The Legend of Princess Wildheart

by Snowder, Thomas

  True love had somehow found its way into the hearts of Princess Wildheart and Prince Morgan. Each could not stop thinking about the other. Drawn together by fate, their two lives were suddenly connected. The birthday of Princess Wildheart and the celebrations of her coming of age would begin tomorrow morning. A good restful evening would be needed by everyone.

  FOUR

  Today is the Birthday of Princess Wildheart and the day she comes of age to be married. The Festival would take place in the daytime. The invitation only Ball would occur in the evening. Everyone was up early, gearing up for a full day. The merchant’s shops were all well stocked and many travelers had come for the festival. The whole town courtyard was buzzing with excitement. Over near the stables and near the arena area was a sign posted that listed all the various games and contests. Grandstand style seating was located for a perfect view of the contests with a special area only for the Royals to view the events from. The Tavern was selling baked goods, coffee and tea. Prince Morgan, Duke and the three Prince brothers of Princess Wildheart were there discussing which events to sign up for to compete in. Prince Darksoul and Prince Tangent showed up separately. Prince Darksoul sat by himself as Prince Tangent joined Prince Morgan and Duke. All of them decided to sign up for the big events which cost twenty five gold coins each as entry fees. None of them cared about the cost since all were wealthy men. The group signed up for the Horse Race, the Riding Ring Grab, the Sword Fight, The Boxing Match and the Archery Competition. The three brothers were most excited since they felt they would win all the events easily.

  The first event would be the horse race. It wouldn’t start for a while though which allowed everyone time to wander through the Festival before checking on their horses and preparing for the race. The men at the Tavern wished each other well and went their separate ways. All of the contestants had fine stallions and boarded them at the stables which had already fed and groomed the animals.

  Prince and Duke were walking and discussing the horse race when Prince Morgan spotted Princess Wildheart and Pricilla getting a candy apple. He and Duke walked over to say hello. Of course he had not stopped thinking about her since they met. He could barely focus on anything else with thoughts of the Princess constantly popping into his head. The girls were talking and giggling when Prince Morgan and Duke walked up.

  “Good morning ladies, I hope your well today. Happy birthday to you Princess Wildheart,” said Prince Morgan.

  Princess Wildheart blushed when she saw Prince Morgan. She had hoped they might meet by chance again and maybe even share another kiss.

  “Oh, I see your still wearing my bracelet Prince,” said Princess Wildheart.

  Prince Morgan smiled at her. He liked her playful attitude.

  “I thought we already settled that issue,” said Prince.

  He and the Princess both laughed, Pricilla laughed too. Princess Wildheart thought about how wonderful the kiss between them had been. She wouldn’t mind another kiss but in this public setting it would not be proper.

  “Prince, introduce me to these fine ladies,” said Duke.

  “Oh, sorry Duke, excuse my bad manners Ladies. May I present my truest and most loyal friend, Duke,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Duke, this is the beautiful Princess Wildheart and her friend the lovely Pricilla,” said Prince Morgan.

  Duke felt his knees buckle when he looked at Pricilla, she was smiling at him. He was stunned at first but went closer to her and both of them started talking.

  “Will you be competing today Prince Morgan? I will be watching the events with my family from the grandstands,” said Princess Wildfire.

  “Yes Princess, Duke and I have entered into all of the events on the list, it should be fun,” he said.

  The two of them were standing close to one another smiling as they looked into each other’s eyes. Princess Wildheart could barely control herself when she looked into the eyes of the Prince.

  “Pricilla and I will be watching from the stands over there. If you can, try to stop by and see us,” she said, smiling at the Prince.

  “I will try my best Princess. You look beautiful today,” said Prince Morgan.

  The Princess blushed and kept smiling. She was really happy that the Prince seemed interested in her. This was turning out to be a great birthday so far.

  “I am hoping to see you and your friend Duke at the Royal Ball tonight. Perhaps we can share a dance together,” she said.

  “Duke and I have already made plans to attend the Ball Princess. Your father invited us yesterday when we met him. I would be more than honored to share a dance with you there,” said Prince Morgan.

  “You can count on that Prince. I believe Pricilla may like to have a dance with your friend Duke,” she said.

  She smiled looking over at Pricilla and Duke. They were too much into each other at the moment to hear anything else being said around them. Seemingly out of nowhere the King walked up.

  “Hello, dear daughter, happy birthday,” he said kissing her on the cheek.

  “Thank you father,” said Princess Wildheart.

  “Oh, I see you met Prince Morgan and his friend Duke,” said the King.

  “Morgan it’s good to see you again,” said the King, shaking his hand.

  “You’re Majesty, great to see you again sir,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Prince I understand that you and Duke are staying for the events,” said the King.

  “Of course sir, we are honored to be included,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Fine, fine, we will see you there then,” said the King.

  The King took Princess Wildhearts’ arm and escorted her away.

  “Come along daughter, we must join your mother the Queen in the grandstands,” said The King.

  They both walked toward the stands with Pricilla right behind them. Pricilla turned and smiled at Duke as they walked away. She had met someone that made her heart melt.

  “My god man, you never mentioned the Princess had a beautiful friend like Pricilla,” said Duke.

  “I noticed you two seemed to like each other,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I think it may be a little more than that Morgan,” said Duke.

  He punched Prince Morgan in the shoulder with a smile on his face. Both of them laughed and continued talking about the girls as they made their way over to the race area. As they passed the Weapons Master shop, Prince Morgan suggested they both stop in for a moment since the race time was still a while away.

  The two of them entered the weapons shop and were surprised at the amount of items on display for sell. The shop had average and fine weaponry for trade or sale. Prince Morgan discovered a sword that he liked.

  “Wow Duke! Check this out,” said the Prince.

  He showed Duke a polished steel sword with an ornate brass handle. Duke examined the sword closely.

  “This is the nicest I have seen in a shop. You should buy this sword Morgan, “said Duke.

  “Let’s see,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Shopkeeper,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Yes Sir,” responded the shopkeeper.

  “This sword is great, what can you tell me about it? I may be interested in buying it,” said Prince Morgan.

  “That sword came from Regent, a tiny Kingdom with a great sword maker. It is very well made, solid polished steel, as hard as any swords I have come across,” he said.

  “It is very nice,” said Prince Morgan.

  “How much would you want for it? If we can make a deal I am considering purchasing it,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I am asking seventy five gold, with the black scabbard it has remained unsold so far,” said the merchant.

  “It is really great. I’m not sure if it is worth that much but a beautiful weapon none the less,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Yes, a fine sword indeed. I do however have a finer one for sale. It is just not being displayed for now,” said the Merchant.

  “You have a finer sword than this one? I wou
ld like to see that,” he said.

  “Very well then,” said the merchant.

  He went into a small backroom and came out with a package wrapped in cloth. He laid it on the table in front of Prince Morgan and Duke. The merchant carefully took the item from the cloth. Prince Morgan was surprised to see the gleaming “Sword of Caledon,” right there on the table.

  “Whoa,” said Prince Morgan, stunned to see his sword again.

  “I got this from a trader a few weeks back. Extraordinary sword, I am told it is from the Kingdom of Caledon, some distant Kingdom. Anyway, I have had our Sword Master take a look at it. He has been trying to see if he could duplicate it somehow. He hasn’t had any luck decoding the metal formula used in the making of this blade. The blade is super strong and seems not to dull, with the scabbards, I am asking two hundred gold,” said the merchant.

  “That is my sword. I am Prince Morgan from the Kingdom of Caledon and have been searching months for it now. A thief stole it from me a while back and I have been searching for it every since then,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I understand sire and I would be glad to see you get it back. Consider though, I have invested gold in the sword with the trader who brought it here and would not like to see a loss on my purchase,” said the merchant.

  “That sounds fair, I assume that you have invested a fair amount of your gold to acquire the sword,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I have invested one hundred gold coins for the acquisition of this sword. I thought that I should be able to double my investment at two hundred gold coins,” said the Merchant.

  “I won’t quibble with you sir over a few gold coins. I will pay you the two hundred gold you ask. I’ll bring the gold by later after the events, hold it for me,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Yes sir. I will hold it for you only sir” said the excited merchant.

  “I can’t believe we finally found your sword again Morgan,” said Duke.

  “My sword is finally back where it belongs and I don’t plan to ever lose it again as long as I am alive,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Would you also be interested in a high quality hunting knife Sire? I could add it to your purchase for another one hundred gold coins,” said the merchant, holding up a shiny knife.

  “Why not, I could use a good boot knife as a backup weapon,” said Prince Morgan.

  Meanwhile Duke had discovered a weapon he liked.

  “Take a look at this weapon Morgan,” said Duke.

  Duke was holding up a real nice bow with a full quiver of custom made arrows. Prince Morgan stepped over by Duke to examine the Weapon.

  “Wow, this looks deadly. You should try to buy it Duke,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I agree with you Morgan. I will find out how much he wants for it. Maybe we can make a good deal,” said Duke.

  “Oh, the bow and arrow set. Hmmm, I believe a good price would be three fifty gold. The weapon was traded by a traveler from Monzatrole. He said it had been custom made from some sort of special wood not known of around here. The bow came along with one hundred custom arrows in a leather quiver,” said the merchant.

  “The quality of it seems really nice so consider it sold my good man. I will pay the three hundred fifty gold coins you are asking. Hang onto it and I’ll return with the Prince later and both of us will pay you then,” said Duke.

  The two of them left the shop and began walking towards the stables. They walked along and a flower lady stopped them. The woman was old and dressed modestly. She had a small wooden cart full of fresh flowers and they smelled great.

  “I have some very nice flowers for sale,” she asked.

  “Give me two bundles,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I’ll take one bundle,” said Duke.

  The two of them approached the grandstands where the Royals and their various charges and guards were. Prince Morgan went over to where the Queen was sitting. Princess Wildheart and Pricilla both quit talking and watched to see what was going on.

  “Flowers for her Majesty the Queen,” said Prince Morgan, handing the flowers to her aide.

  The aide handed the bundle of fresh flowers to the Queen and she smiled and addressed Prince Morgan.

  “Thank you sir. These flowers are lovely. What is your name sir?” the Queen asked.

  “Prince Morgan from the Kingdom of Caledon your majesty and this is my friend Duke.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you Prince Morgan and you also Duke. You are very thoughtful to honor me with such a pleasing gift. Good luck in the competition today sir.”

  “It has been my pleasure your majesty,” said Prince Morgan.

  The Prince then took a few steps over to his right and addressed the aide of Princess Wildheart.

  “Flowers for Princess Wildheart,” said Prince Morgan, handing them to her assistant.

  “Thank you Prince Morgan, these are beautiful,” said the Princess.

  “My pleasure Princess and happy birthday to you today.”

  Princess Wildheart was all smiles as she held the flowers given to her by the Prince she had fallen in love with. The Queen looked on and smiled with approval.

  “Flowers for Miss Pricilla,” said Duke as he gave them to the aide of Princess Wildheart.

  “Thank you sir, I love flowers! These are just too beautiful for words,” said a smiling Pricilla.

  Prince Morgan and Duke were happy to be able to get close to the girls they both liked so much. Today was starting off to be a great day.

  “You two are true gentlemen. Good luck to you both today,” said the Queen, smiling at them.

  Prince Morgan and Duke bowed and then went to the stable to get their horses for the race. The Queen held her flowers to her nose and inhaled the sweet fragrance they offered. They were a very beautiful and fragrant bunch of flowers which had brightened her day.

  “I love my flowers. It’s so nice to get an unexpected surprise like this today. Prince Morgan and Duke were very thoughtful to think of giving me these.”

  “They seem like really good fellows to me dear. I had already met them both at the Tavern and shared ale with them. They are very fine young men,” the King said, smiling at his wife.

  “They are both quite handsome gentlemen dear,” said the Queen.

  “From the conversations I have had with both of them. They are also well mannered, educated and very refined,” said the King. “I invited them both men to the Wildheart Celebration Ball tonight. They seemed interested and said they would be attending,” said the King.

  “Oh, that will be nice,” said the Queen.

  All of the riders were gathered by their horse stalls in the center of the race track. The track was a mile long oval track, dirt, with the grandstand in the middle of the long straight stretch near the start and finish lines. The grandstand of course offered the best view of the event. The start and finish lines were marked by large banners, one colored white for start and the other colored green for victory. Spectators could watch the race from anywhere outside the huge track and a huge crowd had gathered to watch the race. The outside and inside of the track was marked with a small white wooden fence. Merchants and other vendors were making their way through the crowds selling various items. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as race time drew nearer.

  The King and Queen sat next to each other in the grandstand, high up, so the people could see them clearly. Princess Wildheart and Pricilla were sitting next to each other in front of the King and Queen but lower down so not to block their view. They were also clearly visible to the crowds. It was important that the people be able to see the Royals without anything blocking their view. The people loved them and seeing them happy made them feel more secure. Princess Wildheart continued talking with Pricilla as they waited for the race to begin.

  “So you and Duke seem to like each other, that much is obvious. You will have fun at the Ball tonight if he shows up,” said Princess Wildheart.

  “Duke and the Prince are planning to attend. Duke said he
would dance with me and no one else. He is so handsome and fun to be with. I am looking forward to him holding me in his arms and dancing with Me.” said Pricilla, giggling. “I hope we can sneak off and spend some time together alone.”

  “Oh and what would you two do if you were able to do that? I am thinking you may want to kiss Duke,” said Princess Wildheart, smiling and arching her eyebrows.

  “I wouldn’t mind a kiss from Duke. I like him very much,” said Pricilla. “I would say that I am not the only one who would like to spend time alone with the man I like. You are also wishing that you and Prince Morgan get a chance to spend time together. Let’s not try to pretend this is all about me and Duke Miss kissy lips,” cracked Pricilla.

  Princess Wildheart gave Pricilla a what, who me, type of look. She was trying to act innocent. Then they both laughed knowing what each other really hoped might happen at the Ball tonight.

  “I’m not sure between Prince Morgan and I who started this but I can say it is not over yet,” said Princess Wildheart. “I can tell by the way he kissed me that he really likes me. I may have to dance with several men including my father at the Ball tonight. The man I really want to dance with though is Prince Morgan. I’ll be waiting for him to ask me. I will enjoy dancing with my father but Prince Morgan is the one that I am excited about dancing with the most,” said Princess Wildheart.

  “Oh, I can see that. Of course if you can dance with several men then I suppose it would be alright if Prince Morgan danced with several other ladies also,” said Pricilla in a matter of fact manner.

  “Pricilla! He better not,” she said, folding her arms and pouting. “Besides, it’s my birthday today. I am a Princess and no one would ever want to upset a birthday Princess.”

  Both girls laughed at each other. They were both looking forward to the Ball and knew it would be fun.

  The Queen noticed the two girls laughing and having so much fun talking. She could not hear what was being said but could hear the giggles the girls made and knew they were both happy together.