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00 Tale of Fine Clothes

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◕ ‿ ◕ Story Time!!

Once upon a time there was a prince who lived in a very fine palace. He had long golden hair, blue eyes and rows and rows of very fine suits. His father doted on him, as did his mother, his grandmother and his subjects; therefore as a result he grew very spoilt indeed.

Now, the prince had a steward - a kitchen boy, more precisely - who was very fond of him. Through the scullery doors he'd peer at the handsome prince when he could, or while he was fetching water, but the prince never paid any attention to his servants at all, so he never noticed him!

The kitchen-boy worked very hard so that he could someday serve the prince at the table. His chance came at last one day when he was told by the kind old butler that he could do so at teatime. Elated, he took the dish to the prince, quite forgetting to inspect it first.

When the dish was presented at the table, the prince flew into a temper when he saw a spot of chocolate sauce sitting at the edge of the plate. He wouldn't touch the cake at all and the kitchen-boy was sent away in disgrace. In tears the boy went away and tried to seek employment, but as he'd been disgraced by the prince himself he couldn't find one at all. Penniless, he took to secretly helping a kindly old seamstress in return for shelter and a bit of food while he got ready to return to his village. Being both cheerful souls, they got along very well and were very sorry they had to be without each other soon, especially since neither had Facebook accounts.

A week later the king and queen decided to throw a grand ball for the prince's sixteenth birthday. Everyone was invited but only those with fine clothes were allowed into the palace. As you can guess, everyone rushed around to get new clothes!

The now-ex-kitchen-boy longed to see the prince one more time before he left but he hadn't any nice clothes at all. Now, the seamstress remembered that she had a young lord make an order for a very fine red suit, but he had quickly grown out of it as a result of a very conveniently inserted for the plot growth spurt before he could wear it and left it with her. She made the boy wash his face and put it on as a parting gift.

That night the boy crept into the castle in the suit, hoping that none of the servants would recognize him. He was just about to enter the palace before the prince himself came walking out and, having spotted him and taking a fancy to the finery he wore, demanded that he kept him company while he took some fresh air.

That was more than he'd bargained for! He'd only come to see the prince, you see, and not talk to him. Terrified that the prince would find out who he was, he kept silent the whole time. Which worked well for the prince - he loved talking about himself. He talked about the hunts he'd been to, the lovely tea parties he'd attended, and how he'd be going to watch the upcoming world cup the following month.

All this the boy listened to enraptured, and the prince was very pleased indeed. At the end of the night he'd fallen deeply in love with his silent companion, his fine clothes and strangely simple beauty. He admitted that he was planning to marry the following year, and bade him to return for the next ball. To this the boy agreed and they parted ways.

The following day the boy took leave of the seamstress, thanking her and giving her his watch and locket, which she could sell for a bit of money. With that, he set off to the neighboring town with the intention of getting a job, earning some money to buy a suit and return in time for the ball. Three weeks later he was struck with measles and died.

On his seventeenth birthday, the prince announced to his parents that he was planning to marry someone. Excited, the King and Queen threw a ball finer than the last one. One by one the guests arrived, but the prince's beloved never did. The prince was convinced that the boy had misheard him and thought that it was the eighteenth birthday instead. So they decided to throw a ball again. But the boy never came. Eventually the King and Queen grew old and died, but the prince, having become king, never got married.

Now, every evening on the prince's birthday, folk who happen to be wearing red say they sometimes see a golden-haired figure waiting around the great lake where a very fine palace once stood, staring at them as they walk past.

And wow, did I really outdo myself this time. :bug: <-- not much of a writer I know
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Comments15
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I think it was quite well-written, actually :3
Very beautifully melancholy story. It makes me wonder about myself that I love stories with as heartbreaking a twist as this one so much...
And of course the accompanying illustration is pure loveliness, as usual^^