Happy tell a fairytale day! Until recently I didn’t even know this was a thing, and a part of me feels a little disappointed that I haven’t had years of randomly having fairytales shared with me. Though, to be fair, I do go searching for fairytales all on my own and have discovered some incredible fairytale reimaginings in my reading journeys. So today, in honor of ‘tell a fairytale day’ I believe all I can do is start this blog with ‘Once upon a time’. The rain was pounding down now, the ground was little more than sludge. Right from the beginning she'd known it wasn't a good idea, it was never a good idea. Well. It was if you didn't get caught. She was going to get caught though. If that idiot Alan hadn't gone and gotten himself arrested none of them would be in this mess. She wouldn't be in this mess. But no, he'd had to play the hero and protect some silly girl in the market. He'd clearly read too many fairy stories. Thought the girl was some undercover Princess or something. What a fool. Of course it was likely Ginny herself was the bigger fool. She after all was the one attempting to help him escape. If she died trying to save him she'd kill him. Getting into the prison had been easy. Drugging the guards, who had been too busy admiring the embarrassing top one of her friends had insisted she wear, than pay attention to what she was doing to their drinks, that was easy. Getting the cell door off its railings, that had been almost impossible. Alan ended up having to help her lift it. By the time they got the door off Alan's pet monkey Bubu was squawking and pointing. Huge gorilla like guards were rushing at them from the barracks. They were probably only awake because the silly monkey was making so much noise. "Bet you can't get us out of here Ginny." Alan said winking. "Your wish is my command master." Ginny said, her sarcastic tone was only a little bit bitter. Breaking him out of prison, it was actually quite fun. Dragging Alan out onto the roof and pulling out her secret weapon earned her a look that annoyed as much as amused her. "What in the world are we going to do with that?" Alan asked, wide eyed, staring at the old blue carpet she'd stolen from the guards room "Is it magic or something?" "That's right Alan. It's a magic carpet." eye roll, "Just get on and pray we don't go plummeting into the room below us." The old carpet was dusty and thread bare, but it was thick enough to protect them from getting broken roof tiles buried in their backsides. It slid down the slope of the roof like a dream, moving as though it were actually flying, even landing them gently on the loose straw of one of the stable wagons. "Thank you carpet." Alan said patting the dusty old mat. "What do you mean thank you carpet. Thank you Ginny!" Ginny exclaimed, If she wasn’t going to get recognized for saving his life she’d throttle him. "You're the best Ginny." he grinned. He always was too charming for his own good “You ain't never had a friend like me." Ginny practically sung, yeah his charm was addictive. He planted a kiss on her cheek. "Now for my first wish." "Wait your first wish? What did you think getting you out of jail was?" Ginny growled. He really was beginning to try her patience. "A show of your spectacular abilities." he was grinning ear to ear, "phenomenal cosmic powers even." "Fine what do you want?" she sighed. "Can I ask you something first. You know before I tell you." he said, suddenly looking like the innocent little boy she'd known from years gone by. Back when she was sold by their father to pay off debts. Back before he had died and left Alan an orphan. "What is it?" sigh. Just spit it out little brother. "What would you wish for. You know for yourself." Alan asked. "Freedom. I'd wish to be free." Ginny admitted. Now that, that would be real magic. He nodded. "That's what I'll wish then. After you grant my first two wishes." he said. Ever since he was a little child he'd always mixed her name Ginny with Genie. He even had a chain with a small gold plated whistle on it. It looked like a lamp. Any time he needed her, he would blow it. No matter what she was doing she would come. She had to protect her brother. Even if it meant a sound beating from her owner. "I wish I could be a Prince." he sighed staring dreamily at the castle. "This is about that girl isn't it." Ginny said. The one you think is a Princess. He smiled, nodding at the castle as though just by watching it he could make her appear. Silly boy. Dignitaries were arriving from everywhere. All young men. All hoping to win the Princess, and in turn the Kings affections. Today was the day Ginny was getting Alan into the castle to see his Princess. He was utterly convinced Princess Mina was the girl he'd saved in the market. Getting him into the palace was a risk. A stupid risk. Allowing him to make the attempt on his own was a lot riskier, and never going to happen. "Ginny. Can you make her love me? Or at least knock off the other guys." Alan asked shuffling nervously in the clothes she'd stolen from her master. "You know I can't do that. I don't meddle with death or love, and I wouldn't even if I could." Ginny said. There are some jobs, a lot in fact, that are best left in God's hands. "So you're saying I've got do it on my own?" Alan asked, looking past the leaves of the potted plant they had hidden behind. "That's exactly what I'm saying." Ginny said, “Now get out there.” Giving him one last push sending Alan sliding across the room till he stopped right at the Princesses feet. "Can I help you?" The Princess asked, barely looking at him. Most of her attention was on her mottled black and orange cat, who had taken one sniff of Alan and started hissing. "Well. I. Um." Alan stuttered. Good grief you can do better than that Ginny thought. "Rah. That's enough." the Princess said taping the small cat on the nose, "This silly Prince won't waste our time much longer. Will he?" She said, finally looking at Alan, her voice stony, "How about I save you some time Prince..." "Oh. Alan." Alan said. "Prince Alan. I'm not interested in marrying you. I don't care how many acres you possess. Or how well you ride. Just because my Father insists I marry doesn't mean I’ll make it easy for him." The Princess announced. At least she had some fire Ginny thought, any woman who couldn't stand their ground would find themselves at Alan's beck and call if they weren't careful. This Princess. There was no way she would ever have that problem. "Of course Princess. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise." Alan started. "I will choose my own husband. When I am ready. In fact, who says I should have to marry at all." The Princess ranted. "Actually Princess." a voice, low, but smooth like a snake said, "It is the law." The man was tall, with a long thin face. His dark hair was hidden beneath a red turban. His mustache and goatee were waxed into tight curls. He was dressed all in black with accents of gold and red. It was Jahar, Ginny's owner, and she had a strong feeling he had recognized Alan. She couldn’t let him find her here! Ducking down so she was further hidden behind the pot plant Ginny tried not to breath. Tried to disappear. "You do have other options Princess. Other offers." Jahar said looking down his nose at Alan, then flashing the Princess an oily smile. The Princess harrumphed. "I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on the planet." she growled, "Come along Prince Alan." She grabbed Alan's arm and walked him away. "Of course Princess." Jahar smiled, then once she was out of sight muttered, "Spoilt brat. You'll marry me, whether you like it or not. Once I convince your Father you'll have no choice. Then I can kill him and take my rightful place as Sultan." "ARK SULTAN!" Jahar's pest of a parrot repeated. Ginny gasped. He was going to kill the Sultan! "GINNY!" the parrot squawked floating down to land on her shoulder. The Sultan wasn't the only one who was going to suffer this day. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny" Jahar tutted "Well my dear. It seems you will be the one making my wishes come true. You will be making me Sultan." Jahar said laying his skeletal fingers on Ginny's quivering shoulder. Oh Alan, Ginny thought, You need to get out of here. It had been a week. The longest week of Ginny's life. From afar she had watched Alan charm the Princess. She had watched him fall more deeply in love with her each day, and she had watched the Princess fall in love with him. She had also watched Jahar poison the Sultan. Watched as he addled the Sultan’s mind with opiates. Jahar wove a web of lies around the Sultan, had him readily agreeing to allow. No. Force Jahar's marriage to Mina. All the while Ginny was kept close at hand so that Jahar could lay his final trap, so that she could betray the brother she loved with words that were nothing but truth. Alan was not a Prince, he was a street rat. Jahar gave her no chance to warn the young couple. No chance to warn her brother. She prayed he would share the truth with the Princess before it was too late. She prayed for a resolution to this nightmare of events. Jahar was all smiles when he sent for Ginny. His hand clasped on the back of her neck he forced her to stand around the corner from the Sultan, the Princess and her brother. Eavesdropping for the perfect time to hammer the final nail in Alan's coffin. It was obvious Alan was on the brink of revealing the truth, not only to Princess Mina, but the Sultan. "Your Majesty." Jahar's voice hissed silkily, pushing Ginny forward roughly, "I have most distressing news." he said smirking. "Yes, yes. What is it Jahar? Prince Alan has something important to tell us." The Sultan announced his words slurring as he wavered from side to side. The opiates it seemed, were not treating the Sultan well. "Of course Sultan. I apologize." Jahar shot Mina a lecherous glance, "The thing is. That is precisely what I came to speak to you about." He grinned down at Alan, "Prince Alan, is no Prince at all. He is the brother of my slave. An orphaned street rat. Tell the Sultan the truth right now Ginny." He said, staring her down. Ginny clamped her mouth shut. Jahar would probably kill her, but she couldn't out her brother. She had to keep him safe. "Is this true Prince Alan?" the Princess asked, her voice laced with sorrow. She had already figured it out, it was clear. It was also clear she was still in love with Alan. Alan looked at the ground. "I'm sorry Mina. I mean Princess. Sultan. I was trying to tell you. What Jahar says is true. I met Princess Mina in the market a few days ago, and I fell in love with her." "Oh Alan." Princess Mina said, throwing her arms around his neck joyfully, "I love you too." The Sultan coughed and sputtered, his face turning an ugly shade of red. "A STREET RAT!" he bellowed, "not a Prince. Not even a nobleman. NO. Absolutely not Mina. You will not marry him. You cannot marry a commoner. Especially not an orphan whose sibling is an indentured slave!" the Sultan raged. "But Father!" Mina whined, "I love him. He saved me in the market. I want to marry him. I choose to marry him." "No!" The Sultan declared. Jahar's grinned widened. "Your majesty. As we have previously discussed. If Princess Mina is unable to make a rational choice as to who she marries, the choice falls to you." he schmoozed. "But Father." the Princess started. The Sultan raised his finger in warning, letting the Princess clearly know to hold her tongue "You will marry Jahar." the Sultan declared. "I will not!" The Princess declared stamping her foot, as her Father called for the guards. The guards quickly seized Alan dragging him off despite the frantic protests of the Princess. "Princess." Ginny whispered slipping a note to her while Jahar watched Alan struggle against the guards. The Princess slipped the scrap of paper into the folds of her pants, only just managing to escape Jahar's knowing gaze. "I will not marry you Jahar." Princess Mina declared. He smiled down at her. "You my dear do not have a choice in the matter." he said squeezing her chin between his fingers, "and now I shall leave you to ponder our wedding night." he grinned. Ginny could have vomited. That poor girl. If she didn't find a way to stop this wedding Alan wouldn't be the only one living in misery. Jahar once again grabbed Ginny around the back of the neck propelling her forward. "Wonderful. I'll be Sultan in a matter of days." He said to her. The tunnel to Jahar's laboratory was dark, dank, slimy and smelt of sulphur, as though a demon had come calling and left behind its breath. "I could not have planned this better." he crowed. Ginny's eyes darted around the room. Please let her have read the note. "Surely master, now that you are to marry the Princess killing the Sultan isn't necessary?" Ginny asked. Oh please let her have read the note. "Oh no. It's not necessary. It will be a pleasure to end his life. That pompous wind bag has been Sultan long enough. I will not have him ruining my plans. Nor will I keep his daughter around longer than is required for the world to see that I am now Sultan." Jahar would probably kill Ginny. She was actually surprised he’d let her live this long. Then again he’d probably want a taste tester, since there was no doubt someone would eventually try to poison his food. Jahar wouldn’t stop gloating as the day of the wedding approached. He didn’t even seem to care that each of the Royal families that had stayed in the palace were watching him warily. That they whispered about him in the halls. He didn’t notice that the opiate induced glaze that kept the Sultan pliable had faded, and that though the Sultan continued to do as he was told his eyes and mind were keen. Clearly Mina had read and understood the note and despite how Jahar had the poor girl trapped in her room she had managed to pull some strings with the staff, Ginny didn’t doubt that the surprisingly resourceful Princess had found a way to leave her room and was already in discussions with her Father. Jahar was about to get a surprise, Ginny only hoped that she and her brother would live long enough to see his fall from power, assuming Alan was still alive. Ginny was forced to stay by Jahar’s side at the wedding. He looked like the cat that got the canary with the enormous smile that cut across his face, watching all the dignitaries, the Sultan, and the Princess as he effectively held them captive, bending them to his will. As Jahar surveyed his unwilling audience out of the corner of her eye she noticed Alan. He was filthy, and bruised, dry blood caked his wrists, but he had a look of determination that would have frightened Ginny if she had been the object of his wrath. Mina noticed him too and she wore the look that could only be associated with love. The dopey kind of look that made you question if the person was actually capable of making wise decisions. Jahar thought the puppy love look she wore was for him and his grin widened. A few things happened when Princess Mina reached Jahar. Alan slammed the doors closed, trapping both Jahar and all the guests. Jahar, the Sultan and the Princess all bellowed “seize him” and chaos ensued. Guards swarmed in from all sides of the room, the guests screamed and panicked, some cowered beneath their chairs, others tried to get to the exits, and when the room finally calmed down both Alan and Jahar were being held by guards. “What are you fools doing?” Jahar screeched. “Obeying me.” The Sultan said, rising from his chair, no longer the fragile old man he had seemed while drugged, but again the strong leader he had always been known as. “Your majesty?” Jahar questioned. Ginny turned to Jahar’s parrot. “What is Jahar planning on doing with the Sultan.” “ARK kill the Sultan!” The bird squawked. The crowd in the room gasped. “You’re going to believe a slave girl and a stupid bird? I’ve only ever supported you Sultan, given you what you need.” Jahar said slyly. “You mean like drugging me and slowly poisoning me till I barely knew my own name.” The Sultan said, glaring at Jahar, “I’d much rather have this riffraff marry my daughter than you.” “That’s ridiculous! You have no proof.” Jahar exclaimed. Princess Mina pulled the note Ginny had slipped her out of her pocket, on one side in Ginny’s handwriting it said ‘Jahar is drugging and poisoning the Sultan’ and on the other side was a a page from one of Jahar’s own notebooks where his distinctive scrawl not only itemised his plan, but also what he was using to poison the Sultan. Ginny bet he wished he wasn’t so insistent on writing everything down. Jahar’s face went pale. Without another word the guards dragged him from the room, and his screams could be heard throughout the palace the entire way down to the dungeon. Meanwhile Princess Mina ran to Alan, throwing her arms around him even as the guards held him fast. “Oh Alan! You saved us. If you hadn’t had that note delivered to me I would have married that awful man.” Mina exclaimed. Ginny would have said something, but what was the point. Who would listen to her, besides, it was typical that Alan would get the credit for something she had not only thought of, but risked her neck to do. “I couldn’t have done it without Genie’s help.” Alan said. Without so much as a word from the Sultan, Alan and Mina were whisked off to be cleaned up. The guests were relocated to the garden and Ginny was left to help tidy up the throne room. Apparently saving the Sultan’s life was enough to allow Alan the privilege of marrying the princess, though potentially her throwing herself at him in front of almost all the princes of the realm had something to do with it. After the ceremony the Sultan approached Ginny quietly. “The two of them were made for each other.” He said. Ginny nodded. “They’re both incredibly foolish, and unnaturally lucky. But they clearly love each other, and they have you. If it hadn’t been for you young lady I would likely be dead by now, and my daughter wouldn’t be too far behind me. Thank you.” The Sultan said. “I.” Ginny stuttered. The Sultan had broken protocol and not only spoken to her, but thanked her. “Thank you your majesty.” “No, thank you.” The Sultan said. Suddenly Alan and Mina ran over. “You granted my wish Genie! So now I wish you free.” Alan exclaimed, then again, as though he believed his wishes were actually magic and would just happen, he and his excited bride ran off to enjoy their reception. The Sultan shook his head. “If those two are going to run this country someday they’ll need guidance.” He said, looking at her significantly, “and so Genie, I grant you your freedom.” Ginny flushed. “Thank you Sultan. I feel as though I should tell you that my name is Ginny, not Genie.” The Sultan smiled. “Well Ginny. If you would indulge me, perhaps you would accept a position in the court, guiding the two of them. It appears Jahar’s position is open, and I would appreciate somebody on my side who is smart enough to outsmart the most learned man in our kingdom.” There was no way Ginny was turning down freedom and a position in the court where she could help affect real change, and by the time Alan and Mina began to rule the kingdom Ginny had the country running well enough that all they really did was attend parties and greet dignitaries. And so, thanks to a genie, three wishes, and star crossed lovers, they all lived happily ever after. I hope you enjoyed this short fairytale rewrite.
Praying you find your happily ever after. God bless Karla
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Karla RoseI'm a Christian, a wife, and a mother of two living in the wonderful Waikato Archives
April 2021
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