The Prince Bride - Chapters 1
By Missy Crystal

Prince Charles was heir to the throne. At his christening, three of the four fairy protectors of the Kingdom (the kind with wings and wands) appeared to give him the customary blessings for a future king. The fourth fairy sister, arriving late from partying all night with the elves, mistakenly believes the baby is a girl and gives her the blessing of being a happy bride. Can the fairy magic be undone? Will the prince grow up to be a queen of one kind or another? Read the story and find out. This is not a typical TG story and, therefore, it is hard to categorize. Please do not be deterred.

Chapter 1. Prince Charles

Once upon a time, in a far off kingdom, the castle was buzzing like a beehive with preparations for a grand celebration. All of the nobility from far and wide soon would be arriving to attend the christening of King Henry's and Queen Charlotte's first born son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles. The royal pair had been trying for many years to conceive a child and, having finally secured the royal succession, no expense was to be spared to make this the most memorable event in the history of the kingdom. Barrels of wine were readied, dozens of sides of beef were roasting on spits, mountains of vegetables had been boiled, and the various royal craftsmen had been working for weeks on beautifully embroidered table cloths, silver dishes, utensils and serving vessels and gold candelabra to light the hall. Throughout the countryside, not a bolt of cloth, not a spool of thread could be found, as each family commissioned their tailors to design splendid outfits for the lords and ladies, vying to outdo each other as they made their grand entrance. The royal tailors had been busy too, weaving gold and silver thread into fabric that would be decorated with exquisite jewels, so that no mere noble would be more fashionable or more elegant than the royal couple.

Finally, all was ready. The gilded carriages, drawn by pairs of matched white horses with the finest silver decorated leather harnesses and feathered plumes on their bridles, rolled through the castle's gates to the foot of the stairs. Liveried footmen opened the doors and magnificently coiffed and dramatically made up women were assisted down, then escorted up the red carpeted palace steps by ushers in the finest brocade waistcoats and knee britches, the women's less ostentatious husbands and escorts following behind. Each was announced, entered, and was seated at long rows of tables piled high with savory foods. The wine goblets were filled by an army of servants, in plentiful supply, since any commoner would have given all that he or she owned to see such a sight and some did, bribing the royal quartermaster for a job. When all of the quests were seated, the orchestra struck up the royal march, a hush fell over the great hall and the King and Queen made their grand entrance. All of those in attendance, who had risen to their feet at the first notes of the familiar tune, bowed low, as they passed by, on their way to the royal table.

After they had seated themselves on their thrones, the Archbishop entered in a religious procession and advanced to a cradle placed in front of the King and Queen. When the entourage arrived, they bowed low. In contrast to all of the other extravagant decorations, the cradle was plain brown wood, with obvious signs of wear. It was the same cradle that had been used for christening the princes and princess of the kingdom for the last 200 years. The royal orchestra played softly as the royal nursemaid slowly and carefully carried the infant prince in her arms, escorted by a dozen royal household guards in splendid red, black and gold uniforms with gleaming gold and silver helmets, led by the Captain of the Guard. When they reached the cradle, the royal nursemaid gently placed Prince Charles inside and withdrew. The guards remained, bound to sacrifice their lives to protect their royal charge from harm. The Archbishop looked at the King, who nodded his approval, and he began the christening ceremony, ending with, "I hereby christen thee, Charles, prince of these lands and heir to the throne." He stood back, and there was a deafening salute from the audience, "Long live their Majesties, King Henry and Queen Charlotte. Long live His Royal Highness, Prince Charles."

The King and Queen rose in acknowledgement of their guests' respect. As if on cue, there was the sound of tinkling bells, a soft white glow and three fairies appeared, their gossamer wings fluttering and their sheer dresses, sparkling like a million diamonds. Each was in human form, perfect in every feature, although only about four feet tall, with long golden hair and small pointed ears. Each curtsied to the King and Queen.

"Congratulations, your highnesses," they said as a chorus. "We come to honor the ancient tradition of bestowing a gift on the heir to the throne."

They moved forward to stand by the cradle. Although fearless and dedicated to the Prince, the guards knew that the fairies meant no harm and, even if they did, that it would be both futile and deadly to interfere with these creatures, so remained rigidly at attention.

The king addressed the three fairies.

"Mistress Daisy, Mistress Rose and Mistress Iris, I and those Kings before me are forever in your debt. You are most welcome." A puzzled look came over his face. "But where is your sister, Mistress Buttercup?" His face fell. "Oh dear, has something happened to her? Is she not well? Is there anything I can do to help? Whatever I have is yours for the asking," he said in dismay.

The fairies proceeded as if nothing was amiss.

"Long ago," they recited, their small voices magically amplified so that the entire hall could hear them, "your ancestor, King Harold, the first of your line, did a great service for us. There was a wicked dragon who had taken up her residence in our woods and would not leave, despite our polite request that she live elsewhere. This was a serious breach of the peaceful way in which we magical creatures live and necessitated her removal by force. Although we have limitless power to affect the real world, our magic will not work on another magical creature. Therefore, we enlisted the aid of your forbearer and his knights. We abhor violence of all kinds, magical and mundane, but we were left with no choice. After giving the dragon fair warning, King Harold was sent to dispatch her. There was a fierce battle, all of his brave knights were slain and King Harold alone charged the dragon, lance lowered. His aim was true and he struck in the only spot where her armor can be pierced, directly over her heart. The wound was fatal, but in her death she struck out and caught the King with a deadly blow. Our woods were saved, but at a terrible cost." The fairies paused, to give the audience time to appreciate the sacrifice that had been made to protect their home. "It was then that we vowed to forever be the guardians of his home as he had been of ours. Ageless and timeless, we fairies are, and it is this promise we now keep by each bestowing upon the prince a gift that shall enable him to guide this Kingdom to a new age of peace and prosperity."

Having finished their presentation, the three fairies looked up at the King and Queen with vexed expressions.

"We apologize for Buttercup, your highnesses. She is in fact well. There is no harm that can come to us, but she has a terrible sense of time. She could be a century ahead or behind. We shall begin and I am sure she will sort it out and show up."

The King and Queen looked at each other, not knowing what to make of the strange excuse, but knew better than to question the fairies.

Daisy raised her wand and recited, "of all those qualities necessary for a king, none is more important than intelligence." She lowered her wand and touched it to the Prince's forehead. There was a bright light.

Rose raised her wand and continued, "without intelligence, a king cannot rule; but wisdom is necessary to guide its use." She lowered her wand and touched it to the Prince's forehead. There was a bright light.

Iris raised her wand and added, "a keen mind and sound judgment are necessary to rule, but they must be tempered by sensitivity to the needs of others. Head and heart together make a king." She lowered her wand and touched it to the Prince's forehead. There was a bright light.

The three fairies looked around impatiently and shook their heads. They held hands, closed their eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, there was a tinkling of bells, a soft white light and a fairy appeared, identical to her sisters.

To the amazement of the King and Queen and the guests, the fairy seemed to be unsteady on her feet.

"Hey, girls," she greeted her sisters informally, "what's up?" I was over at the elves' place. They just finished a new batch of their wine. Those guys really know how to show a girl a good time. They have this little trick they do with their… ." She caught herself. "Ooops. Heh. Heh. Forgot all about the christening. Let me just get myself together here. Oh, Oh. Where's my wand. Must have left it in one of those elves' rooms. Hard to party with it. Just about poked a guy's eye out. Be right back."

There was a tinkling of bells, a soft white light and Buttercup disappeared. A few seconds later, the process repeated and she was back holding her wand.

"Okay, got it. Now then," she turned to face the cradle. "Let's see. Fair of face, full of grace, loving and giving, caring and sharing, a happy bride she shall be." She lowered her wand.

Her sisters rushed her and tried to grab her arm before the wand touched the Prince, but they were too late. There was a bright light. Buttercup turned and her sisters couldn't stop in time. They crashed into each other and ended up in a pile on the floor.

When they finally untangled, Buttercup sat up. "What's the problem?" she asked.

"The problem is," Iris said sternly, "that the child is a prince, not a princess. You were supposed to give him, she emphasized 'him', courage. Really Buttercup, what in the world were you thinking?"

Buttercup looked puzzled. "Are you sure? I mean, did you check to see if she had a, well, you know," she demurred politely, "to make sure that she's a he?"

It was Daisy's turn to admonish her sister. "Yes, Buttercup, we're sure. The Prince is a boy."

Buttercup shrugged. "Oh well, look at the bright side. He'll get to wear a really pretty dress at his wedding and on his honeymoon, he can just relax and let his husband do all the work."

Rose folded her arms on her chest in exasperation. "Buttercup, humans are not as liberal about gender as we magical creatures. Boys don't wear dresses and they don't marry other boys."

Buttercup looked baffled. "Really? I'm sure they do at some time or other. Can't we put him to sleep for a few centuries like what's her name, that girl that stuck her finger on the spinning wheel? That worked out okay for her, as I recall. He can just chill until customs change and some prince who wants another prince who looks good in a bridal gown comes by to wake him up with a kiss. I can whip up a really nice designer number right now, so he'll be ready when the time comes. I'll even throw in the veil and some matching high heeled pumps. Okay?"

"No, Buttercup," Daisy scolded her, "it's not okay at all. The girl you're talking about was cursed. You know the rules. We can't put an entire kingdom under an enchantment, just because you made a mistake. See if you can reverse the spell."

Buttercup tried to concentrate. She closed her eyes, thought very carefully, raised her wand and touched it to the Prince. Nothing happened. She tried again. Nothing. And again. Still nothing. Finally she shook her head.

"Sorry, I was in a hurry and didn't pay attention," she admitted sheepishly. "I can't duplicate the spell and I'm afraid if I mess around with it, I may end up making things worse."

The King and Queen had been following the conversation in shocked silence. Finally, the King got up his courage and spoke to the fairies.

"Kind fairies, we are and always will be grateful for all that you have done for us, but please explain to me what will happen to the prince?"

Iris spoke up. "We are not sure your majesty. All magic is unique. It never works the same way twice. You were given the gift of intelligence at birth, so was your son; but it does not mean that you and he will think alike. There are many ways for intelligence to express itself. The magic finds its own direction. All that can be done is for us to wait and see."

"So there is a possibility that the spell will not act in a way that will make the Prince a bride, is that right?" the Queen asked the fairies hopefully.

"Anything is possible," agreed the fairies optimistically. "Only time will tell."

"Well then," inquired the King, using his gift of intelligence, "is there a way that you fairies could cast a spell that would offset Buttercup's gift. Give him virility or something that will make him manly."

The fairies sighed and Rose replied, "no your majesty, I'm afraid not. Once a spell has been cast, it cannot be influenced or undone, except by the person who cast it. Buttercup has already tried and been unsuccessful. For us to intervene would be dangerous. Magic is hard to explain and harder for non-magical folk to understand. It does not follow the rules of your world. For one thing, each magical creature has their own unique magic. Not just differences in magic between elves, pixies and fairies, but even between the four of us. Our magical fields are attuned to us and when we cast a spell, even though we each may cast the same spell, it has different magical components. Think of two chefs, each with their own recipe for the same kind of a cake. Their cakes may look identical and they will both taste like cake, but the subtle differences in their ingredients and cooking techniques mean that the cakes will not be exactly the same."

"It is those differences that prevent us from changing another's magic," continued Iris. "In terms of your world, my magic key will not fit Buttercup's magic lock, so I cannot release her spell. Not only does it not work, but interfering with another's magic, even for a good reason, always has dire consequences." Iris looked up and saw that, even with his superior intellect, the King was having trouble following the intricacies of magic and the Queen was completely confused. "Let me give you a practical example, your Highnesses. Daisy gave the Prince the gift of intelligence."

The King and Queen nodded in agreement.

"Let us pretend, and I need to be very careful, because it does not take much to cast a spell," she held her wand pointing down and close to her side, "that I want to undo that gift by casting a spell to make him dumb. Magic is a force, somewhat similar to lightening in your world, and, like a lightening bolt, once it is discharged, it has to go somewhere. My spell has no power over Daisy's spell, but it cannot dissipate, so it must act in some other way to accomplish its purpose. The word 'dumb,' has two meanings. One is stupid, but the other is unable to communicate. The spell could, therefore, make the Prince dumb, as in not being able to speak or write. He would be smart, but appear to be an idiot, because he could not communicate with anyone. That is just one of many possibilities, and magic usually prefers to work in subtle ways; but it could also take the easy way out. It could kill him, since if he is dead, he would no longer be smart. As you can see, however it works, the results are harmful.

The King and Queen's downcast looks sadly expressed their understanding.

"We are sorry Majesties," all four of the fairies said in chorus, "but there is some hope."

The King and Queen looked up in eager anticipation of the good news.

"This again is a function of magic," said Daisy. "Each of the gifts given to the Prince was a blessing,"

"Even Buttercup's gift, although inappropriate, was a blessing," added Rose.

"When good spells are cast, they inevitably produce good results," continued Iris.

"Although the magic chooses its own direction," finished Buttercup, "one way or another, the Prince will live happily ever after."

"I do believe that it would be better if the guests forgot this unfortunate incident," said Rose.

"No need to spoil the festivities," added Iris.

All four fairies waved their wands in the air.

"Farewell, your Majesties," the fairies said in chorus.

There was a tinkling of bells, a soft white light, and then the fairies were gone.

The King, never at a loss for what to do in a crisis, stood, raised his glass and said, "A toast to Prince Charles. The fairies have assured us that he will live a happy life." He drank and so did the Queen and the guests. "Let us enjoy his christening. He clapped his hands for music."

The band struck up a cheerful tune, dancers appeared and began to entertain the guests while they feasted and drank. Within a short time, all but the King and Queen had put aside their concerns for the future of Prince Charles.

The next day, the King and Queen pondered over what to do.

"If the fairies could not do anything, dear," observed the Queen, "then I do not see how we can change the outcome. Moreover, the fairies said that magic takes its own direction. We don't even know what outcome we are trying to prevent. They agreed that it was possible for Buttercup's blessing not to happen or not to happen the way she said it would; perhaps even more so, because she was," the Queen looked around cautiously, to see if there might be a fairy around who would be offended, "drunk. Maybe the reason Buttercup couldn't undo her own spell was because she got it wrong in the first place and it didn't take."

The King smiled. "As always, my dear, you are most thoughtful and your argument is extremely persuasive. However, one thing you overlooked is the limitation that magical creatures have on trying to undo someone else's magic. They did not try, because they might do more harm than good. Since we will not be using magic, we are free to try and try I will. No son of mine is going to be a bride, if I can help it."

The Queen shrugged. "As you wish, your Majesty. Do you have a plan?"

"Yes," replied the King. "I do have a plan, but I am sure you will not be happy with it."

Fearing the worst, but respecting the fact that he was both her husband and the King, she asked cautiously, "what is it?"

"The boy cannot grow up as a girl, if he does not know what a girl is," he said confidently.

"I guess that's right," agreed the Queen, "but one half of the world is female, so how do you intend to prevent him from learning about girls? I do hope you're not planning on locking him in the dungeon, until he is old enough to marry. I won't hear of that."

"No, of course not," replied the King indignantly. "You know that sensitivity is one of my gifts, I could not be so heartless. He is my flesh and blood too you know. However, you are partially right. We do need to isolate him from the female half of the world. I will have the west wing of the palace renovated to house him and a staff to attend to him. I will build a high wall around the fields and garden on that side of the castle. He will only be cared for by men, until he is of age to be married, at which time he will be introduced to a suitable princess. Brilliant, if I do say so myself."

"Dear, there is one small detail you have overlooked. I am a woman."

"I haven't overlooked that detail, my dear. That is the part I said you would not like. You must not have anything to do with him, until after he is married. I'm sorry, but we all must make sacrifices, if we are to undo fairy magic."

"You can't be serious," his wife protested. "I am not giving up my baby to be raised by men. No. You may be the King, but I am Charles' mother. You cannot deprive me of him. It is not fair, it is not just, it is not right and I will not allow it. No! No! No! No!," she said repeatedly, stamping her foot for emphasis.

The King looked at his wife compassionately. He loved her deeply and would do nothing to hurt her. He also knew how long she had looked forward to having a child. Still, he was convinced that this was the only way.

"My dear wife, mother of my child and love of my life," he began, "you are correct. I would do nothing to hurt you or without your consent. While the boy is a baby, you may see him in the nursery, after he is asleep, and when he gets older, I will construct a place from which you may watch him in secret, but you must agree of your own free will, for his own good, not to visit him. It is the only way and I believe you know this to be true."

The Queen was in tears. "Give up my baby," she sobbed. "Stupid fairies, I wish they never gave us their gifts. I don't care whether they hear me or not. They have done me a great injustice for which I shall never forgive them." She gave the King a cold look. "I love my child too much to deprive him of his only chance for a normal life. I will do as you say." She turned and left the room.

The next day, the Queen directed her staff to prepare a bedroom in another section of the castle and to move her things into it. Until she was reunited with her child, she would have no marital relationship with the King. As sad as the King was about the situation, he respected his wife's wish for separation.

The King directed the royal architect to carry out his plan. Prince Charles was isolated and the royal chamberlain was given the task of selecting a male staff to raise him. From that day forward, the child was to have no contact with anyone other than his care givers. Since a baby requires little more than to be fed, changed and held, all went well for the first few years. Even as a toddler, Prince Charles was content with the sheltered world his father had created for him. He had his toys, wooden soldiers, toy swords, sailboats and horse drawn carts with pretend wares, and he had his picture books of animals, although the illustrations were all of males.

At first, the Queen had come to the nursery at night, when her baby was sleeping. She was allowed to hold him, since it was doubtful that the contact would influence his development at that age. As he grew older, she could only watch him sleep peacefully and tuck the blankets around him. As the years went by, she watched him for hours at a time from the window of a room overlooking the garden where he played.

When the Prince was six, the King had the royal smith fashion a small suit of armor, sword, shield and other weapons, and had the castle's master at arms begin the Prince's military training. To the dismay of his instructors and his father, while he excelled at the footwork, he had no interest whatsoever in using the weapons. No amount of coaxing or threatening could inspire him to attack or defend himself. Nor did he show the slightest interest or aptitude for studying battle tactics. Finally, the King gave up and allowed him to devote himself to those studies at which he excelled. His gift of intelligence manifested itself by an insatiable curiosity, which made things extraordinarily difficult for the castle librarian, who was charged with finding books without references to women or the female of the species. That left geography and mathematics. He also showed an incredible aptitude for languages. Some of the staff had come from the surrounding kingdoms and the Prince quickly was able to converse with them fluently in their native tongue. Over the years, the King also invited some boys to play with the Prince, brought to the enclave blindfolded, but he showed little interest in their rough and tumble games.

Although the King was less than pleased with his son's march towards manhood, still he believed that he had successfully forestalled his feminization, except for two things. From about age six on, while the rest of his body continued to develop, his genitals did not. Although fully functional for going to the bathroom, his penis remained tiny. Even more disconcerting was the fact that, because of its small size, it was more convenient for the Prince to pee sitting down. Even so, the King reassured himself, he is still a boy. Then the magic revealed its direction. When the Prince turned twelve, his chest began to develop small mounds.

Since the Prince had long ago given up on his armor and, in the summer, often went shirtless, it was not hard for his mother to see that he was developing a woman's figure. He may have never seen a woman, he may not have known anything about them, but he was still becoming one. All of the King's efforts and her deprivation were for naught.

The Queen spoke with the King. "Your son is developing breasts," she told him.

"No, those are muscles. He has been working out," he insisted.

"Henry," the Queen replied patiently, "a woman knows breasts when she sees them and it will not be too long before he needs a bodice to contain them. Admit it Henry. You could not undo the magic any more than the fairies could. He is becoming more feminine every day."

Finally, the King conceded. "Yes Charlotte, you were right and you are entitled to say, I told you so," he admitted. "The magic has had its way and taught me a bitter lesson for my arrogance. I am extremely sorry."

The Queen took her husband's hands in hers and looked at him sympathetically. "Henry, I know what you did was out of your love for our son. I would not have gone along with your plan, if I had thought otherwise. However, there is no point in continuing with it. I want him back Henry, if not as a boy, then as a girl; but I want him and he needs me, now more than ever."

The King sadly shook his head. "I only wanted what was best for him, but you are right. The magic cannot be undone. You gave me my chance, now you shall have yours. Do as you wish Charlotte. The fairies promised us a happy ending. We shall see." He turned and slowly walked away.

The Queen gave great thought to the best way to introduce the Prince to the mother he had never known and to the idea that there was another sex, of which he was quickly becoming a member. She finally decided that it would be best to simply meet with him in her rooms. She sent for the royal chamberlain, explained the situation and told him to bring the Prince to her immediately.

Queen Charlotte gave great thought to how she would greet the son she had never known and who knew nothing of her. She practiced a number of different introductions. All were too formal. Her inclination was to take the boy up in her arms, but she worried how he would react to learning that he had a mother. Finally, she gave up and decided to let the magic take its course, whatever that might be. A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in, please" the Queen responded.

TO BE CONTINUED