Story Saturday: The Princess Protector

"The Princess Protector"

Once upon a time, there was a frail princess whose kingdom was being invaded by a band of wicked goblins who wanted to take control of the throne. The queen and king did not want to risk losing their kingdom, so they had their royal sorcerer concoct a supply of magic dust that would instantly teleport the goblins outside the kingdom. However, the dust took a long time to make, so the two monarchs kept what little of it they had to themselves in case of an emergency. Worried for the safety of their only daughter, they had the princess locked away in a high tower where the goblins could not reach her. They entrusted her with a small pouch of the dust on the off chance that the goblins might found a way in.

From her tower window, the princess was able to see all of the peasants from her kingdom in a panic below. They were doing their best to fight against the goblins, but many were injured, and some got separated from their families in the chaos. The princess felt terrible that she could not do anything to help them despite having the one weapon that she knew the goblins could not defend themselves against. Fortunately, her parents did not want the tower to feel like a prison, so they filled it with many of her favorite dresses and the softest silk sheets they had to keep her warm at night. The princess decided to use these gifts to her advantage. She could not bear seeing her people suffer any longer. Armed with the pouch of magic dust, she tied the dresses and silks into a rope that she used to climb down from the tower.

When the princess got to the village, she heard a mother cry out in horror as a goblin grabbed her young son. The princess called out the goblin, startling it. As soon as the goblin dropped the little boy upon recognizing the princess, she threw a pinch of magic dust at it, causing it to vanish from sight. The boy's mother embraced her son and thanked the princess profusely, asking where she could get some of the magic dust to give to the rest of the villagers. The princess told her that she needed to speak to the royal sorcerer, but assured her that by the time she returned, she would have enough for everyone. However, when the princess managed to sneak back into the castle unnoticed by the goblins, the sorcerer told her that he would not be able to help. He explained to her that he used up most of the ingredients he needed to create the dust. Many of herbs he needed grew deep in a dangerous forest that had already been overtaken by goblins.

Not willing to give up, the princess returned to town and asked the villagers who would be willing to help her retrieve the ingredients. They were more than happy to oblige, for they wanted the goblins gone just as badly as she did. She put together a team to enter the forest based on the skills that were needed the most to complete the task. Soon, she had assembled a group of the finest hunters and herbalists in the kingdom to help her find everything she needed for the royal sorcerer. They bravely navigated their way through the forest and retrieved the magic herbs, fighting off goblins along the way. The princess had done such a wonderful job in assembling and leading the team that she soon became known as the Princess Protector.

When the princess went to bring the ingredients to the royal sorcerer, she found an unpleasant site. Her parents were there waiting for her, and they were not happy. The king and queen berated their daughter for escaping the tower they placed had her in for her own protection. They told her it was far too dangerous to try to help all the peasants. One day, they told her, she would be their queen, and they needed someone they could look up to as a leader, not someone who they could lose at any given moment. As the princess tried to defend herself, a band of goblins appeared from behind a shelf and jumped onto her parents. Without thinking, she pushed her parents out of the way and wrestled the goblins that tugged at her skirt and hair. The second she managed to break free, she used the last of her small pouch of dust to send them out of the kingdom.

So impressed were her parents by this display that they agreed to give her another chance. The sorcerer was granted permission to make a new batch of magic dust. Once it was ready, the princess presented it to her people as a gift. They formed a powerful army with her as their fearless leader. Soon, all of the goblins were banished from the kingdom, and they had their Princess Protector to thank for it. The princess grew to become a great queen, always placing her people's safety before her own. The villagers loved her for the rest of her days, and they all lived happily ever after.