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Once Upon A Time |
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By Mischief |
| Once upon a time in a
land far from our own, there lived a king and queen and their daughter,
Anastasia. Now, Anastasia wasn't your regular polite and caring Princess
although she looked the part. She had long wavy brown hair and dark
emerald green eyes. Her skin was tan and looked delicate and soft. Her
cheeks were rosy, like she was always blushing. In front of the crowd when her father held speeches to the peasants, she always had a smile on her face, exposing her pearly white teeth. Behind the castle walls, however, she only looked that way on the outside. In the inside, she was a snobby little thing, with a turned up nose and a haughty look for the people who would work for her mother and father. "Get me my brush!" She would shout from her room. A servant will come rushing in and go to her dresser and pick up the brush. Then the servant will bow or curtsy and leave the room. One day, the sun was shining through Ana's window, the birds were chirping and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Ana opened her eyes and sat up. She pulled her purple satin covers off of her and stretched, yawning. My, did she feel extra nice today. Maybe she wouldn't call down to her servants. She quickly opened her closet doors and pulled out her dark green dress. It flowed gracefully down to the floor. The sleeves were bell sleeves and were pulled down over her smooth shoulders. She then turned her golden doorknob and walked elegantly down the long curvy stairs and into the dining room, where her mother and father King Jacob and Queen Ciaran were waiting. "What a surprise, Anastasia dear. I never heard you call for your servant." Queen Ciaran said as she took a sip of her wine. King Jacob boomed with laughter. "Ah yes dear, it is a surprise. So darling, today we have to make our speech to the peasants about their hygiene." Anastasia put her goblet down and sighed. "But Daddy, we talked to the peasants last week." She whined. "And besides, my jaw still hurts from smiling." "Thou needeth be more sympathetic, dear." Her mother said, her blue gray eyes sparkling. She straightened her posture and tossed her brown hair to the side. "The peasants aren't as fortunate as us. They need someone to look up to." Ana looked at her plate of eggs and sighed, leaning on the table. "But why do I have to go?" Jacob took his wife's hands into his. "You just have to sit there and look beautiful. That is all I ask." Jacob smiled and kissed Ciaran on the cheek. "Oh Daddy, you know that's impossible. I can't look beautiful when I am beautiful, and you and mother know that." Ana said smiling. "And that is why you have to be on the balcony with me, so that the peasants have something youthful and gorgeous to look at." Jacob boomed taking a bite of his toast. Ciaran nodded and took a sip of her wine. Ana lifted her fork and put a dainty piece of egg in her mouth. Ciaran looked at Jacob and raised her eyebrows, nodding. Jacob cleared his throat and put his piece of toast down. "And also, because we're talking about hygiene, we're going to select a young man or woman to clean up and teach manners to. We need you there so we look first-rate." Ana frowned and slammed her fork down on the table. "Mother, Father, what are you saying? We're going to have one of those filthy street rats in our humble abode? Are you going crazy? This is going to ruin my reputation and image!" She rose from her seat in a rage and ran from the room and into the garden. She ran over to the lilies and daisies. She sat on the concrete bench with her head in her hands. "This is horrible!" She cried. A hand fell on her bare shoulder. She looked up and saw her mother in her light blue dress, which went tight around her small waist. She sat down next to her miserable daughter. "You know what the peasants thought of your father when he was crowned king?" Ana shook her head and stared at the white roses and it's green thorns. "The townspeople said that greed became king. Sweetheart, your father's father was a greedy king and the townspeople thought that your father would follow in his footsteps. But now, with your father making speeches and inviting those underprivileged people into our home, the people of Urasia appreciate him and love him." Ciaran stood up and brushed a small curl away from her eyes. "I know you don't approve of this, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices to make other people happy." Ciaran walked from the garden and closed the doors softly behind her. She sauntered into the music room and sat down on the couch next to Jacob. "Do you remember when Anastasia was born? Do you remember what you said?" Jacob asked fingering his harpsichord. "Yes. Of course I do. I wrote it down." She went over to one of the dressers in the music parlor and took out a piece of paper. A gift from the heavens, fingers warm as the sun, Eyes bright as the stars, A child of light€¦ (By: David Maddox and Mary Hall Surface From: Perseus Bayou) "And to think, she's almost 17. She'll be getting married soon. To a fine prince, I hope." Jacob said leaning back. Ciaran put the note away and sat down next to him on the pink love seat. She leaned her head onto his chest. "She's grown up alright. She's a very impudent young lady. And I think that this boy or girl we will take in will be helpful to cure her rude style." Ciaran replied patting Jacob's chest. Chapter II "GABRIELLE! GABRIELLE!" Ana shouted sitting at her vanity in her white elegant dress. "GABRIELLE! I NEED YOU RIGHT NOW TO DO MY HAIR! I MEAN RIGHT NOW!" Ana tapped her vanity top impatiently, rolling her emerald green eyes. "GABRIELLE!!" She hollered as loud as she could. Then, a tall blonde woman walked into her room with big blue eyes and long blonde wavy hair. She was wearing a dark green dress with an off-white apron. "Sorry Miss, I was tending to the flowers in the garden." Gabrielle said with a slight bow of her head. Ana glared at her crossed her arms. "Well then, what are you standing there for, fix my hair NOW!" She demanded, sitting back down on her stool. Gabrielle came behind her and took the brush from the table. She started brushing Ana's long brown hair gently. "You know Miss, your mother and father will be leaving town in two weeks." She separated her hair into two sections. "Oh Gabrielle, don't be silly. The would've told me before." Her servant shook her head. "They leave for Parian City soon. They need you to teach the newcomer some manners." Ana jumped up from her seat, knocking it over to the ground. "You're lying Gabrielle! I know you are! Mother and father know that I do not wish to have a street rat in the household, so why would they make me stay with the grimy creature?" Gabrielle sighed while Ana sat back down. "Finish my hair, and I will go ask mother." Gabrielle put her hair in two braids, intertwining daisies in them. She then tied the two braids back tightly with a white ribbon. As soon as she finished, Ana hopped up and ran to her mother's room. "Mother, is it true?" She asked frantically. Ciaran looked up from her paperwork. "Is what true dear?" She answered. Ana approached her mother and sat down on the floor next to her. "Are you and father leaving in two weeks, keeping me here with the peasant?" Ciaran looked down at her daughter, who was looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Yes Anastasia. It's true." Ana leaped up in a furious rage. "Mother how could you? You know how much I despise having a peasant in our house and now I have to teach it manners?" "Calm down, calm down. Honey, it's bad enough that we have to go, it's not our choice." "Then why can't you take me with you?" "Because, you have to stay and rule the household!" |