You can read the beginning of the story here. If you're interested in a quick recap, here is what has happened so far... Friedrick and Magnolia were prince and princess, but Bernard Sylvester the Fifth, their resentful uncle, killed their parents and took over the throne. Hesper, a fairy, took them to live with her in a cottage in the woods. The children grew up believing that she was their grandmother, but on Friedrick's fifteenth birthday, she revealed to him his identity and sent him off to be educated by a nobleman faithful to the rightful king. Magnolia was lonely without him. At the end of the last post, the evil uncle sent out a troop of dragons to find his niece and nephew, and the next scene picks up in the woodland cottage.
The
next day, Hesper sat by the window and sewed a dress for one of her wealthy customers.
Magnolia offered to help.
“Oh
no, Maggie, dear. You deserve a break. Why don’t you go pick berries for the day?”
Maggie
thought it would be pleasant, but she hesitated to leave Hesper to do all the work
by herself. “Are you… quite sure?”
she asked.
Hesper
smiled and nodded. “Of course, dear.
Go ahead. You deserve it.”
Maggie
put a hooded blue cloak over her reddish curls. She got a large metal pail in
which to collect the berries. With a cheerful smile, the barefoot maiden left the
woodland cottage, and wandered into the forest, the pail swinging over her arm.
Hesper
watched from the window, a smile playing around her lips.
*****
The
prince of the neighboring country of Ladel (known for their soup) was visiting
Syornia on matters of state. The king wanted to negotiate with Bernard
Sylvester on the matter of renewing a treaty protecting Ladel from invasion. He
brought his son along in order to educate him in Matters of State. The Prince
Matthew didn’t mind being the heir, but he didn’t appreciate being dragged
across the world to sit through political discussions.
This
afternoon was a rare chance for Matthew to have some time to do whatever he
liked. His father was negotiating with Bernard Sylvester the Fifth, and had
asked Matthew to leave. Matthew was unsure of the reason for such a request,
but was happy to comply. He had asked if he could go riding, so Bernard ordered
the Royal Horse Care-taker to prepare one of the finest horses for Matthew to
ride. Matthew dressed in his Royal Riding Clothes, and went out to the stables.
A fine brown, regal horse awaited him. He mounted, and set out to ride for the rest
of the afternoon.
*****
Maggie
remained in the forest for hours, pulling blueberries off their stems. It might
appear a tedious task, but Maggie enjoyed it. She loved the woods, and could
never get enough of enjoying it.
Prince
Matthew rode for a long way as he gallopped through the woods. When he heard a
voice singing mournfully, his curiosity was great, so he urged his horse
onward.
Maggie
set down the pail full of berries and began to twirl around, her blue cape swirling
around her. She continued singing, pouring out her sadness in song.
Matthew
rode into the clearing where Maggie danced. She saw him coming, and ceased her
dancing and song. She fell to her knees, wiping her tears away. Matthew stopped
the horse, jumped off its back, and hastened to her side. “Maiden!” he cried. “You
grieve!”
Maggie
looked up, slightly embarrassed. She saw that he was a prince- and a handsome
one too- and felt her heart flutter in excitement.
“What
grieves you, fair maid?” he asked, dropping to his knees, and wiping her tears
away with his royal cape.
Maggie
said, “I miss my brother,” she whispered.
“What
happened to him?” Matthew asked. She was so beautiful that Matthew couldn’t take
his eyes off her.
“My
brother went away from home,” she said. She hesitated, realizing that Hesper
hadn’t really explained why. “He went away to be educated,” she said. “I miss
him very much.”
The
Prince Matthew did his best to comfort the crying peasant girl. Once her tears
were dried, she blushed, thanking him for his kindness. She felt flattered that
the heir of Ladel should take an interest in her.
Prince
Matthew grew even more in love every second he was in Maggie’s presence. Even
though she appeared to be nothing more than an attractive peasant girl, Matthew
saw something else in her. He wasn’t sure what.
*****
The
two spent the rest of the afternoon together. Tied to a tree, Matthew’s horse
took a nap while Prince Matthew helped Maggie pick blueberries. Maggie began to
fall in love with the prince. He was witty and chivalrous, and very
good-looking. Maggie wondered why he was being so nice to her. Weren’t princes
supposed to be aloof and prideful?
*****
The
sun began to set.
“I
must be going,” Maggie said quickly.
Prince
Matthew nodded. “As should I.” He went over to the tree and untied his horse.
“Thank
you for listening so kindly, Your Majesty. And for helping me pick blueberries.”
“You’re
welcome, Maggie. The pleasure is all mine. I hope to see you again soon.” At
his request, she had given him directions to the cottage. He mounted his horse
and galloped off. She looked after him with a sigh. He was just like a prince
in a dream. She picked up the pail of blueberries and headed for home.
*****
When
she went into the cottage, Hesper still sat by the window, sewing. She looked
up when she saw Maggie step inside.
“I’m
back!” Maggie said cheerfully.
“Take
the berries into the kitchen, Maggie.”
Magnolia
went into the kitchen and sat the pail on the table. In a moment, Hesper was at
her side. When she saw the amount of berries in the pail, she exclaimed, “Why!
What a lot of berries, Maggie! It is hard to think that one person could pick
so many alone!”
Maggie
looked away, wondering how Hesper could have guessed. “I picked berries all
afternoon,” she said, hoping no more would be said on the matter.
Hesper
just nodded, dumping the pail of blueberries into a large bowl. “Did you have a
pleasant time?”
“It
was delightful,” Maggie said.
I shall post the third and final update sometime next week. I'm sorry for how long these posts have been, but I'm trying to keep the story confined to as few posts as possible.
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