This is a
children's story written especially for my babies: Jonathan, Amber, and
Caitlin. I love you.
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived two princesses named Amber and Caitlin.
Both princesses were beautiful and had big brown eyes. Princess Amber had short brown curls that looked like velvet. Princess Amber always wore long satin dresses of sapphire blue. Princess Caitlin had long blonde hair the color of sunshine. Princess Caitlin loved to wear dresses that looked like yellow gold.
Each princess had a special gift. Princess Amber's gift was the gift of song. Her singing was so beautiful that the birds hushed to listen to her. Princess Caitlin's gift was the gift of dance. She was more graceful than any of the deer that roamed through the forest nearby.
The princesses lived in a beautiful palace. The walls were made of jewels. There were emeralds, rubies, diamonds and garnets. The ceilings were made of white opal. The princesses were very happy in their palace. Their Queen Mother and King Father loved them very much and gave them anything they wanted.
During the day, the princesses roamed through the kingdom. They had a special place deep in the forest that they loved to visit. There was a waterfall that fell into a blue pool of water. Behind the waterfall lived a beautiful golden dragon named Alara. Alara was a friend of the princesses. No one else in the kingdom knew about Alara. They would have been afraid of her. But the princesses loved her.
Alara had
magical powers. She could make herself invisible. Alara could change
her shape and become any animal she wanted to be. She could make her
scales change colors. She could breathe fire. Alara would let the
princesses climb on her back, and she would fly into the sky so that the
princesses could see the whole world spread out below them. The princesses
loved Alara and Alara loved them.
The princesses' lives were almost perfect.
They only had one problem. They had a brother, Prince Jonathan.
Prince Jonathan liked to play tricks on his sisters. He would hide frogs
in their beds and put snakes in their shoes. He liked to make the
princesses scream. He made fun of them and told them that he was brave and
that they were scaredy-cats. He would pick up the snakes and frogs and
wiggle them at the princesses to make them run and
shriek.
One day
Princess Amber and Princess Caitlin decided they would not let Prince Jonathan
play his jokes on them anymore. They thought and thought, and came up with
a plan to teach Prince Jonathan a lesson. They talked to Alara and she
agreed to help them.
Early one morning the princesses invited Prince Jonathan to go into the forest with them. Prince Jonathan thought nothing unusual about this. His mind was thinking of all the creepy crawly things he could find in the woods to use to torment his sisters.
Princess Amber and Princess Caitlin skipped along through the forest, leading Prince Jonathan to the waterfall. They did not tell him about Alara or their plans.
When they got to the waterfall and the pool of water, the girls took off their shoes and waded into the water. Prince Jonathan stood on the bank watching them and yelling at them about leeches and worms and other icky things that were in the water. He tried to scare them.
Prince Jonathan was yelling at his sisters when suddenly a large golden head parted the curtain of water, and Alara flew from her hiding place, breathing huge flames of fire! She flew right over the princesses. Then she flew toward Prince Jonathan!
The princesses screamed and fell to the ground, pretending to be afraid. Prince Jonathan stood still, his face white, and his eyes huge and terrified. He was so scared he couldn't move at all.
Alara fluttered her wings as she hovered in front of Prince Jonathan. "I'm hungry," she roared, "and I think I will eat a little boy." She moved closer to Prince Jonathan. He looked around for help, but there was no one to protect him. He saw his sisters. In a shaky, frightened voice, he pleaded, "Why don't you eat them instead?"
Alara turned her golden head toward the princesses. She winked at them so that Prince Jonathan couldn't see it. Then she started flying toward the princesses. Princess Amber and Princess Caitlin picked up two tree limbs that were lying nearby and they stood up, tall and unafraid.
"We're not scared of you!" they yelled at Alara.
Alara looked back at Prince Jonathan and then turned to the princesses again. "I'm going to eat you two as snacks and then have your brother as my meal," she breathed fire over the princesses heads.
Prince Jonathan trembled when he saw the fire. He had never been frightened before. Now he knew how his sisters felt when he played all those jokes on them. He couldn't even pick up his feet to run.
The princesses held up their clubs and screamed at Alara. They swung their clubs, pretending to hit her in her soft belly. Prince Jonathan watched. He had never seen his sisters be brave before.
Alara fluttered her wings again. She acted as though the princesses were beating her. She moaned and groaned, and finally she clutched her talons across her chest. She fell to the ground with a huge thud. The ground shook all the way to where Prince Jonathan was standing.
The princesses held their clubs in the air and cheered. "We killed the dragon!" Alara closed her eyes and did not move.
When Prince Jonathan saw that Alara was not a threat anymore, he finally moved. For the first time in his life, Prince Jonathan screamed. Then he ran. He ran away from the huge dragon and away from his sisters. He was so scared! He was also ashamed that his sisters had been more brave than he.
He ran all the way back to the castle and hid in his closet.
Princess Amber and Princess Caitlin looked at one another. Then they looked at Alara, who opened her golden eyes and winked at them again. Then the princesses climbed up onto Alara's soft belly and the three of them lay in the grass and giggled all day until the stars came out that night.
Princess Amber and Princess Caitlin and Alara the Dragon were friends forever, and they lived happily ever after.
And Prince Jonathan never again teased his sisters about being scaredy-cats.
The End.
