Princess Lavender (Part 2 of 2)

Prince Ian knocked on the huge wooden door of the castle. A royal guard showed him to the throneroom to see Princess Lavender. The princess smiled a half-smile at his arrival. Although she was flattered to have yet another suitor, she knew too well that he probably wouldn't stick around for long.

"Good morning, sir," she said with a hint of sadness. "Have you journeyed from afar, young prince?"

Prince Ian bowed and yawned, "No, mylady. I am Prince Ian - Ian Somnia from the kingdom of Celere. It only took about two days of riding to get here."

The prince rubbed his eyes and Princess Lavender noticed that they were red. Although the prince's attire was regal enough, he appeared somewhat disheveled. It looked like he hadn't slept in days. Prince Ian noticed her gaze and bowed a second time.

"Pray, excuse my fatigued appearance this morning, Princess Lavender. As I mentioned, I am from the kingdom of Celere and we grow a very potent tea in that land. 'Celeri-tea,' we call it. Anyway, after years of drinking the stuff, I've developed an ineptitude for sleep that makes my mornings frightfully tiresome until I have another cup, that is. The whole thing forms a beastly cycle. I do apologize."

At this, Princess Lavender's eyes lit up. Perhaps this was the prince she'd been waiting for.

"Why don't we go for a walk in the royal garden?" she asked, and the two went out of the castle toward the walking path.

As you may have guessed, Princess Lavender and Prince Ian hit it off famously. They talked for hours amid the rose bushes and daffodils. They ate dinner together in the lavish hall. Prince Ian introduced himself to the King, and all in all things couldn't have gone better.

Eventually, it was time for the princess to go to bed and, as was the custom, she kissed the prince on the cheek before saying goodnight. Prince Ian smiled, closed his eyes and sunk to the floor. And, as was the custom, two guards came to hoist the snoring prince off to the guestroom.

That week was the longest week Princess Lavender could ever remember. She paced through the long corridors. She barely ate supper. Day in and day out her thoughts focused on one question: when he awoke, would Prince Ian ride off into the sunset with her or without?

Finally, the fateful day arrived. As a result of her nervous tossings and turnings during the night, Princess Lavender slept right through the morning breakfast bell. Her maid gently greeted her a few hours afterward.

"Princess, are you ill?" the white-aproned girl inquired.

"No! I mean, uh, what time is it?" the groggy princess asked.

"Why, it is half past ten mylady."

"Oh no," said the princess, her eyes growing wide. "Is Prince Ian still here? Did he go or did he stay?"she asked in near panic.

"I believe he left early this morning, mylady."

"REALLY?" the princess exclaimed in a voice louder than she'd anticipated. The maid froze in surprise at the outburst.

"Yes, mylady. Would you like your breakfast this morning?" she asked.

Princess Lavender tried to swallow back her tears. "No," she said flatly. "I don't have much of an appetite at the moment."

"Very well, your highness," said the maid as she left the room.

Princess Lavender burst into tears the second she was alone. She felt the sting of a hundred rejections afresh and could no longer control her emotion. "I really thought this one would stay," she lamented. "If I had known this, I wouldn't have wasted my time."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Go away please, I don't feel like meeting any new princes today," the soggy princess answered.

"Well, what about an old one?" a familiar voice asked.

Princess Lavender gasped. There in the doorway stood Prince Ian looking remarkably rested and handsome. "I'm sorry to have worried you, princess. But I left this morning to pick you these," Prince Ian explained as he presented her with a bouquet of wildflowers.

Princess Lavender dabbed her eyes and smiled. "You mean, you didn't want to get as far away from me as your steed would carry you?"

"Are you joking? Last night I had the best sleep I've had in years!"

Princess Lavender's heart sank."That's only because the night lasted for a whole week. Haven't you heard about my curse? Everytime I kiss a prince, he sleeps for an entire week. You don't want to sleep the rest of your life away, do you?"

The prince thought for a few seconds, then said, "Princess, I haven't felt this rested in a long time. It's wonderful. And I would be willing to spend the rest of my life sleeping by your side if that's the only way I could receive your kiss."

Princess Lavender threw her arms around the prince (careful not to kiss him yet as this conversation wasn't finished). The prince smiled warmly and then released his embrace. "I've got it!" he nearly shouted.

"Got what?" the princess asked.

"Have you ever put the power of your curse up against the power of celeri-tea?"

"Why no!" Princess Lavender replied. "You know, that tea just might do the trick!"



Well, not too much time passed before the prince and princess were married. As the bishop pronounced the happy couple "man and wife," Prince Ian kissed his bride and fell happily asleep at her feet. Within minutes, a cup of steaming hot celeri-tea was brought to his lips. Sure enough, the prince was back on his feet in time for the first dance.

So thus it was that every night Princess Lavender would kiss her husband happily to sleep. And every morning she would wake him up with a cup of tea. And with such a cheerful schedule it's little wonder that the two of them lived happily ever after.