Monday,
March 3, 2008
6:55-7:25 a
The following is the finished version of my Princess Story. There are a lot of things that I could do, but I just wrote this story for my daughter, so I won’t spend the time to really revise and edit it. The only editing that I did was minor editing to make it more readable. I began writing today where Prince Bruce was found. I also did minor editing to the last half of the story for today’s work.
Enjoy!
Once upon a time there were two little amazing princesses, so grand and so wonderful that no other princess has ever come close to compare. Princess Paige and Princess Noelle were the light of the Kingdom and a joy to all the Kingdom’s people. Princess Paige of Bennardia had dark sandy colored hair that bobbed gaily to her shoulders as she skipped amongst the flowers in the gardens. Almost always wearing a vibrant yellow gown, Princess Paige’s favorite place to be in all of the world was outside. Princess Paige sometimes sat ladylike on the stone stools, curled up with a good book, and sometimes she tom-boyishly scaled the garden walls and climbed the trees in the orchards. Princess Paige’s best friend in the entire world was Princess Noelle of Faulkland who was a petite framed young lady with eyes as brilliant and as big as the crown jewels. She glided wherever she went, almost dancing as she walked. She could often be found twirling in the grassy lawns and doing cartwheels in the well-kept dirt paths.
Princess Noelle, with her silky fine hair and her fairy-like demeanor, was the perfect companion for Princess Paige. Both girls were much smarter than the average princess and they both were quick-witted, knowledgeable and kind. These two beautiful princesses were part of the Kyle court in the vast land of Bramptonion during the days of the rein of Queen Donna the First and King Bruce III. Princess Paige had a mischievous little brother, Prince Bruce IV. He was a handsome little fellow, good-natured and often found with a broad smile across his face. However, Prince Bruce constantly got into things, especially things that were cherished by Princess Paige.
Each morning the three children sat on the grand patio which overlooked the gardens behind the magnificent Tudor style castle home. Well-kept gardens followed by stately lawns extended as far as one could see. The royal cook routinely brought out the delicious morning meal for the children to eat at their fancifully decorated table. Sitting at the table beside the trio was their governess, Lady Fournier, whom they called Lady Jennie. Lady Jennie’s nose was always buried in a book. She was a smart and devoted governess, but she had an addiction to reading and sometimes had problems tearing herself away from her pleasure.
Springtime had recently arrived. Every morning this week a beautiful blue butterfly greeted the children, dancing and delighting the children at the start of their day. They were so fond of the graceful butterfly that they created a nickname for the him – Flitter. Flitter happily visited the nearby flowering plants, bushes and trees. Prince Bruce was always quite curious to know where the butterfly lived. His tutor, Lady Lisa, had been teaching him about butterflies and Prince Bruce was mesmerized with Flitter.
This morning Flitter visited with the Prince and Princesses while they nibbled their tasty breakfast. The two princesses finished their meal and headed for the greenhouse to see if Kate the Gardener would be able to show them new flowers about to bloom. Prince Bruce instead, began to slowly follow the butterfly wherever he flew. Prince Bruce skipped along merrily, stopping where the butterfly stopped and running when the butterfly soared. Finally after some time, Prince Bruce became lost. The well-manicured garden eventually gave way to less maintained lawns, then the land turned into fields of wildflowers and other natural plants. Soon Prince Bruce was lost and didn’t know where he was. He began to be quite lonely and tired so he curled up on a bed of clover and took a nap in the warm sunshine while a gentle breeze sung sweetly in his ear.
After Princess Paige and Princess Noelle spent time with Kate the Gardener learning about the most recent flower to bloom, they abounded out of the royal greenhouse and returned back to the breakfast table to ask Prince Bruce if he would like to join them on their stroll into the bushy maze. Upon returning to the patio they could see from a distance that Lady Jennie had not touched her delicious strawberry crepes, but was still reading her fascinating book. It was unlikely that she would know where Prince Bruce had wondered. The girls decided to set out to find him themselves.
The exceptionally intelligent princesses plopped down on the stone wall to figure out where Prince Bruce could be.
“What were we talking about at the breakfast table just before we left to go visit Kate the Gardener?” Princess Noelle asked Princess Paige.
“Well, first we were talking about what fun we had yesterday horseback riding. Then we were admiring Flitter and how lovely he is to visit us each morning.” Princess Paige answered, thoughtfully. “My brother might have decided to visit John, the horseman to see the horses again.”
“Or Prince Bruce might have decided to run down to the nearby farm. You know how he loves to see the animals.” Princess Noelle wondered.
“Or he could have tried to follow Flitter. I think he has been wanting to do that all week, but we keep saying we don’t want to.” Princess Paige surmised.
“Paige, I think you might be right. He has asked us each day to try to find out where Flitter comes from.” Noelle answered. “Well, if he did follow Flitter, we will have to find out where Flitter would have gone in order to find Prince Bruce. Do you know where butterflies live?”
“No, I don’t.” Answered Princess Paige, “But I think that maybe we could ask Gardener Kate and she might be able to tell us.”
So the two girls headed back to the greenhouse to arm themselves with some information. Kate the Gardener was carefully pruning her rose bushes when the girls entered the greenhouse again.
“Back so soon?” Asked Kate. “You must be very interested in the daffodils and crocuses already in bloom.”
“We have come to find Prince Bruce.” Both of the princesses answered together.
“Prince Bruce? I haven’t seen him in here all morning. I think you will have to look somewhere else.” Kate answered.
“No, No, No. We think that while were in the greenhouse this morning learning about the flowers, he must have wondered off, following Flitter.” Princess Noelle stated.
“So we decided to come to you to learn where Flitter might have lead him.” Princess Paige added.
“Flitter . . . Flitter. . . .Oh, the butterfly you were telling me about. Well, first we will need to determine what type of butterfly Flitter is. Then we will need to research where that type of butterfly would live then, you’ll need to find where on the property that home could be. Girls, you have a lot of work cut out for you.”
“We’re up for the adventure.” Stated Princess Paige, Princess Noelle nodding in agreement.
The girls worked diligently to determine what type of butterfly Flitter is. They looked in many gigantic books that Kate the Gardener pulled off of her well-worn shelves. They looked through pictures and in encyclopedias. Finally, they determined that Flitter was a Karner Blue Butterfly.
Their dark blue butterfly was a very rare species of North American butterflies whose life cycle is dependant upon a special plant, the wild lupine. Their home is in the lupine plants because that is where they lay their eggs and the caterpillars feed. Most of the Karner Blue butterflies stay close to the plant during their short lives of only 5-7 days. Luckily, Gardener Kate had a detailed map of all the various vegetation in the Kingdom. There is a small batch of wild lupine nestled in a remote corner just beyond the stately lawns, down near the bend in the creek. The plant had been a gift of a wondering musician to a Princess Paige’s great-grandmother who lived many years ago.
The girls determined that Bruce must have followed the butterfly to the creek. They took the map and were off on their adventure. They begin their journey at the patio where Prince Bruce began his. Lunchtime was quickly approaching and Lady Jennie was still buried in her book. The girls knew they must act quick in order to return without anyone noticing their departure.
They set off down the grand steps of the patio and through the meticulously kept gardens. Along one of the graveled garden paths they found Prince Bruce’s toy top, which must have fallen out of his pocket on the way. The girls knew they were on the right track. They continued on, using the map as their guide. They passed by many more gardens and then began to stroll into the stately lawns. A faint path lay before them. To the average passer-by the lawn would look undisturbed, but the girls could see a light trail where Prince’s footprints flattened the grass blades in a forward position. Again, they knew they were on the right track.
Finally, the princesses reached the outer most parts of the property. The land turned to fields of wildflowers, native plants and grasslands. The girls could tell on the map that they were headed toward the creek. They knew that soon they would also reach the small batch of wild lupine. If they were correct in thinking that Prince Bruce followed the butterfly then they knew that they should find him soon, or else they had no idea where he could be. They began calling out for him, “Prince Bruce, Prince Bruce. . .” They ran closer and closer, still calling out his name. In the short distance they could see a luxurious patch of clover, but in the middle of the sea of green was a little boy dressed in fine white clothes. It was Prince Bruce, just beginning to rub his eyes, awaking.
“Prince Bruce,” the girls called as they reached him.
“Oh, you woke me up.” Prince Bruce said, still groggy.
“We found you. We’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Princess Paige scolded.
“I was right here the whole time.” Prince Bruce answered, not understanding why the girls seemed so upset.
“Well, you are a long way from the castle. You could be in big trouble for going so far and not telling anyone. We better get back quick before lady Jennie notices we are gone and gets Lady Lisa after us!” Princess Noelle interjected.
The three children merrily scurried back through the wild fields, then back through the stately lawns and then finally through the fancy gardens, trying to quickly return before Lady Jennie noticed their absence. Luckily, as they snuck quietly back up to the patio, Lady Jennie was still reading, turning the final page in her long book. The children sat down at their table, which by this time was already set in preparation for their afternoon meal. Lady Jennie, finishing her book, closed it in satisfaction. Then looked up and smiled at the children. The children smiled sweetly in return.
“That was a great story. Now time for breakfast. Boy, am I hungry!” Lady Jennie commented to them.
Then the cook came out with lunch prepared neatly for each of them. Lady Jennie looked at the cook, then at the children, quite confused since she never realized the entire morning passed without her noticing.
“What time is it?” Lady Jennie asked.
The children each chuckled softly to themselves. It was their little secret.