The Valiant Prince

Once upon a time, the world was perfect. No famine, no problems, no war. The Kingdom of Amor Hermoso was a peaceful kingdom hidden deep in the forest with a bustling village just outside of the castle's grounds. All was well in Amor Hermoso. The trees were large and gave off plenty of shade and the water in the lakes was cold and refreshing; just great for children trying to cool off on that particularly hot day.

Though not everyone enjoyed the peace, the fun, and the kindness. There was an old hag who lived by one of the lakes, watching out her window as children ran up and down her lawn, trampling her flowers, having a jolly time; not even aware that the hag was watching them. The old woman had been watching them day after day, month after month, year after year and they still continued to destroy her flowers.

One day, the old woman decided she wasn't mad at the children; she was mad at the whole Kingdom! Sure she watched her flowers get stomped on, but the thing that infuriated her was that that was the only kind of disruption in the kingdom. So, she devised a plan on that day. All she would need was her spell book, the Prince of Amor Hermoso, and the boy that held this prince's attention and heart; a boy named Pink.

- -

Prince Theodore had been pacing back and forth before the tower window for hours, just waiting to see him. The merchant boy, Pink, always came across this path at the same time every day and there was nothing that gave the young prince more pleasure than to see Pink's handsome face. When it finally reached that time, he peered out the window, making a wistful sigh as the boy walked along the path.

Just as the prince was about to turn away, something caught his eye. Something -or someone- jumped out of the bushes in front of Pink, casting a spell to shrink him. Theo saw the old hag pick up the now-tiny Pink and run off with him. Suddenly, the prince was filled with a deep rage. He immediately sprung to his feet and grabbed the nearest sword, shield, and bow. He didn't even think about alerting his parents of the crime, but jumped out of the tower window and fell to the ground.

Hitting the ground hurt, but he gritted his teeth and started running to the royal stables. Once there, he jumped upon his white steed and they were off. Theo knew immediately to head for the forest, so they did. It was only a matter of time before the caught up with the old witch. The witch sensed the brave boy behind her and conjured a steed of her own, speeding off into the forest. Flicking the reigns, Theo made his steed go faster as he drew his trusty bow.

He fired one shot, just barely missing the hag. It went straight past her head and stuck into the trunk of a large okay. He fired another arrow, but this one just went out his control and missed her completely. The old hag cackled, only further angering the archer. He strung a third arrow and focused, aiming at his target. He released the target and bam! It hit the conjured horse and the witch fell flat on her face. Unfortunately, this caused Theo's steed to buck him off his back. This gave the witch just enough time to get up and start running.

Not wasting any time to get back on the horse, the prince took off as well, just behind the witch. Once he felt he was near enough, he drew both his sword and his shield. Just at that moment, the witch turned slightly, casting a lightning bolt to hit him. The prince blocked it with his shield and surged forward, tackling- and then knocking the hag onto the forest floor. He raised his sword to her, ready to plunge it into her flesh. "Where is the boy?"

"Here, here," she pleaded, unclenching a fist and letting the tiny Pink run free. She whispered a spell and the boy grew to normal size. "Please don't kill me," she whispered.

"Give me a reason not too!" The prince exclaimed. The witch whimpered.

"I was just looking for some fun! Years of living alone has driven me to boredom! Can you blame a lady for that?" The prince shook his head and got off of the woman, letting her stand.

"You may go." Without another word, the old hag an off into the forest, now pleased and delighted to have had such fun. The prince turned to find Pink on his knees, cowering before the valiant Theodore. Theodore laughed slightly and helped Pink to his feet. He took the younger boys hand and led him to his noble steed, helping him on before he got on himself. And just before they started riding back to the village, Pink wrapped his arms around the prince, kissed his cheek and whispered to him softly.

"My hero."