Will She Never Learn?

Once there lived a princess. She was the princess of a large and prosperous kingdom, and her name was Alarena. Alarena was beautiful and the most intelligent young woman anyone would ever meet. No one had ever really met her or talked to her fully, but she would always give witty and clever speeches to her father's people whenever the royal family visited the kingdom. However, the princess's personal servants, although they would never dare to tell, knew her real personality and demeanor. Was she ladylike? Elegant? Angelic? Kind? None of the above, actually. The much-loved and adored Alarena was an absolute menace. Alarena was cruel to her servants and was known across the terrified maids and servants who had seen her true self as a demon. Alarena hissed at cats when no one saw her and whipped the horses and beat the royal hounds whenever she felt like it. Of course, no one dared to speak anything of ill will against the kingdom's dearest darling princess.

One day, Alarena was reading a book. The princess seemed like she really was how she was portrayed in front of the kingdom - the cruel and spoiled demon inside her was currently contained. A servant girl, timid and unsure, toddled up to her anxiously. "Forgive me, Your Highness! I must deliver a message to you from your father, His Royal Majesty the king."

Alarena glared ferociously at the servant girl. The girl was young, new to the palace, and had no idea of the princess's horrible behavior. "Who are you to interrupt my reading?" hissed the princess, terrifying the young girl, "I don't want to go all the way to my father's throne room or wherever he's staying these days. I don't want you to talk to me, and I'm the princess, so my demands will be answered! Guards!"

Guards, reluctantly, dragged the obeying and paralyzed-with-shock servant girl out of Alarena's chambers. "Much better! Now that the filth is out of my sight, I can finally return to my reading."

The princess, however, was being watched by her fairy godmother. Every princess had one! Unfortunately, her fairy godmother was not in the mood to grant the princess's wishes. What horrid princess had she been assigned to watch over and care for? Not this one, of all princesses!

Sighing, the fairy godmother had to complete her job by teaching Alarena how to be less hostile and cruel.

"Hello, Alarena," said the fairy godmother, "I'm your fairy godmother, Glinda Sparkwynd. Now, I've been watching you all these years, and I've seen you blossom into a beautiful and wise princess. But you're missing one thing, my girl."

Alarena was shocked by the feat of her fairy godmother magically appearing in a wave of golden light and sparkles.

"You're missing heart. You're missing kindness!"

Alarena's shock stopped, and she was unfrozen. "Really! Kindness and heart! Don't make me laugh, old woman. Besides, I'm the princess! I do whatever I want, as long as I stay in this pretty palace and act like I'm a good girl."

"That's your problem, Alarena! Your father has made you believe that it doesn't matter if you're not kind!"

"And it doesn't! Why don't you go tell your stories and sugary philosophies to your great-grandchildren. I'm sure they'll accept you! I don't like old-lady breath, either."

The fairy godmother, offended and unwilling to attempt to help the stubborn and spoiled princess no longer, disappeared in another wave of gold and sparkles.

However, the princess's stubborn manner and cruel behavior would be her demise.

Only a few months later, a kingdom declared war on her father's kingdom. At first, the palace was well-guarded and safe, and the princess was oblivious to the problems and war occurring in the world outside of the overly-safe palace.

Then her father's army began weakening. "The palace is under attack! Run! Get the royal family to safety!"

Despite her usual easy-to-despise behavior, the guards and every servant were still devoted to saving Alarena. Alarena was the princess, after all!

When they tried to get her out, she snorted and continued to read her book. "Stupid antics to attempt to bother me! There is no war, you idiots! If there was a war, I would have been evacuated and out of here already!"

Unfortunately, crushed rubble fell in front of the doors to Alarena's chambers at that moment.

Alarena finally realized what was going on. There really was a war going on, and the palace was going to disintegrate and crush the princess to nothing!

"Help! Please! Everyone come save me! I'm the princess! Help!"

No one could get through the rubble.

Alarena tried a last attempt. "Fairy Godmother! Help me now! I absolutely demand it, you stupid, stinking, disgusting old woman! I'm the princess, I demand you come or I'll behead you!"

The fairy godmother was revolted by the princess's behavior. "Even now, when your life is on the line, you continue to demand and threaten! Even now, when you can be saved by only a magical miracle and I'm your only hope, you continue to be rude and as spoiled as ever! Well, I'm done with it, young lady. No!"

And so the princess was crushed. The kingdom won, after heavy losses, but pulled themselves back together because the fairy godmother felt slightly regretful about not saving the brat princess. "I grant you safety and peace and prosperity for the rest of eternity!" said the fairy godmother, waving her wand and casting a powerful spell over the kingdom.

Alarena's spirit would attempt to get revenge on the fairy godmother all the time, but could only shout insults.

Every day, the fairy godmother would shake her head. "Will she ever learn?"