picture postcards

ONCE UPON A TIME...
in a land of kings so far away, princess eleanor was crying. everyone cries but what made her cries so different was that she was a princess and princesses are not supposed to outwardly show their emotions lest they be ridiculed and looked down upon in the royal courts. which is why eleanor was crying...

IN A KINGDOM OF FIREBREATHING DRAGONS AND GALLANT KNIGHTS...
prince edward's mournful face had still not yet broken into a smile. he had to look stern and regal at his coronation. that was how he was taught as a boy to prepare for the day he would reign as king. his subjects would then know him as a king who was decisive. yet he still was unsure if he wanted to be king...

WHERE PRINCESSES WERE ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL AND PRINCES WERE ALWAYS HANDSOME...
eleanor was an average looking maiden, granted she was slightly cleverer than her other "frail" cousins(although however frail her cousins were, they had the strength to go about planning and scheming to ursurp her from her rightful place on the throne when the time came).

THERE LIVED A BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS AND A HANDSOME PRINCE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER...
there always was a handsome prince and a beautiful princess. why weren't there any interesting ones? prince edward mused. even the man-servant was considerbly handsome but when it came to conversations, all there was to it was "yes sire" and "no sire" or "begging your pardon sire"; edward loved to inquire about new discoveries and watch the clouds in the sunset while reciting poetry. was it too much to ask for half an hour a day away from his duties? apparently, it was...however,

A WICKED WITCH PUT A SPELL ON THE PRINCESS...
that's how eleanor felt. what could be more frustrating than to be frustrated and not be able to cry? eleanor felt sick of all those stupid jokes of how clever she was that even if all the lights in the castle went off, they wouldn't need to replace the lights because she was so bright and her head was so big(courtesy of cousin penelope). she was almost always overlooked at balls and dances because she didn't look "frail" enough. oh bother...

THE PRINCE RUSHED OFF GALLANTLY INTO THE NIGHT...
that's how others imagined edward, a charming prince off to save damsels in distress. somehow, it irked him how damsels couldn't save themselves from a splinter in the toe, he just couldn't see any reason for their helplessness. all he hoped for was someone normal, nothing like those simpering, limpid-eyed damsels queueing up at the castle gates offering their hand in marriage. the gall of it all...

CHARMS AND SPELLS BLOCKED THE WAY BUT THE PRINCE FOUGHT IT ALL OFF...
cousin archibald was bragging of his so called "conquest"...again. he had for the past ten years and had hardly thought of changing his story...men. eleanor struggled against all the spasms her body felt yet she just couldn't help it and let out a loud sigh, rolling her eyes. across archibald's face, a dark look of annoyance flashed and a snarl curled on his lips. is dear archibald boring you eleanor? aunt lallaby ventured to ask, afraid of poor archie-warchie's disproval. oh no, it's alright, i'm as interested as everyone else is. around her, the whole room was filled with alert and vacant faces. she twirled the vegetable on her plate. the soft cabbage looked like archibald and the thought of eating it made her nauseous.

THEN THE WICKED WITCH CAME AND TRIED TO KILL THE PRINCE...
well..if you looked at it from edward's point of view then yes, he almost got killed. the guards were finally defenseless against the flirting prowess of a particular princess polly. she had stormed the castle while he was still in the shower and the very thought of him being caught naked by a girl who looked capable of killing, almost..well..killed him. she was forced to invite her to dinner and behave cordially but ever so often, he felt inclined to excuse himself and run far into the recesses of the abandoned castle dungeons. good manners and a sense of decency prevented him from doing so but very recently, he had grown rather short-tempered and sometimes, he felt like he would simply...explode.

BUT HE WAS JUST TOO STRONG AND DEFEATED HER RATHER EFFORTLESSLY...

from the beginning, eleanor had promised herself that granted she would look at gorgeous princes, she would not let herself fall into their trap and end up hankering over them. unfortunately, no woman could resist edward's charm. he was so nonchalant and rather attractive. he had no airs about him and had no airs about him. she simply couldn't resist this tall, dark silent stranger!

THE MOMENT CAME AND ALL OF TIME SEEMED TO STOP...

that look, that voice, he hadn't quite caught it yet but when he looked into her eyes, all the world around him halted and images of her floated about his mind. "erm...begging your pardon but may i help you?" that voice rang out like an angel's. marry me, love me, come away with me was all he wanted to shout but all he managed was "hi"...

FINALLY, THE SPELL WAS BROKEN...