A Fairytale Daydream

My eyes fluttered awake from the morning light as my dream quickly dissipated from my memory. Bits and pieces of castles and princes swam through my mind in one final lap before wishing me goodbye. I opened my eyes fully to see an angry green-eyed creature sitting on my chest and demanding that I pay attention to her. Maybe it wasn’t the morning light after all that interrupted my eventful dreams, it was just my impatient cat. Once my cat was fed was only when I could begin my morning, my very slow morning that is. Like most people, I can only move so fast without any caffeine. While the coffee pot was brewing, I turned on my favorite classical music station to romanticize my now calm morning as I waited for my coffee to finish. My world started to drift away as the falling weather and soothing music hypnotized me to a different place.

The gentle piano music and the soft rain outside created the perfect symphony that transformed my apartment into a small cottage that lay on the edge of a forest instead of in the middle of the city. It was a small cottage, just big enough for a small kitchen and a small bed where my cat was curled up. I had different herbs hanging from the ceiling that I gathered from the garden that I could see from my window. Rows and rows of fruits and vegetables waited for me to pluck them from their homes. As I looked closer at the produce, a rabbit stopped and looked back at me. It said good morning by twitching its nose at me and then it bounded off towards the rows of lettuce. A soft knock at the door started me. I didn’t have a clue who was at the door, but I was too intrigued not to answer. My door was split in half allowing me to open just the top that provided me some separation from the outside. I unlocked the top door and swung it open skeptically. Outside was a tall man wearing royal clothes fit for a prince. Wait a prince?

The man’s eyes lit up when I opened the door. “Elizabeth! My love, I’ve missed you.” He reached inside my door and unlocked the bottom half of my door.

“Wait-” I started, but he stopped me by grabbing my waist and spinning me in the air causing my cascading golden hair to float around my face. I thought he was going to spin me forever until he dipped me and kissed me in a way only a prince can. It was breathtaking.

He held my face in his hands with his green eyes reflecting mine. “I know it has been too long since I’ve seen you, but my duties were important. I couldn’t escape. My parents are becoming too suspicious.”

“Too suspicious?” It felt like I was in a dream. Everyone was playing a role, but I didn’t know the script that we were following.

“Yes!” He stared at me incredulously. “You know my parents demand that I marry someone of royal blood, not some peasant.”

“Peasant!” I swiped his hands off of my face leaving a stunned look on his face. “Well, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your royal duties, sir.” I drew out that last word just so he knew I didn’t mean it. I wasn’t quite sure why I was acting so smart with him, but I knew it was justified.

“It’s Your Royal Highness William to you.” The arrogance of being a prince slipped out without him realizing it. His eyes reflected maliciousness just for a second. But it was too late, I caught it anyway.

I turned away from him. “Get out of my home.”

“Wait, Elizabeth, I’m sorry. It just slipped out.” He reached for my hand, but I wrenched it from him. “I know you’re not just some peasant.”

I could hear muttering outside of my door which was now closed. “Who is outside?” I demanded.

“No one.” The muttering stopped, but I could hear horses snorting outside. The prince grabbed at me, but I moved out of the way and threw the door open. A group of soldiers stood outside of my house, standing on my vegetables. I didn’t know what was supposed to happen, but I knew I shouldn’t be here. My eyes quickly scanned the soldiers. There was an empty horse, presumably the one the prince rode on. I was too quick. I swung myself on the horse and we took off.

“Stop her!”

“Wait!”

“Don’t come back without her.” I could hear the prince’s angry voice over the pounding of hooves. The soldiers’ voices chorused in my ears as they drove me deeper into the forest. It had all been a trap. I could feel sweat dripping down my back and down my face. I kept riding hard until I could only hear the sound of my breathing and the tired beating of hooves on the ground. I slowed down to a trot and let the horse stop on her own. We both started to catch our breaths until a beeping sound echoed through the forest. Beeping?

Beep! Beep! Beep!

My head snapped toward the noise. The coffee maker was done brewing. The light rain had turned into an unrelenting downpour and the music had become more intense. Perfect for a chase through a forest. The smell of the coffee was too inviting to return to the forest at the moment. The music continued to pick up speed urging me to return the story I had created in my head.

The warmth of the coffee mug seeped into my hands as the steam swirling from the heart-stamped mug mingled with the steam from the now silver mug that sat in my hands in the dark tavern. I traveled through the forest until I reached the town. I had left my stolen horse outside of the building, someone would recognize it eventually. I stared at the mug wondering what my next plan was. Do I return to my cottage? Probably not, it could still be swarmed with guards. I just knew I couldn’t stay here. The sound of the door swinging open prompted me to get up from my seat. I wasn’t paying attention to who it was until a hand slid across my mouth.

“Shh, Elizabeth. It’s me.” The man slowly released his hand and turned me around until I was facing him. It was Joshua, my dearest friend. I had known him all my life, but it was like I was seeing him for the first time. “We got to get out of here, the prince is looking for you.” He took off his cloak and draped it across my shoulders and pulled the hood up so it was covering my face. “There we are, let’s go.” He grabbed my hand as we quietly slipped out of the tavern. We kept silent until we were back in the forest where only the forest creatures were our witnesses.

“Where are we going? What happened?” I waited for an answer.

“I know you think the prince is good, but he’s been using you. He doesn’t really love you. He's convincing you that you have a forbidden love, but it's all for show. You're just a pawn in his politics.” He started to pace back and forth almost breathless and frantic that I wouldn’t believe him. He grabbed my hands. “You have to trust me, you mean nothing to him. He’s cruel.” His warm, brown eyes searched mine trying to find an answer.

I didn’t totally understand what was happening, but I knew this was true. Joshua loved me. “I know. It’s been you, it’s always been you. I’m sorry I didn’t see it before. I was blinded about what could be. It’s not every day that your life could change in a single moment. The idea of being able to leave this village was enticing, but there’s no where else I would rather be.” It was like I could see my past self in this fictional world. Growing up with Joshua, him being my protector, my shoulder to cry on, my friend. I saw all the looks, the glances, and my responses that meant that there was something more than friendship. He reached up and grabbed my face and kissed me. The birds started chirping and the classical music swelled and crescendoed. The kiss with the prince was breathtaking, but this was unforgettable.

A sudden loud voice interrupted the world I had created. The forest and Joshua faded into the distance and then all I could hear was “Try our new flavor at a grocery store near you!” The classical music that had created the perfect ambiance for the love story I had created was replaced by a commercial about… toothpaste. Welcome back to the real world. I might as well get started on the dishes now that my coffee was cold.

I gave my cat a quick scratch behind the ears before I headed to the kitchen. She bolted upright and ran towards the front door. A knock on the door startled me. A prince? I shook my head at myself. No, Elizabeth, that’s ridiculous. You’re not daydreaming anymore. I opened the door and I was right. He wasn’t an official prince, but he was mine. His brown eyes were full of love as he presented a bouquet .

“For you, my princess.” He kissed me on the cheek as I accepted the bundle of flowers.

“Why Josh, you shouldn’t have! I love you.” I kissed him right back. Maybe my daydreams were not so far off from the real thing.