Pebbles: A Collection of Short Stories

A Little of This and a Dash of That

Magic comes from listening to your heart. Without heart, there was no magic. Sure, you could sprinkle a little of this and a dash of that to draw on the strings of love and happiness, but true magic comes from people; it comes from love. When the royal family wanted to ensure love and magic would shower on their only son, the Charming family turned to the village grandma, Adelina. She had no children nor grandchildren of her own, but love overflowed from her tiny stature and embraced all those near with warmth. With all the tenderness and affection she conjured, it was easy to see she was the most powerful fairy around, and, with the birth of Prince Charming, she was now the most powerful fairy godmother.

She adored the little prince and spent hours at the castle loving and teaching him. While there, she would frequently bring her niece, Eliza, to play with the boy fearing he would be too isolated in the castle all alone. Soon Eliza was treated as a member of the family, welcomed to meals and balls as though she were a princess. Nothing warmed Adelina more than watching Charming and Eliza play.

As the children grew older, their childhood bond grew affectionate. Charming and Eliza were smitten, and as they grew, so did their love for each other. Charming was determined to take Eliza's hand.

"My dear sweet boy, no one loves Eliza more than your father and I, but she isn't a princess. You must find someone that's positioned to be your future queen," Queen Charming's voice came with a trill of laughter at the idea.

The haughty laughter filled Adelina's ears and rattled her good nature to its core.

"We're only thinking of the dear girl," the king added. "The weight of a kingdom will be on your shoulders. You need a lady by your side that was born to bear the burden. Pool Eliza would be miserable. It could make her ill," he warned.

"But father, she has been raised in these walls alongside me. Surely that has positioned her for my hand," Charming argued.

"Perhaps we let you spend too much time with your fairy godmother; her pure nature has filled you and made your skin far too thin for that of a ruler. You must think of your duty," his mother urged.

"And if I give up my crown, my duty. What then?" Charming threatened.

"Never," the king roared. "You are my only son. You were born to wear the crown. It's a burden on our family, and it's not to be taken lightly. I'm done with this conversation. We'll hold a ball, and you'll find a suitable match." With that, the king turned on his heel and marched from the room.

As the young prince watched his father pace from him, his resolve hardened. His loyalty was to his love, and his love was with Eliza. The prince hurried off to find Eliza, but Adelina intercepted him.

"Hello, my boy. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Despite her effort, Adelina's voice came a bit too high and a bit too sweet, but the distracted Charming didn't notice.

"I must find Eliza," he stammered. "I'm in love with her, and I intend to marry her."

"Marvelous news," Adelina's voice lept with the young man's resolve. "But what's the dark cloud that pulls your blue eyes grey?"

"The King and Queen don't find her a suitable princess," his eyes fell to Adelina now. "You must help me. I'm in love with Eliza. There'll be no other."

"Oh, this will simply not do," she nodded to herself. "No, no; this won't do at all."

"I'm going to run away with her. I'll make her my bride, and mother and father can decide to welcome us or not. I don't need a crown as long as I have Eliza. Please, you must help me."

"Of course, I'll help you. But we must be careful. There are many dangers outside the kingdom walls."

"Yes, yes." But Charming didn't hear the warning; the young prince was too preoccupied with his love.

The plan was hatched, the prince and Eliza would travel to a nearby village and be wed. They would travel in villager clothing so as not to arouse suspicion. In the inky darkness, Charming and Eliza rode off together, but only one returned.

As the sun rose on the kingdom, the alarm of the missing prince rang early. Villagers were still rousing from their bed as fervent knocks came on their doors, but the prince wasn't found. The king ordered his bravest men to leave the kingdom searching for the crown prince, but their search was not long. Before another sunset, the prince was back, but without Eliza.

"She's gone," Charming murmured.

When Adelina came to him, the prince came to his sense.

"She left me," he bitterly spoke. "When I told her of my parent's concerns, she said everything would be okay, but when I awoke this morning, she was gone. All that was left was the scratchings of 'sorry' in the ashes of our fire. You did this," he spat as his eyes fell on his once beloved fairy godmother. "You brought her into my life. You must've cast a spell on me to fall in love with her. My parents were right; she wasn't raised to rule. I'll go to the ball, and I'll find a suitable queen." His eyes burned with hatred.

"Suitable queen?" The words drove into Adelina. I'll find him his suitable queen, she promised herself.

The Charming family drove Eliza away because they were too good for a commoner, but appearances can be deceiving. It'd be her revenge. She'd find a true commoner, a poor tattered girl that had no more business in a horse barn than a throne, and with a little of this and a dash of that, she'd condemn the Charmings to their commoner.