The Legend of Princess Wildheart (2 page)

  Prince Morgan asked Prince Tangent about the three brothers. He explained to Prince Morgan that they were the three Princes of the Kingdom.  Prince Tangent had already met the three brothers when he arrived.  He walked over to their table and asked if they would like to join them in drinks.  They agreed and the six of them pushed the tables together and made introductions to each other.  The six of them now sat together and enjoyed ale and conversation together.

  Not far away Prince Darksoul was getting fairly drunk.  He was getting louder and louder.  His behavior was getting more obnoxious and annoying.  A small beggar boy made his way into the Tavern.  He eventually came over to Prince Darksoul and asked him for a handout.  All that the boy wanted was maybe a slice of bread or a coin to buy some food with.  Prince Darksoul had no tolerance for children and got angry, shoving the boy to the ground.  Then he struck the boy across the back with his cane to teach him a lesson.  The young boy began crying with the pain from the beating.  Prince Darksoul shouted at the boy to get out of the Tavern and not ever come back inside or near him again.

  Prince Morgan saw the whole thing and immediately got up and went over to the boy.  He stood him up and asked him if he was ok.  The boy who was still crying nodded his head yes and said he was fine.  Prince Morgan gave the boy a small gold coin and told him to go to the market and by food for himself.  The boy ran out of the Tavern with his little gold coin.  Then Prince Morgan turned his attention to Prince Darksoul.

  “Why would you shove and strike a young boy like that Prince? “  Prince Morgan asked. 

  “What business is it of yours what I do?  You should tend to your own business and not be concerned what I do dimwit,” said Prince Darksoul.

  Prince Morgan punched him in the face with no hesitation which knocked Prince Darksoul from his chair to the floor on his back.  He was knocked out cold.  Prince Morgan then grabbed the cane that Prince Darksoul had struck the boy with and snapped it in half.  He tossed the broken cane on the floor next to Prince Darksoul.  Prince Morgan had no
patience for bullies like Prince Darksoul.  Prince Morgan then returned to his table to rejoin the others.

The three Princes told Prince Morgan that he had done the right thing
.  They all continued drinking and conversing as if nothing had happened.  The Tavern Maid brought over a fresh round of ale for the men.  The drinks were free, courtesy of the King who had come into the Tavern just in time to see the whole thing.  The men raised their cups toasting “Long live the King!” as the King walked over to join them.  Duke gave the King his chair and grabbed another to pull up to the table for himself.  Introductions were made as Prince Darksoul stumbled to his feet and out the front door mumbling.  Duke asked the King about his daughters name and the King explained to him that the Queen had been Wildhearted in her day.  With three older brothers he knew his daughter would be just like her mom.   The King insisted that Duke and Prince Morgan join in the celebrations after the games honoring Princess Wildheart.  Prince Morgan and Duke both were excited and honored to be invited by the King and gladly accepted the invitation.   The King asked Prince Morgan and Duke where they were from and the others listened as Prince Morgan explained his journey from his Kingdom in search of his lost sword.  The King complemented Prince Morgan for standing up for the beggar boy and asked him why he chose to punch Prince Darksoul.  Prince Morgan explained that Prince Darksoul was rude and did not give proper respect to him when he spoke with him about the boy.  The three brothers added that Prince Morgan was first to respond but any one of them would have done the same thing since Prince Darksoul was drunk and being obnoxious.  Prince Tangent spoke up saying that from the stories he overheard Prince Darksoul telling others he felt Prince Darksoul was a troublemaker.   Conversations continued for a while then Prince Morgan and Duke excused themselves from the table and left the Tavern.  They told the King and other Princes that they were honored and pleased to meet them.  Prince Morgan and Duke felt they had drank enough already and wanted to get some fresh air outside. 

THREE

  As the two friends walked into the castle courtyard outside the Tavern they discussed the Royal family and Prince Darksoul.  They walked toward the markets and Duke said he wanted to go check out the merchant’s wares.  Prince Morgan said he was tired of sitting and would go for a walk and catch up with Duke later.

  Prince Morgan wandered outside the main castle gates and down a narrow woodland path to one side of the castle.  He was enjoying the natural scenery the castle was nestled in.  It kind of reminded him of his own Kingdom with all the beauty of nature around him.  While walking he came upon a small game trail that
led into the wooded area near the castle and decided to explore.  Soon he came upon a clear spring fed pool of water.  The pool was fresh and inviting on this nice warm day.  Prince Morgan decided to strip down and go for a swim.  He jumped in the water and found it was cool but refreshing.  He swam for a while then got out and redressed himself.  It was a nice relaxing swim and he enjoyed the clean fresh feeling he now had.  Now refreshed he began walking back up the small game trail toward the main path.

  Princess Wildheart and Pricilla were also coming in the opposite direction on the same small game trail.  The two of them had left the castle and were intent on relaxation and reflection near the spring pool.  They would often go there to clear their thoughts and enjoy private conversations.  The three of them met on the narrow path and stopped.  Princess Wildheart had never seen this handsome man before.

  “Hello!  Who are you?  I don’t recall seeing you around here before,” said the Princess. 

  “Hello, I am Prince Morgan,” he said.

  The two girls looked at each other and smiled.  This must be one of my Prince callers, thought Princess Wildheart.

  “I am Princess Wildheart and this is my friend Pricilla,” said Princess Wildheart. 
       “What brings you here Prince Morgan?”

“I was just out for a walk and discovered a beautiful spring fed pond over there,” he said, pointing at the pond.

  “Oh, I know it well, I often come here myself,” said Princess Wildheart.

  Princess Wildheart thought Prince Morgan was very handsome.  Many women in his own Kingdom would like to be married to him of course but he was too busy to trouble with marriage at this time.  Prince Morgan was confident but stunned by the beauty of the young Princess Wildheart, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.  She was so beautiful!  Her voice captivated him, her smile, her eyes and every little thing about her just engaged him in a way he hadn’t experienced before.  The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

  “You’re the one to be courted for marriage,” said Prince Morgan.  “You’re just as beautiful as I had heard Princess.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.  Who is your friend?” 

  “Thank you.  This is Pricilla, she lives in the castle with the Royal family,
” said Princess Wildheart.

  “Pleased to meet you also Pricilla,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I am glad you have come to call on me Prince Morgan.  You are very handsome and I look forward to spending some time with you,” said Princess Wildheart.

  “Oh, my apologies Princess, I am a Prince, however I was not one of the suitors your father invited to meet you.  I was just passing through in my travels with my friend Duke when I discovered the news about your coming of age and the surrounding festivities,”

  Princess Wildheart smiled.  “I am a Princess Sir and I can spend time with whoever I please to.  I noticed your bracelet Prince, it’s very lovely.  May I see it?”

  She smiled and reached out to the Prince.    

  “Oh, sure you can,” said Prince Morgan, removing the bracelet and handing it over to her for inspection.

    She examined the bracelet closely and thought it was a very fine piece of jewelry.

  “So nice, I think I may want it for myself!”

  Princess Wildheart giggled and looked at Pricilla.  Pricilla had been just standing there smiling.  She knew by the way Princess Wildheart was acting that she liked Prince Morgan very much. 

  “Well, I might consider giving you the bracelet, for now though, give it back to me,” said Prince Morgan smiling.

  “No, I think I want it for myself!  You wouldn’t deny a Princess would you?” 

  Prince Morgan laughed.  “Give it back Princess,” he said, with his hand out.

  “Come get it if you want it back so bad,” said Princess Wildheart, teasing the Prince.

   She ran off laughing with his bracelet and went behind a large tree.  Prince Morgan followed and was trying to grab his bracelet but she kept it just out of his reach.  The Princess laughed every time he tried to grab the bracelet and failed.  Prince Morgan finally got hold of Princess Wildheart and held her arms up pinning her back against the tree.  Both of them were laughing.  The two just stood there for a moment, each smiling and looking into the others eyes.  Somehow, both were thinking the same thought and they closed their eyes and kissed. 

  “Sorry Princess, I felt drawn to you,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Don’t be sorry Prince, I’m not, I liked it,” said Princess Wildheart. 

  She kissed the Prince again.  Pricilla just stood there with her hands over her mouth.  She was astonished but very excited in seeing the whole thing take place.  She knew that Princess Wildheart had met the man of her destiny.

  “Here’s your bracelet Prince, I must go now,” said Princess Wildheart. 

  She handed the Prince the bracelet and she and Pricilla turned to walk back toward the castle.  Prince Morgan put the bracelet back on and watched the two girls walk away, never taking his eyes off the Princess.  She looked back at him over her shoulder once and was smiling. 

  “Wow Princess!  That was some kiss you two had!  He is so handsome,” said Pricilla. 

  “He is the one for me Pricilla.  I can feel it in my heart.  That man will become my husband,” said Princess Wildheart.

  The two of them giggled and talked about the kiss and Prince Morgan all the way back to the castle.  It had been an exciting turn of events for Princess Wildheart.

  Prince Morgan just stood there where she had left him, stunned with as big grin on his face.  His mind was racing with thought.  “Princess Wi
ldheart, who would have thought and she is so beautiful!  Looks like the contest will have three Princes now.”  He started walking back toward the castle the same way he had come.  “I must tell Duke right away!  I really want this girl!” 

  Prince Morgan made his way back through the castle gates and located Duke over by the fruit vendors.  He excitedly told Duke everything.

  “Wow,” said Duke.  “She sure has enchanted you Morgan,”

  “I know!  I don’t know why it happened but she has stolen my heart.  I have never, ever felt this way before,” said Prince Morgan.  “I will do whatever it takes for me to win her heart and marry her Duke.”

  “I’m happy for you Morgan.  I believe you will get what you want. You’re considering marriage to her?  It must be the real thing then,” said Duke.

  “Yes, I believe she would make a perfect wife for me.  Believe me
Duke, I had no plans to get married.  After meeting Princess Wildheart I am convinced that we are destined to be together Duke.”

  “Destiny is a powerful force Morgan.  No way to stop it from happening or understand why it occurs.  You could do worse than to follow your heart.”

  True love had somehow found its way into the hearts of Princess Wildheart and Prince Morgan.  Each could not stop thinking about the other.  Drawn together by fate, their two lives were suddenly connected.  The birthday of Princess Wildheart and the celebrations of her coming of age would begin tomorrow morning.  A good restful evening would be needed by everyone.

FOUR

  Today is the Birthday of Princess Wildheart and the day she comes of age to be married.  The Festival
would take place in the daytime.  The invitation only Ball would occur in the evening.  Everyone was up early, gearing up for a full day.  The merchant’s shops were all well stocked and many travelers had come for the festival.  The whole town courtyard was buzzing with excitement.  Over near the stables and near the arena area was a sign posted that listed all the various games and contests.  Grandstand style seating was located for a perfect view of the contests with a special area only for the Royals to view the events from.   The Tavern was selling baked goods, coffee and tea.  Prince Morgan, Duke and the three Prince brothers of Princess Wildheart were there discussing which events to sign up for to compete in.  Prince Darksoul and Prince Tangent showed up separately.  Prince Darksoul sat by himself as Prince Tangent joined Prince Morgan and Duke.  All of them decided to sign up for the big events which cost twenty five gold coins each as entry fees.  None of them cared about the cost since all were wealthy men.  The group signed up for the Horse Race, the Riding Ring Grab, the Sword Fight, The Boxing Match and the Archery Competition.  The three brothers were most excited since they felt they would win all the events easily. 

  The first event would be the horse race.  It wouldn’t start for a while though which allowed everyone time to wander through the Festival before checking on their horses and preparing for the race.  The men at the Tavern wished each other well and went their separate ways.  All of the contestants had fine stallions and boarded them at the stables which had already fed and groomed the animals.  

  Prince and Duke were walking and discussing the horse race when Prince Morgan spotted Princess Wildheart and Pricilla getting a candy apple.  He and Duke walked over to say hello.  Of course he had not stopped thinking about her since they met.  He could barely focus on anything else with thoughts of the Princess constantly popping into his head.  The girls were talking and giggling when Prince Morgan and Duke walked up.

  “Good morning ladies, I hope your well today.  Happy birthday to you Princess Wildheart,” said Prince Morgan.

  Princess Wildheart blushed when she saw Prince Morgan.  She had hoped they might meet by chance again and maybe even share another kiss.

   “Oh, I see your still wearing my bracelet Prince,” said Princess Wildheart.

    Prince Morgan smiled at her.  He liked her playful attitude. 

  “I thought we already settled that issue,” said Prince. 

  He and the Princess both laughed, Pricilla laughed too.  Princess Wildheart thought about how wonderful the kiss between them had been.  She wouldn’t mind another kiss but in this public setting it would not be proper.

  “Prince, introduce me to these fine ladies,” said Duke.

  “Oh, sorry Duke, excuse my bad manners Ladies.  May I present my truest and most loyal friend, Duke,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Duke, this is the beautiful Princess Wildheart and her friend the lovely Pricilla,” said Prince Morgan.  

  Duke felt his knees buckle when he looked at Pricilla, she was smiling at him.  He was stunned at first but went closer to her and both of them started talking. 

  “Will you be competing today Prince Morgan?  I will be watching the events with my family from the grandstands,” said Princess Wildfire.

  “Yes Princess, Duke and I have entered into all of the events on the list, it should be fun,” he said.

  The two of them were standing close to one another smiling as they looked into each
other’s eyes.  Princess Wildheart could barely control herself when she looked into the eyes of the Prince.

  “Pricilla and I will be watching from the stands over there.  If you can, try to stop by and see us,” she said, smiling at the Prince.

  “I will try my best Princess.  You look beautiful today,” said Prince Morgan.

  The Princess blushed
and kept smiling.  She was really happy that the Prince seemed interested in her.  This was turning out to be a great birthday so far. 

  “I am hoping to see you and your friend Duke at the Royal Ball tonight.  Perhaps we can share a dance together,
” she said.

   “Duke and I have already made plans to attend the Ball Princess.  Your father invited us yesterday when we met him.  I would be more than honored to share a dance with you there,” said Prince Morgan.

  “You can count on that Prince.  I believe Pricilla may like to have a dance with your friend Duke,” she said. 

  She smiled looking over at Pricilla and Duke.  They were too much into each other at the moment to hear anything else being said around them.  Seemingly out of nowhere the King walked up.

  “Hello, dear daughter, happy birthday,” he said kissing her on the cheek. 

  “Thank you father,” said Princess Wildheart.

  “Oh, I see you met Prince Morgan and his friend Duke,” said the King.

  “Morgan
it’s good to see you again,” said the King, shaking his hand. 

  “You’re Majesty, great to see you again sir,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Prince I understand that you and Duke are staying for the events,” said the King.

  “Of course sir, we are honored to be included,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Fine, fine, we will see you there then,” said the King.

  The King took Princess Wildhearts
’ arm and escorted her away.

  “Come along daughter, we must join your mother the Queen in the grandstands,” said The King. 

  They both walked toward the stands with Pricilla right behind them.  Pricilla turned and smiled at Duke as they walked away.  She had met someone that made her heart melt.

  “My god man, you never mentioned the Princess had a beautiful friend like Pricilla,” said Duke.

  “I noticed you two seemed to like each other,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I think it may be a little more than that Morgan,” said Duke. 

  He punched Prince Morgan in the shoulder with a smile on his face.  Both of them laughed and continued talking about the girls as they made their way over to the race area.  As they passed the Weapons Master shop, Prince Morgan suggested they both stop in for a moment since the race time was still a while away.

  The two of them entered the weapons shop and were surprised at the amount of items on display for sell.  The shop had average and fine weaponry for trade or sale.  Prince Morgan discovered a sword that he liked.

  “Wow Duke!  Check this out,” said the Prince.

  He showed Duke a polished steel sword with an ornate brass handle.  Duke examined the sword closely.

  “This is the nicest I have seen in a shop.  You should buy this sword Morgan, “said Duke. 

  “Let’s see,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Shopkeeper,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Yes Sir,” responded the shopkeeper.

  “This sword is great, what can you tell me about it?  I may be interested in buying it,” said Prince Morgan.

  “That sword came from Regent, a tiny Kingdom with a great sword maker.  It is very well made, solid polished steel, as hard as any swords I have come across,” he said.

  “It is very nice,” said Prince Morgan.

  “How much would you want for it?  If we can make a deal I am considering purchasing it,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I am asking seventy five gold, with the black scabbard it has remained unsold so far,” said the merchant.

  “It is really great.  I’m not sure if it is worth that much but a beautiful weapon none the less,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Yes, a fine sword indeed.  I do however have a finer one for sale.  It is just not being displayed for now,” said the Merchant.

  “You have a finer sword than this one? I would like to see that,” he said.

  “Very well then,” said the merchant.

  He went into a small backroom and came out with a package wrapped in cloth.  He laid it on the table in front of Prince Morgan and Duke. The merchant carefully
took the item from the cloth.  Prince Morgan was surprised to see the gleaming “Sword of Caledon,” right there on the table.

  “Whoa,” said Prince Morgan, stunned to see his sword again.

  “I got this from a trader a few weeks back.  Extraordinary sword, I am told it is from the Kingdom of Caledon, some distant Kingdom.  Anyway, I have had our Sword Master take a look at it.  He has been trying to see if he could duplicate it somehow.  He hasn’t had any luck decoding the metal formula used in the making of this blade.  The blade is super strong and seems not to dull, with the scabbards, I am asking two hundred gold,” said the merchant.

  “That is my sword.  I am Prince Morgan from the Kingdom of Caledon and have been searching months for it now.  A thief stole it from me a while back and I have been searching for it every since then,” said Prince Morgan. 

  “I understand sire and I would be glad to see you get it back.  Consider though, I have invested gold in the sword with the trader who brought it here and would not like to see a loss on my purchase,” said the merchant.

  “That sounds fair, I assume that you have invested a fair amount of your gold to acquire the sword,
” said Prince Morgan.

  “I have invested one hundred gold coins for the acquisition of this sword.  I thought that I should be able to double my investment at two hundred gold coins,” said the Merchant.

  “I won’t quibble with you sir over a few gold coins.  I will pay you the two hundred gold you ask.  I’ll bring the gold by later after the events, hold it for me,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Yes sir. I will hold it for you only sir” said the excited merchant.

  “I can’t believe we finally found your sword again Morgan,” said Duke.

  “My sword is finally back where it belongs and I don’t plan to ever lose it again as long as I am alive,” said Prince Morgan.

  “Would you also be interested in a high quality hunting knife Sire?  I could add it to your purchase for another one hundred gold coins,” said the merchant, holding up a shiny knife.

  “Why not, I could use a good boot knife as a backup weapon,” said Prince Morgan.

  Meanwhile Duke had discovered a weapon he liked.

  “Take a look at this weapon Morgan,” said Duke. 

  Duke was holding up a real nice bow with a full quiver of custom made arrows.  Prince Morgan stepped over by Duke to examine the Weapon. 

  “Wow, this looks deadly.  You should try to buy it Duke,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I agree with you Morgan.  I will find out how much he wants for it. Maybe we can make a good deal,” said Duke.

“Oh, the bow and arrow set.  Hmmm, I believe a good price would be three fifty gold. The weapon was traded by a traveler from Monzatrole.  He said it had been custom made from some sort of special wood not known of around here.  The bow came along with one hundred custom arrows in a leather quiver,” said the merchant.

  “The quality of it seems really nice so consider it sold my good man.  I will pay the three hundred fifty gold coins you are asking.  Hang onto it and I’ll return with the Prince later and both of us will pay you then,” said Duke.

  The two of them left the shop and began walking towards the stables. They walked along and a flower lady stopped them.  The woman was old and dressed modestly.  She had a small wooden cart full of fresh flowers and they smelled great.

  “I have some very nice flowers for sale,” she asked.

  “Give me two bundles,” said Prince Morgan.

  “I’ll take one bundle,” said Duke.

  The two of them approached the grandstands where the Royals and their various charges and guards were.  Prince Morgan went over to where the Queen was sitting.  Princess Wildheart and Pricilla both quit talking and watched to see what was going on.

  “Flowers for her Majesty the Queen,” said Prince Morgan, handing the flowers to her aide.

  The aide handed the bundle of fresh flowers to the Queen and she smiled and addressed Prince Morgan.

  “Thank you sir.  These flowers are lovely.  What is your name sir?” the Queen asked.

  “Prince Morgan from the Kingdom of Caledon your majesty and this is my friend Duke.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you Prince Morgan and you also Duke.  You are very thoughtful to honor me with such a pleasing gift.  Good luck in the competition today sir.”

  “It has bee
n my pleasure your majesty,” said Prince Morgan.

  The Prince then took a few steps over to his right and addressed the aide of Princess Wildheart.

  “Flowers for Princess Wildheart,” said Prince Morgan, handing them to her assistant.

  “Thank you Prince Morgan, these are beautiful,” said the Princess.

  “My pleasure Princess and happy birthday to you today.”

  Princess Wildheart was all smiles as she held the flowers given to her by the Prince she had fallen in love with.  The Queen looked on and smiled with approval.