(no subject)
Once upon a time there were two great kingdoms at war. One led by a widowed Queen, and the other led by a great King and his beautiful wife.
Each kingdom was strong and honorable, and possessed many a favorable quality which made both places a rather pleasant home for everyone from the lowest peasant to the highest noble.
However, looking in from the outside, it was obvious that the Queen would win, as they had better resources and more money with which to purchase supplies. As each year came to pass, with dry summers and brutal winters, the King decided to swallow his pride and surrender.
The Queen, harboring a great respect still for their long time enemy, decided instead to hold a truce with the King; allowing him to keep his soldiers and land, on one simple condition: That his first born daughter, on the day she turned sixteen, would be betrothed to the Queen's son. Thus marrying their two kingdoms and ending the war forever in a way that would be acceptable for everyone.
As time came to pass, however, the queen only had one son, and died soon after his birth. The King, though he took another wife, could not bear to taint the love he had for his beloved and never had another child. So, to keep their promise, they deceived the Queen and raised their son as a woman, growing out his hair and teaching him the manners of a princess instead of hunting like a prince; all in the hopes of saving their people from the war that still hung over them.
So as the young man's sixteenth birthday came to pass, he was garbed in the most magnificent clothes and jewels, his hair was pinned up elegantly, and he was kissed goodbye by his father and his, somewhat cold, but kind stepmother. Then, without a look back, he was sent on his way to the other kingdom.
However, halfway to its destination, the carriage was stopped by a band of thieves, and the footmen were killed as the honorable men tried to defend their prince. The prince ran at the first opportunity, while all the thieves were busy with the dowry from the carriage. Ruining his dress on the undergrowth in the forest beside the road, he paused for breath, unable to hear any pursuers. Ripping the sleeves, and tearing the bottom of the dress, the prince ditched his shoes and pulled out the pins in his hair, tying it up so it stayed out of his way as he moved on.
Though the prince managed to run away from the thieves, he soon found himself hopelessly lost. He wandered for days and nights until, quite disheveled and hungry, he came upon a white horse standing in a glade. The magnificent beast stood quite still watching him, and for a moment, the prince felt as if he were in a dream. Then the steed snorted softly and his eyes saw the truth.
Shackles were bolted just above the animal's hooves, chains connected the four of them together, forcing the horse to stand painfully still, else it might have tripped and fallen. Alarmed, the prince moved over quickly, but could not see a way to free the poor creature.
Suddenly, to his amazement, the horse stared him straight in the eyes and spoke, though its mouth never moved.
I have been put under a terrible spell by a wicked witch. If you were to free me, sir, I could grant you a wish; whatever you may like.
The prince gaped, not just at the idea of a talking horse, but more or less that the animal called him sir. Of course, he did look a right mess, too dirty to even remember what his clothes looked like and having pulled off the heavier baubles long ago, but not even his servants knew that he was not really a woman.
Too stunned to reply at first, he just nodded wordlessly.
Then, out of the trees, a beautiful woman stepped, wringing out a wet cloth. She stopped and smiled when she saw the prince, her expression kind and motherly. "I knew you would come, Prince." She murmured, her voice like satin. Sweeping a hand to the side, she guided his gaze to a small campsite with two seats. "Please, sit. You are weary, and hungry. I will tend to you."
Obediantly, he sat down and she handed him the damp cloth and a bowl. "You may wash your face while I prepare your meal."
Weary, the prince could not refuse her offer as his stomach protested loudly to its long fast. The horse whinnied in panic, and tried to shift its weight, but the woman held out a hand and it was stilled. Reassuring the prince, she handed him another bowl, this of soup, after he had cleaned off what dirt he could from his face and hands. This he ate hungrily, not even noticing at all what it tasted like.
Before long after he filled his stomach, he began to feel sleepy. The horse was thrashing his head, and he looked as if he was trying to whinny again, but the prince heard nothing as he slumped to the side, the woman's soft, triumphant, smile the last thing he saw before his eyes closed.
You must wake up!
The prince stirred somewhat at the voice.
The witch is placing you under her spell as well! It is a trap! If you truly are a prince, she aims to rule your kingdom!
Waking up from his drugged sleep, the prince noticed that the day was long since gone and they were no longer in a glade surrounded by trees. He was lying on the back of the horse, the soft monotonous movement almost lulling him back to sleep, but a sense of wrong kept him awake. His ankles and wrists were heavy, and after a moment, he gathered that shackles were around his wrists as well. The chains around the horse's ankles were now chained to the prince's shackles, so that they were trapped together, but the beast could still walk. Behind them was a the woman's carriage, he assumed, hearing the wheels rolling over the ground.
Do not move. She does not know that I am still able to speak to you.
Stretching he jaw, the prince stilled again, tightening his legs on the horse to make sure he would not start sliding off. "Who are you?" He whispered under his breath.
I am a prince, like you.
"Nice to meet you." The prince answered. "How did this happen?"
That woman is a wicked witch, and she lured me from my home and turned me into a horse because I had resisted her spells. She wants to take over as many kingdoms as she can by seducing kings and princes. I do not have much longer, however. Even now I can feel her magic working on me.
"Then I shall free you." He vowed.
When they stopped for the night and were chained in place to keep from running, the prince reached into his hair for one of the pins, bending it and working at a small keyhole he discovered whiled still pretending to sleep. Despite being raised as a princess, the prince had a few secret vices that he learned himself, such as sneaking into the kitchens late at night for a snack, and was glad now to have such talents.
He made quick work of the surprisingly simple shackles and freed the horse as well, petting its mane comfortingly and glanced at the tent.
She uses a staff to keep me in this form. Break it and I will be freed.
The prince nodded and crept to the witch's tent, sneaking inside with all the silence of a mouse avoiding a cat.
The woman slept on padded furs, appearing as innocent as she first seemed to him, but looking ugly now that he knew her for what she was, no matter how beautiful she was on the outside. Spying her staff, balanced next to her on the mats, he stretched over to grab it, taking his eyes off of her for just a moment to make sure he wasn't touching anything else.
In that moment, she awoke and grabbed his wrist just as he grabbed the staff. She sat up sharply, her mouth twisting in a cruel expression as she summoned up her considerable power. The prince suddenly could not hear anything but loud booming thunder, and then it was as if her were struck, electricity coursing up his arm. Blinding by the magic, he felt pain in every nerve in his body, shutting his eyes tightly.
And then, everything was quiet, the power stopped. Warily opening his eyes, sound rushed into his head again. The tent was partially torn on one side, the horse prince standing triumphantly over the fallen witch, whose power had been thrown back against her at the beast's assault. Instead of a woman, there lay a tiny black cat with a red tiger strip over its head.
Afraid, the prince hurried out of the tent and climbed up onto the horse's back, little shocks of pain still jumping up his arms.
The two ran away as fast as they could. The horse seemed to know where they were going for soon they were out of the forest and galloping full speed towards a distant castle.
By the time they got to a small creek just on the outskirts of the village surrounded said castle, the two figured they were finally safe, and stopped. The prince, remembering his task, took the staff over to a large rock and swiftly broke the stick upon it. With the sparks that followed, the prince felt another sharp jolt, and dropped the now useless weapon into the water.
There was silence behind him, and, worried that he did something wrong, he spun on his heel, only to stop and catch his breath. Before him stood what was definitely a prince: Golden hair and expensive clothes only a fraction of what made him seem princely. With a small amount of sadness, he remembered that he was betrothed to such a man, and wished that his fiance were this prince instead of any other. At least this one he knew was kind. Not that it would work either way, he knew, since he too was really a man. His father really was kind of odd to think that this ruse would fool the Queen for long.
The other prince smiled softly and bowed low to him. "I am grateful for your help in freeing me from my curse. As I promised, you will get one wish."
Sadly, the prince thought long and hard, and came to a decision. He liked being who he was, but he did not want his father's kingdom to be ruined just because of this small problem. "I wish to be a princess."
His wish was almost worth it just for the look on the other prince's face.
"I admit I expected some form of reward, or even perhaps the hand of one of our noble women in marriage, but what, might I ask, causing you to wish something as that?"
The prince knew the other could not grant his wish, so he quickly explained his situation, grateful for the opportunity to at least complain for a situation he was afraid to be in.
"I do not mind being betrothed to a man, as I was not raised to believe it is unacceptable, I just do not want everything they have worked so hard for to have been a waste."
There was silence and the prince saw realization and understanding dawn on the other's face.
"Then perhaps I can grant your greatest wish after all." The other prince stepped up to him and tilted his face up. "I have seen pictures, but I admit I did not recognize you under all the dirt. To be perfectly honest, I was dreading the day you would have arrived, because the thought of marrying some strange princess filled me with disgust. But now I see the truth."
Before the prince could fully comprehend, he was picked up around the waist and kissed. It was soft, sweet, and nothing at all like anything he had ever experienced before. He closed his eyes, feeling lost, confused, and a little bit in love before the kiss had finished and he was put back on his feet.
The other smirked at his expression and got down on his knee. "I am your betrothed, if you will have me, Princess."
It was then that it had fully occurred to the other prince just what was happened and he turned the palest shade of pink that had ever been seen upon his fair cheeks. "H-how will the Queen react?"
Taking that as a yes, he stood up and pushed the prince's hair back. "I will explain to her and say that I am perfectly fine with the arrangement. She will understand. She is very kind."
"Doesn't she want grandchildren?"
"I have a younger sister. Plus, we can always adopt an heir."
The prince stared at him and shook his head. "That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard." But it was said with a smile.
It was with this strange feeling of love that they were left with as they walked to the castle, hand in hand; Dirty, disheveled, and hardly modest in their torn clothes, but happy, with smiles on their faces.
The Queen was upset that the King did not come to her to explain his problem, but forgave him. Without any time to lose, the princes' were wed, both families happy that they were alive and well. The ceremony was enormous, with everyone from both kingdoms attending the event.
Nine months later, they adopted a young boy from another lesser kingdom on the outskirts of both of theirs, forming an even greater alliance than was ever thought possible.
And if the Queen's son had a tendency to chew on sticks of hay, or if the King's son suddenly expressed an interested in magic, then no one said a word.
They all lived happily ever after.
------
Voices tell me this is their roles:
The prince: Kaito
The King: Shinichi
The King's late wife: Ran
The King's current wife: Shiho
The horse: Hakuba
The witch: Akako
The horse's sister: Aoko
The Queen: Uh, the unnamed Kuroba-kaasan? I hadn't actually gotten that far yet.
The Adopted son: Conan
Also, personal feelings tell me this was just crap, but I decided to write it out for Stars because she's sick and needs to feel better now.
Each kingdom was strong and honorable, and possessed many a favorable quality which made both places a rather pleasant home for everyone from the lowest peasant to the highest noble.
However, looking in from the outside, it was obvious that the Queen would win, as they had better resources and more money with which to purchase supplies. As each year came to pass, with dry summers and brutal winters, the King decided to swallow his pride and surrender.
The Queen, harboring a great respect still for their long time enemy, decided instead to hold a truce with the King; allowing him to keep his soldiers and land, on one simple condition: That his first born daughter, on the day she turned sixteen, would be betrothed to the Queen's son. Thus marrying their two kingdoms and ending the war forever in a way that would be acceptable for everyone.
As time came to pass, however, the queen only had one son, and died soon after his birth. The King, though he took another wife, could not bear to taint the love he had for his beloved and never had another child. So, to keep their promise, they deceived the Queen and raised their son as a woman, growing out his hair and teaching him the manners of a princess instead of hunting like a prince; all in the hopes of saving their people from the war that still hung over them.
So as the young man's sixteenth birthday came to pass, he was garbed in the most magnificent clothes and jewels, his hair was pinned up elegantly, and he was kissed goodbye by his father and his, somewhat cold, but kind stepmother. Then, without a look back, he was sent on his way to the other kingdom.
However, halfway to its destination, the carriage was stopped by a band of thieves, and the footmen were killed as the honorable men tried to defend their prince. The prince ran at the first opportunity, while all the thieves were busy with the dowry from the carriage. Ruining his dress on the undergrowth in the forest beside the road, he paused for breath, unable to hear any pursuers. Ripping the sleeves, and tearing the bottom of the dress, the prince ditched his shoes and pulled out the pins in his hair, tying it up so it stayed out of his way as he moved on.
Though the prince managed to run away from the thieves, he soon found himself hopelessly lost. He wandered for days and nights until, quite disheveled and hungry, he came upon a white horse standing in a glade. The magnificent beast stood quite still watching him, and for a moment, the prince felt as if he were in a dream. Then the steed snorted softly and his eyes saw the truth.
Shackles were bolted just above the animal's hooves, chains connected the four of them together, forcing the horse to stand painfully still, else it might have tripped and fallen. Alarmed, the prince moved over quickly, but could not see a way to free the poor creature.
Suddenly, to his amazement, the horse stared him straight in the eyes and spoke, though its mouth never moved.
I have been put under a terrible spell by a wicked witch. If you were to free me, sir, I could grant you a wish; whatever you may like.
The prince gaped, not just at the idea of a talking horse, but more or less that the animal called him sir. Of course, he did look a right mess, too dirty to even remember what his clothes looked like and having pulled off the heavier baubles long ago, but not even his servants knew that he was not really a woman.
Too stunned to reply at first, he just nodded wordlessly.
Then, out of the trees, a beautiful woman stepped, wringing out a wet cloth. She stopped and smiled when she saw the prince, her expression kind and motherly. "I knew you would come, Prince." She murmured, her voice like satin. Sweeping a hand to the side, she guided his gaze to a small campsite with two seats. "Please, sit. You are weary, and hungry. I will tend to you."
Obediantly, he sat down and she handed him the damp cloth and a bowl. "You may wash your face while I prepare your meal."
Weary, the prince could not refuse her offer as his stomach protested loudly to its long fast. The horse whinnied in panic, and tried to shift its weight, but the woman held out a hand and it was stilled. Reassuring the prince, she handed him another bowl, this of soup, after he had cleaned off what dirt he could from his face and hands. This he ate hungrily, not even noticing at all what it tasted like.
Before long after he filled his stomach, he began to feel sleepy. The horse was thrashing his head, and he looked as if he was trying to whinny again, but the prince heard nothing as he slumped to the side, the woman's soft, triumphant, smile the last thing he saw before his eyes closed.
You must wake up!
The prince stirred somewhat at the voice.
The witch is placing you under her spell as well! It is a trap! If you truly are a prince, she aims to rule your kingdom!
Waking up from his drugged sleep, the prince noticed that the day was long since gone and they were no longer in a glade surrounded by trees. He was lying on the back of the horse, the soft monotonous movement almost lulling him back to sleep, but a sense of wrong kept him awake. His ankles and wrists were heavy, and after a moment, he gathered that shackles were around his wrists as well. The chains around the horse's ankles were now chained to the prince's shackles, so that they were trapped together, but the beast could still walk. Behind them was a the woman's carriage, he assumed, hearing the wheels rolling over the ground.
Do not move. She does not know that I am still able to speak to you.
Stretching he jaw, the prince stilled again, tightening his legs on the horse to make sure he would not start sliding off. "Who are you?" He whispered under his breath.
I am a prince, like you.
"Nice to meet you." The prince answered. "How did this happen?"
That woman is a wicked witch, and she lured me from my home and turned me into a horse because I had resisted her spells. She wants to take over as many kingdoms as she can by seducing kings and princes. I do not have much longer, however. Even now I can feel her magic working on me.
"Then I shall free you." He vowed.
When they stopped for the night and were chained in place to keep from running, the prince reached into his hair for one of the pins, bending it and working at a small keyhole he discovered whiled still pretending to sleep. Despite being raised as a princess, the prince had a few secret vices that he learned himself, such as sneaking into the kitchens late at night for a snack, and was glad now to have such talents.
He made quick work of the surprisingly simple shackles and freed the horse as well, petting its mane comfortingly and glanced at the tent.
She uses a staff to keep me in this form. Break it and I will be freed.
The prince nodded and crept to the witch's tent, sneaking inside with all the silence of a mouse avoiding a cat.
The woman slept on padded furs, appearing as innocent as she first seemed to him, but looking ugly now that he knew her for what she was, no matter how beautiful she was on the outside. Spying her staff, balanced next to her on the mats, he stretched over to grab it, taking his eyes off of her for just a moment to make sure he wasn't touching anything else.
In that moment, she awoke and grabbed his wrist just as he grabbed the staff. She sat up sharply, her mouth twisting in a cruel expression as she summoned up her considerable power. The prince suddenly could not hear anything but loud booming thunder, and then it was as if her were struck, electricity coursing up his arm. Blinding by the magic, he felt pain in every nerve in his body, shutting his eyes tightly.
And then, everything was quiet, the power stopped. Warily opening his eyes, sound rushed into his head again. The tent was partially torn on one side, the horse prince standing triumphantly over the fallen witch, whose power had been thrown back against her at the beast's assault. Instead of a woman, there lay a tiny black cat with a red tiger strip over its head.
Afraid, the prince hurried out of the tent and climbed up onto the horse's back, little shocks of pain still jumping up his arms.
The two ran away as fast as they could. The horse seemed to know where they were going for soon they were out of the forest and galloping full speed towards a distant castle.
By the time they got to a small creek just on the outskirts of the village surrounded said castle, the two figured they were finally safe, and stopped. The prince, remembering his task, took the staff over to a large rock and swiftly broke the stick upon it. With the sparks that followed, the prince felt another sharp jolt, and dropped the now useless weapon into the water.
There was silence behind him, and, worried that he did something wrong, he spun on his heel, only to stop and catch his breath. Before him stood what was definitely a prince: Golden hair and expensive clothes only a fraction of what made him seem princely. With a small amount of sadness, he remembered that he was betrothed to such a man, and wished that his fiance were this prince instead of any other. At least this one he knew was kind. Not that it would work either way, he knew, since he too was really a man. His father really was kind of odd to think that this ruse would fool the Queen for long.
The other prince smiled softly and bowed low to him. "I am grateful for your help in freeing me from my curse. As I promised, you will get one wish."
Sadly, the prince thought long and hard, and came to a decision. He liked being who he was, but he did not want his father's kingdom to be ruined just because of this small problem. "I wish to be a princess."
His wish was almost worth it just for the look on the other prince's face.
"I admit I expected some form of reward, or even perhaps the hand of one of our noble women in marriage, but what, might I ask, causing you to wish something as that?"
The prince knew the other could not grant his wish, so he quickly explained his situation, grateful for the opportunity to at least complain for a situation he was afraid to be in.
"I do not mind being betrothed to a man, as I was not raised to believe it is unacceptable, I just do not want everything they have worked so hard for to have been a waste."
There was silence and the prince saw realization and understanding dawn on the other's face.
"Then perhaps I can grant your greatest wish after all." The other prince stepped up to him and tilted his face up. "I have seen pictures, but I admit I did not recognize you under all the dirt. To be perfectly honest, I was dreading the day you would have arrived, because the thought of marrying some strange princess filled me with disgust. But now I see the truth."
Before the prince could fully comprehend, he was picked up around the waist and kissed. It was soft, sweet, and nothing at all like anything he had ever experienced before. He closed his eyes, feeling lost, confused, and a little bit in love before the kiss had finished and he was put back on his feet.
The other smirked at his expression and got down on his knee. "I am your betrothed, if you will have me, Princess."
It was then that it had fully occurred to the other prince just what was happened and he turned the palest shade of pink that had ever been seen upon his fair cheeks. "H-how will the Queen react?"
Taking that as a yes, he stood up and pushed the prince's hair back. "I will explain to her and say that I am perfectly fine with the arrangement. She will understand. She is very kind."
"Doesn't she want grandchildren?"
"I have a younger sister. Plus, we can always adopt an heir."
The prince stared at him and shook his head. "That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard." But it was said with a smile.
It was with this strange feeling of love that they were left with as they walked to the castle, hand in hand; Dirty, disheveled, and hardly modest in their torn clothes, but happy, with smiles on their faces.
The Queen was upset that the King did not come to her to explain his problem, but forgave him. Without any time to lose, the princes' were wed, both families happy that they were alive and well. The ceremony was enormous, with everyone from both kingdoms attending the event.
Nine months later, they adopted a young boy from another lesser kingdom on the outskirts of both of theirs, forming an even greater alliance than was ever thought possible.
And if the Queen's son had a tendency to chew on sticks of hay, or if the King's son suddenly expressed an interested in magic, then no one said a word.
They all lived happily ever after.
------
Voices tell me this is their roles:
The prince: Kaito
The King: Shinichi
The King's late wife: Ran
The King's current wife: Shiho
The horse: Hakuba
The witch: Akako
The horse's sister: Aoko
The Queen: Uh, the unnamed Kuroba-kaasan? I hadn't actually gotten that far yet.
The Adopted son: Conan
Also, personal feelings tell me this was just crap, but I decided to write it out for Stars because she's sick and needs to feel better now.