Princess Saranda

If you like this story, please let me know.

Princess Saranda

"Absolutely! I'll not have a thief for a son!"

"But sire, it was only a few tarts."

"From the Royal Bakery! Those tarts were intended for the visit of the King and Queen of Fuffle, our northern neighbours. Relations with them are ... sensitive right now, what with their nanny having been so stupid as to let their daughter fall from the top of a tree. Who would be so idiotic as to put a cradle on a tree top, thinking the wind would rock the child to sleep?" The king paused in thought, wishing he had never recommended the woman for the job. Sixteen years ago she had seemed fine, caring for his own son. Lately though she had become a bit senile. He should have known better, and now his son's recent behaviour belied his earlier judgment.

Still, that was in the past and could not be changed. The visitors were expected that very afternoon, and the prince had stolen the winkleberry tarts. They were the favourite delicacy of the Queen of Fuffle, and the one sure way of consoling her. What with winkleberries being so rare, there were no more this season to make a new batch of tarts even if there had been time, which there was not.

The king's advisor watched a variety of emotions play across the royal face, and when it finally relaxed, he spoke again. "In all fairness, he did return the tarts."

"But only half of them, and those had somehow become squashed beyond any hope of serving them to visiting royalty. No, it's final. He has been disowned and disinherited."

"But he's your only son. Who shall be your heir?"

"Believe it or not, I have already given that some thought."

"Really sire?"

"Yes. I shall name Sir Jack as my heir."

"The champion candlestick jumper?"

"Yes, he has proven his bravery as well as his athletic skills. And he is well loved by the commoners - that too is important."

"True, sire, but have you forgotten the incident at the well?"

"No, I haven't, and believe me I thought long and hard about that one. But it happened several years ago, and I find it rather hard to believe that an expert candlestick jumper would be such a klutz as to fall down a hill. I tend to believe the theory that Jill pushed him, even though Jack himself claims she did not. I think he was protecting her honour even then. And if that is true, it is a testament to his compassion and integrity as well."

"Very well then sire, if your mind is made up ... ?"

"It is."

"I shall complete the paperwork immediately."

"Thank you."

Later that evening, after the rulers of Fuffle had been wined and dined, the two kings were sitting in the parlour discussing the future plans of both kingdoms, while the queens were off somewhere discussing the merits of tapestries in interior decorating.

"So Sir Jack is now your heir. That's very interesting, very interesting indeed."

"Yes, well, public opinion seems to be very supportive of my decision."

"That's good, and I must say I approve as well."

"Glad to hear it. One day he will be your neighbouring monarch in my place. None too soon though, I hope!" The two men laughed amiably.

"Actually, that relates to what I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

"We've talked in the past about the possible union of our two kingdoms."

"Yes, but that would require a marriage between our children, er, heirs. And now that your daughter, um, that is ..." Of all the possible subjects for discussion, he had wanted to avoid that one the most. A pained look crossed his visitor's face, but it passed quickly.

"There is another possibility."

"There is?"

"Yes. You've heard of Princess Saranda?"

"The Sleeping Beauty? Yes of course, but that's a fairy tale."

"I don't think so." The King of Fuffle was entirely serious.

"But even if it were true, that happened hundreds of years ago. Surely she'd have been found by now."

"Actually it was a thousand years ago. In fact, the one thousandth anniversary is only two weeks from now. And she hasn't been found because nobody's looked in the right place before."

"But the legend says the castle she lived in lies in the forest to the west. That forest has been mostly converted to towns and farmland now, with the expansion of our two kingdoms. Surely the castle would have been discovered centuries ago."

"That's where the legend is wrong. My scribes and archivists have been doing some research, and it appears as though the castle may lie in the forest to the east."

"The east? But that forest is so dark and impenetrable that no one ever goes there."

"Exactly."

Four days later, Sir Jack was mounted on his trusty steed, ready to venture forth in search of Princess Saranda. Since she was, according to the legend, a blood relative of the rulers of Fuffle, she would be named as the heiress of that kingdom. Sir Jack, or Prince Jack as he was now known, was charged with finding the long lost Princess. Upon his success, the two would be betrothed and destined to one day rule the combined kingdoms.

Prince Jack set out in high spirits. Soon, however, his demeanor darkened, as though in response to the forest around him. The thick green canopy overhead allowed but a trickle of murky light to filter down to the forest floor. Despite the lack of sunlight, the undergrowth grew in profusion, making passage slow and difficult. There were, of course, no roads.

Within a few hours, Prince Jack was forced to dismount and hack his way through with his sword. This was no easy task, and by the time night fell he was utterly exhausted. In this dark forest there was no twilight. Visibility went from poor to nothing in the span of five minutes. Unable to see his own hand in front of his face, Prince Jack sat down to eat a meal of cold provisions. Childhood memories of Christmas pies floated through his mind as he ate the tasteless food. There would be no plums for him today.

His one consolation was that the forest was completely silent. There were no sounds of animal life to be heard. Though some game trails would have made the traveling less difficult by day, Prince Jack slept easier that night knowing that no predators would disturb him.

And so he continued for ten days, the forest becoming unbelievably thicker and more difficult to traverse with each passing mile. Still, he refused to leave his horse behind, knowing that Princess Saranda could not be expected to walk all the way back if he ever found her.

As time wore on, his spirits sagged ever lower. If he didn't find the lost castle soon he would be forced to turn back. Then, so abruptly that he almost walked right into it, a stone wall appeared out of the gloom in front of him. He almost fainted with shock, but quickly recovered. His spirits soared as he realized this must be it.

Still, despite his renewed vigor, it took him several hours to work his way around the wall to the castle entrance. The gate, thankfully, stood slightly ajar, though the courtyard too was choked with vines and bushes.

Working his way through the thick vegetation, he finally reached the castle's main hall. Once inside he paused briefly to rest and look around.

To his dismay he saw several skeletons strewn across the floor. They appeared to be laid out randomly, as though they had all simply fallen dead where they stood.

"No!" he cried aloud. "No, no, noooooo!" His anguish echoed through the empty corridors of the ancient castle. The legends had apparently been true after all. Except for one detail - one crucial detail. The entire population of the castle had been put under a sleeping spell, but they had not been preserved in a perpetual slumber. Unable to eat or care for themselves, their bodies had slowly withered and died. Now all that was left were heaps of dried bones.

Prince Jack wandered aimlessly through the castle for over an hour, unable to focus his thoughts or decide what he should do next. Eventually a sense of morbid curiosity overcame him, and he began to look for the remains of Princess Saranda.

The legend said she had been laid on a bed of crimson silk on the topmost floor of the north tower. He made his way in that direction, and soon found himself ascending the stairs. When he reached the top he paused at the ancient oaken door, wondering exactly what he would find on the other side. He almost turned and left.

The hinges creaked as Prince Jack pushed open the door and gazed within. His heart leapt into his throat as he beheld the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She lay there on sheets faded to a pink that perfectly matched the rosy hue of her lips. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber and she looked as if she might have fallen asleep only a few hours earlier. As he walked hesitantly toward her, he saw her chest rise and fall gently with the slow breaths of deep sleep.

Standing beside her, he looked down upon her beautiful face and knew he was in love. All the hard work, the seemingly endless hacking through tough vegetation, the days spent with barely enough light to see - it was all worthwhile. Knowing the wondrous result, he would gladly have done it all over again a hundred times.

Without realizing what he was doing, he knelt beside her. He reached for her hand, drew it gently to his mouth, and kissed it tenderly. After lying there asleep for exactly one thousand years, Princess Saranda's eyelids fluttered, then opened. She looked around in confusion for a moment, then focused on Prince Jack. She smiled.

He helped her sit up, then took her in his arms and held her. Without so much as a single word they knew they were meant for each other.