Once Upon a Time (No. 3)
I’ll start out by saying that my entire childhood was plagued by a curse. I’m not exactly sure what took place, as my father was quite embarrassed about it and no one spoke of specifics, but as the fourth daughter of a king in a tight spot, he gave me to the forest fae. When I was finished with my task, whatever that was, I was returned the very next day without any memories of what had happened. Regardless of whether my stay was really only a day, according to all the humans at home, I was only gone that short amount of time. All that I knew was that I was never comfortable after that. Even the softest cushion on a seat felt like I was sitting on cold marble.
One day, I believe I was sixteen, my father sent me out to the forest with a gift. I was not told where to go, only that I should keep walking through the forest and if I reached the other side, I should return back. About three nights in, it started to rain and I was drenched. I distinctly remember feeling the drops like stones on my body until I started to bruise. Eventually, I reached a large castle built into a clearing of the forest. I didn’t think anything unusual should happen if I rested for the night and I knocked on the door.
A funny little lady answered my knock and I could tell she was going to leave me out in the rain all night when I suppose she saw the basket I was carrying. After inquiring what it was, I told her it was a gift. I realized it was not the best answer, but she accepted it and let me in. I have lived in a castle all my life and I am no stranger to the many estates of kings throughout the empire, but I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I was quite awe-stricken and didn’t even notice the fuss going on around me when the queen (or a woman who was later clarified as a queen) saw a bedraggled wet girl in her precious castle. By all means, I would have been bristling with anger, but there was something about that place that calmed me.
The lady of the house suggested something about a test in her screeching, but I was too tired to protest. She led me to a room at the end of a long hall and wished me a pleasant comfortable night and told me the maids were waiting for anything I wanted. At this point, I was frightened, but as a princess and the youngest, I was used to suppressing my emotions. Youth is something everyone wants to obtain in a partner and even the slightest smile at a man’s statements could give me a lifetime of trouble. Anyway, I was too tired to resist and I lay down in the bed. Pain shot up my spine and gave me a splitting headache. I ordered more mattresses. I was slightly more comfortable at ten, but I needed a ladder to get atop them. That’s when I noticed the bothersome bump right in the middle of my lower back. Everywhere I turned, I felt it protruding through the ten layers of rocky mattresses. I asked for more and more, until dawn broke and the rain had settled into a light mist. I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but eventually not even the foreign mattresses were enough to keep me awake and I slept well into midday.
There was nothing to do in the afternoon save wash up and watch people in the barracks outside my window. I didn’t have a very good view and it was very loud with all the fighting, but it sufficed to entertain me. The gift I had been carrying was gone and strangely, the door was locked. It must have been because all I did was stare at the trees and listen to the shouts below. I watched a few boys getting an archery lesson; they all looked younger than me, and had strange coloring. From where I was the golden headed boys looked green. I watched the pages assist some of the knights and occasionally the ruckus below would stop and people would talk. I watched the queen talk to a boy who looked a bit older than me, though I am not good at guessing people’s ages; I learned much later he was her son and thus the prince. When the sun set, I went down to join the family for dinner.
Everyone was dressed quite well, making me look like a street urchin in comparison. The queen was at the head of the table, not the king, and she asked me how my night was. Not wanting to be rude, I told her I had quite a nice stay and the bed was very comfortable. She wasn’t pleased with my answer, and the maid for reasons unknown at the time, mentioned that I had twenty mattresses placed on my bed. When asked why, I told her about my problem. She asked if there was anything in particular that I needed twenty mattresses for. I said that there was a lump in the middle of the bed bothering me. The events that followed were, honestly, a blur. All of a sudden the humans I had supposed them to be all turned into forest fae and the room lit up in celebration. I was proclaimed “the one” and showered with gifts. Later in the evening I was told I was to be married to the prince the following day. While I did not particularly like this arrangement, I was not one to complain especially not with the fae. I have heard stories of people disappearing at fairy dances and they gave the magical arts a horrible reputation. I should have realized now that the gift was I, and that the reason I had this horrible curse was because the fae wanted to make sure that my father held true to his promise. I only realized this after my wedding night, when my problems ended and I could sit on a chair again without feeling pain. I no longer needed ten mattresses to feel remotely comfortable and my life was slightly better. I never learned exactly what promise I had fulfilled, but everything turned out all right in the end.
I suppose everyone has a happy ending. We all find something to be thankful about even if most of our lives seem dismal. I eventually got used to my lifestyle and recalling that I was forced into it doesn’t bother me much at all, now. Then again, this was such a long time ago. When I became the fairy queen they gave me the gift of immortality that they have and I am well on my way to my sixteen-hundredth birthday and my five thousand and fortieth year as primary queen: Queen Cynthetta DuPont.
