He must never find out. Princess Dreadia jumped up from her chair at the mere thought of it and went to get her husband more coffee. She nearly spilled the coffee when the doorbell rang.
“That must be the wizardess,” said the prince cheerfully. “This should be interesting.” He had been at first bewildered by the wizardess’s words at the king’s feast, but he did not let it concern him overmuch. He had seen firsthand how happy his doting wife was, even if she was a bit skittish in the bedroom. That would be remedied in time, with patience and effort, he had no doubt. For his wife loved him, he knew, and he could not miss how devotedly she tried to please him. He believed that she would warm to him in due time. Besides this, he had never been one for mystical things. No doubt this was some kind of scheme on the part of the old woman to gain the king’s favor. Even so, it would be a curious thing to see what she would have to say.
The prince was surprised by Harmonia’s effervescent beauty. From a distance, one only noticed her graying hair. A closer inspection revealed intelligent, alert eyes and lips that turned up on one side in secret amusement. Her skin glowed and her white-blond hair fell in waves around her face. The prince was impressed and intrigued by the unusual woman.
Now the wizardess had been inspecting the prince just as closely as he had been eyeing her. She noticed his approval of her and smiled her secret smile. He was obviously a kind man who was not threatened by a strong woman, so what was the problem here? She followed him into the kitchen to meet the princess.
Princess Dreadia was also impressed by the wizardess. Oh, to have her self assurance, she thought wistfully, truly here is a woman who has full command over herself.
Harmonia approached Princess Dreadia carefully. There was something in the princess’s eyes that put her on alert at once. She grasped both of the princess’s hands in hers and held them for a moment. She was simultaneously startled and filled with compassion by the pain she felt emanating from the young woman. The princess, too, seemed startled and was silent.
“She’s exquisite, isn’t she,” remarked the prince, misunderstanding the wizardess’s response to his wife. “One can’t help but love her.”
The wizardess remained quiet for a moment, then she let the princess’s hands drop.
“Come,” she said. “Let us all sit for a moment.”
The prince led them to an exquisitely decorated and immaculately kept little sitting room that had been prepared for this occasion, with a cozy fire burning heartily in the grate. They sat around each other in a circle so that they were facing one another.
The wizardess spoke first, addressing the prince. “I hope I do not underestimate you,” she said. “For I will certainly need your help.”
The prince stared at the wizardess. He hadn’t the slightest idea what she meant. Was she confessing that her status as wizardess was a sham and enlisting his help in duping the king in the matter? “Help with what?” he asked warily.
“With the princess’s dilemma,” she replied. Then finally noticing his confusion, she said, somewhat surprised, “Oh, well, of course, you have no idea!”
“Now just a moment,” said the prince, rising.
“Oh, dear,” said the wizardess. “We haven’t time for this.” But she recovered herself quickly and said, “Please sit and allow me to finish.”
The prince sat and Harmonia now addressed the princess. “Do you wish to get better, Princess Dreadia?” she asked.
The princess glanced at her bewildered husband. She, too, felt confused, but it was not over the wizardess’s inquiry. She was wondering how the wizardess had learned her secret. No one, not even her sisters, knew about it. The thought crossed her mind that the wizardess might actually have some magic, and that even perhaps she could help with her “dilemma,” as she called it. She blushed deeply and, avoiding her husband’s eyes, she answered the wizardess, “Yes.”
“Better from what?” demanded the prince.
“You will learn soon enough,” replied the wizardess, grasping his hand for a minute to reassure him. Then she turned back to the princess. “You must trust your husband,” she advised, “for you, too, will need his help.” She fished through her bag and retrieved a strange little bottle that was decorated with shimmering beads. She handed this to the princess. “When you are ready to begin your journey, you must give this to the prince,” she said. “And do not delay.” Then she got up and looked at the prince. “Your husband will walk me out,” she said.
Princess Dreadia remained frozen on the sofa, waiting for her husband to return. He lingered with Harmonia for what seemed like forever. What was she saying to him? How much did she know? The princess looked at the little bottle in her hand. What was inside? How was her husband going to be able to help her? What had she gotten herself into? She felt all at once terrified and exhausted.
When the prince returned to the sitting room at last, he looked quite ashen. However, he sat next to Princess Dreadia and smiled. He searched her eyes for a moment and then took her hand in his. “We are going to make this better,” he told her firmly, and her heart suddenly soared. Perhaps—?
“I have no idea what I am to do,” she admitted.
“We will figure it out together,” he promised with assurance. He was disgusted with himself for not having noticed that his wife was suffering with any conflict. He realized now how hard she must have been trying to please him, and he was determined to try just as hard to help her. “Perhaps it would be best if we put this aside until this evening,” he wisely suggested. “Getting today’s business behind us will likely help.” He hugged and kissed the princess, holding her pressed tightly to him for a moment before letting go. Then, with an encouraging smile he left her to go about her day.
Princess Dreadia took her husband’s advice and kept busy. Throughout the day she felt a sense of dread about what might happen, even while she harbored a secret hope that perhaps things would work out after all. The wizardess seemed remarkably capable and she was surprised by the kindness and determination her husband had shown so far. Dared she hope? She must hope, she decided. All three of them had too much at stake. She might have suffered forever rather than cause such distress to her husband, but now that it was out, she would only cause him more distress if she did not put forth every effort to fix her problem. And she did not wish to cause the wizardess to fail in her endeavor, either. No, she must address this challenge with courage, just as her husband and the wizardess both had.
At last the day came near its end, and Princess Dreadia and her husband were eating their dinner. They had only exchanged polite conversation so far, but at last the prince said to her, “I trust you are willing and ready, my love, as am I, to resolve this matter between us?”
The princess answered her husband with a whispered “yes,” even as her heart began pounding heavily in her chest. She was terrified and filled with anticipation all at the same time.
The prince captured her cool hand with his warm one, holding it gently but firmly as he led her to their bedchamber. His attitude of absolute, unbending determination filled the princess with confidence.
In their bedroom the prince put out his hand to his wife. “You have something for me?” he reminded her. She handed him the little bottle, which sparkled radiantly in the evening candlelight. Her hands were trembling.
“You will feel better shortly,” he assured her. He set the little shimmering bottle down on a nearby table and approached his wife. Slowly he began to remove her clothing. The princess looked surprised, and froze a little, hesitating to cooperate with him fully. He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Will you trust me?”
The princess continued to stare into her husband’s eyes as she acquiesced. He undressed her completely while she stood by mutely and watched him.
When he had the princess fully unclothed the prince groaned inwardly. This was truly going to be difficult. However, he knew that it would be worth the effort if it helped her to get over her fears. With
much restraint, he kissed her forehead gently and said, “Now lie down on the bed.”
While Princess Dreadia arranged herself on the bed her husband picked up the little bottle that the wizardess had given them. He opened it cautiously, so as not to spill a drop of the precious fluid. Very carefully he poured a very little puddle of it into his palm. Immediately upon doing this he could feel a tingling sensation penetrating his hand and arm. He gained hope by this, thinking perhaps this really was magic fluid after all.
The princess watched him from the bed as he approached. Immediately his hands were on her skin, warm and caressing, firmly massaging the oil into her tingling flesh, beginning with her arms and shoulders and neck, and moving down over her torso to massage her breasts and stomach and hips. The tingling started at the outer layer of skin and seemed to work its way down into her very bones. Her husband, meanwhile, massaged more oil in vigorously and conscientiously and, in spite of her earlier nervousness, the princess felt herself giving in to the oil and her husband’s strong hands, and at length, she felt her tension easing away.
“That’s it,” her husband coaxed. “Let yourself completely relax. You are safe with me.” His own body was tense and hard, but he ignored the painful yearning he felt and focused on his wife. He noticed that she was quite comfortable. His hands continued to rub the mysterious oil into her skin, making it glow.
“There’s something you’ve been hiding,” he said at last, when he was certain the oil had had time to take effect. He said it in a very matter-of-fact manner and with kindness, not accusing her, but rather speaking conversationally. When she remained silent he came closer to her and whispered into her ear, “Can you hear me, princess?” She nodded that she did.
“Something happened to you,” he continued. “Tell me.” This, too, he said in a very matter-of-fact but determined tone.
“It was…” She stammered a bit and then said, “I’m afraid.” In the meantime, the oil had reached her very brain, it seemed, for she suddenly did want to tell him everything. Still, it had been inside her for so long that it was difficult to find the words.
The prince continued to massage the oil into his wife’s body as he patiently encouraged her to tell him all about the incident that had traumatized her so absolutely that she could not be touched without thinking about it. Gradually the oil and the prince’s encouragement had the desired effect and the event was brought out into the open, from the furthest depths of Princess Dreadia’s memory for the very first time.
The princess’s first thought upon the telling was that, bad as the event had been, it did not deserve such influence as to alter her entire existence.
The prince, on the other hand, was greatly disturbed and enraged to hear of his wife’s suffering. But as the wizardess instructed him, he kept these emotions from his face and voice as he continued to massage the magical fluid into her skin. Now that he knew the substance of the event, he remembered that he must get her to speak about even the minutest of details. It would be extremely unpleasant for them both, but it would ultimately free her to think and speak of it while being completely comfortable and safe, and show that it was not something that she should continue to be afraid of. It was a memory and it was over.
With this in mind the prince asked the princess many specific questions. The more the object of his interrogation upset her, the more questions he put to that object. At one point his hand went between her legs and he asked softly, “Is this where he touched you?” And when she replied that it was, he assured her, “He will not touch you there again.”
To speak of it in such matter-of-fact detail seemed inappropriate at first, but it soon became obvious to both of them that, uncomfortable as it was to revisit the event, each detail that was exposed and released brought yet another degree of relief, and the longer they spoke of it, the smaller it seemed to become.
So they talked about what happened to Princess Dreadia in great detail, leaving out none of the particulars, and without hastening to get to an end to their task; in fact, on the contrary, with the thought to keep it out in the open air for as long as was comfortably possible. The prince exhausted his imagination to conjure more questions, not only about what had happened to the princess, but what she thought about during the episode, what she wished she had in her power to do at the time and what she might do if threatened with the possibility of facing a similar event in the future. On and on the discussion went, with the prince rubbing the oil into his wife’s body all the while, and having the effect of further minimizing the importance of the horrible memories with the much more pleasant experience of being loved. With the help of the magical oil, they both came under a spell that brought forth truth without censure and provided comfort for pain.
At last they were too tired to speak anymore. Any hysteria the princess experienced during this ritual was done—passed all the way through and presently forgotten. Confident that much had been accomplished this night, the prince ran his wife a bath and carried her into the tub. There he bathed her very well and shortly after tucked her into their bed, holding her in his arms until she slept.
At length the prince rolled away from his sleeping wife and stared at the ceiling, unable to find sleep himself. He thought about many aspects of their life together and the problems that he had not even been aware of until now. He did not like the things his wife had told him that night, but in his heart there grew a new, stronger desire to protect her now and always. Furthermore, he had gotten a glimpse inside the mind and heart of the loving woman he had married, and he knew that he would always see her differently from that day forward.
The next morning, Princess Dreadia woke up alone. The prince had left her; was it to save her embarrassment or to avoid having to look at her? She had told him everything! In a wave of anguish she suddenly felt all the shame she had feared she would feel if anyone found out about the incident. Even through the shame and mortification however, she still felt a solid relief of having gotten it out in the open. She remembered the words of the wizardess, telling her she must trust her husband. Perhaps she should do just that. Hadn’t he proven trustworthy so far? But what if…? No, she would not think about what-ifs. She would not let what-ifs run and destroy her life!
With determination she dressed and went to find her husband. From now on she would face her fears head-on, come what may.
As it happened, the prince was waiting for her in the kitchen where, for once, he had prepared breakfast for her. She again felt shame and unworthiness over his kindness but she resolutely brushed these negative thoughts away. He smiled at her when he saw her.
“Come and eat,” he told her. “You are going to need your strength.”
She was curious. “What, pray, will I need my strength for?” she asked, amazed inwardly that they could speak so comfortably with each other after the night previous. She was also delighted and relieved to find that she still felt the same pleasure in being with her husband and curiosity and excitement over what they might be doing.
“We have something very important to do today,” was all he would say. And try as she might, she could not get him to tell her more until she finished all of her breakfast. They ate together cheerfully, with him changing the subject every time she tried to pry that day’s events from him.
When at last she had eaten all she could, he took her into their large living room. All of the furniture had been moved into a corner. “Now princess,” he said. “You are a woman and cannot hope to be as strong as a man, but there are still some things you can do to protect yourself from an attacker. I am going to show you these things today.”
She was at once on the defensive. “So you do blame me,” she said, immediately angry at him with a velocity that surprised even her.
The prince tried not to show his frustration as he faced her unreasonable accusation head-on and with determination. “Listen princess,” he told her matter-of-factly, “I do not believe you are at fault any more than I believe it is appropriate for men to
attack helpless women. However, I do believe that the more positive action you take on this matter, the more you will gain your confidence back.” He paused for a moment to let this sink in. “It certainly couldn’t hurt,” he added.
For some reason she wanted to be angry and did not want to hear logic. Why should she even have to do this? He saw her obstinate look and he took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. “For whatever reason this has happened,” he said firmly, “we must try everything we can think of to solve the problem.”
She sighed grudgingly. “What would you like me to do?” she asked reluctantly.
He was careful not to smile. He proceeded to point out to her every man’s weakest points and ways that she might take advantage of those in a struggle. Before long, Princess Dreadia found herself quite intrigued with the things he was showing her, and she began to think that this new knowledge could indeed help her if she found herself in an unfortunate situation with a man in the future.
Aside from all of this, the close contact with her husband combined with the exhilaration of learning new things felt to her more exciting and intimate than anything they had done before. She allowed herself to feel protected and cherished.
At length, their lesson became more playful and she found herself teasing him as they tussled, now in fun.
Suddenly the prince took her firmly in hand and before she had even realized what was happening she found herself pinned beneath his rock-hard body. She stared up at him as he breathed down at her, serious now. “You must understand, princess,” he continued, “these things I’ve taught you today are tenuous at best if you come up against an assailant. You must also take great care to avoid any circumstances that might put you in danger.”
This speech tore the smile from her face. She once again felt the rush of indignant anger brought on by injustice. “Are you saying I was reckless before…?” She did not want to elaborate. She had gone over the event hundreds of times in her mind over the years. She had conjured up twenty or thirty ways she might have avoided the circumstance. Always, though, a little voice in the back of her head kept crying out, “It wasn’t my fault!”
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