The Princess Who Never Smiled

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oevermiled

Once upon a time, there was a princess called Luna. She had the most gorgeous pair of big brown eyes, her hair was long and shiny like the night sky, and she had the prettiest face. But this story with this beautiful princess has a twist: Luna's heart didn't feel any happiness. Luna never smiled.

An evil force that resided inside a mirror cursed Princess Luna when she was a child. One day, the young princess was playing with a doll that resembled her with a smiley face. Luna was fawning over herself as she looked into the mirror.

"Little girls like you are my most favorite," the witch scared the daylights out of the young princess.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"I want what you are most proud of."

"My toy?"

"No, silly girl. I want what is brightest in the room."

"My jewels? I don't understand. Go away, you witch!"

"How dare you! Not the brightest bulb in the room and disrespectful too," the witch replied.

Out of a fight or flight response, Luna spoke rudely to the vanity villain.

"I'm going to take from you what you love the most: your smile. I curse you with sadness."

"What? No!"

"A pretty sad princess. You will pay for your prize."

After cursing young Luna, the vanity villain vanished into the mirror with a bright flash. From that day onward, Princess Luna never smiled, never laughed. She couldn't even if she wished to. How could she? She was cursed.

"I have all the wealth and gold I could ever wish for. All I really desire is a smile on my little girl's face. That's enough! I must do something," the king thought.

The king summoned all his ministers at midnight to seek advice on how to fix this problem.

"Hear, hear! His Majesty just announced that anyone who can make Princess Luna smile would be rewarded with a pot of gold."

It was an exciting day full of promise, but nothing could make Luna smile.

"How plain and boring. Next!" The crowd roared in tandem, but the princess didn't even break a smirk.

"I am distraught. This act of bravery was a sight to behold, yet it couldn't impress my little girl," the king lamented.

The prince was dreamy, but Luna didn't even bat an eyelid. A rare delicacy filled the kingdom with its sweet scent, making everyone salivate. Princess Luna gazed at the fruit with empty eyes. Little did the crowd know that she had lost her appetite. Many men and many animals from far and wide tried their luck, but none of them succeeded. The princess was impossible to amuse.

This attempt to forcefully put a smile on Princess Luna's face only made her sadder.

"Father, I'm tired. I'm going to bed now. Good night," Luna said.

Luna became aloof and distanced herself from the king. He thought by isolating herself she was shielding her father from her sadness. She spent her days alone in her chambers. Luna stopped loving herself entirely and lost her appetite. Even yummy food couldn't interest her. The princess completely stopped looking at herself in the mirror; it reminded her of the day she was cursed.

The princess stood alone on her balcony for days. The curse loomed over the entire kingdom like a dark cloud.

In the countryside, far from the castle, lived a young man who smiled no matter how hard life got.

"Irwin, you've been working relentlessly. Take any amount of gold you want as a reward."

"Thank you, sir. Yes, I need a drink of water."

"Perhaps it was meant to be. At least I got to drink water when I was thirsty. I shall work harder tomorrow."

"Irwin, my boy, you've outdone yourself today too."

"Kind sir, you are indeed very generous. I shall take my leave, sir, and go fetch water from the well."

"Oh, what rotten luck. Perhaps life is trying to tell me something. I must stay happy, work harder, and stay thankful for all I have."

The following months were rather harsh. A famine swept through all of the countryside. Farm animals grew weak and crops died, but Irwin worked harder than ever before and bore the fruits of a lively, lush green farm. The animals looked healthy and happy.

"Irwin, your hard work has borne fruit. You must take as much gold as you'd like and go on a holiday. You have earned it."

"Thank you, boss. I was just doing my job. This farm is my home. These animals are my friends. The water tastes sweeter after a hard day's work. I feel happy and hopeful."

Irwin persevered and kept working hard with a smile on, even when the odds were not in his favor. He had kept using the well's water to keep the farm alive, and with time, what had sunk to the bottom of the well floated up to him. The sweet boy had indeed earned himself a holiday.

"My, my, I've never seen such tall trees and beautiful skies."

"Hey there, sweet man. I want to eat some cheese, but I'm short on money. Will you give me a gold coin?"

Irwin did not hesitate for a minute and handed the little mouse one of his gold coins.

"There you go, cute mouse."

"Thank you, sweet fella. Farewell!"

Irwin had a rare quality: he smiled and paid a compliment to every stranger he met.

"Hey, buddy, why are you crying?"

"I've had a rough week, mister."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Well, I need some gold. You don't happen to have any on you, do you?"

"Oh, tiny beetle, isn't this your lucky day? Here, I have enough to spare."

"How generous of you, handsome prince. I will remember your kindness."

"That's quite alright, beetle. Maybe you need it more than I do. And hey, I'm no prince."

The sniffling beetle stopped crying, and a smile slowly took over his face.

"I've rested enough. I should carry on."

Irwin was traveling through unknown lands. He was now left with only one gold coin, but his big heart and kind soul didn't know any better.

"Oh, young man, I need to take my child to swim school. I need some gold. Would you lend me some?"

"Wait, that's fishy. Where did you learn to talk like that? You have a swim school too? How cool!"

"Thank you. I promise to come to your aid in your time of need. Thank you again. So long!"

"Wait, what's that accent anyway?"

The boy selflessly gave his third and last gold coin to the catfish. Now he had none. He had nothing but his bright smile. The big city confused the simple village boy, and he felt lost and started to walk in circles. The sun was beating down on the kingdom. It was a hot afternoon. Looking up at the red hot sun, Irwin happened to walk past the royal guards.

Princess Luna was gazing out of her window in her ivory tower. Their eyes met. Irwin's frown vanished as he laid his eyes on Princess Luna. All his worries seemed small. Irwin forgot that he was tired and thirsty. Dreamily, he lost his balance, stumbled, and fell into a muddy pool face first. He lost consciousness for a short while.

Seeing Irwin in trouble, the mouse, the dung beetle, and the catfish all rushed to his help.

"This is impossible. This isn't happening!" Princess Luna's face lit up at this bizarre sight with the most beautiful smile, and she started laughing loudly.

"I have never seen something so funny in my whole life!"

"Is that my daughter? It sounds like her sweet voice!"

The loud laugh of the princess could not withstand the dark curse. The mirror was broken to smithereens. The power of love is a funny thing; it can erase a dark curse within minutes. Luna's world was filled with color, light, and laughter. The king was delighted.

"Father, I would like to invite this man over to the palace. He made me laugh. He made me smile."

"What are you waiting for? Bring that fine young man to the palace at once!"

"Young man, you have made my daughter smile. You can have all the gold this kingdom has, and you could also have her hand in marriage if you will."

Princess Luna and Irwin spent the next few days talking and laughing. Princess Luna started grooming herself. She ate properly. She learned how to smile again.

"Dear subjects, the king invites you to his daughter, your Princess Luna's grand wedding!"

"You look beautiful, Luna. You are beautiful."

From that day onward, Princess Luna and Irwin promised to be there for each other with a smile and a joke, no matter the time or place.