Princess Queenie

Queenie opened her eyes, her heart beating so fast. The last memory came. Someone had thrown her from a high abyss.

Immediately she shouted.

“Aaarrrgghhh!!!”

Queenie sat down and held her left chest. No scars. No blood. No pain. Queenie felt confused. She looked around the room. It was a simple and tinny room.

There was a window opening with a bright light. Queenie ran closer to the window. Outside the window, the view was like a vineyard. The aroma of the grape filled the cavity. The grapes may be ready for harvest.

But wait! Why was she here? Wasn’t the last time she was with her husband?

Someone opened the bedroom door. A young man with simple clothes entered the room. Queenie, who was trying to remember everything, immediately stood up. She picked up an umbrella that was nearby. She pointed to him.

“Stop! Who are you?! What are you doing in my room?!” rebuked Queenie.

The young man just sat on the bed and rolled his eyeballs.

“Your room? Look carefully, Miss! This is my room. You should thank me because I will help you. Instead of trying to hurt me.”

Queenie slowly lowered the umbrella. He was right. This wasn’t her room. Queenie’s room was luxurious in the palace.

“How can I get here?” asked Queenie.

“Who knows, Miss. You were suddenly in my vineyard last night. I came to check the traps for the bats. Maybe you are drunk and get lost in my garden.”

“Drunk? I am a Princess. Drunker not allowed in my kingdom.”

Deril heard what Queenie’s said. He laughed. He looked at Queenie from top to bottom. That girl was beautiful. Her skin was white, with long dark brown hair, pink lips, and round eyes as bright as the moon. But Deril saw the clothes she wore; absolutely, she was just a commoner. And she claimed to be the Princess? Was this girl being funny? Deril laughed so hard.

“I think you’re drinking, Miss. Are you a princess? Look at you!” the young man said while laughing.

Astonished at the young man’s behavior, Queenie saw herself. She wore a light brown dress with a simple style, long dangling. Although the dress was so fitting and attached to her body, but looked like a dress from an ordinary person. It wasn’t an expensive dress at all.

Because of it, the man in front of her was funny about Queenie’s explanation. In her, there was no sign that Queenie was the Princess of the Bright River Kingdom. Ignoring Queenie’s confusion, the young ‘man opened the closet in the corner.

He pulled out some clothes and changed clothes in front of Queenie. The girl choked and then spontaneously turned over. She saw a strange man changing clothes made her feel embarrassed.

“Let’s get ready. I don’t want to leave you alone here. A lot of wild animals will come to the vineyard at night. You will feel scared by their roars,” said the young man.

“Where are we going?”

“We are going to the Lake Festival by the Darian King.”

“King Darian? That’s my dad.” Queenie Hissed.

Queenie’s word was slow. But he could hear.

“Well, you can confess whatever you like. King Darian as your father, the Kingdom of Bright River, is yours. You’re the future Queen. Yes! Can I be your future king?” said the young man. Then he again laughed so hard.

Queenie tried to connect all. But she didn’t find a single red thread that made her bond with her last memories.

“Wait! Do you say Lake festival?” asked Queenie.

“That’s right, the king, Queen, and Princess will come out. They will give gold coins. Come on, hurry! I don’t want to be late and lose my gold coins.”

“Isn’t the festival only held once in five years? The last festival was held two years ago when my father set me up with Prince Fabian. Why is the festival held now?”

The young man saw Queenie deeply.

“Miss, do you need to take a shower before we go? I’m sure you’re drinking. Or maybe before you passed out, your head hit something so hard. That makes a mess of it, and you remember many wrong things. King Darian will announce the Princess’s future husband at the festival today. They held the last festival five years ago. Never mind! Let’s go!”

The young man went out the door. He was waiting for Queenie to follow him out. Then he locked the door. The young man walked while whistling. He looked so happy because he would get gold coins from the king.

Meanwhile walked, Queenie was busy tugging at her dress. Sometimes her dress got stuck on branches of the tree. She saw that man and thought; he was a strange young man because he lived alone in the jungle. Queenie never expected this jungle to be in the territory of her kingdom. There were such considerable vineyards in the wilderness.

“What’s your name?” asked Queenie.

“Deril.”

“Are you alone in the jungle? I mean, you stay alone at your house?”

“Yes, the jungle and all inhabitants are my friends now. I’ll introduce you to them later. So my friends don’t bother or eat you.”

Queenie nodded. But her eyes stared in wonder at the Deril. He walked before her. The young man had a handsome face. His appearance was neat. His skin was so clean, different from other farmers. Deril’s blond hair glistened under the sun. His tall, ideal body made Deril look more like a knight than a grape farmer.

The royal lake was a little far from Deril’s house. After three hours of walking, they reached. There were boats decorated with various colors. It all was lining up on the shore of the lake. The festival was so beautiful because colorful tassel ornaments and lights decorated every corner of the lake. This lake was in front of the Bright River palace.

It was a large lake, as far as the eye could see. It looked like the ocean. Deril and Queenie passed by a horde of people. They were having a serious talk.

“The Lake Festival will start, so delay today.”

“Why?”

“One of the palace guards said they were still waiting for Princess Queenie to come. The spoiled Princess is always making trouble.”

“That’s right! She doesn’t understand today is an important day. Many people are waiting to get gold coins today.”

“Can she be our future queen?”

“I think she’s just going to be a fool. Her husband will do all royal duties.”

“Lucky prince, he will be her husband.”

“Not lucky, but unlucky. Prince Fabian will only servant for the Queen.”

“Ah, yes, you are right! He will be only a servant of the fool queen.”

Queenie heard the discussion of the commoners so clearly. She and Deril were standing around them. They were busy talking about her. They quickly heard all that conversation. Queenie’s face turned red. What a shame. She was not worthy of being a princess.

Queenie ran towards the palace gate. She didn’t think about Deril. Two guards at the end of the bridge gate blocked Queenie’s steps.

“Halt! Commoner is not allowed in the palace. We will hold the festival at the lake. Go over there!”

Queenie looked at the guard. Her eyes were shining.

“How dare you talk to me like that? Look who I am!”

The two guards saw Queenie. The two guards fell to their knees a few seconds later, saluting Queenie.

“Forgive me, Princess. We don’t recognize you. Because of that shirt you’re wearing, please come in,” said The Bodyguard. They felt scared to see into Queenie’s eyes.

He bowed and shifted the body. Queenie knew just a little time left. It wasn’t a mistake by the guards. Of course, they didn’t recognize her. They would never think that Queenie could look so bad.

Then Queenie kept running towards the palace inside, heading to her room. When Queenie crossed a room, she heard a sigh. Moan was restraining. She stopped and tried to listen to the sound. A servant passed behind Queenie.

She pulled the servant’s arm.

“Whose room is it?” asked Queenie.

The maid stared in wonder at Queenie. The Princess looked so messy.

“That ... that’s the guest room. The room occupied by Prince Fabian for temporary.”

Queenie let the maid go. If it was Prince Fabian’s room, didn’t he stay alone? Prince Fabian had been now preparing for the lake festival.

In Queenie’s memory, King Darian introduced her future husband at the festival to all the people and officials of the palace, but it seemed someone else with Prince Fabian in the room.

She would ask him later. Just as Queenie moved to leave the room, the room’s door suddenly opened. Queenie rushed to hide behind a large barrel.

Her heart suddenly felt pain. The view made her head feel hot, and her heart beat fast. Queenie blinked many times. She couldn’t believe what she saw.

A woman had just come out of Prince Fabian’s room. The woman looked hurried while fixing some buttons and straps of her messy clothes. The woman was the wife of King Darian, Queenie’s stepmother!