[Fiction] - Saving Caroline
I did not expect this short story to get this long, actually. Oops >_>
Saving Caroline
October 28, 2010
Heroic princes are far and few, and nowadays only found in fairy tales. As far as Dimitry is concerned, he was just another prince in just another fairy tale (though he probably wasn’t aware about the fairy tale bit). Still, Prince Dimitry of the magical land of What-Have-You had it all. He owned two sets of stables, where the horses were healthy and well-trained. He had in his employ the best and most loyal of sorcerers, a powerful ally in a world of magic. He lived in a palace filled with servants that did his bidding, so long as the orders did not supersede the king. His gardens spanned acres; flowers bloomed in multitudes, creating sheets of color for those taking a peek through a bird’s-eye view. His collection of custom-made swords gleamed on their respective hooks, each holding a different power from the other.
True love? Yes, he had that, too. Most princes couldn’t boast over having true love, since they usually perish in the struggle for it. Dimitry had already been set to marry the Princess Caroline of the neighboring All-That-Is-Good Kingdom. When he first laid eyes on her, he was already smitten, like most princes usually were after gazing at such a beauty. Caroline was indeed quite the princess. She smiled the sweetest of smiles. She spoke in the most melodious of voices. She walked with the grace of a slender acrobat juggling flaming swords whilst jumping from one hoop to the next.
The best part was that she loved him back. Genuinely good princes were hard to come by, and Dimitry was a genuinely good prince; Caroline knew this. In fact, Caroline knew a lot of things. But what she knew wasn’t so important to others. Her job was to smile and charm the people of her country. With a wave of her hand and the nod of her head, she decided the fate of many younger men and women who go to her for advice. Her presence outside of the palace alone strikes wonder and awe within the inhabitants of the kingdom. She was, indeed, a special woman. And she loved a special man.
But disaster was going to strike even the extremely lucky. And it was Dimitry’s turn to experience a deep loss. The day before the wedding, he had gotten the one news that shattered his perfect world.
Princess Caroline had vanished.
Bereft of joy and overflowing with anguish, Dimitry did what any heroic prince would do in this situation. He went on a quest to bring her back. Princess Caroline needed to be saved, and who better to carry the rescue mission out than her very own Prince Charming?
With his kingly father and queenly mother’s blessing, Dimitry set out. He saddled the best warrior’s horse from the stables. He strapped his sharpest sword to his side. His sorcerer bestowed the prince an enchanted carnation bud from the gardens, where the petals unfolded the closer Dimitry was to the princess.
The town of What-Have-You buzzed with general activity. They’d heard that the prince was on his way in saving his true love. Some even ventured to speak with him, holding crucial information about Caroline’s whereabouts.
But Dimitry only listened to the Wizened Old Alchemist, who had seen much in his days.
“She has been whisked away by a powerful king,” the Alchemist told Dimitry. “There are many obstacles that the king has thrown at anyone who dares to save her. But if you truly wish to bring her back safely, you must overcome them and defeat the king.”
With a pack of herbs and potions, Dimitry was finally ready, and he traveled to the Kingdom of Selfishness-And-Woe, where the evil sorcerer king resided.
It’s needless to recount the trials that heroic Prince Dimitry had undergone to reach the far-away kingdom. Like most of the princes who’ve gone on a journey, Dimitry fought beasts. He adapted to the searing heat of desert mornings and the biting cold of desert nights. He cut away through forest paths, taking care not to be ensorcelled by giant, preying spiders and large, carnivorous plants. He urged his horse to climb hills, on most times even dismounting and walking in order to save the poor creature from the stress of the weight on its back.
Yet with each and every step his enchanted carnation blossomed, signaling the depth of his journey.
The carnation bloomed to its fullest on Dimitry’s fourth week. He knew that he had reached his destination, and that Princess Caroline was still alive and safe.
The palace of Selfishness-And-Woe was any typical evil villain’s palace. It was dark and grotesque. It had sculptures of snakes entwined around windows and engraved on parapets. Each buttress jutting out from the castle held the faces of cruel creatures at the very top. Dimitry could not imagine how the angelic Caroline would have been able to survive such a long time in the castle. How long had it been since she’d disappeared?
Nettles covered the entrance of the palace. With his enchanted sword, Dimitry cut the thorns away and opened the gate. With his princely nerve, he climbed the dark tower, prepared to fight the sorcerer king, rumored to transform into a monstrous chimera at his angriest. And with his resolve to end his beloved’s princessly suffering, he kicked down the not-so-fragile door to release Caroline.
Only Caroline was not in the dark tower.
Dimitry, puzzled, looked around. Where else could she be?
The heroic prince pulled the carnation out of his pouch, and watched it glow. He slowly climbed down the tower and headed to the throne room, his heart sinking. Had she been forced to marry already? Was he too late to salvage his love from her ruinous fate?
Still, there was no trace of the sorcerer king. In fact, there wasn’t much of a trace of any living thing once Dimitry had entered the castle. But what puzzled him most was the scene that greeted him after he’d opened the throne room.
Princess Caroline, the heart of All-That-Is-Good, sat at the very center. She was calmly reading a book, as though comfortable amidst the unsavory, hellish decorations. When she looked up to find her beloved standing in front of her, she gave him her widest smile. Caroline dropped her book and leapt into his arms. The lovers embraced, and for a few silent minutes, they stood there reunited.
Then Princess Caroline chuckled. “You couldn’t have come at a better time, love. I was on my last book, and it would have been quite dreadful if I didn’t have any other pastime to amuse myself with before your arrival.”
“Where is your captor?” Dimitry asked, examining the room.
Caroline shook her head. “Gone, dear. Vanquished, as it were.”
“How?!” The situation became even more mundane.
“Don’t look so stricken, my love,” Caroline replied. “The king wasn’t really very good with his sorcery. You would have laughed at his inferior skills.”
“You...dueled him?” his surprise turned quickly into awe. The same awe that Princess Caroline’s subjects displayed whenever she visited them.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say duel,” she giggled. “An evil sorcerer wouldn’t harm his bride-to-be, even when she challenges him with spell work. Nevermind. I would have tried to meet you halfway, it must have been such a perilous journey! But, as you see, I’m hardly dressed for travel, and my extra funds have run out.”
As far as Dimitry knew, there was no precedence for the situation he was thrown into. Caroline, a full head shorter than he was, was looking at him with her smiling almond-shaped green eyes. She didn’t seem at all bothered by his confusion and lack of a villain to fight head-on. Oh, no, she stood there waiting for him to sweep her off her feet and take her back after her mysterious victory over the sorcerer king.
“You have been very brave coming here,” she finally said, hugging him again.
Dimitry needed to rethink the fragility of his special princess. But for now, she wanted to go home. And, as he realized, so did he. They had a wedding ceremony to attend, after all.
Most heroic princes would have gotten some sort of glory after taking on the critical bad guy. But since Dimitry already had it all, the loss of ultimate glory wasn’t such a loss after all.
Besides, with a princess like Caroline as his wife, adventures were bound to open up ahead.
Saving Caroline
October 28, 2010
Heroic princes are far and few, and nowadays only found in fairy tales. As far as Dimitry is concerned, he was just another prince in just another fairy tale (though he probably wasn’t aware about the fairy tale bit). Still, Prince Dimitry of the magical land of What-Have-You had it all. He owned two sets of stables, where the horses were healthy and well-trained. He had in his employ the best and most loyal of sorcerers, a powerful ally in a world of magic. He lived in a palace filled with servants that did his bidding, so long as the orders did not supersede the king. His gardens spanned acres; flowers bloomed in multitudes, creating sheets of color for those taking a peek through a bird’s-eye view. His collection of custom-made swords gleamed on their respective hooks, each holding a different power from the other.
True love? Yes, he had that, too. Most princes couldn’t boast over having true love, since they usually perish in the struggle for it. Dimitry had already been set to marry the Princess Caroline of the neighboring All-That-Is-Good Kingdom. When he first laid eyes on her, he was already smitten, like most princes usually were after gazing at such a beauty. Caroline was indeed quite the princess. She smiled the sweetest of smiles. She spoke in the most melodious of voices. She walked with the grace of a slender acrobat juggling flaming swords whilst jumping from one hoop to the next.
The best part was that she loved him back. Genuinely good princes were hard to come by, and Dimitry was a genuinely good prince; Caroline knew this. In fact, Caroline knew a lot of things. But what she knew wasn’t so important to others. Her job was to smile and charm the people of her country. With a wave of her hand and the nod of her head, she decided the fate of many younger men and women who go to her for advice. Her presence outside of the palace alone strikes wonder and awe within the inhabitants of the kingdom. She was, indeed, a special woman. And she loved a special man.
But disaster was going to strike even the extremely lucky. And it was Dimitry’s turn to experience a deep loss. The day before the wedding, he had gotten the one news that shattered his perfect world.
Princess Caroline had vanished.
Bereft of joy and overflowing with anguish, Dimitry did what any heroic prince would do in this situation. He went on a quest to bring her back. Princess Caroline needed to be saved, and who better to carry the rescue mission out than her very own Prince Charming?
With his kingly father and queenly mother’s blessing, Dimitry set out. He saddled the best warrior’s horse from the stables. He strapped his sharpest sword to his side. His sorcerer bestowed the prince an enchanted carnation bud from the gardens, where the petals unfolded the closer Dimitry was to the princess.
The town of What-Have-You buzzed with general activity. They’d heard that the prince was on his way in saving his true love. Some even ventured to speak with him, holding crucial information about Caroline’s whereabouts.
But Dimitry only listened to the Wizened Old Alchemist, who had seen much in his days.
“She has been whisked away by a powerful king,” the Alchemist told Dimitry. “There are many obstacles that the king has thrown at anyone who dares to save her. But if you truly wish to bring her back safely, you must overcome them and defeat the king.”
With a pack of herbs and potions, Dimitry was finally ready, and he traveled to the Kingdom of Selfishness-And-Woe, where the evil sorcerer king resided.
It’s needless to recount the trials that heroic Prince Dimitry had undergone to reach the far-away kingdom. Like most of the princes who’ve gone on a journey, Dimitry fought beasts. He adapted to the searing heat of desert mornings and the biting cold of desert nights. He cut away through forest paths, taking care not to be ensorcelled by giant, preying spiders and large, carnivorous plants. He urged his horse to climb hills, on most times even dismounting and walking in order to save the poor creature from the stress of the weight on its back.
Yet with each and every step his enchanted carnation blossomed, signaling the depth of his journey.
The carnation bloomed to its fullest on Dimitry’s fourth week. He knew that he had reached his destination, and that Princess Caroline was still alive and safe.
The palace of Selfishness-And-Woe was any typical evil villain’s palace. It was dark and grotesque. It had sculptures of snakes entwined around windows and engraved on parapets. Each buttress jutting out from the castle held the faces of cruel creatures at the very top. Dimitry could not imagine how the angelic Caroline would have been able to survive such a long time in the castle. How long had it been since she’d disappeared?
Nettles covered the entrance of the palace. With his enchanted sword, Dimitry cut the thorns away and opened the gate. With his princely nerve, he climbed the dark tower, prepared to fight the sorcerer king, rumored to transform into a monstrous chimera at his angriest. And with his resolve to end his beloved’s princessly suffering, he kicked down the not-so-fragile door to release Caroline.
Only Caroline was not in the dark tower.
Dimitry, puzzled, looked around. Where else could she be?
The heroic prince pulled the carnation out of his pouch, and watched it glow. He slowly climbed down the tower and headed to the throne room, his heart sinking. Had she been forced to marry already? Was he too late to salvage his love from her ruinous fate?
Still, there was no trace of the sorcerer king. In fact, there wasn’t much of a trace of any living thing once Dimitry had entered the castle. But what puzzled him most was the scene that greeted him after he’d opened the throne room.
Princess Caroline, the heart of All-That-Is-Good, sat at the very center. She was calmly reading a book, as though comfortable amidst the unsavory, hellish decorations. When she looked up to find her beloved standing in front of her, she gave him her widest smile. Caroline dropped her book and leapt into his arms. The lovers embraced, and for a few silent minutes, they stood there reunited.
Then Princess Caroline chuckled. “You couldn’t have come at a better time, love. I was on my last book, and it would have been quite dreadful if I didn’t have any other pastime to amuse myself with before your arrival.”
“Where is your captor?” Dimitry asked, examining the room.
Caroline shook her head. “Gone, dear. Vanquished, as it were.”
“How?!” The situation became even more mundane.
“Don’t look so stricken, my love,” Caroline replied. “The king wasn’t really very good with his sorcery. You would have laughed at his inferior skills.”
“You...dueled him?” his surprise turned quickly into awe. The same awe that Princess Caroline’s subjects displayed whenever she visited them.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say duel,” she giggled. “An evil sorcerer wouldn’t harm his bride-to-be, even when she challenges him with spell work. Nevermind. I would have tried to meet you halfway, it must have been such a perilous journey! But, as you see, I’m hardly dressed for travel, and my extra funds have run out.”
As far as Dimitry knew, there was no precedence for the situation he was thrown into. Caroline, a full head shorter than he was, was looking at him with her smiling almond-shaped green eyes. She didn’t seem at all bothered by his confusion and lack of a villain to fight head-on. Oh, no, she stood there waiting for him to sweep her off her feet and take her back after her mysterious victory over the sorcerer king.
“You have been very brave coming here,” she finally said, hugging him again.
Dimitry needed to rethink the fragility of his special princess. But for now, she wanted to go home. And, as he realized, so did he. They had a wedding ceremony to attend, after all.
Most heroic princes would have gotten some sort of glory after taking on the critical bad guy. But since Dimitry already had it all, the loss of ultimate glory wasn’t such a loss after all.
Besides, with a princess like Caroline as his wife, adventures were bound to open up ahead.