Love Conquers All

           Deep within the kingdom of Willowborough, lived a royal family. The King, His Royal Highness, Sir Charles III, was both respected by the townsfolk and feared by his enemies in far off lands. King Charles was a valiant knight who led his army of soldiers across miles of dangerous lands and eliminated many of the threats to his kingdom.

           His wife, Queen Beatrice, was a beautifully radiant woman with golden blonde hair and penetrating pale blue eyes. Most men were taken aback at her beauty, but King Charles saw deep into her soul from the moment their eyes met, and they fell instantly in love.

           Just over one year into their marriage, Queen Beatrice gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Avery. Princess Avery was a vision of loveliness and people throughout their kingdom and surrounding kingdoms came forth with gifts and good tidings for the new Princess after her arrival. One such visitor was a crippled old woman with straggling grey hair. She slowly made her way toward the royal family, hobbling upon her crooked wooden cane.

           The woman stood over baby Avery and spoke silently at first. The Queen insisted that the woman speak up so all could hear what she had to say. The old woman threw back the dirty brown cloak that covered her head and stood tall. Flames erupted within her eyes and her voice echoed throughout the kingdom.

           “From this day forth,” she began, “if Princess Avery leaves the confines of this castle, she will lose all that is precious to her. Her appearance will change, unrecognizable to anyone. She will no longer be Princess of Willowborough. Instead, she will become a beggar in the streets, shunned by all.”

           The castle guards began to charge toward the old woman but were thrown back by a mighty thrust of air, knocking them to the ground. The old woman then transfigured into a tall demonic figure with an ominous green glow surrounding her. The King and Queen immediately recognized her as Grezelda, the evil witch of the dark woods. The King himself drew his sword and charged at Grezelda, swinging his broad sword toward her head, but in a flash, she disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving only a trace of her laughter in her wake.

           The Queen quickly scooped up Princess Avery and rushed her out of the great hall and back to the safety of her nursery. The King thanked the guests who attended and dismissed the remaining visitors due to the recent events. He then joined his wife at the nursery where she stood over Avery’s cradle. A tear cascaded across her pallor face.

           “What shall we do, Charles?” she asked her husband.

           “I will seek the advice of the greatest minds in all the kingdom, but until we have another solution, we need to prevent her from ever stepping outside the castle walls.”

           The King ordered his servants to attach bars to all the openings on the exterior walls. He then had the number of guards doubled around the perimeter. Nobody was to be permitted to leave or enter the castle without permission from the King, Queen, or the head of the royal guard.

           Sixteen years had passed, and the once vibrant kingdom had grown dismal and dark. The townspeople began to lose interest in the royal family and rarely entered the castle. The King’s army continued to protect the lands, but without their King by their side, hope became lost, and many battles ended in the death of his soldiers.

           One afternoon, a local farmer known to the guardsmen asked for a meeting with the King and Queen. It was arranged, and the farmer entered the great hall accompanied by his seventeen-year-old son, Jacob. When the King and Queen entered the great hall, the farmer and his son bowed in their presence.

           “Rise, my good man. You and your family are always welcome,” the King stated to the farmer. Jacob and his father stood and thanked the King for allowing them the meeting.

           “What is it that you wish to discuss, my friend?”

           The farmer wrestled with the shabby old hat that held between his hands and found it difficult to respond. His son, Jacob spoke on his behalf.

           “If I may, your Highness, my father and I would like to offer our services to your kingdom. We have noticed that many of the gardens could use some care. All we ask for in return is your gratitude. We have no need for money except to purchase seed at harvest time and perhaps the occasional goat or chicken for milk and eggs. We humble ourselves to…”

           Jacob paused as a beautiful blonde-haired girl around sixteen entered the room. Her long, golden hair flowed daintily across her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes, pale blue, and piercing. The King interrupted Jacob’s gawking.

           “You were saying, Jacob?”

           “Sorry, your Highness. I apologize for my disruption. I was temporarily distracted.”

           The King looked back over his shoulder and saw his daughter approaching.

           “I see that,” King Charles stated with a chuckle in his voice. “The Queen and I would be quite grateful for your services. You may begin when and as you see fit. If there is anything you need, my guardsmen will see to it.”

           The King held out his hand and grasped onto his daughter’s arm lightly, drawing her closer.

           “My friends, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Princess Avery.”

           The farmer and Jacob bowed toward her. Jacob’s eyes could not be averted from her gaze. He felt a rush of warmth filling his body. It was unlike anything that he had ever felt before. It was so calming, yet exciting at the same moment.

           Unbeknownst to Jacob, Avery too felt an unusual sensation racing through her mind and body. A smile began to form on her face and her cheeks blushed slightly.

           As the weeks passed, Jacob and his father continued to improve on and take care of the now-beautiful gardens within the castle grounds. There were flowers of every color stretching across the garden in the back. Avery sat in her bedroom gazing out upon the beauty, wishing that she could feel the warmth of the sun and smell the aroma of all the colorful flowers below.

           One day, while sneaking a snack in the kitchen, Avery was startled by the sound of the door opening behind her. She turned, and there before her was Jacob. This was the first time they had ever been alone together.

           Jacob apologized and told her that he would come back later, but Avery grabbed him by the arm as he turned away and pleaded for him to stay. They sat at the table and ate sandwiches that Avery had made for them both. Avery stared at the strong features in Jacob’s face and noticed his muscular physique beneath the layers of dirt from the gardens.

           Jacob described life outside the castle and Avery’s desire to explore grew even more. She asked Jacob to help her sneak away somehow after explaining to him that she was forbidden to leave the castle. Her parents had never given her a reason for their decision, but they were very insistent.

           Jacob came up with a plan, but it was going to be risky. Avery did not care. She wanted desperately to see the outside world and was willing to do whatever it took to get there.

           Later that afternoon, during the brief period when the guards were changing their posts, Jacob had entered the castle with a wheelbarrow. He told the guards that he had to retrieve flowers that were being kept inside out of the sunlight. Jacob then waited for the guards to leave the room and let out a whistle. That was Princess Avery’s cue to leave her hiding place and get into the wheelbarrow. Jacob handed the Princess a hollow reed which she placed into her mouth to breathe through. Jacob laid several flowers over and around Avery, then filled in the remainder of the area with soil before wheeling her toward the exit.

           As they passed through the doorway, one of the guards looked at Jacob and into the wheelbarrow, then motioned for him to continue. Jacob moved as quickly as possible down the hill toward a garden shed in the back of the castle. When he saw that they were out of the sight of the guards, Jacob removed the flowers and began to scoop out the soil. A dirtied girl climbed out of the wheelbarrow and turned to Jacob, smiling. Jacob stood there without saying a word. He had a confused look upon his face. Avery was the first to speak.

           “What is the matter, Jacob. You look terrified.”

           “Who are you?” Jacob asked. “What did you do with Princess Avery?”

           “What on earth are you talking about, Jacob? It is me, Princess Avery!”

           Jacob became angry and yelled at the girl before him.

           “You are definitely NOT Princess Avery! I do not know how you managed to switch places with her, but this is not funny. Now, tell me where she is.”

           “Jacob, I tell you, it is I, Princess Avery. Why do you not believe me? Is it all the dirt? Perhaps that is why you cannot recognize me.”

           Jacob paced back-and-forth beside the garden shed and Avery followed his walk. As he passed the window, Avery caught sight of her reflection. She, herself could not recognize the girl in the reflection. Tears began to roll down her dirty face, leaving tracks across her cheeks.

           “I…I do not understand what is happening here,” Avery said through her gasping breath. “Am I dreaming this? Am I going to wake up in my bed any moment? Why do I look so differently?”

           Jacob, still upset from the ordeal wondered why Princess Avery would ever want to play such a cruel joke on him. He thought that she felt feelings for him like he had for her. Nothing made sense to him at this moment.

           A commotion began at the castle. Guards began running around the grounds frantically calling out for Princess Avery. The staff inside the castle also searched for the missing Princess. She was nowhere to be found. The King consoled his Queen as pandemonium broke out.

           Jacob told this strange girl that she should leave the grounds immediately before they start blaming her for the disappearance of the Princess. Avery kept trying to convince Jacob of who she was, but he wanted no part of it.

           Every house in the village had been searched as per the King’s order, but still no Princess. Meanwhile, hiding under a stack of hay, was this young girl of sixteen. Her brown, dirty hair was matted with soil still and her clothes were tattered and torn. She shivered with fear at the unusual circumstances that were taking place.

           Jacob spotted her and asked, “What are you hiding in a haystack for? Why don’t you go home to your family?”

           “My family would not recognize me anymore. I have changed too much,” she replied.

           “What is your name?”

           “Avery.”

           “Do not start with that again. Please, just tell me the truth.”

           “Lily,” she lied.

           “Okay, Lily, I am going to bring you back to my home. We can get you cleaned up a bit and give you a little food to eat.”

           She agreed and followed Jacob back to a small farmhouse on the outskirts of the village. His father was chopping wood outside when they arrived. Jacob told his father that her name was Lily, and she had no family and no place to live. The farmer called for his wife and asked her to run a bath for the girl. While she bathed, the farmer’s wife prepared a hot bowl of stew for Avery/Lily. She thanked them all for their hospitality as she devoured the delicious meal.

           Jacob looked pleasingly upon the girl now that she was cleaned up. His mother had given her a clean dress to wear as well as a pair of boots that were slightly bigger than her foot. Avery gladly accepted the gifts and insisted on paying them back when she could.

           As Jacob stared into her eyes across the table, he could have sworn that there was something familiar about her. He was drawn to her pale blue eyes. She stared back and smiled. That was when it hit him. She was telling the truth all along. It was Princess Avery.

           After dinner, Jacob pulled her to the side and told her that he knew that she was the Princess. He insisted that they speak to his family about it and maybe they could help explain what happened. Avery agreed, and they spent the next hour explaining the plan about escaping the castle and how her face had changed physically.

           Jacob’s parents sat and listened to the story, then told them a tale of their own that happened sixteen years ago. They told them about the witch named Grezelda who had cast the spell upon Avery as a baby. Avery finally understood why she was kept secluded all these years. She was now left with nothing and her parents were left without a daughter. She felt terrible.

           The farmer told Avery that he had an idea. He went to speak with the King and Queen once again. Jacob accompanied him as well. He told them that he had news of Princess Avery’s disappearance. Jacob explained the details of what had happened, and the King and Queen sat with disbelief in their eyes. The farmer then reminded the royal couple of the curse and what Grezelda had said, and the doubt started to disperse.

           “Where is this girl that you claim to be our daughter?” the Queen demanded.

           The guards opened the door to the great hall and in walked the farmer’s wife along with a young girl around Avery’s age. She had brown, shoulder-length hair, and chubby cheeks. She approached them with her head facing the ground as she walked. When she arrived at the base of the throne, she looked up. Immediately, her parents recognized her through her eyes even though nothing else was familiar.

           “I am sorry, Mother, Father. I only learned recently of the curse. I would never have left if I would have known it would cause so much trouble. If it were not for Jacob and his parents, I would still be starving and cold on the streets of the village right now. I hope you can forgive me.”

           The King and Queen stared at one another for a moment, then opened their arms, welcoming their daughter into a warm embrace.

           The Queen stated to Avery, “Grezelda’s curse could cover your physical appearance, but your eyes are the doorways to your soul and could never be changed.”

           The King then turned his gaze toward Jacob and his parents and said, “For returning our daughter, the Princess, back to us, I would like to offer you a home here at the castle. You will have all the comforts that I have to offer. Would you accept my offer?”

           The farmer said, “Thank you, Sire. That is a generous offer, however, I will only accept it if you allow us to continue caring for your garden. This kingdom was built on love and it is love that will continue to bring it out of the darkness once again.”

           “That will be quite acceptable, my friend,” King Charles replied before shaking the farmer’s hand.

           As time had passed, Jacob and Avery grew much closer. Since she no longer feared leaving the castle, she joined Jacob in the garden every day. He taught her about nature, and she taught him about royalty.

           When Jacob was twenty-one and Avery was twenty, the two announced their engagement. A grand party was thrown, and all the surrounding villages attended. An old woman with a crooked cane was seen entering town and on the order of the King, she was beheaded before she could reach the castle. After the death of Grezelda, the veil of depression and negativity that had once surrounded the kingdom had finally lifted, and the curse that once disfigured Princess Avery was gone. With all the villagers to witness, Princess Avery transformed back into the beautiful woman that she once was. Jacob smiled before whispering in her ear, “You were always beautiful to me, inside and out.”