The Night That Changed It All

In a faraway land, many centuries ago, there lived a beautiful princess who was called Fiona. She was extremely beautiful and her beauty was captivating. She had beautiful brunette hair and enchanting light brown eyes.

She read religious books every day at the palace and even went to religious places such as temples and churches. However, some called her non-religious.

She was very proud and considered herself better than the citizens of that rich and beautiful land. She was always wrapped in her own self. Fiona certainly never understood that more important than the jewels, the palace and fertile land were its people.

One fine day, Fiona was on the way to the temple when a farmer came to her and said, “Princess, you look very gorgeous today. I need to ask for your help. You see, my land-” Fiona looked at him with anger in her eyes and replied haughtily, “How dare such a poor farmer like you talk to a nobility like me? Didn’t your lousy mother teach you to solve your own problems?” The farmer apologized and scooted away.

She noticed that there was another man, sitting on a large stone wall with a flute in his hand. He looked like a merchant because he wasn’t wearing any rags. He was grinning at her. She couldn’t see his eyes very well as they were hidden by the light brown hat that he was wearing, but she could clearly see him smile. “What are you laughing at?”, she asked him coldly. He continued grinning and walked away.

 

A few days later, her father organized a masquerade ball.

The ball room looked stupendous with beautiful chandeliers and a great number of fancy dishes. Magnificent princes and princesses came to the ball. The room was bustling with royalty. Fiona found these balls fascinating.

She was having a great time dancing until she met Sir Antony who danced as though he were a chicken, and he wouldn’t let her go, even to get drinks for herself.

“May I have a dance with the princess?”, she heard a charming voice behind her. She looked back to find a handsome young prince with bright blue eyes and a dark blue mask.

“Yes”

“No”

Fiona and Antony said their answers at once. At last, Antony let go of Fiona and went over to Lady Tanya.

It happened so fast that Fiona was flustered. One moment she was looking at the prince shyly and the next, they were in the middle of the ballroom dancing gracefully.

“I’m Prince Carl from Terra Rica”, he bowed while dancing which was quite awkward.

“Princess Fiona”, Fiona answered, who herself gave a short bow to Prince Carl.

“I was waiting for Sir Antony to let you go, but he just wouldn’t. So, I decided to come fetch you.”

“Fetch me? That is a very unique way of speaking to the Princess whose father has hosted a ball.”, Fiona joked.

He grinned at her. He had an amazing smile that seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t point where she had seen it.

“Well, they do call me daring”, he replied.

They danced and talked the whole night. Fiona didn’t change her partner the entire night which was very unusual for her because she believed that change was good.

However, she just couldn’t part with Prince Carl.

 

Two days later, her handmaid, Coraline, who was just like her elder sister, came into her chamber and told her, “Fiona, Prince Carl of the Terra Rica has requested your presence. He is waiting in the royal garden.”

Fiona jumped with joy. She couldn’t believe her ears.

She rushed to the royal gardens in a very unprincess-y way.

“Prince Carl”, she addressed him. She had suddenly transformed back into being the distinguished princess she was.

Without the mask, he was even more feverishly handsome.

“Princess Fiona”, he nodded. “I was missing your presence very much for the past two days, so I thought of paying you a visit. Forgive me if I’m being rude by my sudden presence.”

“No, that’s alright”, she replied.

“Sir Frederick”, she spoke to one of her father’s most trusted knights. “I request you to excuse us.”

Sir Frederick and the rest of the knights left the both of them in the garden.

Prince Carl looked at her strangely.

“What?”, she asked him.

“You gave the knight a lot of respect.”, he said. “I didn’t think you would.”

Fiona raised her eyebrows but let go of the topic.

 

Prince Carl would come to visit her every day. Actually, almost every day. He didn’t come on Thursdays because he had royal meetings with his father.

They would talk for hours each day. And this went on for about half a year.

After seven months and three days of knowing each other, an elegant Royal Scroll was brought to her by Coraline. It was addressed to her. She softly read it out loud,

“Addressed to Madame Fiona of the Northern Islands of the Jõud Lands. Princess, I would officially like to put forward my request to be your man and the king of the Jõud Islands. It would be my honour to rule by your side till we part life. Regards, Prince Carl of the Terra Rica.”

Fiona was baffled. She couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a small tingle of excitement and hope lingering in her entire body. She rushed outside. “Daddy, Daddy!” Her father was beyond happiness. He liked Prince Carl a lot because he was very rich.

Prince Carl arrived the next morning and took her to the courtyard.

“Why was it that the moment you saw my jewels and riches you decided to know me?”, he asked her suddenly.

“Huh?”, Fiona was beyond confused.

“If I didn’t have jewels, you wouldn’t have even talked to me.”, he said softly.

Fiona gave him a puzzled look.

“I saw you talking to that farmer a month ago…”, he started but stopped short when Fiona looked at him horrified.

She understood where she had seen Carl before, and why she found his smile familiar. He was the disguised fluteplayer who sat on the stone wall!

She had always been sweet and caring in front of him. She had never let him see her sour side. Alas, he had already seen it.

She sighed. “My mother believed in kindness and good deeds. She died when I was very young. I was bought up by my father, who, unlike my mother, believed in our superiority.”

She looked at him. “I don’t blame him, of course. He is right in every way. The farmer was talking to me without any pur-”.

She was interrupted by Prince Carl. “It doesn’t matter. You need to respect him because he is a human being. His riches nor his status define who he is.” His voice was filled with superiority and importance. He truly looked like a king. He was the man who she had come to love. But with each word, he seemed more and more displeased with her. She couldn’t lose him. However, she couldn’t stop herself from speaking her mind.

“But he was born a peasant. It is his mistake, isn’t it?”

“Can you control where you are born into?”, he asked.

She hesitated. “No”, she muttered.

“Exactly.”

There was a silence. It wasn’t awkward. It gave Fiona a long time to figure out what Carl had just said.

She had always been disgusted by peasants and barbers and washers and architects. She found merchants’ work boring too. Nonetheless, whatever Carl had just said was starting to get into her mind. He was right. The merchants, the farmers, the barbers, the washers and the architects never got to decide which house they were born into. If there had been a twist in fate, then she might have also been born into a barber’s house.

Would she have liked the princess or the prince to talk to her in the way she talked to them?

“Will you be marrying me?”, she asked him. She was sure he would say no. When he didn’t reply, she said, “This had been just a test, hadn’t it?”

He avoided her eyes. “Yes, it had been a test at first. My father wanted us to get married but I wanted to see how you behaved with the citizens of the island. And so I did. But in the process, I fell in love with you.” He looked back at her. “You are like an angel. Pure, sweet, caring. I want your people to see your true form, for you will make a wise ruler.”

She considered what he had said. He was right.

She had to change for the better. She wanted to be loved by the citizens of the Jõud Lands for more than her looks. Looks were just like status. She hadn't decided on them.

“I will change, Carl.”, she said. “I finally understand what you mean now”, he smiled and looked at her affectionately.

◇ ◇ ◇

 

“Yes, Madam Cathy. We will make sufficient changes in your village’s well. You nor your fellow villagers will ever face water shortage again.”

Cathy fell to Queen Fiona’s feet. “Thank you, your Majesty. You are indeed very kind to a poor peasant like me.”

“No no”, said Fiona. “No one is more superior to the other. You are just as important as me.”

Cathy’s eyes lit up. She bowed to the queen and rushed home.

Cathy had been the last citizen who had come with complaints for the day. Fiona stretched her arms and legs and looked at her husband. He got involved only in diplomatic matters. The citizens preferred talking to Queen Fiona; she was everyone’s favourite and was loved by all.

But Fiona never forgot who had given her that life-changing speech four years and three hundred and sixty-four days back.

He had been by her side, since that masquerade ball hosted by her father.

“Come on, let’s go for dinner.”, she said.

He took her hand and they went together to the dining room.

On the way, they passed the long window just before the dining room where she could clearly see the moon and the stars.

No one had called her non-religious in a long time, for she had recognized its true meaning. Praying to God was never enough. Being a good human being was what made her 'religious'. That was her purpose in life. She had finally understood this.

“Thank you, God”, she smiled at the moon. In the moon, she saw her mother's face, smiling back. She squeezed Carl's hand and they entered the dining room.

 

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