Princess's Mask

Princess’s Mask

         
A young woman sat staring out the window. She glanced at the mask in her hand. It shimmered unnaturally in the day’s last gleam of light. Happiness and sadness, love and hope, excitement, hatred and despair, all gathered together in that single mask. But she didn’t know that. She didn’t know that this mask could change her life forever. You can see that she doesn’t believe in magic. But with that mask, it might happen. And this is the mask’s story:
         Once upon a time, a master sculptor made a mask. It was beautifully carved from a mysterious glittering white stone that was amazingly light. King Renaldo had ordered him to make a mask that is adequate for a princess and this is what he made. The king took the mask and gave it to the princess, Alina, for her 16th birthday. Princess Alina was a homely girl. She wasn’t smart or witty either. But she replaced all that with kindness. Alina is friends to all creatures, animals or plants, servants or royalty.
But the king was in despair. All the powerful kings and emperors want stunningly beautiful wives. His kingdom was too small for them to marry Alina for power. So King Renaldo decided to hold a masquerade ball for Alina. He would let the princess in anonymously and announce her at an unexpected moment. Then he would reveal the princess to the world. He hoped with such a beautiful mask, nobody would notice her plain features. King Renaldo wasn’t a greedy king. In fact, he was gentle and kind. But he wanted his only child to have a wonderful life like she deserves. He doesn’t want her to be abandoned in some old cottage where her husband discarded her.
Finally, it was the night of the ball. Princess Alina had on a silvery dress that flowed with her body shape. But when it reached her waist, it erupts into a light sparkling tissue skirt that spread out into a flower as she twirled. She wore white moonflowers in her dark hair and a veil that looked like moonlight. Then it was time to make her anonymous but nevertheless grand entrance. She tied the mask on and took one last look in the mirror. She looked dazzling! Alina was trembling, so she took a deep breath and stepped into the ballroom. The sight of it almost took her breath away.
The room was covered in deep blue velvet, so deep that it was nearly black. That highlighted the beautiful and colorful gowns that the ladies wore. The exquisite crystal chandeliers reflected tiny dancing spots of light onto the velvet. The effect made Alina feel as if she were floating in the night sky. There was a banquet table on one side of the room. It was filled with things as ordinary as strawberries and cream to a perfect miniature candy replica of the castle. The variety of food ranged from simple side dishes to bizarre and exotic plates of unknown foreign delicacies.
As soon as Alina sat down to closely examine this wonderful scene before her, a group of noblemen rushed over and instantly began complimenting her. Alina blushed and felt overwhelmed. Normally, no one paid much attention to her. Suddenly, half of the group swiftly ran off to pay compliments to a lady in a light green gown while the other half dashed off to a group of ladies that were casting flirtatious glances at them. Alina stiffened, and for the first time in her life, hatred found its way into her heart. She silently promised them someday she would make her revenge on them. She cast a look of pure hate at the two ladies and the noblemen and haughtily turned the other way. Alina stifled the urge to yell out that she was the princess. But if she wanted to make a good impression, she should wait until the proper moment.
As soon as she thought of that, the announcement came. “Ladies and Gentlemen, please gather at the pavilion to meet the princess.”
Everybody leisurely strolled over, exchanging gossip and trying to guess who is the princess.
         “I think it’s that girl”
         “No, it must be the one in pink.”
         “Did you hear… no, really? I didn’t know that. How did  you know?”
Alina ignored all the gossip and waited for the herald to proclaim her entrance. Then the announcement came. “ Will the princess please ascend the pavilion” She silently moved to the front of the crowd and ascended the steps. She heard several of the noblemen gasp. Alina heard one of them whisper, “ It was her?” Alina smiled smugly. She had partial revenge on those gentlemen. Then she stood at the top. Suddenly, she was  nervous, she worried about the crowd’s reaction to such an ugly princess. She slowly removed her mask. When the mask was off completely, the crowd went dreadfully silent.
Alina was horrified. But she hid it behind a smile. What happened? Did the crowd think that the princess was too ugly? Were they horrified at her plainness? Suddenly, the crowds began to cheer. Alina was surprised. Her father stepped up, put a tiara on her head, and announced that now the ball will officially begin. When the music started, King Renaldo asked her what did she do with herself. Alina replied that she hadn’t done anything and why was he asking. King Renaldo took a deep breath and told her that she was now dazzlingly beautiful. Alina thought that he must have been teasing her. So she went along with it and beckoned one of her maids over to ask her to please get a mirror. The maid looked astonishingly at her mistress and hurried off with frequent backward glances. Alina wondered why she was acting so odd.
When she returned, Alina looked into the mirror. She looked amazing. Her complexion was paler and her hair was a shade darker. Her freckles were still there but they just emphasized her other features. While she was staring at herself, King Renaldo silently wept. He thanked the gods that she was so beautiful now, but he feared that people would want to steal her away from him.
Now, Alina joined the ball. All the noblemen gathered around her and offered to dance with her. The ladies stared jealously at her and tried flirting with some of the men. Alina watched them and began to get bored. So she chose a handsome young man and asked him if he will get her a drink. The young man looked dazed ,bowed ,and ran off to the banquet table. When he came back, he asked her for a dance and she accepted. Alina usually wasn’t very good at dancing or waltzing. But this time, her body just seems to move with music. She learned that the young man’s name was Narin and he knew her before her amazing transformation. After that, the rest of the evening was a blur. She danced and flirted naturally and all the noblemen seemed to be stricken by her beauty.
The next day, King Renaldo received loads of requests for marriage. He sorted through them. There were lords, dukes, kings, and princes, even an emperor! He asked Alina whom would she prefer and told her that he wouldn’t choose for her.  Alina replied that she wished to get to know them a little better before she decides. So she attended and hosted  lots of dances, balls and parties.
One day, she came to King Renaldo and replied that even though she was fond of most of the nobles, there was one that she truly loved. The one that she lost her heart to was the Narin, the Prince of Rubar, the very one that fetched the drinks for her. Prince Narin of Rubar was a kind and handsome young man that was only three years older than Alina. King Renaldo favored him and was glad Alina made such a good choice. Narin also knew Alina when they were young and so he must truly love her. So he wrote a letter back to Narin saying that the princess accepted his offer of marriage. Then he made a public announcement. Prince Narin requested to go back to Rubar to prepare. Within a week, news came that Prince Narin was murdered on his way back to Rubar.
Alina’s heart broke. She mourned for him and locked herself in her room. Narin was one of the few that loved her not for her newfound beauty. Even though she enjoyed flirting with various noblemen, she was always true to Narin. She vowed that she would never love again. The only people that she would let in her room were her favorite maid, Ruby and King Renaldo.
While Alina was mourning in her room, Narin was still alive in the forest. He was brutally wounded and near death when he stumbled into an old woman’s hut. The old woman nursed him back to health and in return Narin helped her out however he can in his weak state. When he fully recovered, he wanted to find Alina and tell her that he was still alive and he loved her. But unfortunately, the old woman wasn’t pleased. She was a witch and she liked Narin, but she wasn’t going to set him free just like that. It would ruin her image. So when Narin announced that he was going to leave, the witch said: “ You didn’t repay me for all I did for you, so this is your curse.  You will become a hideous man and everyone will despise you and no one will know you. But since you tried to repay me, I will give you one way to get rid of the curse. Only if your true love learned to love again and give up her most treasured possession to you.” Then a flash of deep purple light enveloped Narin and everything the old woman said came true.
“But how is she going to know me? And how is she going to fall for such an ugly man?” Narin wailed.
“That is for you to find out and now be on your way,” said the witch and then she and the hut disappeared.
Narin wandered around the forest for a few days. Finally he stumbled out of the forest and found himself looking at Alina’s castle. He went to the servant’s entrance and applied for a job. Narin didn’t use his real name; instead he used Rarb. As part of the witch’s curse, everybody will despise him; it was true. The steward gave him the job as trash collector. Narin didn’t care. He was closer to Alina than before and he was happy.
         Since Narin was a hard worker, he was promoted to work in the stables. Then he was raised to server. Then he was a palace messenger. All that promotion took two years. One day, he had to run a message up for Ruby. Narin was so happy. He could finally get to see Alina again. When he reached her room, the maid was just coming out. He gave her the message. Alina heard him and asked the maid who was out there. The maid went in and they whispered together for a few seconds. Then the maid came out and said that Narin can deliver Alina’s supplies.
         So that was what Narin did for the next year. Deliver supplies to Alina’s tower, but he never saw her. Narin was heartbroken. How did that lively young maiden that he knew came to this state. Did she truly love him this much? Maybe he will never find out. But the maid became somewhat fond of him and told him the about princess’s moods. Then one day, he heard that King Renaldo is going to marry the princess off to an emperor and Alina had agreed. Narin was depressed. He had thought that Alina still loved him. But that day, when he delivered the usual things, the maid told him that because some foreign prince that was killed broke Alina’s heart and now she didn’t care what happened to her. So when the king told her that he was growing old and need somebody to take the throne, Alina agreed to marry the emperor. Alina overheard the conversation and told Ruby to bring who was outside in.
         When Alina saw Ralb, her heart skipped a beat. She didn’t know why, but she felt a tie between her and this ugly man. She asked him what was his name; Narin replied that it was Rarb. Then she asked him about the gossip and sends him away. That happened for about a week. During that time, Alina felt her broken heart mending. On the day before the wedding, she gave Narin the mask that she wore to her first ball. Alina told him that this was the most precious thing that she owned. It was the only memory she had of that wonderful ball and that she trusted him to keep it safe. Then she kissed him on the cheek.
         A wind started to blow, then it swirled around Narin and a radiant beam of light grew from the mask. Then the golden light enveloped Narin and he fainted. Now the curse was gone. Alina and her maid were stunned. Alina felt torn. Can this really be her dear Narin? But he was dead.
Then Narin opened his eyes. He whispered three words, Alina, my love. Then all of Alina’s doubts were gone. This was Narin. She ran to him and he opened his arms. They embraced each other and seemed lost in their private world. Then they hugged and kissed and all the things you do when you’re in love.
         While they were hugging and kissing, Ruby took out a dagger and rushed toward them. She didn’t want Alina to be married to this man. She aimed for Alina and plunged it. Alina dropped like a stone. Ruby had made it! Narin gasped. Just when he had finally regained his love, he lost her to death. Then he dropped the mask. It was now useless to him. When it fell on the floor and broke, a sound like church bells rang through the castle. King Renaldo ran into Alina’s room and found her body on the floor and Narin silently weeping. Narin told them his story and they found out that it was the emperor whom Alina was going to marry who tried to kill him. But that had no particular significance now that Alina was dead.
But suddenly a golden light appeared from the broken mask. It swirled around Alina’s body. And suddenly, Alina was breathing again. Then slowly the wound closed and she was alive and perfectly fine. So King Renaldo deemed the marriage to the Emperor invalid and Alina was married to Narin instead. King Renaldo abdicated in favor of the pair and so did Narin’s father. They lived happily, if it’s possible, ever after.
         The mask’s pieces were gathered and buried in the woods. And that’s where the young lady had found it. That was the story of Alina and Narin, a story with a happy ending. What will happen with the young lady?