Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a beautiful princess. She was so beautiful that on the day she was born her grandmother covered her in a red veil to hide her from the world. Hidden away she became known as the scarlet princess. Stories moved through the kingdoms of the beauty that existed and the power the marriage held. When the scarlet princess finally reached the age for marriage the men lined the streets at a chance to gain her hand and see her face. Nobles and paupers, knights and squires. Everyday they would walk one by one into the castle. They would stand in front of the king and queen and they would look at the small veiled princess next to them. One by one the suitors would fall, the king would shake his head and the queen would roll her eyes in disgust. No one was good enough for their beloved scarlet princess. The scarlet princess would sit silently and not say a word. She had read stories of love that spoke of prince charming, the one meant for you. She knew her parents would only want what’s best. She would think this until that day when a normal pauper boy would walk in. No different than the hundreds who had come before except, he caught the scarlet princesses eye. Her parents instantly rejected him without uttering a word. My family will not be tarnished by sharing blood with the weakness of inferior stalk, her father would have said. The boy looked over at the princess before he left. His eyes gleamed, and the princesses heart knew that this young pauper boy would be hers. As the guards opened the door the scarlet princess spoke, for every night that waits for thee, forever locked beneath the tree, the leaves will sprout and roots will grow, begone the loss of lovers woe. The boy stopped and the queen quickly hushed the princess, you do not speak. He looked back one last time as the doors closed.
Soon the decision was made, the man stood before the king and queen. A powerful noble from a kingdom the king wanted for his own. The wedding would be held in the spring and everyone would attend. The night came and the trees were rich in flower. The people gathered and the world rejoiced. All except one. The queen entered the bed chamber and found it empty. The panic struck like a dagger. They searched for many weeks, which turned into months, which turned into years. No one knew what the scarlet princess looked like, no one knew what had happened to her. No one knew how far she had gone. Or so the story was told, for there is one who knew her, saw her face and held her heart. The one who waited that night she was meant to be, waited there beneath the tree, started the roots and let it grow, the one that only true love would know. Her grandmother hid her away at birth knowing she wouldn’t get to choose her life. For the grandmother was wise from her own missed past, from a world she’d never be able to get back. Written on the grandmother’s tombstone read the lines: for every night that waits for thee, forever locked beneath the tree, the leaves will sprout and roots will grow, begone the loss of lovers woe. She read them every night to the scarlet queen and now a pauper family left a wreath. As a thank you for the gift she gave.
Housed and Fed 