If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you might have read the first two parts of my fairy tale. You see, after each relationship I have, if it strikes me as important, I write about it in the form of a fairy tale. In case it's not clear, I am the princess. Here, for the first time online, is Part III of this ever growing epic story....
Part III
The beautiful Princess, despite the heartbreak she had suffered from the canoeist, managed to keep afloat on the great big Sea of Dreams. Some days, it was hard to keep harsh winds from taking control of her sails. She struggled to maintain her power as the captain of her little sailboat. She had to tug at the cranks and ropes, fighting to keep her sailboat aimed in the right direction, away from the rocky shoreline.
Most days, she was grateful to be floating effortlessly over the lulling waves of the sea. She had the wonderful companionship of her friends and spent many evenings lounging on the edge of her boat, her feet dangling in the water, watching the sun melt into the sea. She felt privileged to be surrounded by her friends, the beautiful sea, and the warmth of the glowing golden sun. The challenge of being a successful captain and keeping her sailboat in shipshape was a huge responsibility in the princess’s small world, but a responsibility she took on with much pride and conviction.
On some days, the roughest days at sea, the princess had to remind herself of the purpose of her journey because she felt strong urges to give up on her quest. On one of these particularly harsh days, with the sun beating down and the waves chopping fiercely, the princess was about to let go of everything and let the wind take full control of her sails, when she saw a ship in the distance. At first the ship looked small and meek way out on the horizon, but it quickly grew larger and larger as it stealthily approached the princess’s sailboat.
The princess started to jump and frantically waved her arms overhead trying to warn the ship’s controller of her presence, fearing the two vessels would collide and her beloved sailboat would be damaged. To the relief of the princess, the ship made an abrupt stop just before crashing into the sailboat. As she recovered from the panic she felt, a ladder made of rope dropped down one side of the ship and a loud voice boomed from the ship’s deck “All aboard!”
The princess, confused at this bold invitation to board the ship, stood dumbfounded on what now seemed like her very small and inadequate sailboat, and stared up at the high looming wall of the ship. She slowly inched her way over to the ladder and peered up to see the ladder’s final destination but the ladder disappeared into a newly formed, dense fog and it was impossible to see the top. She grabbed hold of the ladder, placed one foot on the lowest rung, took a deep breath, and began to climb. After climbing fifty-two rungs, the princess reached the top, and swung one leg over the ship’s railing.
After heaving her body over the railing and smoothing down her dress, she looked up, startled to see a small man standing directly in front of her. He was dressed head to toe in purple velvet with a crown perched on his head and his hands on his hips. He demanded to know who she was and her purpose on the Sea of Dreams. Because he was a prince from a far away land, he was pleased to learn she was a princess on a quest. He clapped his hands three times and announced loudly, to no one in particular, that an extravagant party would be held in honor of the princess, with food and drinks, music and dancing.
From every nook and cranny on the ship, all the prince’s servants suddenly appeared. They whirled about frantically decorating the ship, clearing the bow for dancing, and setting up a large banquet table filled with more food than the princess had seen in a long time. Sparkling lights dangled from every mast and sail, meats, cheeses, fruits, and vases of wine adorned the banquet table, and the strings and woodwinds of the orchestra sent beautiful music floating up toward the clear, still sky.
The prince offered his hand to the princess and led her to the table where they sat together eating, drinking, talking, and laughing. The prince was enamored with all the princess had to say and he had a sparkle in his eye that matched the diamonds in his crown. When they had their fill of decadent food and drink, the prince pushed out his chair and again offered his hand to the princess leading her out to the dance floor. The princess laughed and sang as the prince twirled her about the dance floor. She couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun and feeling the prince’s arms hold her gently and spin her about put a smile on her face and a warmth in her heart. They danced and held each other until the sun melted into the sea on one side of the ship and began to rise again on the other side.
The prince told her promises of the beautiful, rich life they could have on the ship together, and how he would shower her with luxuries and endless enjoyment. The princess began to wonder and dream about this possibility. But all the delicious food and drinks, and all the dancing, had taken a toll on the princess and her eyelids began to feel heavy with sleep. She asked the prince for a moment to rest, maybe a place to sit and relax her tired body. The prince directed her to a small cabin with an overstuffed mattress, fluffy pillows, and a soft, thick blanket. She lay down, gratefully rested her head on the pillows, and sighed with comfort.
When she awoke, the princess found herself shivering, curled up with just a blanket, back on the deck of her very own sailboat. She sat straight up and frantically looked around to see where the prince had gone. Finally, she glanced up only to see the ship growing smaller and smaller in the distance and the outline of the little man waving to her from the stern. The princess hung her head in disappointment and, as she looked down, she noticed a scroll tied with a red satin ribbon next to her hand. She carefully unrolled the scroll, and felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she read:
Princess, I grew bored of our time together. I began to think about what you had told me, how you are a princess of a small, humble land, and I don’t think we should continue traveling together. I am off to make grand accomplishments and continue my luxurious life. Goodbye.The princess, humiliated and alone, curled herself back into the blanket and laid her head on the cold, hard deck. She couldn’t find the energy to move her body from that awkward, uncomfortable position. Instead she heaved heavy sighs and sobbed dramatically until the tears dripping from her face made small pools on the deck around her head. What could she have done to be more interesting to the prince? Why had she needed to rest when the prince surely would have preferred her to continue the celebration? What could she have done differently to make the prince continue to be enamored with her?
After several moments of allowing these thoughts to swirl in her head, the princess pushed the blanket off her body, as it had grown itchy and damp in the humid salty air. She tossed it off her sailboat and watched the lapping waves carry it away. She used the mast of her sturdy sailboat to heave her body upright and suddenly her head began to clear. She felt light on her feet. The food and drink had clouded her mind and polluted her body. As she reminisced about her time on the ship, she couldn’t remember one nice thing about the little prince. The celebration, although fun and exciting, distracted her from really hearing what the prince was saying to her.
The princess laughed as she pictured herself under the blanket, losing tears over the small man and his ship. It was a grand party, one that she won’t soon forget and was honored to have been invited, and it was easy to imagine herself the pretty princess on that massive, luxurious ship. However, the princess cannot change the history of her land and what makes her the princess she is today. She was not ashamed of her past, so why would she want to change anything to impress that silly prince?
The sun was still shining brightly in the sky, sparkling just as brightly as the prince’s crown. The princess chuckled and silently scorned herself for allowing the glitz and glitter of the prince’s ship to alter her vision and forget the ultimate goal of her quest. The princess began to go about her business of caring for her ship and checking her sails. She felt the cold shame of the prince’s disapproval begin to melt away with each rope she pulled and seeing her large white sails billow out from the wind made her beam with pride.
