18List of Every Character I have mentioned:
Princess Lorina: the one who marries the prince that wins the contest
Prince Ayden: A smart contestant who happens to like the princess from before.
King Harold: The father of Princess Lorina, the one who holds the contest.
Danny: A kitchen boy that Prince Ayden used to play with when he was small
Jeremy: The king's manservant.
Prince Beret: Conceited Prince. One of the final contestants
Prince Cole: Nerdy Prince. One of the final contestants
WHOM TO MARRY
Once upon a time, in a NOT so faraway land, there lived a beautiful princess named Princess Lorina.
Her dad, the Great King Harold wanted her to get married. But to whom?
Suddenly, the King had an idea! He would hold a grand contest. The winner would get to marry the princess!
Seventy-five princes from different kingdoms came to enter the contest. There were princes that were skilled in Dragon-slaying, Princess-saving and those who excelled in swordsmanship.
But the king had in mind a different sort of contest. This was a contest of humility, integrity and incentive. These princes were in for a rude awakening. This was no longer the 15th century where muscles triumphed over brain! No, this was the 21st century where character, education and intelligence were what mattered.
One of the princely contestants was Prince Ayden, a brave and heroic young prince who loved challenges. He had met Princess Lorina at one of the International Royal Balls and was secretly in love with her and determined to win her hand in marriage!
The First Task held was to make a special dish for the evening meal. Many of the Princes had never been in a kitchen, much less cooked!
When Prince Ayden first heard about the task, he was skeptical and horrified. "Cook a meal!" he thought. " Princes don't do that! They should be out saving their kingdoms from the evils that roam the Wilderness!" But he knew he wasn't completely lost. As a child, Danny the kitchen boy had been his best friend. Prince Ayden used to help Danny finish his chores so that they could finally go play outside. "I'll keep it simple so that I can make it perfect. A complex dish that I make a mess of would not be impressive," the prince advised himself.
So he made a fruit salad. And what a salad it was. It had many delicious fruits including red strawberries, juicy mangoes, sweet grapes, and fresh, ripe kiwis. The scrumptious fruits were arranged in a gorgeous, creative and artistic way that was mouth-watering!
By the end of the day, the kitchen wing of the castle had been partially burned down and the fire brigade had been called in to help fight the fires. There were also ambulances to take care of the princes who had carelessly cut themselves with a knife and other such injuries. Only 13 out of the original 75 princes remained.
Prince Ayden breathed a sigh of relief. He had passed the first task! Who knew that cooking could be so difficult? Prince Ayden wondered what surprises the second task would hold for him.
Meanwhile, the King was hard at work coming up with the perfect second task. "So many of the princes were so spoiled and pampered! They had never even stepped into a kitchen before!" the king thought. For the second task, the King wanted to make sure that the Prince that married Lorina would be honest. He finally came up with the second task. King Harold called over his manservant, Jeremy. " Please announce that the second task will be held the day after tomorrow and oh Jeremy, please take out $13,000 from my bank account— in cash."
Prince Ayden was admiring the beautiful red roses in the Royal Garden. He recalled that the International Royal Ball where he'd met Princess Lorina had been decorated with roses just like these. Suddenly, a wad of bills nestled among the rose bushes caught his eye. "Wow!" The prince thought, "A thousand dollars!" Throughout the castle grounds, there were twelve other similar exclamations to be heard.
By the end of the day, only $3,000 had been returned to the King. Therefore, only three princes remained in the contest. The rest of the princes were told to pack up their belongings and go home.
When Prince Ayden heard that the second task had been returning the money, he was shocked! He hadn't realized that the tasks could be carried out without the knowledge of the contestants!
Of course, Prince Ayden had returned the money as soon as he had found it. "But, what if for some reason, I had decided not to?" he mused. "Then I would have been disqualified. And I wouldn't be able to marry the charming Princess Lorina."
Later on that day, the King was pondering over what the third task should be. "Maybe a riddle?" the King thought. " But all the princes would just ask their servants to find the answer for them."
Suddenly, Princess Lorina stormed into her father's study. "Father, I don't think it's fair that whoever wins this silly contest will get to marry me! What if he turns out to be boring? It will ruin my life. I think I should have a say in who gets to marry me!" she said. King Harold smiled because he had just gotten an idea. "Okay my dear, you shall spend an hour with each of the Princes, and after, you will decide which one you want to marry." King Harold declared. "After all, this is the 21st century; a princess has got to be able to choose her own Prince!"
The next morning there was an announcement sent to Prince Ayden, Prince Beret, and Prince Cole, the three contestants left. The third task, they found out, was to win Princess Lorina's heart. Each prince would spend one hour with the princess and at the end, the princess would decide whom she wanted to marry.
All three princes waited in the lounge to meet the princess. Prince Beret was called in first. Prince Ayden looked around. Prince Beret seemed to be self-assured and unruffled as he walked in to meet the princess. Prince Cole was writing notes on what to talk about. Prince Ayden was very nervous about meeting with the princess. He desperately tried to recall the few words they had spoken to each other at the International Royal Ball. He remembered that she liked red roses, and strawberries too. She also liked the colour red. Prince Ayden looked at himself. He was wearing a red shirt! What a coincidence!
Prince Ayden was finally called in to meet the princess. Princess Lorina was wearing a beautiful red gown but she looked very frustrated! Prince Ayden sat down opposite the princess. The princess eyed him wearily and waited for him to speak. "Uh…ahem…" was all Prince Ayden could manage. He could almost kick himself! What a stupid thing to say to a princess! Princess Lorina looked at him and suddenly burst into tears! Prince Ayden was not extremely handsome, but was he really so bad-looking that the princess had burst into tears?
" I really like the red roses planted in the Royal Garden," he stammered over her sobs. Princess Lorina looked at him again but this time she started laughing hysterically! Prince Ayden was really confused. The princess saw that and apologized as she quickly explained her reactions.
The first prince, Prince Beret had been very arrogant and conceited. He had done all the talking and she had gotten a headache listening to him brag about himself! Prince Cole was a nice fellow, but he was so boring and kept referring to his notes on topics like astronomy and the latest scientific advancements. Therefore, when Prince Ayden came in, she was feeling distressed. After patiently listening to her, Prince Ayden suggested that a walk in the Royal Garden would be refreshing. Princess Lorina agreed and felt much better at the thought. She even recovered enough to compliment Prince Ayden on his shirt!
While admiring the red roses, Prince Ayden proposed to Princess Lorina and told her that he had been secretly in love with her since he'd met her at the International Royal Ball. Princess Lorina had been the only one that he'd danced with that hadn't bored him with useless chatter and gossip. Moreover, she was kind. Unlike the other princesses, she had danced with the less privileged (meaning ugly or less wealthy) princes as well. Princess Lorina smiled. She was going to marry someone who liked her for her and not just because she was a beautiful princess!
Princess Lorina immediately agreed to marry him and they both rushed off to announce their marriage to King Harold. Soon they were married and they lived happily ever after! Well, not exactly, but you all know what I mean!
The End