Happily Ever After......NOT!

Chapter One

     Once Upon a Time..... Isn't that how every fairytale starts? Happy and cheerful full of light and laughter. But this story isn't like every fairytale you've read. This story starts not with once upon a time, but with a dark stormy night.
     A dark stormy night in the castle of Agog lived a  king named Alden his queen had past away quit sometime ago, and he was left to raise his daughter Princess Cambria alone.
     King Alden gazed out at the land he ruled from the balcony, when his daughter approached him. "What is it my lovely flower?" He asked seeing the look of despair on Cambria's beautiful face.
    Cambria moved her soft hand across her light purple velvet gown, "Father, I have terrible news." She placed her hand to her abdomen, "I am with child." Tears started to fall down the young princess's face.
    King Alden moved away from the balcony, the sound of his boots clacking on the marble floor echoing. "NO! This can't be, you are just a child."
   Cambria bowed her head shamefully, "I thought Sir Wynn loved me, we had a night together at the Spring Ball and then he's was gone!" She gazed up at her father, "Father, what am I to do? I'm a month pregnant and I'm not ready to be mother!" She sobbed.
    "YOU'RE DARN RIGHT NOT READY TO BE A MOTHER!" The King stormed, anger flooding his face, "You are the only heir to the throne! And now look at you!" He waved a hand, "No prince would look at you knowing you are with child and are no longer a virgin."
     Princess Cambria rushed to her father's side her hands clasped together as if begging her father, "Please father, forgive me! It was a foolish mistake and I regret it. What am I to do?"
     King Alden stood in thought pondering his decision, for it would not only jeopardize his daughter's future, but also his Kingdom and his people. "Now listening carefully, he said pointing a finger at her, she nodded, "Have you told anyone else this news that you are expecting?"
    The young princess shook her head, "No father, I haven't spoken to a soul about it except you."
    King Alden smiled, "Good now it'll be easier for what we must do. You will go into hiding, I'll have the maids set you up in a new chamber in the east wing. You will live there until this child is born. You will have no visitors, and you will not mention your pregnancy to anyone do you hear?"
    Cambria nodded her head vigorously, "Yes, Father I understand."
    "You will not be allowed to leave the west wing or venture outside for any reason. Only your ladies in waiting will know, and they will be sworn into secrecy. If they tell anyone of your pregnancy they will be beheaded."
    Princess Cambria's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped.
    King Alden laid a firm hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry my daughter, everything will be okay."
    "What about the baby?"
    "We'll worry about that when the time comes."
    So the princess went into hiding, she lived in the east wing of the castle and memorized every hallway, nook, and cranny that was in the east wing. The only people she saw were her ladies in waiting, and her father occasionally when he wasn't in a meeting with the guards or other important people, or traveling to another land to form an alliance with their king.
   For the most part Cambria spent her days alone thinking about Sir Wynn and why he left after they had just made love to each other, or thinking about her child and what was to happen with it? She was sure she wasn't ready to be a mother, after all she was only eighteen and didn't know a thing about raising children!
  One day after horrible morning sickness that sent her running to the bathroom to throw up, Cambria, thinking she was alone said, "It's like I've been cursed!" She threw herself onto her large, fluffy bed that had lots of pink pillows.
   Suddenly from a corner of her chamber came a deep giggle.
   Cambria sat up with a gasp, "Who's there?" When no one replied she yelled, "Show yourself I am your future queen! You dare not disobey me!"
    Out of the shadows appeared a man in his late forties. He had dark brown wild curly hair that fell to his shoulders and he wore a red floor length robe with golden designs stitched into it. Cambria right away didn't like the looks of him, it wasn't his hair, or his clothes but the way his dark eyes seem to stare right into her. "Ahh but I don't see queen in your future dearie. Not with that child you're carrying."
    Cambria quickly got off her bed ready to run if she had to, "Who told you that I'm expecting?" She said suspiciously.
     The man laughed, "You're four months into the pregnancy and you expect to be able hide it, my dear it clearly shows."
    The princess looked down at her ever growing belly, he's right she thought to herself. Every gown I wear clearly shows I'm with child. "You never introduced yourself." She said changing the topic.
    "Forgive me Princess," he bowed and took her hand, "I am The Great Wizard." He kissed her soft hand then stepped back.
    Princess Cambria was greatly surprise, "A Wizard!"
    "No, no, no, not just wizard, The. Great . Wizard."
    She smiled, "Why does it matter if it has the great in front of it or not?"
    "Because then you'll be referring to someone else, for I am The Great Wizard." Then he waved his hand as if to shoo off a pesky fly, "there are other lame wizards out there that just go by wizard." He smiled showing a mouth full of rotting teeth.
    "Okay... Great Wizard, what pleasure do I have meeting you?"
    "I come bearing news of your child, I'm afraid the child is cursed." He clapped his hands together as if this was good news for princess Cambria to hear that her child is cursed.
    Cambria stepped backwards her face turning pale, "What do you mean cursed? Who would do such a thing to a unborn child!"
    "Now calm down, it hasn't been decided yet if the child is cursed or not."
    Cambria stared at the Great Wizard confused, "But you just said my baby is cursed!"
    "I did, but you see either your baby gets cursed, or you get cursed. One of you will be cursed."
   The princess was astonished, "What! Why!"
    "Because I need someone with this curse for in the future!"
    Anger flooded her face, "You did this! But why? What is this curse!"
    The Great Wizard grinned, "Like I already said, it's needed in the future, but here's the good news for you. You have the power to choose who gets cursed with the curse of unhappiness. A curse that'll make one of you never happy, something will always be going wrong and messing things up."
     "What an awful thing to be cursed with!" The princess held her hand to her large belly, "I will NEVER choose to harm my child."
     "So you choose yourself to be cursed, you'll never be happy, bad things will always be happening in your life to harm you! Very well." The Great Wizard turned to go.
      "Wait!" Cambria reached a hand out and grabbed the wizard's arm, "What will happen to my child if I am cursed that I will never be happy? Will that affect my child's life?"
      "It may." The wizard reached his arm inside his robe and pulled out a lovely necklace with a pink diamond charm on a silver chain. "A gift for your baby." He handed it to Princess Cambria.
      Cambria took the delicate necklace, "Thank you.... It's beautiful." She suddenly glanced up from looking at the necklace, "Does this mean I'm having a girl?"
      "Yes, congratulations, and good luck." With that, The Great Wizard snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
      Cambria strolled over to her big window that overlooked the mountains that weren't far away from her father's kingdom. She thought about Sir Wynn and wondered what he was doing. Did he ever think of her? She also worried about what the Great Wizard said. How could she possibly pick between her happiness and her child's? It just didn't seem fair. Princess Cambria smoothed out her soft blue evening gown, then called her lady in waiting by simply pulling a thick golden string  beside her purple velvet curtains.
    Joy hurried in with Princess Cambria's supper on a silver tray, "You called my Lady?"
    "Yes, when does my father return?"
    Joy looked alarmed, "King Alden doesn't get back from traveling to Rollick for another three days. Is it an emergency? Are you going into labor early!" Joy placed the silver tray of food on the Princess's mahogany table, then rushed to Cambria's side.
     Princess Cambria waved her hand, "No no, not yet. Just has soon as he's back could you send word to him that I need to speak with him immediately?"
    "Yes, my lady." Joy bowed her head.
    "That is all, thank you Joy."
                                                              ~
    Three days later King Alden rushed to his daughter's chamber in the east wing. He threw open the heavy oak doors and hurried over to Princess Cambria's side, where she sat in an oak rocking chair by the fire place knitting a pair of baby booties.
    "Daughter, what is it? Are you ill?" He placed a warm hand on top of hers.
     Cambria laid her knitting aside and gave a cheerful laugh, "No Father, I just missed you so!" She threw her arms around her father and gave him a tight hug, "How was your trip?"
     "Good, good, I got some answers I was looking for. You worried me when I got back and your lady in waiting said you wished to see me immediately!" King Alden glanced down at her knitting, "Why on earth are you knitting? I can get seamstress to do that for you!"
     Princess Cambria stood up, took her father's arm and led him away from the cozy warm fire. "Father, you won't let me leave the east wing, I need something to keep me busy till the baby arrives." She stopped walking and stood with her father in the hallway outside her chamber.
    He sighed, "You're right," he took her hand and patted it, "I'm sorry my dear, but we're only doing this so no one find out."
    "I understand, I'm just worried. The Great Wizard came to me the other day and warned me."
    "WHAT!" Her turned around abruptly, "When! What did that monster have to say?"
     Princess Cambria burst into tears, "Father! He says either me or my baby will be cursed! Why? I don't know, he didn't tell me! I'm SO scared!" She put her hands to her face and sobbed.
     King Alden gave his daughter a a tight hug, "It'll all be ok dear, you can't be cursed."
     Cambria sniffled, "What? What are you talking about?"
    King Alden was quiet for a moment, "When you mother died, I was so scared for your safety that I asked the Good Fairy to put a protection spell on you so you can never be cursed by magic."
    Princess Cambria pulled away and stared at her father, "Then why would the Great Wizard tell me I could be cursed with the curse of unhappiness?!"
    King Alden shook his head in annoyance that the Great Wizard dare come into his home, "He's just toying with you."
    Cambria frowned, "Why would he do that to me?"
    King Alden sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Sweetheart, there's one thing you must know about the Great Wizard, he loves to play games."
     Cambria's voice trembled, "What about my baby? Will my baby be cursed?"
      King Alden sadly shook his head yes, "I'm afraid if that's what the wizard said, then that's the truth."
                                                                      ~
     Five long pregnancy months later......
     "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
    "Push my lady, push." Her ladies in waiting said, encouraging the scared princess.
    Joy placed a cool cloth on Cambria's head, as she pushed again letting out a painful cry. She clutched the bed sheets in her hands, holding them so tight that her knuckles were white. "Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!" Beads of sweat slid down her red face as she gave one final push before falling back down onto the bed.
    Suddenly a loud cry of a new born baby could be heard, all of the ladies in waiting let out an excited cry. The young princess gave a small smile of relief.
    Joy wrapped the tiny baby in a soft pink blanket and handed her to the exhausted mother.
    Cambria took her child with open arms, "Oh my sweet little baby," she cooed, cuddling her new baby. Nine months carrying her child in her body had given her a change of heart and mind.She loved her new child, even if Sir Wynn didn't love her. Thinking to herself she thought, "I'm ready to be a mother, I'm SO happy." She smiled down at her daughter, who had a tiny bit of blond hair on top of her small head and the bluest eyes Cambria had ever seen, "She's beautiful," Cambria whispered. She glanced up to see her father standing a little ways away from the bed with a grim expressed on his aging face. The ladies in waiting must have brought him in after her precious daughter was born, Cambria smiled at her father, "Daddy, come look at your little granddaughter, isn't she the cutest thing?!"
    King Alden remained standing where he was, "Have you forgotten what the Wizard said?"
    Princess Cambria held her daughter tighter to her chest, "No I haven't, but surely it must be a mistake! I mean look at her, she's so beautiful. She doesn't even look unhappy, surely she isn't cursed." She tucked the pink blanket more securely around the baby.
    King Alden looked at his daughter like she was crazy, "You have no idea what a child that is cursed could do to this entire kingdom!" He roared.  "This child's curse of unhappiness not only makes it that she can never be happy, but also makes that the bad things could reflect back on you and me, and this entire kingdom! Our people! Now tell me is one child's life worth it if it affects everyone that is in its life?"
    "Father, you're missing the point!" She argued, "You're looking at all the negative instead of the positive! We could-----
    "ENOUGH!" Her father yelled interrupting her, "I'm the king of this kingdom and I make the decisions, and I've already decided." He snapped his fingers and two guards in armor took hold of the princess's elbows.
   The princess was surprised and too weak from giving birth to be able to fight back, "What! Father!"
   Her father came up to the bed beside her and gently picked up his only grandchild.
   "Father! NO!" Her father turned and started walking toward the double doors of the room. "Wait! Please! I NEED my baby! A baby NEEDS her mother!" She cried pleading.
   "I'm sorry my dear, I made a bargain with a King and Queen and I never go back on my word!"  With that he continued walking, not listening to the cries and screams of his daughter.
   "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" She sobbed as the last glimpse of her daughter faded away with the sounds of her father's footsteps echoing off the palace floor.