The Prince's Secret

Once upon a time...

There was a princess whose father was the king of his kingdom. She'd had a prince or two ask for her hand, not that she wanted them. Over in a neighboring kingdom, there was a prince whose father was also a king. He heard tale of the princess from afar and traveled to seek her hand. Though his confession of love was beautiful, genuine, and should have been quite moving, the princess refused him. She did not want to get married, she said. There was so much to enjoy without the possible burden of marriage. Though he was crushed, the prince obliged. But instead of returning to his own kingdom, he stayed in the land of the princess and accompanied her whenever she took walks through the land. 

After a time, the prince and the princess became dear friends. One day, as they were walking, the prince finally confessed that if they were going to remain friends, he must tell her something. A terrible, dark secret that he feared might tear them apart forever. He warned the princess that it might make her reluctant to remain friends. Though the princess protested that nothing could sever the bond they'd created, she was inwardly troubled at what this might be. 

Finally, the prince confessed. 

Deep in the forests of the kingdom, there was a garden. Though quite pleasing to the eye, this garden contained flowers that were poisonous to humans. Their smell was so overpowering, however, that it enchanted those who visited it and made them long to return. The princess had heard tale of this garden, and even known those who visited it. It was a terrible place merely disguised as a soothing oasis. All those who became trapped by the flowers' smell were forever condemned to remember it. 

The prince had indeed visited this garden, an act no prince of his character should have done. In fact, he admitted to the princess that he used to visit it regularly, even daily. At last, however, he had forced himself to stay away. He avoided the forest altogether and had successfully evaded the garden for months now. Though the princess was a bit saddened at the prince's mistake, she was relieved his wasn't something ridiculous, like that he'd tried any dark magic or killed a man. She forgave him immediately and promised to not let this prevent her from ever coming to him for help.

Eventually, the princess' father's reign came to an end. A new era was beginning, and the royal family would have to relocate to a small patch of countryside that was, in fact, quite near the prince's kingdom. To celebrate his illustrious reign, the king held a magnificent banquet, and all the princess' friends were invited, including the prince. 

When he arrived, the princess happily went to meet him. However, her face immediately fell. There was something very wrong about his demeanor; he was sullen, brooding and melancholy. This was not like him at all. Then, all of a sudden, she knew. 

The prince had been to the garden. She could practically smell the poison of the flowers that still remained on him. The spell of their scent was still overpowering him, and he was deep in their grasp even still. As a result, he withdrew from the festivities and hardly said a word. 

In spite of herself, the princess found herself angry. If the prince hadn't wanted to come, then he shouldn't have. Let him spend all his time in that garden, she thought, but don't spoil everyone else's happiness. 

As the night was drawing to a close, the spell of the poisonous flowers was finally releasing its grasp on the prince, and his mind started to clear. He began to interact with those around him, and whispered a somber confession to the princess that he had indeed visited the garden for a short time on the way to the castle. 

Though she graciously accepted his admittance without a strong reaction, the princess was heartbroken inside. After all this time, she had been almost positive he'd never go back to that horrible place. He'd promised her. He'd declared a state of finality in his visits, and she could finally feel safe. But all that had now changed. She would have withdrawn from the commotion to mourn this loss alone, but she felt it was important that she stay and say a proper farewell to all the guests. She stood by quietly as the prince regained his mind from the spell and began to finally enjoy himself, weeping only on the inside.

The night was almost over at last. The last of the guests were departing, and a mixture of sorrow at their goodbyes and joy at their company filled the princess' heart. The prince had left some time ago, as it was a long journey back to his kingdom, and he was to meet her there when her family came. The stars came out, and the princess was sitting by a window, thinking, when a dove descended from the sky with a piece of parchment rolled up and clasped in its beak. It landed beside the princess on the windowsill, and, surprised, she took the message and unrolled it slowly. 

Inside, in neat, curving script, the prince had written her a note. She read for the second time his declaration of love, and her heart softened. For now, after all their long walks and strengthened bonds, his words to her were even more heartfelt and genuine. The princess was speechless and incredibly moved. In that moment, she knew that no matter what happened, nothing would break the friendship they had. No poisonous scent could mask his love for her, and she would always be grateful for his companionship. 

Whether they lived happily ever after remains to be seen.