Hanako Games

phoenixgirl

From Orphan to Royal

by phoenixgirl

In the town of Lessiere, people were scurrying around, going about their daily business. There were many people of all social classes, from the beggars sleeping in the town square to the socialites and nobility gossiping among one another. The day was absolutely beautiful, with the sun shining brightly and hardly a cloud in the sky. The birds were singing in the trees, and there was not a care in the world.

Going deeper into the center of town, there stood a large, magnificent castle where King Humphrey and Queen Penelope lived. Also, their children, Prince Kierlan, Princess Alexandra, and their newest addition Princess Michiko, resided. Of course, there were many servants in the castle, serving the royal family members and performing other such duties.

Everyone was going about their daily business. King Humphrey was signing royal documents and meeting with his royal advisors while Queen Penelope was meeting with servants to plan an upcoming ball for all nobility. Prince Kierlan and Princess Alexandra were walking around in the castle gardens, which left Princess Michiko all by herself. Michiko was actually relieved to be alone for once. Ever since her life changed that fateful day when she showed Queen Penelope the royal birthmark and found out that she herself was actually a princess, Michiko hadn’t had a relaxing day all to herself. Therefore, days like these were quite a relief to her.

As she was alone, Michiko decided to write in her diary on all that had happened:

Dear Diary,

My life sure has taken quite a turn ever since I first entered Lessiere and took control of my destiny. I remember that day when I was kicked out of the orphanage at the age of 18 and meeting up with a strange fairy, whom I thought was my fairy godmother at the time. She told me to never give up on my dreams, and I took her words of advice.

When I entered Lessiere, I had no idea what to do. There were so many possibilities opened to me. What job could I do? Should I pickpocket and camp in the streets? Or should I go to college and get some higher education? I had absolutely no idea.

As I was quite lost, I decided to seek some refuge at the local church. There, I found out that I could work in the stable with the horses. I really enjoyed taking care of the horses, and it was in the stable that I first met Prince Kierlan. He looked quite handsome with the darkest hair and eyes that I could get lost in. However, I was quite tongue-tied around him, which did cause problems. Fortunately, I learned to develop my charm and confidence and was eventually able to talk to him. He confided to me about his sister Alexandra, who was missing at the time. He couldn’t help but notice that I looked a lot like her, but hearing him say that ‘compliment,’ disappointed me. I had become attracted to Kierlan and I didn’t want him to think of me as his sister. What I wanted was a deep, romantic connection with him, and with time, he reciprocated those romantic feelings.

Well, afterwards, I wanted to expand my work horizons. Since I knew that Kierlan only appeared in the stable near the end of the month, I figured that I could work at another job in the meantime. That is how I ended up working at the library nearby.

At first, I was simply shelving books, but eventually I was allowed to read to children. I really enjoyed that, and perhaps it was fate but an elderly woman came by with her grandchildren a few times. This woman happened to be the former nursemaid for Kierlan and Alexandra and she told me about Alexandra and her birthmark. I thought, “How strange. I have that same birthmark, too.” However, I never told the woman, as I thought she would be shocked by the strange coincidence.

Working in the library didn’t satisfy me, though. I wanted my life to be full of adventure and I didn’t want an ordinary, mundane job. So I bought a sword and leather armor from the local shop and visited the slums, much against the guard’s wishes. I fought the monsters bravely and fiercely, but eventually fighting wore me out. In time, I just wanted to return to the town, but the magical shield that the wizards had placed around the slums prevented me from leaving. And for some strange reason, the shield detected me as “evil” although I was really doing good defeating the monsters in the slums. Anyway, it was then that I met Jared, a leader of a gang of thieves. He offered me a way out, but I had to gain his trust first. So I was stuck picking through trash. It was then that I met Alexandra, who called herself Lexy. She looked a little similar to me, that same pink hair and all. At any rate, between rummaging through trash and volunteering to help people at the doctor’s clinic, I found out that Lexy’s real identity was the missing Princess Alexandra. Aware that Kierlan was eager to hear from her, I convinced Alexandra to go home, and fortunately, she did.

Eventually, with the good that I was doing volunteering at the doctor’s, I was able to get away from the slums and return to town. With everything that had happened, I wanted to find a good, stable job and just live out the rest of my days in Lessiere. However, things were about to get even stranger.

During the latter part of the third month of the year, there was a flower queen contest being held in the town square. I figured that I’d enter, seeing that I was often commented on my beauty, grace, and intelligence back at the orphanage. Also, since I had taken charm classes at the college, I figured that my chances of winning the contest were pretty good. So I entered, and low and behold, the judge for the contest was Queen Penelope herself. Talk about a surprise.

Once the judging was over, Queen Penelope declared me the winner. I was so happy and excited to have won a contest at all, let alone my first one. Once she came over to present me with the flower queen tiara, she couldn’t help but notice that I looked like Alexandra even though I obviously wasn’t her. It was then that I explained where I came from and told her how I was searching for answers to my past.

Afterwards, Queen Penelope asked for me to come to the castle, which I did. There, I met King Humphrey, Alexandra, and Kierlan. The queen explained to all that I was truly a daughter of the royal family, that Queen Penelope had given birth to me, the first-born in the family. Ok, now I was confused. If I was the first-born, what did that make Kierlan? It turned out that the queen had panicked when she gave birth to a daughter instead of a son, and since she was worried over how the king would react, she asked a shady-looking person to find her a son and switch me with him. Just about everyone in the room was shocked to hear her news. I was about to faint, the king was speechless, and as for Kierlan, I couldn’t even read the expression on his face. He looked longingly at me, as if wanting to say something in private, away from everyone.

The others must have gotten the hint since they quietly left the room, leaving Kierlan and me alone. I couldn’t look at him. Things were so awkward now. I avoided gazing into his eyes for as long as possible. Unaware of what happened next, I was suddenly staring into Kierlan’s eyes. He must have approached me without me being aware of it. Forcing me to look at him, he said the following,

“Michiko, I know that this is the last thing you want to hear right now but ever since I met you in the stable that day, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. You haunt my every waking and sleeping thought. I can’t get you out of my mind or my heart. Please, let me finish.”

He must have sensed that I wanted to respond, but I stayed silent. He continued,

“I don’t care if you’re royalty and I’m not. That doesn’t matter to me. All I know is that I’ve fallen in love with you because of who you are. Your kind, gentle spirit, the way you love animals and children…It is the inside of you that I care deeply for. I will never find another one like you. Please, Michiko, marry me and become my princess.”

His words made tears start to flow down my face, and still do as I write. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After all this time, I find out that I’m actually a princess and now Kierlan declares his love for me. For a moment there, I was confused and didn’t know what to do, but once I gazed into those deep dark eyes and felt the love he had for me, I knew then the answer. Everything became so clear.

Afterwards, Kierlan and I became engaged and ultimately married. We had the biggest, grandest royal wedding ceremony that Lessiere ever had. All came to celebrate the happy day, but I couldn’t help but notice the jealous faces of a few, like Brittany. Serves her right, I thought, for snubbing me when we first met. However, the truth about Kierlan’s and my paternity never came out. As the king and queen, who are now my mother and father (hard to believe, but it’s true), wanted to keep the matter a secret. Everyone else just thought that I was a local girl that Kierlan happened to meet, which is only the half-truth, but one I can live with so long as I have him.

Now my husband and I are so happy. It seems like a lifetime ago when I first entered Lessiere. A lot of things have happened since then, and are continuing to happen, as I finish this entry.

Well, I have to go for now, but I’ll write the next chance I get.

Once Michiko finished writing, she closed her diary and carefully put it away in her desk drawer, locking it to keep it secure. As she was doing so, someone quietly approached her from behind and covered her eyes. Anyone else would have been scared immediately, but Michiko already knew who it was.

“My darling husband, come to check up on the arriving baby, huh? I hope it’s a girl.”
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Sani · Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 20 Location: Sweden

A very good story my Lady, reel entertainment and good done, and a unexpected finish!

Sani Very Happy

phoenixgirl · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:53 am Post subject:

Awww, thanks, Sani. I'm glad you liked it. Smile

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Sani · Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 20 Location: Sweden

Well I reed it ones or twice, and the storey is great, you do reel good stories Phoenix, reel good, I remeber a story on the old Amaranthia, when Lars and Rhen felld in love in a cafe on the southern isle! well how romantic isent that? Wink