The Princess and The Secret Door

Long ago, before cars, before a government, before anything of which we know now, there were Kings, and Queens. Knights and Generals. Blacksmiths and Stable boys. Having a princess for a daughter would seem easy, living inside a castle with servants at your every beck and call. Lounging about doing nothing. Maybe for a grown Princess that is, this is, in fact, about a Little Princess and her secret door.

My name is Melody Silver, when I was 8 years old, I had snuck out of the castle and away from my watching servant at dawn while she was still sleeping. My father, whom I had adored the most since my mother had passed at my birth, was being very suspicious as of late. He had a new room in the castle but for the love of all exploring, I just couldn't find it. All my father said one day whilst on the search one day was, "This is not a room for children my dear Melody. It is a secret room that you shall have no access to." In other words, I was never to find it and to stop my search.

He always treats me as if I'm just a child. I know I am, but I can think like an adult too. I was of course 8 years old now. I could make decisions like that...right?

Well, on this particular morning, when I woke up, I had a feeling something amazing was going to happen that day. I didn't know what, but whatever it was, I never it expected it to change my life forever...

I walked along the castle walls, gliding my hand along the stone bricks while swaying my feet ever so slightly across the early morning dew, as I just slowly walked along the castle border. Being bored and wondering why I was up so early and why I could not fall back asleep. I was pondering this for a while as I glided my hand over the stones, playing with them in my own mind set game where my fingers would go in between each stone.

My hand lands on one peculiar stone and I pushed on it as I suddenly tripped over a rock on the ground covered by grass near a bush at the end of the castle. I used the wall to catch myself. After I gathered myself from nearly falling down, I notice the stone my hand landed on, had actually pushed into the wall.

As a child and knowing I would get blamed for it, I tried to fix it, thinking I broken the wall and father would surely have my hide if he ever found out I had broken the castle wall somehow. But I didn't do it on purpose! I tripped and used the the wall to catch myself! It's not my fault the wall had a loose stone in it.

After trying for several minutes to get the stone back into place, it was to no avail. It was stuck! I whimpered slightly thinking this day is just going all wrong and it was going to be a bad day. Little did I know, that when stepping back to examine that stupid stone, there was...a door? Now where on earth did that come from? I wondered.

My curiosity got the better of me as I started to walk towards it, only for me to stop in mid stride at the sound of my father's guards and my father! I quickly hid behind one of the bushes at the end of the wall. Being extra quiet so no one would hear me. I heard one of my father's guards gasp at the open door and announces that someone has found the secret room.

I hear some guards going in to check it out only to come back out and say no one was there. Confused as to why the door was open, I hear my father say my name quietly, then shouted. "Check the Princess! See if she in her chambers, now!" The guards scramble to the front of the castle while I sneak away around the back and run as fast my little feet will carry me. I make it on the other side of the castle to a small garden my father had planted for me when I was four years old because I had wanted to learn how to make flower crowns. I started picking some white daisy's, as if I was picking flowers the whole time.

I then hear people searching for me, calling my name. I replied, "I'm out here" as I walk in with a small bouquet of flowers. Everyone sighs with relief as they call my father and he burst in through the crowd of servants and hugs me tight. I ask him, "Father, you're out of breath, what's happened?!" I was worried now. He looked as if he had almost lost something. "Is everything alright? I'm sorry if I scared you, I got restless so I thought I would pick some flowers to make a crown."

He smiled, and said, "Everything is fine now. We had an intruder in the castle but they are gone now. We thought they took you when you weren't in your chambers." and he hugged me again, kissed my temple and doubled the guards and my servants.....all the while me thinking about my clumsy self that opened a secret door.

So secret that it must also be the secret room father said was not for children. So many things running through my head, I just couldn't process any of it right now. What was going on? I must know what is in there. And just like that, I made it my mission to wait until the double security was down enough to where my father would reduce the amount of servants following me to sneak away. I must see what all the commotion is about!

4 months later

Finally! The announcement I have been waiting for when my father returns one servant to me again instead of 4 of them. I couldn't do anything without being followed. Not even to relive myself! Now I had to make a plan, a plan that I would go in, see what is in the secret room that my father has had to rush to several times in the last couple months, and walk back out. Just a quick peek, that's it.

After I had finished my plan, I decided I would start it out by telling my father I was going for a victory ride with Peggls, Peggls was my very own horse, I had explained to my father that I would be gone all day and I would be going to my favorite spot.

It was far away, still on castle grounds, but it took a horse to get there. So I went to the stables, saddled up my Peggls and rode her out to a pond as big as a lake that was surrounded with nothing but trees, but not just any kind of tree, Cherry Blossom trees. The most beautiful tree with petals as soft as silk and had the most amazing sent to ever come across your nose. And when the wind blew just right....the loose petals on the ground would swirl up in the air and fall back down as if it was snowing cherry blossom petals everywhere. The sight was breathtaking.

Of course, this time, I did not come out here for the relaxing scenery, I came here because I knew my father would have someone follow me and I planned on sneaking away, once I was here long enough, I would wait until I saw the guard on the other side of the pond get off his horse for that morning piss and ride off...and...there it was...

I turned Peggls around and rode back to the castle as fast she could carry me, fixed her up with some water, treats and a bundle of hay, I very quickly ran back inside saying I'm back from my ride. I got bored and now was going to pick some flowers and ran to my garden....only to run past my garden and to the other side of the castle where the secret door is.

I stood in front of it, staring at it. This is it. This is the moment of truth. I find the stone I had found before, pushed it in, and the secret door in the wall opened once again for me...as I walked in, the secret door closed behind me...

...TO BE CONTINUED...