A Fairy Tale   


Chapter One: Ashanti

    Ashanti was dressed in the latest fashion with her hair in the latest style. She looked perfect and was finally ready for the ball her father was giving. Actually “ball” is just a fancy grownup word for “party.” And Ashanti loved to party.
    She arrived at the party early where her father, the king, introduced her to Shasta, a prince from the neighboring Kingdom of Conga. She was nice and very polite to him. He was handsome but looked cocky and stuck-up. She tried to make conversation with him but he didn’t seem interested. After a while she gave up on him.
    Ashanti was standing with a group of other nobles talking when she heard, “Princess.” She turned to see a young server holding a platter and bowing before her. It was obvious that the others she was with thought this terribly rude but she smiled at him and took a small sandwich off the tray. He smiled back and left to serve the other guests. She knew those who saw were probably shocked at her behavior but she didn’t really care.
    She had noticed that there weren’t many people her age there. She saw that Shasta and the young server were the only ones at the party and she couldn’t talk with either of them. (Or in Shasta’s case, wouldn’t.) So she was surprised and quite delighted when she saw a girl about her age enter. Ashanti immediately went over.
    “Hello,” Ashanti said. “I haven’t seen you before. What’s your name?”
    “Lila,” she said.
    “I’m Ashanti, Princess of Vidalia.”
    Lila’s eyes went wide. “A...a princess?“ She practically toppled over trying to curtsy.
    Ashanti laughed. “You mean you didn’t recognize me?” Ashanti asked.
    Lila just shook her head, speechless.
    After awhile they got to talking and Ashanti began pointing out the Dukes and Duchesses and other important people to Lila. “...That’s Duke Windsor and his wife and over there-”
    “Who’s that?” Lila interrupted.
    Ashanti looked where she was pointing.
    “Oh, him,” Ashanti said. “You don’t want to meet him. He’s sour.” But Lila insisted so Ashanti went over to introduce them.
    Shasta stood up when they approached.
    “Lila this is Prince Shasta of Conga. Shasta this is Lila.”
    “A prince,” Lila said. “How exciting. I believe I’ve heard of you.”
    They began talking immediately and totally ignored Ashanti. After awhile she had had enough of their inside conversation and went over to one of the benches along the wall and sat down, glaring. “It figures,” she muttered. She glanced over and noticed the young server staring at her.
    “What are you looking at?” she demanded.
    He stuttered and eventually managed to say, “Well, you, actually.” He looked embarrassed and Ashanti tried to apologize.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “It was very rude of me.”
    He didn’t answer. “What’s your name?” she tried.
    “Fibro,” he said. She echoed him.
    “We shouldn’t be talking,” he said. Ashanti was surprised then hurt.
    “I said I was sorry didn’t I?” she said.
    “Fine,” he said. “Meet me later, then. In the garden.” Then he left.
    Ashanti was surprised and confused by her feelings and actions and the actions of Fibro. She couldn’t help feeling drawn to him. It was obvious he liked her and she felt compelled to like him back. Though he was just a servant Ashanti felt an air of superiority in his voice. That was something common only in nobles, not servants. “Later” he had said. What was later? She looked around for him and decided to watch to see when he would leave. Then she remembered Lila and Shasta. She nearly fell off her chair when they twirled past her, on the dance floor.
    Ashanti was thinking that maybe Fibro wouldn’t go to the garden after all when she noticed him slip out of the room. She quickly followed him into the garden, but lost him in the shadows outside.
    “Fibro?” she whispered. “Are you here?”
    “Yes,” she heard, and approached his voice.
    “Isn’t it lovely out tonight?” Ashanti said.
    Fibro turned to face her. “You must be crazy. Coming out here in the middle of your own ball to meet a servant boy.”
    “And you must be very brave,” she teased, “to be talking to the princess of Vidalia like that.” She looked hard at him. “Are you really a servant?” she asked.
    He looked startled by her question. “I work here don’t I?” he retorted.
    “Yes,” she said. “It was a silly question.”
    “No,” he said, “no, it wasn’t.”
    Ashanti looked at him surprised.
    “You are very smart, princess,” he said, “to have guessed my secret. It is true that I work here, but I am not a servant by birth. My father and mother died when I was young. My father was a Duke and when he died I was sent to live with his brother who was also a Duke. As I grew older I also grew tired of all the rules and regulations placed over me. I didn’t care about my education, only about myself.
    “One night I became angry with my uncle. He in turn became angry saying that I was a foolish little boy who cared only for himself and that I wasn’t grateful for all he’d done for me. He got out a swatch and gave me a beating I shan’t forget. My uncle thought he’d won because I wasn’t any trouble after that. But I was just regaining my strength. A week after, I ran away, taking my savings with me, but they soon ran out. My pride kept me from going back so I was forced to make a living by working as a servant. I’ve learned now to obey and finally got promoted to working here, in the palace.”
    Ashanti didn’t know what to say. She was startled at his directness in answering her. Finally she said, “I’m sorry, Fibro.” She meant it kindly. Even though she thought that he had behaved recklessly in his story, she sympathized with him. She had often felt as if all the rules placed over her were suffocating her. But though she knew how it felt to be in such a place she hoped she would never have to be.
    “Why don’t you join the party?” Ashanti asked. She was about to say that he could be her guest but he interrupted.
    “No, thank you,” he said. “I have work to do.”
    Ashanti watched him walk back to the palace and sighed.
    A few days later, after the party, Ashanti was in her room. She was laying on her bed when Greta called her.
    “Miss, there’s somebody out here to see you. She says her name is Lila. Shall I let her in?”
    “Oh, yes, please!” Ashanti said. She was very bored since there was nothing to do in her room. She was happy to have company even if she was a little angry at Lila for abandoning her at the party to talk with Shasta.
    “Hello,” Lila said, entering the room.
    “Hello.” Ashanti motioned for her to sit down.
    They started talking and had a wonderful time. Every few days Lila would come by and they would talk and have a lot of fun. After a while they became quite good friends. Then, one day, Ashanti received a note from Lila saying that she needed to tell Ashanti about something very important. Lila visited the next day.
    Ashanti invited her in and Lila fell at the princess’s feet. Ashanti was shocked and begged her to get up and explain what was wrong. Lila told Ashanti everything that had happened and begged the princess’s forgiveness.


Continue to Chapter 2: Leila...