Free Fairytale chosen by Maya Shepherd Page B

honesty, but I would really wish you'd give me another chance. "
    She began to giggle softly; Lean looked confused down at her. "What made you laugh?"
    "The way you talk, you might think our roles were reversed and I had a choice, but you'll be the one who is making the decisions."
    Lean returned her grin. "That's the reason why I chose you. It is easy to win a man as a third person. But you're like a test, the outcome is always uncertain. "
    For a brief moment they saw each other's eyes in silent agreement. Almost nervously Lean stroked the brown hair from her face and stepped back. "Good night, Heera."
    "Good night, Lean," she murmured absently as he went.
    Only when the door had been shut and locked, she realized that she had done for the first time a normal conversation with Lean. They talked without offending each other or to bomb with prejudice. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that he was not the arrogant guy perhaps, the way she had always held him. Perhaps he would make her sister happy indeed.
    A True Prince
    distinguished not by his birth,
    but by its deeds.

8
    A s Heera entered the breakfast room next morning, the other girls responded in a more hostile manner to her than the previous day. She quickly glanced at the wall on which the ranking of the candidates had been displayed previously, but so far there was no new list published.
    Feeling insecured she sat on the last table next to Erina  and gave her a shy smile. As Heera’s uncertainty endured no longer she bent to her and whispered, "Do you know what I have done?"
    Erina made an apologetic face and muttered "You had a visit from the Prince right?"
    Heera felt her cheeks began to glow. She had hoped that no one had seen him, but it seemed there were spies everywhere that were watching everything in the castle. Everything that happened  in the castle was known to everyone the next day.
    "I wanted to give up voluntarily and he just wanted to know why?" Heera said blankly. As she was the last one on the list, why these girls were seeing her as their competitor? She wondered. Really there was no need to be envied of.
    "I believe you," said Erina empathetically. "But others think that you are playing tricks to make you more interesting."
    Heera snapped indignantly for breath and looked at her sister's face. But Medea turned  her back, as if Heera was not there. Did she believe that too? After all they should know that Heera had no interest in Lean yet.
    Erina noticed how upset and hurt Heera was and responded and smiled shyly. "I think you're the only one who does not play to the prince something. The others pretend it all, just to please him. "
    "Pretending you're well?"
    She shook her head sadly. "No, but I'm so shy that if I say a word in his presence, he will never fall in love with me.”
    As the day began entered the prince as a complete surprise to the hall and bowed in greeting "Good morning, ladies."
    "Good morning, Prince Lean" all responded back in a choir. As he walked without hesitation to the end of the table, Heera’s heart began to knock.  Will he send them home now? But instead , he held out his hand to Erina inviting.
    "Erina, I keep my promises, so I would be glad if you would do me the honor to spend this day with me."
    Erina blushed  so much that her face took on almost the same color as her hair. She quickly nodded and put her little hand in the Prince’s. From her throat came only a faint beeping that was not interpretable. But the radiance in her eyes showed a thousand words. When she left the room with him and  the abuses were heard  from Heera who was not shaken and thought  that perhaps  the prince thought that Erina was a better bride than her sister. She seemed nice, honest and selfless. Medea, however, was cocky with each passing day in the castle. Heera pushed back her chair and left the room as she could not endure the presence of the others any longer. The castle is no place in which they could retreat.