The Princess and the Pauper

[WP] It is said that the cursed princess can only be awoken by true love's kiss. To wake her up, the king has had princes from all over the world come to kiss her to no avail. One day, a peasant boy walks up to the sleeping princess and splashes her with cold water to wake her up. It actually works.

*****

“That’s it, I’m done cleaning the room of some sleeping princess. Why should I have to spend everyday greeting stupid princes that can’t even take their muddy shoes off when entering a room?” Luke whined, carrying his bucket of water, the water swaying in the bucket, threatening to spill over as he turned to leave the bedroom, only to jump as the door was opened.

“WHAT WAS THAT PEASANT?” Barthis stomped his way into the room, the knight’s armored boots thankfully not containing a single shred of mud on them, not adding to the already messy floor that Luke had given up on cleaning.

Luke wanted to respond but his throat dried at the sight of the imposing knight and instead he turned to flee, jumping on the princess’s bed, preparing to dive through the castle window. As he landed on the bed, his feet sunk into the bedding, causing him to tumble over, spilling the bucket of water all over the sleeping princess.

By the time Luke had realized what he had done, the knight already had him by the collar, holding him up by the scruff of his shirt. “You’re in so much trouble. An attack on the princess, that’s worthy of death, or at least life in a dungeon.”

“It was an accident, I swear. I’ll clean the mess up right away. I won’t even complain about the job, I promise. Please, don’t tell the king.”

“And now you’re asking me to go behind the king’s back? Are you trying to instigate treason?”

The peasant did not know what any of those fancy words meant, but he was certain the few times he had heard the word treason, it was accompanied by tales of people being executed. He gripped at his neck, trying desperately to free himself from the knight’s grasp.

“Mmmm?” The shuffling of blankets caught their attention as their gazes both shifted to the exhausted princess, who was currently rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Barthis? You look a lot older than I recall. Is that your son? Why is he in my room and why am I covered in water and-“ The princess gasped, looking at the splattering of muddy footprints on her floor. “WHO FORGOT TO TAKE THEIR SHOES OFF WHEN THEY ENTERED?”

“Princess? You’re awake? Peasant boy, get the king. It’s a miracle.”

Barthis tossed Luke out the door, leaving the peasant to wander the castles hallways, unsure where to even look for the king. He had considered fleeing now that the knight was distracted, but where would he even go? It’s not like he had the gold to go anywhere and if he got caught, he would only get in more trouble. So, Luke just did what he was asked, telling the news about the princess waking up to the castle guards, letting them inform the king as he returned to the princess’s room.

“So, this is my savior? It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The princess extended her hand, only for Barthis to step between the two.

“Princess, don’t lower yourself by shaking the hand of a peasant. He did his duty to the kingdom and he won’t be executed because of that. Consider yourself lucky, boy. The princess will spare you.”

“Willing to spare him? How dare you! This ‘boy’ Is the only reason I’m not stuck in that eternal slumber. You will treat him with respect, and I will handsomely reward him for his actions. I will accept no lesser than a hundred gold reward and a plot of farming land.”

“O-one hundred gold? Princess, I don’t think that much gold exists.”

The princess laughed, nearly rolling out of her bed. Could the peasant not imagine such a small amount of gold? She slipped her legs off the bed, sitting herself in a more comfortable position.

“Oh, it exists. Now, what is your name? I can’t call you boy or peasant. It’s not worthy of the person who saved me.”

“He spilt water on your head, princess. It was an act of god, not something that was done intentionally.” Barthis continued, still glaring at Luke.

“Again, you deflect my praise to him. Whether it was an accident or not, he is still my savior. If it was truly an act of god, that would make him a holy figure. Shall I get you to pray to him before battle?”

Barthis stayed silent, keeping his head down as the princess continued.

“Good. Now, your name.”

“Luke.”

“Luke what?”

“Just Luke. Am I meant to have another name?”

The princess let out another laugh. “Oh, you poor soul. You really are poor, aren’t you? Hmm, my reward won’t do at all then. Giving gold to someone that doesn’t understand its value will only result in you wasting it. Ok, how would you like to train to be a noble?”

Barthis went to object, only to stay silent when the princess looked his way. She kept her gaze on him until finally he lowered his head again, this time with an accompanying huff.

“A noble? I don’t want to kiss you, though.”

“Pardon?”

“If I was a noble, I would have to kiss you. Like all those princes were doing.”

The princess wasn’t sure how to process that, only raising an eyebrow as she thought about it before the peasant’s words made sense.

“Oh, true love’s kiss. No, you won’t have to kiss me. All I want to do is fund your campaign to enter a noble house. I will provide you with the gold, education and a living area and all you need to do is study. With enough study, I’m sure any noble family would be happy to adopt you.”

“But I’m a peasant.”

“A peasant with a princess’s approval. That means a lot to noble families. So, what do you think?”

“It would be nice to walk around in those fancy robes that everyone has. Are you sure princess?”

“I am.”

“Then I accept.”

The princess gave Luke a smile, only for that smile to widen as her dad rushed into the room, the proud king a mess of tears as he hugged his daughter, nearly squeezing the air out of her as they embraced.

“Oh, I couldn’t believe the news. You’re awake, my dear. What brave prince do I have to thank for it?” The more the king hugged her, the more he noticed just how soaked in water she was. “Why are you wet?”

“It’s thanks to my savior.” She pointed to Luke, who was sheepishly staring at the king, never having seen the man up close before.

“Where?” The king glanced behind Luke, searching for a prince, only for his gaze to land on Luke again. “Him? The cleaner? How did he do it?”

“By spilling water on my head. I don’t know how, but it appears he is the person who was destined to free me from my curse. Don’t worry, I don’t believe it’s a matter of love, father. Maybe it’s more his destiny. I have already offered him a chance to become a noble, which he has accepted.”

“A noble? I will arrange for him to be put into a family at once.”

“Not so fast, father. I don’t want him to be another brainless noble. We will educate him first, then he can choose a family. There is no point in us just throwing him into a life of wealth. I would prefer to see what he can do. If he can save my life, perhaps he has a bigger purpose than just becoming another noble.”

“Perhaps you’re right, dear. Barthis, take him to a spare room and get him some finer clothes. I’ll send someone to his room later to give him dinner. Now, if you will excuse me, I wish to speak to my daughter in private. I need to inform her of the current state of the kingdom.”

Barthis nodded, not saying a word to Luke as he motioned the former peasant down the hallway, this time leading him up the stairs rather than to the commoner floors below. When they arrived at his room, Barthis opened the door, waiting for Luke to step inside before closing it. The room was bare, only having a table, an empty wardrobe, and a bed. Still, the room was far nicer than anything he had ever slept in.

“A noble?” Luke still couldn’t believe it. To think an accident had turned him into a noble. Perhaps this was the start of his special destiny, or maybe he just got lucky? Either way, Luke was happy to reap the benefits.

*****

THE END.