Happily Never After
A princess runs away because of an arranged marriage, befriends a gang of outlaws, falls in love with one of them, only to find out he is actually the prince she was supposed to marry, who also ran away.
Flowers hung from the brick walls of the castle, as it was the day for Princess Ava to get married. The golden yellow sun was shining in Princess Ava’s room, giving the whole environment a wedding glow.
As Ava’s lean body got squeezed into a tight corset, her brown, round eyes frowned at the white dress that hung in the room’s corner. The pleated ruffles on the dress were staring into Ava’s soul. Ava inhaled, thinking how this is going to be her future, married to a stranger and to be expected to live happily ever after.
“If you will excuse us, your princess, they need us in your sister’s chamber,” the maid said, leaving Ava alone in the room.
Ava looked at the enormous window. Her mind plotted a plan to escape this enigmatic mess immediately. She quickly grabbed a white hood to cover herself and a long satin cloth from the wardrobe, tying them to the steel rails of her balcony. Her long body glided down the window with ease. She dashed to the horse stable. Maximus, the family’s royal horse, stood proudly in his stable. Ava fixed up his leash and escaped.
She galloped away from the castle into the deep woods. After a few hours of delving into the dark woods, she stumbled upon a campsite where a group of outlaws were camping. Eight tents were put up around a smoking campfire. Maximus, who was exhausted, was drawn to the pile of hay that was kept near a bright red tent and declared that it was finally resting time.
Ava called out for people, but no one came. She settled Maximus on the pile of hay and strolled into the camping site. The beauty of nature astounded her eyes. The smell of grass was heaven to her tiny button nose. She never had a chance to see all this in the castle. Her eyes also glimpsed a herd of rabbits nibbling on a crate of carrots. At the corner of the site, she spotted a yellow tent. She lingered near the tent. In hopes of no fox or raccoons jumping out of it, she pulled the zipper down.
“What the hell is wrong with you people?” a voice grumbled from the tent.
Ava fell back in shock, greeting the lush land. The brown stain on her white beautiful hood raised her temper.
“Look, here, mister. I am just here to get my horse some food. If feeding that poor animal in desperation without your acknowledgement is wrong. I am so sorry for you,” Ava said furiously.
As Ava whined in anger, the voice revealed himself. His blue eyes were sparkling under the evening glorious sunlight that was hitting his finely sculpted face. Ava’s heart skipped a beat.
“I apologize, your princess,” he bowed.
“It was truly my mistake. Do you want me to get him a bucket of water too?” the blue-eyed man asked in a charming voice.
Ava was in shock at the sudden change of tone. What stunned her was him knowing her identity. He can’t know who she is, especially when the overprotective King has never exploited his two beautiful daughters to the world. Her mind tried to find an answer. But Maximus’s loud neigh interrupted the process.
“Oh, I don’t think that would be necessary. I shall take my leave now…?” Ava paused.
“Flo, your highness,” the blue-eyed man revealed his name.
“Flo… Great. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you once again for your hospitality,” Ava quickly said, diverting their conversation.
Ava once again buckled up to continue her journey. But Flo stopped her again.
“It is going to get dark soon. Are you sure you want to leave?” He stopped Ava.
“The forest can be a very dangerous place, especially at night. And we wouldn’t mind having you stay in for tonight, your highness,” a fair black-haired woman from the tent said.
Such kindness touched Ava’s naïve heart and she decided to stay. She ties Maximus up and settles herself into a tent that the women prepared for her.
Night fell into the forest, spreading each nook with its darkness. But the camping site was bright, with a bonfire in the middle that warmed Ava’s brown skin. Flo brought her a bowl of soup and settled next to her.
The presence and kindness of Flo made her cheeks flush, and her tummy had butterflies. He was different compared to the men she grew up with, where they only saw her as a princess and nothing more. She might have only known him for one day, but she felt like she knew him forever.
“Did you not like the marriage, your princess?” Flo tried his best to start a conversation.
“Well, it is not like I did not like the marriage. I just didn’t like the concept of getting married to a stranger.” She takes a sip of the creamy soup. “Anyhow, how did you know I was the princess?” she queried Flo.
Flo turned towards Ava. “Well, that’s because I am the stranger that you were supposed to get married to.”
Ava couldn’t believe her ears. The man that Ava fell in love with at first sight was Prince Florence, who she tried to escape from in the first place? That explained him knowing her. But if he is here now, that would mean he ran away too? But why would he? Her mind couldn’t wrap around this issue. Ava’s brain was flooded with questions.
Flo explained to Ava that he was also not keen on having arranged marriages and believed that marriage should be done only through the foundation of love. Such maturity and understanding astonished Ava, especially towards a sensitive subject like love. Deep down, Ava was determined that he was the one.
“Here is some bread for the soup, your princess,” said the woman that urged her to stay.
As Ava happily accepts the basket of bread, Flo stood up to introduce the anonymous woman. “Princess Ava, this is Princess White,”.
White bowed down in courtesy, making Ava giggle. She wasn’t used to another princess bowing down at her.
Flo continued, “She is the primary reason I ran away. The love of my life…. Isabelle White”.
Ava’s ears couldn’t take in another shock. Trying to digest this dismayed truth, rustling sounds came out from the other 7 tents. Ava felt uneasy. Her body sensed danger. Her mind already started plotting a plan to escape once again. Involuntarily, her body advanced towards Maximus, but it was too late. Seven rabbits came out of the tents and slit Ava’s throat. And they all lived
HAPPILY NEVER AFTER.
