AA1. The Queen is her stepmother
By morn, she hid in the courtyard,
for her stepmother was inside,
tending to the kingdomâs affairs.
By noon, she scurried to the training grounds,
where the sun glared harshly on metal
from knights testing their mettle,
for her stepmother was by the cool trees
in the courtyard, enjoying their fruits and shade.
The princess was in one sense quite social,
some might say a real butterfly,
because who else was friends with so many?
The lamps in the library.
The soup stocks in the pantry.
The linens in the closet.
And occasionally, the ants on the ground.
She had many friends.
But she was about to meet
her first human one.
On a day that was windier than windy,
she met that person sheâd secretly hoped for,
a kind of person, really.
Beggars canât be choosers,
but dreamers can be dreamers.
And for dreamers, only someone
like out of a dream,
could suffice.
On that windy, windy day,
the princess metâŚ
âA prince.â Itâs a pretty cliched little fairy tale, but whatever. Thatâs what little girls like, right? Itâs cute, but a little too obvious.
â...what?â Shiori asks with her most annoying tone yet.
âWhat do you mean, what?â
âWhy would she want a prince? Are you actually serious right now? Why would you want a prince?â she asks, incredulously.
âI donât want a prince, but thatâs where the storyâs leading. Just look at her!â
âShe just wants a normal friend her age thatâs a girl,â Shiori fumed. âWhy do you have to put a prince in everything?â
âIâm not putting anything in anything. Iâm just reading the story properly! âDreamers canât be dreamers, and for dreamers, only someone out of a dream.â What else could it mean?â I canât stop myself from clutching Yorick defensively. I mean, protectively.
âSo, youâre the type who dreams about princes, huh? I honestly would never have pegged you for that. But I guess the signs were all thereâŚâ
âAgh! Iâm gonna strangle you! I donât care. Write what you want. Give her a prince. Give her a bff. Youâve got the quill!â
âAlright, alright! Hold your horses. Your⌠shiny, white, prince-carrying stallions, as it were,â she chuckles. âLetâs just say that sheâŚâ