This is just a little story I told my little cousin when she was going through a princess phase. Any comments or suggestions would be much apreciated.
======
Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess named Arabelle.
Arabelle was a very lonely princess. Because of her beauty all of the other young girls were jealous and wouldn’t play with poor Arabelle. Being the king and queen Arabelle’s father and mother were always to busy to pay any attention to their little princess.
One day when Arabelle was strolling through the royal garden she heard a loud screech coming from the rose bush. When she walked over to see what it was she saw a cute little mouse with a thorn in its paw. She picked up the mouse and pulled the thorn out of her tiny paw.
Ever since the little mouse, Lacy stayed by Arabelle’s side even in the house, despite the protests of Arabelle’s chambermaid, Fay. Soon the little mouse and the pretty princess became the best of friends.
One day three years later when Arabelle was working on her embroidery and Lacy was sitting in her lap overlooking every stitch they heard a loud knocking on the large door of the palace. Arabelle and Lacy peaked around the corner as the butler, Chives answered the door. They saw the royal messenger of Rindor clad in emerald green, the kingdom’s color, hand Chives a fancy letter. Chives called for Arabelle and handed her the letter.
The letter read, ‘Arabelle Princess of Hasron is cordially invited to the Rindor Grand Ball’. Lacy sat on Arabelle’s shoulder squeaking in confusion. Arabelle laughed and read the letter aloud before running up the grand stairs of the palace to show the letter to her mother, Queen Asturi. When she presented the letter to her mother Asturi simply laughed and told her there was no way she could possibly go. When Arabelle asked why her mother simply said that making all the young girls despise her by going to the ball would shame the kingdom.
Arabelle ran out crying. How could Mother say such things? Arabelle thought. How could going to the ball make the girls despise her? She already knew the girls didn’t like her. When she asked Lacy she simple squeaked and ran. Lacy led her to the large looking glass in her bedchamber. Suddenly it all fit together. It was her beauty that made the other girls not like her. She sighed and sat down on her bed. Well, she thought. If that is how they are going to be she couldn’t change that. But, she could go to the ball and have fun. She picked up Lacy. “I am going to that ball. And I am going to be the prettiest girl there.” She said defiantly.
She ran down stairs and looked in the drawers of the sewing room. She removed a bolt of royal blue fabric and held it up to her with a smile on her face. Yes, she would go to that ball.
For the next fortnight Arabelle and Lacy worked continuously on the ball gown. When they were finished it was beautiful. It was made from the royal blue fabric with silver bead work on the bodice and huge skirts. They had to make it secretly for fear of the queen finding out. They were done two days before the ball. They still had to find out how they would get there.
After they were finished with the gown Arabelle and Lacy went to the kitchen to talk with the cook, Gelda, Arabelle’s only friend other than Lacy. She was the only one who knew about the gown. As Arabelle sat on a stool helping Gelda peel potatoes she explained about their lack of transportation.
“I simply don’t know what to do!” Arabelle cried in frustration.
Gelda sat with a thoughtful look on her face before exclaiming, “Ronald! He can take you; he has to take a load of peaches to Rindor.” She saw the confused look on Arabelle’s face and continued, “All you have to do is sneak out and wait by the big oak tree and he can pick you up. I’ll tell him to meet you there at 7:30.”
Arabelle giggled happily and thanked Gelda before running out with Lacy to finish getting things ready. Arabelle and Lacy ran to Arabelle’s bedchamber to find shoes and jewelry to go with the gown. They looked in her closet and found a pair of silver slippers and a beautiful diamond necklace.
On the day of the ball Arabelle and Lacy scurried around trying to get ready quietly without being caught by Arabelle’s mother. When Arabelle had the gown, the slippers, the necklace, and a pair of white gloves on she took a peak in the looking glass. She looked beautiful with a silver tiara in her curly brown hair. She smiled before dashing out with Lacy behind her. Arabelle ran with her skirts carefully picked up, as they neared the big gold door, the queen appeared before the door.
“And where do you think you’re going?” She asked Arabelle.
Arabelle looked around frantically. “I am going to the ball.” She said standing tall.
Her mother gasped sarcastically. “Did I not tell you that you were not to go to that ball?” She asked sternly.
Arabelle looked her mother straight in the eyes. “Yes, you did. But I am going.”
The queen laughed, “Oh, I think you won’t.” She clapped her hands and two guards appeared on each side of Arabelle.
Arabelle gasped as tears filled her eyes. “You wouldn’t!”
Her mother laughed again, “Oh yes, I would.” She made an airy gesture at the guards. They stepped up beside her and grabbed her arms. She fought the guards and fought back tears. As they took her down the hallway toward her bedchamber Lacy climbed up one of them and tried to bite his finger, but the guard simple shook her off.
When they got to her bedchamber the guards opened the door and pushed her in locking it behind her. She was about to beat on the door but she knew it wouldn’t be any use. She sat on her bed and cried. After a minute she looked up at the old grandfather clock, 7:15. She wiped her eyes with a blanket on her bed. She looked back at the blanket and the window and had an idea. She could tie the blankets together and use them as a rope to go out the window. She had six blankets in her bedchamber which would be plenty for she was only on the second floor.
She began tying the blankets together. Lacy squeaked as Arabelle tied the blanket-rope to one of the posts on her bed. She quietly opened the window and dropped the other end out. She let out a sigh of relief. It was 7:20 so she still had time to catch Ronald. Arabelle put Lacy on her shoulder and walked to the window. She jumped up on the windowpane careful not to rip her gown. As she descended her heart leapt with joy. She was going to go to the ball! When she reached the ground she picked up her skirts and ran.
Soon she saw the oak tree and Ronald sitting in a carriage waiting for her. She ran up breathing heavily and stopped by the wagon. Ronald jumped out and bowed without questioning her running before handing her into the carriage. She sat thinking and became nervous as she thought of all the people that would be there and of the girls not liking her. As she neared the beautiful Rindor castle she pushed these unpleasant thoughts from her mind and held her head high.
When Ronald pulled to a stop Arabelle set Lacy on the carriage seat for mice were not aloud in the Rindor palace and Ronald jumped out and handed her out of the carriage. When they got to the door Ronald left her with a smile and a bow. She straightened her gown and held her head high as the doorman let her in as a handsome young man led her to the ballroom. When she entered all eyes where on her and she felt her heart beat quicken. She thanked the escort and he left her with a bow. Arabelle smiled as she walked up to a group of girls that looked about her age and introduced herself. The girls were polite but cold and she felt she was on the verge of tears. When she turned away from the girls she looked up and smiled as she saw the handsome prince of Rindor coming her way.
Arabelle danced all night and was very tired by the time the ball was over. When she arrived home her mother’s lectures fell on deaf ears for she had a magnificent time, and she had made a wonderful new friend, Charles the prince of Rindor.
~THE END~
