Prologue
Once upon a time, there was an utterly angelic, lovely as a rosebud; infant Princess. Unfortunately, as often occurs - this unparalleled perfection led to jealousy. Jealousy, as everyone knows, is nearly twice as strong in evil fairies as in the rest of the population. AND, when those evil fairies are not invited to the christenings of adorable little royal babies - curses are placed.
And so it was for Princess Tessandra Bellisandra Calliope Ermengarde of Arden Waithe. When the wickedest and most evil of all the fairies in the land (which was highly populous with fairies) was not invited to the newborn heir’s christening, she attended anyway. Unfortunately, instead of bringing a lovely gift as the other fairy guests did, she instead brought a terrible curse.
“Your lack of invitation is particularly insulting to me.” Veronica (the dark fairy in question) said with a malicious smile. King Exavier and Queen Ermingarde cowered next to their new baby in fear. “After all, this was the first invitation sent to us fay since your father’s terrible proclamation all those many years ago. Some of us have things we wish to say to the Crown. We’ve just been waiting for the opportunity.”
“Please, Veronica, we meant no harm! We thought you were out of the country. We didn’t wish to waste a stamp!” King Exavier protested, trying to think of a logical reason for not inviting the wicked fairy. Other than the obvious one of course, which was that she was evil and they were all afraid of her. The wicked fairy laughed mirthlessly.
“Then you must be so pleased that I was not out of the country and was able to attend! Especially since I have a gift for the babe.” Veronica ran her fingers through her long dark hair and smiled toward the tiny gold-plated cradle with its pink canopy.
“But, there is no need! Princess Tessandra has so very many gifts already!” Queen Ermingarde gestured to the stacks upon stacks of gleaming gifts surrounding the cradle. Gold colored boxes, rolls of silks, jewel encrusted bottles of perfume, and baby dresses in a pile so high and lacy that it looked like a snow drift covered the throne room floor. Veronica only smiled wider. Her pointed teeth gleamed in the fading sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows of the throne room.
“Then it is lucky that my gift is not a material one.” She took a step toward the cradle, her long red dress trailing behind her like the tail of a poisonous serpent. “What I give your daughter is a gift of enormous power. A single tear from her eye will cause tremendous earthquakes the likes of which your land has never seen.” She paused for dramatic effect. Fairies you see, enjoy putting on a good show. “You understand then, that my gift is the gift of perfect happiness? Everyone around her will do their utmost to keep her serenely happy at all times! Because, if she is caused pain, sorrow, or grief of any kind, all those near her will be in danger.” Veronica finished speaking, her bright black eyes still gleaming with self-satisfaction.
The Queen burst into tears, with the King holding her tightly and trying to stave off tears of his own. He knew that the reason for this particular curse went beyond mere missed invitations, but there was nothing he could do about it. The sound of her mother crying woke the sleeping baby in the little golden cradle. She opened her perfect blue eyes and began to wail, loudly and tearlessly as most infants do. The Queen scooped the baby out of the cradle and held little Tessandra to her, quieting the wee babe instantly. Tessandra was a very sweet and easily comforted baby. The wicked fairy ground her teeth in frustration.
“What gifts did the other fairies give your child?” She asked in a cold angry voice. Had someone blessed the baby with a temperament so sweet that she would never cry? Where were her tears? King Exavier cleared his throat nervously and began to read from the scroll of blessings that the good fairies had bestowed upon his daughter.
“The gift of song, the gift of gentleness, the gift of sparkling wit, the gift of courage, the gift of beauty, and the gift of compassion.” He finished reading the list because the wicked fairy was laughing too loudly for him to be heard.
“Compassion? Your child wept because her mother wept. She is empathetic! You will find no greater source of tears for a young maid than compassion!” She laughed again. “By the time she is a maid of 16 I doubt there will be one stone in this kingdom left standing on the other!” She exclaimed with a loud and terrible laugh. It rang through the marble hallways of the castle, echoing and reverberating until the assemblage realized that only the echo remained. The dark fairy had mysteriously vanished. The Rulers of Arden Waithe slumped back into their thrones as their servants began hurriedly dismissing their guests. It was obvious that the pale and frightened rulers wished to be alone. King Exavier pounded his fist on the arm of his purple velvet throne.
“What are we to do?” He asked. “Lock the poor babe in a tower in the middle of nowhere where her cries cannot harm anyone?” Queen Ermingarde hissed at him.
“A tower?” She demanded in a high pitched voice, her gray eyes widening. “If she cried in a tower she would bring the whole thing down on herself! She would be crushed!” Queen Ermingarde glared at her husband for his unintended cruelty.
“What shall we do? Babies cry!” King Exavier protested. He adjusted the heavy crown on his head. He had a splitting headache all of a sudden.
“Ours won’t.” She said emphatically. “We will keep her perfectly contented at all times. She will be watched, even in her sleep, by a night nurse who will feed her the moment her eyes open and before she so much as makes a peep upon waking.” She held her babe to herself protectively.
“But what if word of her terrible curse spreads? What if our neighbors or our enemies hear of it?” King Exavier asked. He was becoming more and more anxious.
“Let it spread! No kingdom will dare invade ours if they know that we have the power to cause sweeping earthquakes!” The Queen had succeeded in rocking tiny Tessandra back to sleep. The King pondered this. Their kingdom was highly desirable. Having a powerful daughter might keep neighboring kingdoms from eyeing their lands with greed and intent. His wife had a point. What enemy would invade the land of a child who had the power to crush their cities and shake their kingdom to the ground?
“But what if she does cry? We could level our own castle to rubble!” He protested. The Queen shook her head once more.
“My daughter will never cry. She will want for nothing, and her every wish will be fulfilled. She will be the happiest girl in all the land.”
