"The princess..."
Hushed tones and veiled whispers, lamenting on the poor princess whose life had derailed in only a single night. "The wedding..." they uttered blankly, "the alliance..."
"Whatever, will poor Andrea do now..."
The princess was pissed.
No one had wanted the marriage. It had been for the sake of opportunity. To strengthen her Kingdom and to fulfil her duty as Princess of Greencourt. Andrea had been prepared for her duty, she was prepared to leave, to join hands with the Prince, who would be good for her and for her Kingdom.
But then she actually met him. Prince William that is and he... well. He was extremely smokingly hot to say the least
When they met, in that Evergreen Garden, where the swans dipped their heads, almost as if they were bowing to the pair. That night, Andrea had embraced William, had given him everything... promised him everything...
And now he is gone.
Prince William had been stolen, ripped up from underneath her by the most heinous of evil.
From the despicable, the unruly, the unkind, the vapid, the deranged... evil villainess.
And there was no way Princess Andrea was going to let that toad ruin her future. She was going to get her princely boyfriend back and make that bitch pay.
It had been thundering when she came. The lightning tore through the sky, so loud Andrea remembered thinking the whole world had split open. It was the perfect opening. William had been swept away so easily, black fog rolling through the castle, tendrils snaking through the shadows, crawling into the Prince's quarters. One moment he was safely asleep in his bed, the next he was gone - taken by the villainess's evil shadow magic, so powerful no one had ever known she was there.
Andrea would have believed her beloved had fled, abandoning their future as if she was nothing but a passing thought. She would have been cursed to that thought, if the villainess didn't leave her calling card - a single black rose, enchanted to be as hard as glass, to smell like blood, placed ever so carefully on William's pillow.
It was a taunt, a promise, a threat.
Andrea knew that the king's army would never be able to defeat the Villainess and her dark magic. Andrea knew she had no other choice, she would either be tossed aside - wasted and alone, or she would take control of her own fate. She would escape the castle and rescue her prince herself.
Princess Andrea knew that she couldn't do it alone. While she could sing and dance, and perform her royal duties like no other, she was weak - her talent didn't lie with the sword. So she turned to the one person in the castle who might be willing to help her: Sir Jamathon, a knight who had always been kind to her, even at her worst. Sir Jamathon had always seen something in Andrea that no one else had taken the time to see, and he had always treated her with respect and dignity, even when it wasn't deserved.
Andrea went to Sir Jamathon's chambers late at night, knowing that he would be the only one who could help her. When he answered the door, she was surprised to see he was lacing his boots, donning armour and a sword. He'd been expecting her.
"Princess," he said, bowing his head in respect. "I'm honoured you have come to me for help."
Andrea was taken aback by his kind words and him knowing her so well. Most people underestimated her desire to be a good future Queen, SirJamathon was no fool. He knew she would kill any troll that stood in the way of her happily ever after. She was never afforded the respect from others that Jamathon gave her, and it made her feel strangely grateful.
"Sir Jamathon, we must hurry, poor William will surely perish if we leave him in that withered witch's hands," she said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. "I must rescue him myself since everyone here is completely incompetent"
Sir Jamathon nodded, his face serious. "I am ready to help you, Princess, in whatever capacity necessary. But we must act quickly before anyone realises that you are missing."
Andrea nodded, her heart pounding in her chest.
Sir Jamathon gave her a golden dagger, the rubies on the hilt gleamed with a wicked smile, "Jam, you know that I have no idea how to use a dagger. Why would a princess like myself ever need to stab someone? I don't even cut my own steak at banquets!" Andrea whimpered.
Sir Jamathon gave her a tortured look, "You must learn my princess, you must learn."
With his stare on her mind, Jamathon led Andrea to the stables, promptly saddling a horse. Sir Jamathon hoisted Andrea into the saddle, swiftly joining her from behind before placing a secure arm around her waist. They rode quietly through the castle gates, trying to avoid detection.
As they created distance from the Evergreen Courts, Andrea couldn't help but feel a sense of both excitement and fear. She had never been outside the castle walls before, and the world seemed bigger and more dangerous than she had ever imagined.
But Sir Jamathon was a steady presence behind her, guiding their horse through the forest keeping his promise to help her avoid the pitfalls and dangers that lurked around every corner. As they rode deeper into the forest, Andrea began to realise that she might not have been able to escape the castle without him, she didn't even know how to ride a horse, let alone saddle one.
As Princess Andrea and Sir Jamathon made their way through the forest towards the Villainess' castle, they came across a clearing filled with an assortment of wildflowers, each more beautiful than the next. As they approached the meadow, they were startled by a sudden rustling in the bushes.
Out stepped the most adorable baby unicorn pegasus Princess Andrea had ever seen in her entire life, barely stifling a squeal of excitement. It was so tiny it barely reached her knee and was the softest shade of pink, Sir Jamathon silently noted the similarity to the Princess's own blushing cheeks.
The gruff knight sighed sweetly, he was hopelessly in love with the Princess - though she would never return his yearning feelings, he would protect her with his very life, as was his knightly duty.
Princess Andrea gasped in excitement, clutching Sir Jamathon's arm tightly as she failed to contain the swell of cuteness overload she was experiencing. Unicorns were almost mythical, but they were said to be a sign of greatness and Andrea took it as a sign that she was on a path to success. The unicorn reared up on its hind legs, its horn glinting in the sunlight, and let out a high-pitched whiny that echoed through the trees. Andrea was almost blinded by the sight of the little creature.
But as Princess Andrea and Sir Jamathon opened their mouths to speak, the unicorn spoke in a deep, masculine voice.
"What the heck are you two losers doing in my forest?" he yelled out.
Andrea was surprised to hear the unicorn speak, but before she could say anything, Sir Jamathon stepped forward, his hand resting on his sword hilt.
"This forest belongs to the Princess, bow before her before I cut you, filthy iridescent creature!" he demanded, eyeing the unicorn warily.
Elenora slapped Sir Jamathon up the back of his head.
"Oh my god Jam, get a clue! This little unicorn is my new pet."
The princess lowered herself to the ground. In a fashion far different from the one displayed to Sir Jamathon, the princess asked, "Would you like to come home with me, you little bundle of glitter?" her voice dripping with honey.
Sir Jamathon stood up straight, "Princess, I know your heart is unbounded by selflessness, you have a beautiful soul, but this tiny animal is still an animal. I would weep if your quest to kill the evil villainess and save your prince was derailed by some wild and deeply unhinged horse thing".
Andrea was so memorised by the unicorn, she could not understand what Sir Jamathon was saying, much less the feelings he was trying to convey. Princess Andrea had never been attuned to subtle confessions of love. The ungodly amounts of adoration she had received from kings and peasants alike, had left her utterly desensitised.
The unicorn stood to attention. "My name is Juno," he spoke slowly, drawing out each letter as if they were infants. Sir Jamathon couldn't help but feel like the horse thing was mocking him, I'll eat him... he silently threatens, his hackles beginning to raise.
"I am more than a creature deserving of being a pet. I am a father, and my own flesh and blood has been kidnapped by the very villainess you seek to slay. I've been looking for her for days, but I am small, and bear no gifts besides the ultimate cuteness..."
The unicorn looked the same, but as if sensing the Princess's growing pity, he quickly spat out
"You would not dare insult me, calling me pet, if you knew the unicorns I've slayed..."
Andrea continued to feel a pang of sympathy for the unicorn. She knew exactly what it was like to be searching for someone you loved, and looking so adorably cute and random stranger would freeze with adoration. She sighed reluctantly, oh how she missed the security of knowing her future where her handsome prince awaited her with distant wedding bells and ultimate political power.
"Well, that's all well and good - but I still do want you as my pet," she said decisively. "Perhaps we could help you find your daughter, and slay the villainess together as a team?"
Juno lifted his head and regarded Princess and Andrea and Sir Jamathon with his swirling, iridescent eyes, they were as deep and alluring as the cosmos.
The unicorn sighed heavily, "Ugh if I have to" he said. "I guess my daughter won't last long with that awful goblin-smelling villainess keeping her captive. She is too precious for this world, my daughter is... I must save her... and three is better than a single unicorn... braving this cruel world" he spoke with a maturing that came with many lifetimes of unicorn experience.
Andrea and Jamathon exchanged a longing look, an understanding- a silent agreement. They knew letting a father search for his daughter alone wasn't right.
Besides, Princess Andrea thought he was cute - who was Sir Jamathon to deny the Princess of something that brought her joy to look at?
As the peculiar trio set off through the meadow and into the forest, Andrea couldn't help but shake the feeling that the three of them alone may be going down a path that was totally not easy-breezy.
She shrugged, "With this absolutely fabulous power trio of beauty, cuteness and brawn, what could possibly go wrong?"