps you would like to know a bit more about what I remembered on my sixteenth birthday.
My Memory:
I was a young girl when my mother died, and my father remarried. My stepmother was beautiful. Everyone thought so. As I became older though I realized she was pretty. Pretty vain. She was constantly looking at her reflection in mirrors. Little did I know that would be my downfall. As I got older I grew more beautiful according to everyone around me. So beautiful and full of song that I caught the attention of a Prince from a neighboring kingdom.
He heard me singing one day, and when our eyes met we knew we were meant to be. It was true love at first sight.
As my beauty grew, so did her jealousy. One day I was taken for a walk by our huntsman. He oversaw hunting animals and bringing meat in for our dinners. He was a nice guy, but then he tried to kill me. Thankfully I appealed to his better nature and he let me go.
I never found out how he convinced my stepmother I was dead, but I ran and ran into the dark forest. After spending a rather frightful night in the woods surrounded by animals I came upon a cottage. It was the messiest place I had ever been in. So with the help of some animal friends, and my amazing singing voice, we whistled while we worked and got that disgusting cottage clean.
At first I thought seven orphans lived there, but upon being rudely awakened from a nap I realized they were seven dwarfs. We became close. They would go “heigh ho” and mine, and I would whistle, clean, and cook.
Until she came, an old woman who I now know was my stepmother in disguise. She gave me this beautiful red apple and told me it was magic. Now that I think about it, how gullible am I? So I took a bite of this apple and ended up falling asleep...
Next thing I know I'm waking up with my handsome prince kissing me, surrounded by dwarfs in a glass coffin. It's okay though. We got our happily ever after.
We had children and ruled for many years. Then they came. This coven of witches that acted like good fairies: sweet, and kind. They gathered all the Noble Princesses of the different realms and offered us all a gift. A chance of living again and having another go at being happy with our true loves. Of course we took it, who wouldn't? That is where we messed up. The second the deal was made we were all bound and given the truth behind the gift.
Because we had all been selfish enough to take it, we would all receive a special curse along with it. We would have until our eighteenth birthday to be free of this curse. Then it would hit. Then the truth came out that if we failed to find our true loves by our twenty-third birthday we would forever remain with our curses.
As per the normal fairy tales, the only way to break our curses would be true love’s kiss.
Memories…
That was what I remembered, happiness and then worry. Before I died I wished beyond all wishes that they wouldn't be able to do what they offered, but deep down I knew they could. I died with fear in my heart. I don't intend to live this cursed life in fear. I am going to do my best to fight this curse, and fight whatever nature I end up with.
I know in my previous life I was a sweet, animal whispering, naive, constantly happy, singing princess, but this time will be different. I am still a princess, always will be, and I will find my true love no matter the cost.
The world I lived in was supposed to be peaceful, full of life, love and happiness, and yet all because of jealousy, I was forced to leave a father I loved and the people I cared for. Eventually, after my stepmother was gone, I was able to see my father again. On his deathbed I was finally reunited with him. Moments before he stopped breathing, he got to see my face one last time, and he smiled.
It broke my heart, but I got through it with my husband Florian and our children. We had four children, Rose, Ruby, Arden, and Draven. They were sweet, beautiful children who all grew up to be wonderful little princes and princesses. I was able to grow old and watch them get older, take over ruling, find their true loves, marry and be happy.
I live in the hopes that I will get to live a life like that again and have another happily ever after...
- Writer
