The Princess He lost, and The Maid He Loved

EPISODE 1 The Kingdom of Valoria had a very important problem. Its crown prince was hiding in a tree. "Adrian!" Ten-year-old Crown Prince Adrian Lucien of Valoria froze. He was halfway up the largest oak tree in the royal garden, one hand gripping a branch and the other holding a stolen apple. Below him stood his mother, Queen Marianne. She had her hands on her hips. "Come down." Adrian looked at the apple. Then at his mother. Then at the ground. "I'm studying." Queen Marianne blinked. "Studying?" "Yes." "From a tree?" "Nature." She stared at him. "You're supposed to be preparing for Princess Seraphina's arrival." Adrian groaned. "I knew there was a reason I was hiding." "Adrian." "I'm coming." He climbed down reluctantly. The moment his feet touched the ground, Queen Marianne fixed his collar. "Today is important." "I know." "Princess Seraphina of Elaria is arriving." "I know." "She is your betrothed." "I know." "And you will behave." Adrian sighed. "How many times are you going to say that?" "Until you listen." Adrian looked toward the palace. He had heard about Princess Seraphina since he was very young. Their fathers had arranged the marriage before either child had been born. The alliance between Elaria and Valoria was important. Their kingdoms shared a border. They shared trade routes. And they had been allies for generations. Their marriage was supposed to strengthen everything. Adrian, however, didn't care much about alliances. He cared about sword fighting. He cared about riding horses. He cared about climbing trees. And most importantly... he cared about not being forced to spend time with a girl he had never met. "What if I don't like her?" he asked. Queen Marianne smiled. "Then you will be polite." "What if she's annoying?" "You will be patient." "What if she talks too much?" "You will listen." "What if she doesn't like me?" Queen Marianne smiled. "Then perhaps you will finally understand how the rest of the palace feels about you." Adrian stared at her. "Mother." She laughed. "You'll be fine." Adrian crossed his arms. "I'm not worried." "You've been hiding in a tree." "I wasn't hiding." "You were eating an apple." "I was also not hiding." Queen Marianne shook her head. "Come." They walked toward the palace. Neither noticed the young girl watching them from behind one of the columns. Princess Arabella of Lydria. She had arrived the previous evening with her parents. Arabella was eight years old and had already decided that Prince Adrian was the most handsome boy she had ever seen. Unfortunately, she had also decided that he was arrogant. And she had no intention of telling him that she liked him. Ever. Especially not after he had stolen her favorite pastry at breakfast. She crossed her arms. "Annoying prince." Then she noticed something. The royal guards were preparing for the arrival of the Elarian carriage. Arabella smiled. Her best friend was coming. Princess Seraphina. Finally. --- The Arrival By noon, the palace was filled with activity. Servants hurried through the corridors. Guards lined the courtyard. Musicians stood ready. King Richard and Queen Marianne waited at the palace entrance. Adrian stood beside them. He had been forced into a formal blue jacket with silver embroidery. He hated it. He tugged at the collar. "Stop." His mother fixed it again. "It is too tight." "It is perfectly fitted." "It feels like I'm being strangled." "You look handsome." "I don't care." "You should." "Why?" "Because you're meeting your future bride." Adrian looked toward the road. "I still don't understand why everyone keeps calling her that." His father looked at him. "Because she is." Adrian sighed. "Fine." The sound of trumpets interrupted him. Everyone turned. A golden carriage approached the palace. The royal crest of Elaria was displayed on its door. Adrian suddenly felt nervous. He didn't know why. The carriage stopped. King Edmund stepped down first. Queen Isabella followed. Then came a small girl. Princess Seraphina. She was eight years old. Her dark brown hair fell around her shoulders, held back by a pale blue ribbon. She wore a white and blue dress embroidered with tiny flowers. She looked around the palace. Her eyes widened. Adrian watched her. She looked... different from what he'd expected. He had imagined a quiet princess who would stand politely beside her parents. Instead, she was staring at the fountain. Then the gardens. Then the palace tower. Then the guards. Then the horses. Then the roof. Adrian frowned. Why was she looking at the roof? Seraphina suddenly noticed him. Their eyes met. Neither spoke. Queen Isabella smiled. "Seraphina, this is Prince Adrian." Seraphina looked at him. Adrian bowed. "Princess." Seraphina curtsied. "Your Highness." Adrian straightened. There was silence. Then Seraphina asked: "Are you always this serious?" Adrian blinked. "What?" "You look angry." "I'm not angry." "You look angry." "I don't." "You do." Adrian frowned. "I don't." Seraphina tilted her head. "You're grumpy." "I'm not grumpy." She smiled. "You are." Adrian looked at his mother. Queen Marianne was struggling not to laugh. His father had turned away. Seraphina suddenly smiled brightly. "I think you're funny." Adrian stared at her. "I'm not trying to be funny." "That's why you're funny." Arabella, who had been standing nearby, burst out laughing. Adrian looked at her. "You too?" Arabella covered her mouth. "I'm sorry." She wasn't. Seraphina turned toward her. "Arabella!" Arabella immediately ran toward her. The girls hugged. "I missed you!" "I missed you too!" "You got taller!" "So did you!" "Did you bring the blue ribbons I asked for?" "Yes!" Seraphina grabbed her hand. "Show me!" "Now?" "Yes!" Arabella laughed. Adrian watched them. His mother leaned toward him. "You should go with them." "Why?" "Because Seraphina is your future wife." Adrian looked horrified. "That is exactly why I don't want to." His mother laughed. --- The Three Children The girls ran toward the gardens. Adrian followed reluctantly. "Wait!" Seraphina looked over her shoulder. "You walk too slowly." "I'm walking normally." "You're too serious." "You've said that already." "And I'll say it again." Arabella laughed. "You two are going to argue a lot." Seraphina smiled. "We already are." Adrian shook his head. They reached the gardens. Seraphina immediately ran toward the rose bushes. "Look!" Arabella followed. "Beautiful." Adrian stayed a few steps behind. "Don't touch them." Seraphina turned. "Why?" "They're the queen's roses." "So?" "So don't touch them." She stared at the flowers. Then at Adrian. Then back at the flowers. Adrian knew that expression. "No." Seraphina smiled. "I didn't do anything." "You're thinking about doing something." "How do you know?" "Because I can see it on your face." She laughed. "You know me for five minutes and already understand me." "You're not difficult to understand." "That's rude." "It's true." She stuck her tongue out. Arabella laughed. "Seraphina!" "What?" "You shouldn't stick your tongue out at the prince." "Why?" "Because he's important." Seraphina looked at Adrian. "You think you're important?" Adrian shrugged. "I'm the crown prince." She considered that. "Okay." Adrian smiled. Then she added: "But I'm still going to call you Adrian." He laughed. "Fine." Seraphina smiled. "Good." --- A few minutes later, Seraphina discovered the kitchen. That was the beginning of Adrian's problems. She had been walking through the palace with Arabella when the smell of freshly baked pastries reached them. Seraphina stopped. Arabella bumped into her. "What?" Seraphina's eyes widened. "Cake." Arabella laughed. "You love cake." "I do." Adrian caught up. "What are you doing?" Seraphina pointed toward the kitchen. "We're going inside." "No." "Why?" "Because you can't just walk into the royal kitchen." "Why not?" "Because you're a princess." "Exactly." Adrian sighed. "That doesn't mean you can do whatever you want." Seraphina stared at him. "That's exactly what being a princess means." Arabella nodded thoughtfully. "She has a point." Adrian looked at Arabella. "You're supposed to be the sensible one." "I changed my mind." Seraphina smiled. The two girls entered the kitchen. The cooks froze. Then one of them recognized Seraphina. "Princess!" Seraphina smiled sweetly. "Hello." The cook bowed. "Would Your Highness like something?" Adrian whispered: "Don't." Seraphina looked at the cook. "Yes." Adrian sighed. She received three pastries. Then she looked at Adrian. "Do you want one?" He blinked. "Me?" She nodded. "You're my friend now." Adrian smiled despite himself. "Thank you." Seraphina handed him one. Arabella looked between them. She smiled. Something about the three of them felt natural. Like they had known each other for years. --- A New Friendship By sunset, the children had already explored half the palace. Seraphina discovered the library. She discovered the ballroom. She discovered the hidden staircase behind the old tapestry. She discovered that Adrian hated spinach. And Adrian discovered that Seraphina could talk for ten minutes without taking a breath. "You talk too much." Seraphina gasped. "I do not." "You do." Arabella nodded. "You really do." Seraphina crossed her arms. "Fine." She stopped talking. For approximately seven seconds. Then she pointed toward a painting. "Who's that?" Adrian laughed. "I knew you couldn't do it." "Do what?" "Stay quiet." "I wasn't trying." They continued walking. Arabella watched them. She had begun noticing something. Adrian was different around Seraphina. He smiled more. He laughed more. He wasn't as serious. And Seraphina... She kept looking at him. Arabella felt something uncomfortable in her chest. She didn't understand it. She simply knew that she didn't like seeing Seraphina take all of Adrian's attention. She quickly pushed the feeling away. Seraphina was her best friend. That mattered more. --- The Oak Tree That night, Seraphina couldn't sleep. She quietly left her room. She wandered through the palace. She eventually reached the garden. Moonlight covered the grass. Then she saw someone sitting beneath the old oak tree. Adrian. He looked up. "You." She smiled. "You." "What are you doing?" "Couldn't sleep." "Me neither." She sat beside him. For a while, they watched the stars. Then Seraphina noticed something shining around his neck. "What's that?" Adrian touched the silver pendant. "My grandmother gave it to me." "It's pretty." He removed it. "Here." She looked surprised. "You're giving it to me?" "Yes." "Why?" He shrugged. "So you remember me." Seraphina smiled. "I won't forget you." "You might." "I won't." "How do you know?" She held the pendant tightly. "Because you're my friend." Adrian smiled. "Good." She looked at him. "And you're my future husband." Adrian's face turned bright red. Seraphina laughed. "You look funny." "Stop." "I'm not doing anything." "You are." She held out her little finger. "Promise?" Adrian looked at her. "What?" "That you'll marry me someday." He hesitated. Then hooked his little finger around hers. "Promise." Seraphina smiled. "Good." Neither knew that the promise would survive years of separation. Neither knew that the pendant would one day become the clue that reunited them. Neither knew that this peaceful night would become one of the most precious memories Adrian would ever have. --- The Beginning of Something Complicated The next morning, the palace was already buzzing with preparations for the royal banquet. Seraphina, Arabella, and Adrian were supposed to attend. Instead, they were hiding behind a curtain. Adrian whispered: "We're going to get caught." Seraphina whispered back: "Stop worrying." Arabella giggled. "What are we hiding from?" "The tutors." "Why?" "They want us to study." Adrian sighed. "We should probably go." "No." Seraphina peeked through the curtain. "I have an idea." Adrian immediately frowned. "That's never good." "What if we sneak into the garden?" Arabella's eyes lit up. "Again?" "Yes." Adrian sighed. "Fine." Seraphina smiled. They slipped out through a side door. None of them noticed a shadow standing at the end of the corridor. A woman watched them disappear. Lady Eveline. Her eyes followed Seraphina. She whispered: "Enjoy your childhood, little princess." Her expression hardened. "Because it won't last forever." --- The First Crack That afternoon, King Edmund and King Richard met privately. Their conversation was serious. "The alliance between our kingdoms is stronger than ever," King Richard said. King Edmund nodded. "Our children's marriage will make it even stronger." "They seem to like each other." King Edmund smiled. "They do." Neither king noticed Lady Eveline standing outside the chamber. She listened. Her expression remained calm. But her hands clenched. The marriage could not happen. Not if she wanted the plans of the nobles who supported her to succeed. The princess had to disappear. Not die. Disappear. And she already knew where. The forest. --- A Promise Between Friends That evening, the three children sat beside the fountain. Seraphina was eating cake. Arabella was braiding flowers into her hair. Adrian was trying to teach them how to play chess. Seraphina looked at the board. "I don't understand." Adrian sighed. "You have to think ahead." "I am thinking ahead." "About what?" "Cake." Adrian closed his eyes. Arabella laughed. "You can't play chess while thinking about cake." "Why not?" "Because chess requires strategy." Seraphina pointed at a piece. "I move this one." "No." "Why?" "Because that's not how the piece moves." She frowned. "This game has too many rules." Adrian laughed. "You're terrible." "I don't care." She leaned against Arabella. "You play." Arabella looked at the board. "I don't know how." Adrian stared at them. "You both agreed to play." Seraphina smiled. "We changed our minds." Adrian laughed. For a moment, everything was perfect. Three children. Three kingdoms. Three friendships. No fear. No conspiracy. No tragedy. Only laughter. But beyond the palace walls, the forest waited. And someone had already begun preparing the trap. The little princess had no idea that her childhood was about to end. Adrian had no idea that the girl beside him would soon disappear. Arabella had no idea that losing her best friend would change her forever. And none of them knew that ten years later... they would meet again. But they wouldn't recognize each other. Not at first. END OF EPISODE 1