Once upon a time...
School was something I always dreaded. I was kind of an awkward girl in the beginning of my teenage years, so despite being a princess, I was often overlooked. However, my brains and artistic ability were rarely overlooked. I was always top of my class and people would look at my drawings in awe. I was used to people complimenting me, however no ones compliments ever stuck with me. That was until I met Cedric.
He was an average looking boy. He had straight brown hair and small brown eyes. His nose was a little big for his face and his teeth a little bit crooked. He was hardly a head taller than me and didn't have much muscle or meat on him. But there was something about him. Something genuine and charming. Something that when he complimented my drawing, made me take notice in him, and made me almost blush. That something stuck with me, and quickly we became friends.
Pretty soon Cedric, my best friend Shar, and I became inseperable. We would go on long walks together and we would play games together. We would spend hours laughing and seeing shows. We called ourselves the three musketeers. There was nothing we didn't know about each other. We'd talk about our likes and dislikes; our favorite colors; our hopes and dreams. And what members of the opposite gender we thought were cute. That's when I realized that my feelings for this boy named Cedric were beyond just a friendship.
So I did what any girl would do. Every time he almost got in a relationship, I sabotaged it.
"I heard that she cheated on her last boyfriend with three other guys," I'd say. "I've heard she is secretly a witch!" I'd fib. "If she really liked you, she would try harder." Or, when desperate times called for desperate measures, "I hear she eats her boogers when she thinks no one can see her in her carriage."
Since Cedric was my best friend and knew absolutely everything about me, he saw straight through my antics. One day, he decided to do what any boy would do, and he kissed me. My very first kiss. And it was absolutely terrible. There were no fireworks, no trumpets sounding, and no foot popping. In fact he actually completely missed my lips in this horrible, unplanned, spontaneous first time kiss. When he realized he missed, he backed away from me, and walked off.
There I was, all my hopes and dreams of my magical once upon a time, spell breaking, sleep waking, death rising kiss, crushed. And what does he do? He walks away! Well I definitely was NOT having that. So I followed him, grabbed his arm, made him face me, and kissed him. It still wasn't my magical kiss, but I most certainly did not miss. "You kind of like me, huh?" He teased. I smiled and kissed him again.
After that, we became closer than ever and our friendship became even stronger. Cedric became a regular in my castle. He would take care of me when I was upset and was the only person who could calm me when I was angry. At night, we'd spend hours lying in the grass staring at the stars talking about anything this world had to offer to our conversation. "In five years Cedric, are we still going to be friends?" I'd ask aloud. "Of course we will. We will be friends forever. I will take you to balls and we can explore far away lands together," he'd say. Then I would make him pinky promise and seal our promise with a kiss. That would make it unbreakable.
Cedric was impossible not to like, and it didn't take long before my family took him in like he was another member and all the servants adored him. Shar was completely thrilled with the idea of me and Cedric being a couple, almost as thrilled as he was about it. However, I hated the idea.
Every time he talked about his feelings for me, I'd do my best to give a vague response. He'd talk about forever, and true love. I'd stare at him blankly, unsure I believed him. "I know you can feel it too. I can see it every time you look at me. When we are together, everything just fits. It's perfect. We are perfect. You are perfect," he'd say. I'd shake my head, "You can't possibly tell. You're no Merlin or gypsy." He would just chuckle in response, because he knew how stubborn I was and knew I wouldn't admit he was right until I was ready. In an effort to prove him wrong, I began to make up crushes. I couldn't let him be right. I'd go on about how much I loved Desmond's musical ability. I'd talk about how darling Mortimer was and how I couldn't wait to see him after school.
At first Cedric just brushed it aside, but after a while I could tell it began to hurt him. Nevertheless, throughout my "love affairs," he never strayed. He stayed the same friend he'd always been, despite the fact that I was breaking his heart with every word I said.
Cedric was a rare breed. Very few of the human race were as patient, loyal, loving, and kind as he was. And one day I realized that he could very well be better than any other princesses' prince charming. I finally caved and told him how I felt about him. I'd never seen a grin so big on anybody and from that moment on, we became as happy as a couple could be! It was blissful to be totally honest with Cedric and to not have to pretend anymore.
Little did I know, that right when I decided to stop pretending, he decided to start.
In lands far far away, balls are held often. And being a princess, I never missed any. The ending to my fairytale may have been a bit diffferent if I had missed this particular one.
It was our Autumn ball. As a princess, my entrance always had to be grand, therefore I was always one of the last arrivals. Cedric told me he would meet me there and couldn't wait to dance with me. Me and Shar climbed into our carriage looking flawless and full of excitement. When we arrived, we made our way down the long hallway and through the doors, with everyone taking note of our arrival.
I greeted many peasants on my way into the ballroom, but mye eyes kept wandering in search of Cedric. When I finally saw him, I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. He was in an embrace with a beautiful girl I recognized from school. I'd seen them talking at school before, and so I chose to ignore this embrace, assumed that they were just friends, and opted not to be a crazy girlfriend.
Time was ticking. One gentleman after another asked me to dance. After each dance I'd make eye contact with Cedric. "Ask me to dance," I pleaded in my mind, hoping he would somehow hear it, but it wasn't enough. Just as quickly as I would catch his gaze, the girl from school reverted it.
When the clock striked twelve, it was time for my grand departure, and Cedric had not so much as spoken to me. Men had been line up to dance with me all evening, except the one I was meant to be dancing with. I knew something was not right. Shar and I headed back down the hall to our carriage. She knew I was upset, but there weren't any words to say. Our silence was interrupted by a voice I knew all too well. The low deep voice that calmed me down many times. The voice that would talk to me for hours. Cedric.
I ignored him and quickend my pace. He finally caught up to me and stopped me. "Brailee what's wrong?" he asked. I looked at him but said nothing. He knew I knew. After a moment I asked him simply, "Do you have feelings for that girl you were with?" He looked away from me. I repeated my question. He responded, "Yes." I turned and started to walk away, but again he stopped me. He tried to make it better by wrapping his arms around me and saying, "Brailee, I am in love with you. I like her, but I love you."
My heart felt like it had dropped into my stomach and I couldn't breathe. My Cedric. The one that would have braved any dragon for me. The one who would have broken any spell to save my life. The one that would go to the ends of the land to do whatever it took to make me happy. My prince charming was no longer mine. And I was no longer his princess. He had found another fair maiden.
Cedric pleaded with me, "Please say something." "We're done," was all I could mutter. Those two words broke his tight embrace. I took a step back, walked out of his arms, out of his life, out of the doors, and climbed into the carriage with Shar. She wrapped her arms around me and I broke into tears. My heart was broken by the prince who was supposed to save me from people who would hurt me. Instead, he was the one who caused the damage. And never did he came to my rescue.
And so we lived happily never after.
