BIRTHSTONE RINGS

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Philia, there lived a domineering queen who ruled over her husband the King of Philia. The King was kind, honest, loyal, and quite lovable. These words were never used to describe his queen's character.

In fact, the queen of Philia treated her three stepdaughters shamefully. Exploiting them! Treating them as slaves and servants, the girls should have been treated like Royal Princesses.

To make matters worse, the queen kept the three girls out of sight and out of the mind of the King. With an unknown illness disrupting the kingdom, there were changes. Indeed, there were changes in the wind that no one could have ever predicted. Who would have predicted the illness and the return of the King's brother?

At the beginning of the sickness, the King's brother Prince Henry returned to the Kingdom of Philia. Upon Prince Henry's return, the queen had his nieces attend to and care for their uncle.

At first, he did not recognize the girls because of his fever. In addition, he had been away from the Kingdom of Philia for almost ten years. Naturally, the girls were babies and toddlers when he left his sister-in-law, the former queen, and his brother, the King. Furthermore, Prince Henry wasn't aware that the girls' mother had died two years after he left the kingdom.

***

At the foot of Juneau Mountain, Witch Jane Mary lived comfortably and healthily being grounded in nature. The location of her humble home provided her with all the ingredients for her potions and cures. From frogs' legs to birds' eggs and plants of all varieties.

***

Unbeknownst to the King, his three daughters were sent to the Witch's home by his brother for treatment for his symptoms and a cure for the illness that was spreading rapidly through the kingdom.

Early the next morning the girls, Diamond, Emerald, and Ruby, hitched their wagon to Homer, the donkey, and traveled the eight miles to the Witch's home. Jane Mary joyfully greeted the girls. Ruby looked after the donkey while Diamond and Emerald took turns explaining their needs for a potion for their uncle, Prince Henry along with a cure for the illness that was spreading through the Kingdom of Philia.

After preparing a potion for Prince Henry, Witch Jane Mary asked the girls to return for a cure for the illness and to return with the birthstone rings that their mother had bequeathed them.

In unison, the girls questioned, "The birthstone rings?"

Unsurprisingly, Jane Mary nonchalantly replied, "Your mother placed the Royal jewelry which was your birthstone rings in a gold chest. She buried the chest under a granite rock in front of the lilac bush on the Southside of the castle."

Stammering, "How? Why? Who told you about the rings?" Emerald hesitantly inquired.

Calmly, Witch Jane Mary, proclaimed, "Your mother's lady-in-waiting personally gave me a message about the rings and where to locate them. It is rumored that your stepmother, the queen, poisoned the lady-in-waiting before she married your father."

Seeing the girls off, Jane Mary reminded the girls to bring their birthstone rings. With the rings in her possession, she would provide a cure for the Kingdom of Pilia.

Two days later, Diamond, Emerald, and Ruby were back at the witch's home. Their uncle was feeling 90% better. The girls were ready to pick up a cure for their kingdom. Presenting Jane Mary with their birthstone rings, the girls paid close attention to the witch's actions.

Brewing a cure in the witch's cauldron, Jane Mary placed the rings on her wooden table. Retrieving a huge and elaborate book from her bookshelf, Jane Mary opened the book to the very middle. Requesting a strand of hair from each girl and placing each over the rings, Jane Mary read the spell three times.

"That's it?" chimed the girls.

Cackling, Jane Mary let out, "You are Royal Princesses. You are no longer slaves and servants of the queen. With a cure and the spell, those that drink the cure will be saved, and you will be treated like Royalty."

Before the girls left, the witch reminded them to wear their birthstone rings, serving the cure to those who choose to do so.

Jane Mary reminded, "Everyone has to make their own decision."

As you can imagine, the queen's choice was not to take the cure. All the subjects in the Kingdom of Philia who choose to take the witch's cure were saved.

With the Royal, Princesses wearing their birthstone rings jewelry, the Kingdom of Philia lived happily ever after.

Writer's notes: Thank you for reading. You are appreciated. This short story was written for Vocal Writing Prompts second MPC jewelry.