The Wishing Princess - Chapter 26

26. Epilogue

It was Spring the following year, where the Princess fell on the kingdom of the Red Sand. There lies a path of wild flowers, where once was the trail of blood. The path led to a tomb made of marble. A figure of a young woman was carved upon an altar. The figure was wearing a travelling cloak, and grasped a sword in her hands. It was carved as the Princess was when she died upon the sand.

On the side of the altar, there carved a plague where the Princess's wishes were written down. It was carved as Oma would have told them, as it was when she combed the Princess's hair one last time.

And on the bottom of the altar, where the visitors might gather, there were 13 cups, each representing each kingdom. These cups were always filled with clean water. Sometimes, flowers were put in them.

But there was something that is embedded inside the altar, behind clear crystal, so that anyone may see. It was a doll, in the likeness of the Princess, when she was young. It was battered, but clean. And in the bosom where the heart would lie, there was a big heart shape, sewn in the place, to cover a hole caused by an errant bullet.

And on the other side, there was a plague where it told the story of the Princess, beginning with the phrase "Here lies the Wishing Princess..."


Characters:

The Kingdom of the Hidden Valley
1. The Great Warrior King
The father of the Wishing Princess. His is big and strong. Smart and Wise. He has the body of Conan the Barbarian, smart as Napoleon in battle, loving and gentle to the princess, his last surviving child.
2. The Wishing Princess
Our titular character. All her wishes have come true. Naturally gentle, her talent lies with warring skills. She is as good as any men regarding swordplay and gun play. She learned from the best: Her father and Opa.
3. Opa:
The greatest warrior of past generation. He was second in command to the King's father. He once single-handedly defended a mountain from invading force for 3 days, until help arrived and defeat the enemy. He won Oma as a wife-slave in one of his battle, yet Opa loved Oma dearly, and never mistreated her.
4. Oma:
She came to the kingdom as Opa's spoil of war. She became Opa's wife when Opa married her. They love each other deeply, and they love the princess as if she was their daughter.
5. Captain:
The Captain of the Cavalry. Young Gallant Officer of the Kingdom of the Hidden Valley. He is the Leader of the Cavalry Unit, reporting directly to the King. He acts as bodyguard for the Princess. His Cavalry Unit trained with the Princess every day, earning the Princess not only the highest Cavalry skills, but also their utmost respect.


The Council of Kings
1. Kingdom of the Hidden Valley: Lead by the Great Warrior King. Leader the the resistance army.
2. Kingdom of the Red Sands: The kingdom where the battle is located.
3. Kingdom of the Tall Grooves: The haughty Tall Prince
4. Kingdom of the Dry Marsh: Weaklings but eager
5. Kingdom of the Three Mountains: Strong shamans
6. Kingdom of the Long Grass: Great foot soldiers


The Queen's Entrants
1. The Queen:
Evil and Heartless, she was feared by her enemies. Fawned by her supporters. She was nicknamed "The Old Prune" due to her refusal to marry.
2. The Sergeant:
The Queen's second in command. He was an old soldier. Though his rank is now advisor to the Queen, everybody called him "The Old Sarge" or just "Sarge" due to his genial attitute toward his men.
3. The Old Warrior:
An experienced, honorable warrior who marched under the Queen's banner. He duelled the Princess in a flanking maneuver. He's the leader of Queen's Reserve Army.

Attribution:
(1) The Battle Hymn of the Republic

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 25

25. Death of a Princess

In all the activities that thus transpired, no one paid much attention to an old warrior who walked silently and approached the Princess. He caressed her gently.

"Ah, princess," Opa said, "What a mess you are."

"Is that you, Opa?" The princess was laid down on the sand, bedded by her own blood. She was so far gone, that she could no longer see.

"We'll get you to a healer." said Opa. It was a hopeless case, but the very least they could do is try.

"It's alright, Opa. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Opa wept. Poor Opa. Opa the brave! Opa the Mighty! Opa, who once single handedly defended a mountain against a whole enemy troops, broke and wept over a few comforting words of a young woman, for he loved the Princess dearly, and he knew that she was about to die.

"Is Oma here?" asked the Princess.

"At your service." replied Oma, who then knelt beside her.

"Will you comb my hair?" asked the Princess.

"Yes, Princess." said Oma.

Then Oma untied the Princess's hair, and as she unbind the knot, one by one, she said thus.

When you were 5 years old,
The kingdom was in drought
And you wished for rain
And rain fell for 5 days and night,
And the crops became bountiful.

When you were 7 years old,
The Kingdom was plagued by bugs.
And you wished for good bugs to come,
While the bad bugs to leave.
And it was so.

When you were 9 years old,
The Kingdom was suffered no joy.
And you made a selfish wish.
You wished for a doll.
And brought happiness to the kingdom.

When you were 11 years old,
The people of the lands were bickering.
They all want to have their ways.
And you wished for understanding.
And our King made it so.

When you were 13 years old,
There were horses in the kingdom.
And you wanted to ride them.
So you wished for a cavalry.
And we have the finest of them all.

When you were 15 years old,
The people was hungry,
Too many people, not enough food.
And you wished for good hunts and farm,
And the fields became bountiful.

When you were almost 17,
The lands were warring,
Over the prophesied child.
And you wished for peace,
And peace spread throughout the lands.

Oma kept combing the Princess hair. Hearing Oma's voice, the Princess relaxed, and closed her eyes. And she died, peacefully, with serene expression upon her face. Opa cried. Oma cried. Everybody knelt to give their respect. Even the Queen knelt.

The Queen said, "We will construct a memorial tomb right here where she fell, so that her sacrifice will not be in vain. Let it be made of marble, to make it last for eternity. Let her messages be carved into stone, and her wishes be known. To all who passes here, this land of Red Sands, all will know that this is the time and the place where peace begins to spread throughout the lands."

And all the kings agreed that it was so. And each king, brought a treasure of his land, to be put into the memorial, to ensure that there would be no doubt, among all passer-bys, that indeed, this was the place where the peace began.

The Great Warrior King, the father of the Wishing Princess, accepted his fate without complain. He spoke to Opa about it. Old men with no children, seemed to be the fate of old warriors of the Kingdom of the Hidden Valley.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 24

24. The Prophesied Child

"Here is the child," said the king of Three Mountains. He was holding the newly born prophesied child. "What do you want to do with him?" It was an earnest question. He had heard the exchange between the Queen and the Princess.

The Queen thought at the subject very carefully. Her original plan was to kill the child and keep the power to herself. But now she realized that it was not to her advantage to do so. She needed a heir, but cannot provide her own. She realized then that the child would grow up just when she would grow old and need to step down. The timing would be perfect. And so, she decided.

"I will raise him as if he is my own child!" said the Queen. "I will bring him the best teachers, and educate him to the best of my ability. And I will raise him to be a great and brave king, so that he can rule the lands with just hands."

All the kings looked at the Queen. They did not trust her. The Queen had poor reputation. The Queen realized this, and she knew that she needed to gain their trust. Without even realizing it, already the Queen was open to ways to get what she wanted without force.

The Queen addressed the kings thus, "I will raise this child in such a way that no better education can be provided. But I realize that I cannot do this by myself. That my kingdom, no matter how big, is not all lands. Therefore, I ask you, kings of your kingdoms, to provide me with your best teachers, so that together we can raise the child to be the greatest ruler of the land."

The various kings looked at each other. "You need us to provide you with our teachers?" They couldn't believe their ears.

"You will be amply rewarded," assured the Queen. "Yes, I need you. Although this child is to be my heir, he is indeed the child of the lands. To rule all kingdoms throughout the lands, not one kingdom must be allowed to dominate over another. Therefore, only by sending me your representative will we be able to raise the child properly."

And everybody agreed that it is in the best interest of all, to give their best representative as teacher to the child, who will be raised and educated in the biggest kingdom of the land.

Thus, the Princess's wish came true. Peace spread throughout the lands.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 23

23. The Princess and the Queen

"Kill her!" the Queen ordered. "Kill her now!"

Not a single person moved to obey her. All eyes were upon the Princess. She was clasping her hands at her wounds. Step by step, she walked toward the Queen.

The Queen could stand it no longer. She walked past the Guards toward the Princess and pulled out her pistol. She aimed at the Princess, the barrel pointed to her chest. Her finger upon the trigger. The Queen look at the picture given by the gun sight. She saw the Princess's delicate face.

The Queen saw the Princess's lips moving, but could not hear any sound. "What is the Princess saying?" Slowly, painfully, the Princess took one step after another toward the Queen. The Queen tried to read the Princess's lips.

"So cold... So dark... So painful..." The princess was saying it over and over. Her face was pale, and her eyes was glassy. There was no life in her eyes. She stared straight ahead. She saw nothing but darkness.

"So cold... So dark... So painful..." The princess didn't see the Queen standing there pointing her pistol at her. The Queen kept her aim at the Princess as she walked past.

"So cold... So dark... So painful..." The Queen just stared at the Princess. The Princess was dead and she didn't know it. The Queen looked at the Princess's clothes and saw that it was soaked with blood, all the way. As her gaze fell to the ground, the Queen saw that the Princess left a trail of blood upon her path, marking her death march on the desert sand.

"So cold... So dark... So painful..." as the Princess reached the Guards, they parted, yielding to the Princess. At last, her strenght failed her. She has lost too much blood. She sank to her knees, and finally dropped to the sand, and lie there. All the Guards moved to protect her.

The Guards parted when the Queen came. The Queen looked at the Princess, then dying among her Guards. She was pale, and bleeding profusely.

"Why do you oppose me so?" the Queen asked the Princess.

"Please don't kill the child. He hasn't done anything." said the Princess.

"That child will one day take over my kingdom and rule throughout the lands." said the Queen.

"You must be so proud," said the Princess, "to have such a fine heir."

"Heir?!" The Queen did not think that way. The old prune. Childless Queen. The Queen who did not marry, did not have heir.

"The child is prophesied to rule throughout the lands. What better kingdom would be best to raise him, but the biggest of them all?" The Princess said. "There is no kingdom bigger than yours."

And the Queen was stunned! The prophesy is true! She who had no child, will one day die, and without a clear heir, in-fighting and bickering will fragment and destroy her kingdom. Here was a neat solution, and she had overlooked it!

With deep pangs of regrets, she realized, then, that none of this had been necessary. Had she trusted the rest of the kingdom, and worked with them, she could have had the child entrusted to her without bloodshed. But now it's too late. Too many lives had been lost, and everyone hated her.

"There is no hope for peace. Too many lives have been lost." The Queen told the Princess as much.

"There is always hope for peace, as long as life exists." The princess said, "But especially now, that everyone is here."

The Queen shook her head. It was too late for her. She then looked around her and was surprised to see everybody mingled with everybody else. Her Guards, her troops, the various kings of the kingdoms and their troops. All gathered together around her and the Princess.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 22

22. The Princess Falls

The kings were celebrating their victories. It was a marvelous one. Never in their wildest dream that they would turn back an mighty army many times their number! The princess was congratulated by the kings. She was extended many invitations, which she graciously accepted. Even the Tall Prince, who had always been derisive of her, finally admitted that she was a capable leader. All was merry in the encampment.

An even better news broke during the celebration. The prophesied child has been born! Cheers went up and wine flowed. The Princess could not stop the flow of wine, but reminded them that until the day was done, and the Queen's army retreated from the land, the danger had not passed, and wine should be consumed in moderation.

Suddenly, the Princess's ear perked. She looked around her and saw nothing but jubilant faces. The Captain, who always looked after her, noticed this. He approached the princess. He, too, looked around him and saw nothing amiss.

"Is there something wrong, Princess?" asked the Captain. The Princess said nothing. She kept looking around her. Everything seemed fine.

"I don't know." said the Princess. "Everything seems normal. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong, is there?"

"Everything seems normal to me." answered the Captain.

"Perhaps, someplace else, then?" said the Princess doubtfully. "Is the child safe?"

"As safe as can be." replied the Captain. "They are with the shamans of the Three Mountain. The child is very well protected."

"Then, where else could it be?" asked the Princess. As she looked around her, she heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots so far away. Instantly, her eyes went to the Queen's camp. "They're shooting at their own people!" The Princess was horrified at the revelation. Instantly, she was up on her horse and rode for the Queen's.

Her action was too swift for anyone to stop her. The Captain immediately signaled the horsemen and rode after her. As one, everybody ran after the Princess. There was no argument, no discussion, no orders. It was all instinctual. Everybody loved the Princess, and they will follow her to the death.

The Queen saw the lone horse rider going toward her, and recognized that it was the Princess. Addressing the Old Warrior, the Queen said, "Kill her."

The Old Warrior was surprised. He knew the Queen was mean, but he didn't think she would breach war etiquette. "Your Majesty, it is forbidden to kill a messenger." He didn't want to kill her.

The Queen merely regard him as a child. "She is the source of all our troubles." the Queen said, "Kill her, and our troubles will melt away." The Old Warrior looked at the Queen. He was really reluctant to do so. "Take the Guards and kill her." The Queen ordered the Old Warrior.

There was no more discussion. The Old Warrior, honorable and obedient to the Queen, had no choice but to obey. He formed the Honor Guard as a shield to the Queen, and instructed them to shoot the Princess.

The Princess was hurriedly riding through the troops. "Make way! Make way!" she shouted. The troops, recognizing that it was she who spared their lives, obeyed and parted to make way for the Princess.

The Princess rode past the troops, saw that the Guards were aiming their musket at their own troops. She spread her arms protecting the troops, as if a hen spread her wings protecting her chicks.

The Old Warrior had no choice. "Ready." he said. "Aim..."

The Guards also didn't want to kill the Princess. One admitted to the other, "I don't want to shoot her."

"So, shoot the horse," came the reply.

"... Fire!"

As one, the Guards fired their musket. The Princess's horse crumpled. There was not a single Guard who desired to kill the Princess. All aimed at the horse. At once, the Princess was flung from the horse onto the sands. She landed poorly.

The Guard stood transfixed to their spot. They couldn't move. They were all waiting for the Princess to stand.

The Princess laid on the sand for a long time. Then she slowly got up. The Guards all let out a collective sigh. But there was something wrong. The Princess expression was that of pain. She was wounded and bleeding!

Though all the Guards aimed at the horse, not all have hit their target. A few bullets hit the Princess, and she was struggling to walk.

She walked not back toward her encampment, but toward the Queen. The Guards's heart melted at her bravery and compassion. Not a single person moved.

The Princess was walking toward the Queen, slowly, painfully, one single step at a time.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 21

21. The Victor and the Defeated

The Queen, the old prune, was livid. Her whole army turned back! Why? She was too far back to realize what happened. All she saw was that the enemy cavalry slowly crossed her army and the progress halted.  And through her glass, she saw The Old Sarge stood by and conversed with the Princess. Why didn't he kill her? The Queen's mood was very dark, indeed.

The Queen personally led her reserve troops to turn back her retreating army toward the encampment. "Kill any who refuse." ordered the Queen. Though reluctant to kill their own fellow soldiers, they obeyed the Queen. Even the Old Warrior can see the logic: Either die like a soldier while fighting the enemy or die like a coward killed by their own army.

As the retreating army reached the Queen, they find that the Queen's Honor Guard stood in a line, aiming the musket at them. They were confused, but not the Sarge, who understood what's going on. The Old Warrior flanked the Queen and the Guards with his reserve troops. He eyed Sarge sadly, knowing that the Queen will kill The Old Sarge. It was time to say good bye.

Sarge signaled the group to stand still. Then he walked and faced the Queen by himself. "I fear that I have failed you, Your Majesty, for I cannot defeat the enemy."

"Why do you not attack while you still have troops?" demanded the Queen.

"The enemy cavalry was superior. No one could make a dent in their rank."

"Then you fight to the death! There is no excuse for you to return defeated."

"Your Majesty, a senseless slaughter is not the answer. We can regroup and attack again later, once the troops are rested." Sarge bowed his head.

"Nonsense!" said the Queen. "You will attack now!"

Sarge merely shook his head sadly. The troops were not only tired from forced march last night, they were undoubtedly weak from hunger. A meal and some rest, and the troops would fight much better.

"Sarge," said the Queen with extreme menace in her voice. "Face the troops and tell them what I tell you."

With reluctance, Sarge turned to face the troop. Sarge said, "The Queen desires that you turn back and attack the enemy encampment immediately."

The troops were undecided. They were broken. They had just waded through the dead and wounded attacking, and again while retreating. They had no desire to go back through the killing field once again.

The Queen added with a shout, "Or die!" With that statement, she shot The Old Sarge, honorable and loyal soldier to the Queen, in the back.

He had expected this. As blood poured from his wound, his breathing became labored. His knees became weak, and he sank to the sand. He looked up once more to the sky, saw the sun hanging in the sky. It was not even noon. It was only mid morning. He saw that the blue sky was without cloud and beautiful. Then his vision darkens, and he fell to the sand. As Sarge lie dying in the sand, he saw his troops. They were confused and scared. They cowered. Sarge regretted that he couldn't protect them anymore. Then he died.

Bereft of their leader, the untrained, undisciplined raw recruits didn't know what to do. They just stood there staring at their beloved Old Sarge. The Queen seethed with anger. Why didn't they turn back at the enemy? Clearly, she would kill them if they refused.

She signaled her Honor Guard. As one, they fired at the poor troops.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 20

20. The Cavalry Attacks

The Queen was watching the battle from the rear. She thought that the line would end up encircling her troops. She had planned to fight the last point, keeping it open and overwhelm the rebellion troops. There was some concern about the cavalry, but she's confident that her personal guards, armed with musket would make short work of them.

However, the expected closure never happened. The line kept retreating, yet still form a line. It never broke nor turned into a circle. The Queen thought that it was unwise, keeping only a small section of soldiers to fight her whole army. What she didn't know was that the Princess had arranged the most skillful and battle hardened soldiers to fight the raw recruits. There was no contest. The veterans decisively beat the Queen's inexperienced soldiers.

Further and further, the Queen's army kept pushing, while the line kept retreating. Finally, the Queen decided that the line will not change, and will keep retreating to the encampent. She halted the advance of her guards and reserve troops, in a desperate effort to bait the enemy to close the circle.

The Princess and her cavalry was waiting on the wing of the battle formation. She was explaining to the Captain that she had suspected that the Queen would have kept a reserve of soldiers, which would make encirclement problematic had they been unable to overcome the reserve units. Seeing the muskets that the honor guards carrying, the Captain agreed that delaying tactics would work better. It was clear that the muskets stayed behind and posed no threat to the current battle.

Still, the battle rages on, and it was getting close to their position.

"Oh, no. There's too many deaths." said the Princess.

"There's hardly any casualties that I can see." said the Captain.

"I meant on the Queen's army." explained the Princess. "Why won't they turn back?" asked the Princess. "They must have had to walk over their dead and wounded!"

The Captain cannot say anything. There's nothing to explain. You can't predict nor understand the act of raw recruits. The line got closer to them still. At last, the line of battle approaches them.

"Princess," the Captain said, "We should go elsewhere. The battle is closing."

The Princess did not move, but she began to sing. Her voice is clear throughout the battlefield. She sang songs of homeland. Vision of home floods the soldiers, fighting on the battlefield.

The visions hardens the old soldiers to fight even stronger, defending their home and loved ones, while the same visions caused the Queen's young soldiers heartache as they miss their warm home and hearthy cooked meal. More casualties on the Queen side.

Still, the line advanced. Soldiers now penetrated the cavalry. Still, the Princess sang loud and clear.

"Princess," begged the Captain.

In response, the Princess drew her sword. Every horsemen did likewise. Still, the Princess sang.

The line of soldiers finally gave way to the line of enemy. They attacked the standing cavalry. An enemy soldier attacked the Princess, only to be brought to stand still by a downward stroke of a sword. The weapon fell from the enemy's hand into the ground. The Princess sword then moved quickly to the enemy's neck, but there it stayed, and moved away. The enemy soldier was confused. The Captain said, "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

One more attack. One more strike. "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

One more attack. One more strike. "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

One more attack. One more strike. "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

Then the Princess turned her horse sideways and trotted the horse along the battle line. The enemy's advance was halted as the cavalry swept through the line. Still, the Princess sang.

One more attack. One more strike. "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

One more attack. One more strike. "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

One more attack. One more strike. "Go home. Our princess has touched you."

The enemy was confused. The cavalry merely cut down their hands to disarm them of weapon, but not kill them. They could have, but they didn't. After the cavalry passed by, they had expected the resistance soldiers to attack and kill them. They had become defenseless.

But the resistance soldiers did not do so. All they did was to say "Go home. Our princess has touched you." As the Queen soldiers were disarmed and can no longer fight. That is what they did. They picked up the wounded and went home. Still, the Princess sang.

The Old Sarge, finally realized that the cavalry was invincible, signaled the troops to stand still. The cavalry passed by unmolested, and at the same time, no longer attacked his troops. Still, the Princess sang.

Finally, the Princess cleared the enemy soldiers and reached Sarge's position. She stopped and faced Sarge. She finished her song. She looked at Sarge, expectantly.

The Old Sarge was impressed. He was mesmerized. "Why didn't you kill us?" he asked.

"Because there is no need to do so." replied the Princess. "The prophesied child will be born today, and peace will rule throughout the land."

And tears formed in The Old Sarge eyes. Here was a kind and gentle leader. One he always dreamed of, but he can't serve her because she was the enemy of the Queen. There was nothing he could do to be her servant. There is only one thing he could do, and that is to go back to the Queen, who would certainly punish him severely for his failure.

"Good bye." Sarge said to the Princess.

"Be well." said the Princess.

Sarge shook his head sadly. The Princess did not know the Queen like he did. Sarge gave a signal, and the whole Queen's army turned back and withdrew.

The battle of the kingdom of Red Sand has ended.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 19

19. The Advance

"You want us to do what?" asked the Tall Prince incrediously.

"March to the enemy camp." replied the Princess.

"Suicide!"

"We don't have to attack them. They will attack us."

"Undoubtedly. So, then we run."

"No. We will form a line longer than they, and maintain it."

"Ah, I see. You are trying to encircle them and destroy them within the circle."

"No. Keep maintaining the line as we withdraw."

"But that's not how we win!"

"We don't have to. The prophesied child will bring us peace."

"I'm not doing this! I'm taking my soldiers out, and you can die alone!"

"Please! It's the only way!" begged the Princess. "Please!"

The Tall Prince, haughty as ever, was ready to pull his soldiers out. The Marsh Soldier looked at the Grass Soldier. "What should we do? Can we do anything?"

The Grass Soldier thought for a while, then he unexpectedly sang, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;" Everybody, including the Princess and the Tall Prince stopped and looked at the Grass Soldier's direction.

A few more soldiers joined him on the next line, "He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;"

Yet more soldiers sang the next line, "He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:"

By this time, half the troops sang the next line, "His truth is marching on."

The Grass Soldiers drew his sword out of his sheath and raised it high in the air. Everybody did likewise. And everybody marched at once, singing the chorus:

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

The whole troops marched with determination toward the Queen's Camp! The Queen's camp went into panic mode, and they hastily formed up to meet the attackers. The Queen was roughly roused and emerged a short time later. She shouted orders to gather weapons and form up.

Meanwhile, the resistance troops kept advancing briskly and sang:

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on.

The Queen's soldiers barely grouped when the Queen gave the order to advance. The Old Sarge ran to the head of the group and gave order to go forward. The group was ragged, but they started moving forward.

In the meantime, the resistance troops became bolder, and bolder as they sang:

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal";
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on.

Panic was among the Queen's troop and they hung together closely, each tried to support each other. Sarge was shouting orders to stragglers in the back to try and keep up. The Queen calmly called her Honor Guards and reserve troops, led by the Old Warrior. Each Guard carried a musket. They are loading the muskets.

The resistance troops advanced boldly and had crossed half the distance. They sang:

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

The two opposing groups are formed and bound to meet in a great clash. Suddenly, horse riders bearing signal flags rode in front of the resistance troops. The square slowly changed its shape to become a line.

The Queen noticed this. She frowned. She mounted upon her horse and led the Guards out to follow her main troops.

Still, the resistance troops sang:

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.

Both sides got closer and closer. Finally, the two armies met together in the tract of sand. Weapons held. Nerves steeled. Fate fulfilled.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah.
Our God is marching on.(1)

At the end of the song. Both armies stopped moving. They are at a stone's throw distance from one another. For a while, it seemed that the time stood still. Neither armies moved.

Suddenly, without any warning, both armies exploded forward and clashed in a terrible battle. In an instant, the Grass Soldier cut down six enemies with his sword, before coming to his senses.

"Strike one down, and one step back." he said. He took a step back. Everybody else did the same. The Queen's army attacked again. They got cut down, and again, the resistance army took a step back. This event was repeated many, many times.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 18

18. Early Morning Troop Inspection

The sun just broke the horizon. The troops were arrayed in a square. Just as the Princess asked, all the soldiers from all the kingdom comingled together. There was a soldier from the kingdom of Long Grass who was a mighty and fearsome warrior. And next to him was a soldier from kingdom of Dry Marsh, who has proven himself in combat the day before, but not yet as experienced as the other soldier.

"So, what do you think will happen?" asked the Marsh Soldier to the Grass Soldier. "With a woman commanding us?"

"If she is close to her father, then I expect that we will be just fine." replied the Grass Soldier. "It does not take much physical effort to command, after all. Just wisdom." He was tying leather strap to his sword. When the word passed that the Princess is inspecting the troops.

"You'd better hurry up and fix that knot. Wouldn't want the pretty princess to be disappointed in you." said the Marsh Soldier.

"Ah, I'll just wrap it to my sword and hold it by my side." said the Grass Soldier. "She won't notice anything."

The Princess, followed by the procession of kings rode across the formation. So gallantly they look! A steady rhythm went past the soldiers as they go. Once the procession has past them, the Grass Soldier winked to the Marsh Soldier, who winked back.

Then, a moment later, once the procession has reached the end of the formation, the princess wheeled back her horse and galloped to the Grass Soldier. She dismounted her horse and faced the Grass Soldier, who by this time became concerned.

The Princess gently grabbed his sword, and unwound the leather straps on the sword. She began expertly knotting the straps. "You should wear the sword on your shoulder, as to not tire yourself unnecessarily." chided the Princess gently. The Grass soldier could only nod, embarrased that he was found out. He also marvelled at the princess sharp eye, for not many could notice the slight.

"This goes for every one of you!" The princess raised her voice to address the group. "You need to be completely prepared for the battle ahead! Don't let any loose knot or poorly fitting equipment to cause you to die. Prepare well!"

She then looped the sword sheath and hung it properly on the Grass Soldier. She smiled in satisfaction. The Grass Soldier smiled back. Then, unexpectedly, the Princess hugged the Grass Soldier tight! The Grass Soldier was speechless!

"I love you!" said the Princess. "I love you all. It breaks my heart to have to send you to battle to your death, but I must!" Everybody around her took pity of her. They were of the different kingdom, yet she cared for everybody.

They did not know what to say. All they can do is stand around, waiting for the Princess to move.

The Captain rode to her. "Princess," he said, "The enemy has stirred."

The Princess looked to the enemy side. "It's time." Then she mounted her horse and looked at the battle line.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 17

17. The Wishing Princess

It was still dark when the Captain made his rounds. He made sure that everybody had good breakfast, and ready for battle. After ensuring that everybody is ready, he entered the king's tent. There he found the kneeling Princess slept upon her father's lap, who looked at her fondly.

"We were up discussing battle plans until quite late last night. Please let her sleep a few more moments." said the King. The Captain saluted, and left the tent.

Outside, men were preparing for battle. As the sky began to lighten, all the kings gathered in the Great Hall, to discuss battle plans.

"Your father commanded us well yesterday," said the King of Dry Marsh to the Princess. "However, as you can see, not everybody escape unscathed. It will be hard to command them well, today."

The Princess nodded her understanding. "There is only one group of enemy that we have to worry today. We don't need to split the groups. In fact, it would be best if we all join together and fight as one group." said the Princess. "That way, there is no problem regarding command issues."

"And who would lead this group? You?" asked the Tall Prince.

"I will be leading our cavalry, our reserve unit. I will be better to view the battle and adjust accordingly on a horse." explained the Princess. "As for the the main battle force, there is only one order: Delay the enemy."

"You mean 'Destroy the enemy'."

"No." said the princess. "I mean delay the enemy. Remember that the prophesied child will be born today. Once the child is born, peace will come throughout the lands."

"That is unbelievable!"

The king of Three Mountains stepped forward. "It is true what she says. The child will be born today, and the battle will end."

"How?"

"The spirits did not say, but it is what they said."

"Then, all we have to do is delay them?"

The princess nodded. "I suggest a withdrawing technique: Strike one down, and one step back."

"And the formation?"

"We need to divide troops into 4 divisions. First are the best fighters in the land who knows how to survive a battle. Second are just like the first, except they have sustained trivial injuries in battle. Third are the average soldiers, or those who has sustained injuries that may affect them in battle. Fourth are the raw recruits who are otherwise have never cross swords with the enemy."

"So each kingdom will have 4 divisions?" That seem unwise considering that some kingdoms have too few survivors.

"No." the Princess said. "All the troops from all the kingdoms will fight as one."

"And who will command these troops?" asked the Tall Prince.

"I will." said the Princess firmly. "We agreed to it last night."

"Impossible. Delaying tactics is not enough against the Queen, and grouping everyone together is just one big gamble!"

"We have the prophesied child. That is enough. The shamans have said so." said the Princess.

"That is *not* enough!"

The princess stood firm. No one moved. Finally, she said, "Oma, please come here." Oma was surprised, but nonetheless, came to the Princess side. "Please bind my hair." Oma was really surprised, but said nothing.

To all the kings gathered, she solemnly said, "I am a Wishing Princess. My wishes will come true. And I wish, for peace throughout the land. Oma, please bind my hair."

Oma said, "It's too early for a wish, princess."

"I'm sorry, Oma. There's no more time. I cannot wait anymore." said the Princess, sadly.

"What if the wish does not come true?"

"Between my wish and the child, it will come true. I'm sure of it!"

So Oma bound the Princess's hair. And so the wish was made.

There are grumblings among the kings, but eventually, all agreed that they agreed to that.

"What is your battle order?"

"For now, prepare them and form them in a square. I will make the final decision later once I've seen the enemy formation."

The kings left to prepare the troops. The princess took and shoulder the pannier bag with her doll on it. Oma looks sad.

"Princess, surely you don't have to go." Oma said.

"I have to go, Oma, there is no one else left." replied the Princess. "Father cannot ride, and so I must."

"But you could get killed." Oma was really worried.

The Princess smiled. "Oh, Oma. Don't worry. I'll be careful." The princess hugged Oma. "I'll come back. I promise!"

With that, the Princess left for battle. Oma stood there, crying her eyes out. Opa came to her side and hugged her. Oma cried on Opa's shoulder. Both were looking sad, seeing the Princess left for battle.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 16

16. The Princess is the Successor to the King

The nightly meeting was both a celebration and a mourning session. A celebration because the battle was won, and a mourning session to remember the fallen. The king of the Red Sands was jovial, knowing that the Queen's forces were decimated. There would be no more attack tomorrow.

Alas, it was not to be. Words arrived at the encampment that another 30,000 of the Queen's soldiers were arriving. Where as the combined number of their troops were merely thousands. All hope seemed lost. They passed the words to seek the council of the Great King, hoping that he can lead them to victory once more, but any hope of victory was dashed, knowing that the wounds were too many, and the Great King can no longer fight.

The Great King listened carefully to what the other kings have to say. Then he said, "I cannot help you tomorrow. The way I see it, the numbers of the soldiers are surely exagerrated. Furthermore, they are most likely raw recruits, without any benefit of training whatsoever. We have skilled warriors with us, and have experienced hard battle, too. There is no doubt in my mind that our soldiers will win the day!"

"But there are so many enemy soldiers!" they complained. "Certainly, we shall be overwhelmed simply due to numbers! We have to surrender!"

"There will be time to surrender, if that is the proper course of action."

"Do you think we can still win?"

"I don't know." the Great King said, "But I know who does."

"Who?"

"My daughter. She will lead you to victory."

Everybody went into uproar at once. "A woman!?" "Still too young!" "Not a soldier!" "She can't fight!"

The Great King held up his hand, silencing the critics. The Princess was confused. "Father! Certainly, you don't mean me?" asked the Princess.

The Great King closed his eyes, resting a bit. Everybody was waiting to hear what he has to say. Finally, he looked at the other kings. He said, "Many times I wished that she was a boy. It was not to be, but she took up battle lessons as well as, if not better than her brothers. She is perfectly capable in handling personal combat, as well as commanding an army. Listen to her, and you will win the battle."

"Can we really win the battle?" asked the king of Red Sands.

"I don't know." said the Princess.

"Then, why lead us?"

The Great King sighed. "She may have the talent, but she cannot make decision without information, _nor should she_. That is the difference between her and other people. She alone can set aside emotion and objectively judge the situation. Other people are swayed by their emotion and will make mistakes. She will not. Talk to her, and listen to her. That is all I ask."

"We will not listen to her and we will not submit to her rule." grumbled the prince of Tall Grooves. The king of Tall Groove said, "We will be happy to submit ourselves to you, oh Great King. But to submit to a woman? She has no experience in battle. No woman has. Please, oh Great King, reconsider your decision!"

"That is where you're wrong, my friend. She has proven herself in battle. She alone turned away 2000 troops, flanking our position from behind. She duelled the Queen and won. She can read the battle formation and deduce correctly what was happening."

"She fought the Queen! And won? Does that mean the Queen is dead?"

"The Queen is not dead, and I doubt she would be here had she killed the Queen. So, I'm thankful for that. There will be another chance tomorrow if that is the proper course of action."

"So, we should listen to her?" asked the king of the Tall Groove. "You are my dearest friend, but you are asking a lot. Is this a wise decision?"

"I alone faced 20 times my number and barely survived. She faced 2000, and not a scratch on her. If you wish to heed me, my friend, then heed her, for she is so many times better than her old man. That is my advice to you. I have no other."

All eyes were upon the king of Tall Groove. Any decision he makes will be binding to the group. Would he trust the Princess? He looked at her, examining her carefully. The Princess, perfectly aware of this, stood still, being very neutral, as to not give one indication or another. Finally the king of Tall Groove sighed. He said, "Well, at the very least, we should give her benefit of the doubt. Let's listen to what she has to say, and if the plan is good, we will follow her. But if the plan is bad, there is enough time to leave or even surrender, if that becomes necessary."

Heads were nodding, agreeing that it is a wise decision. The king of the Red Sand asked the Princess, "So, what do you want us to do?"

The Princess thought hard. There was not enough information to give specific order. She needed time to think, but what would be a good course of action available now?

"Let us celebrate our victory for today." the Princess said. "Also, to remember our fallen friends. Let us gather together tonight and dine in their memories. Say a few words for their bravery, so that their deeds would not be forgotten." Everybody was nodding their heads in agreement. "Then take an early rest. We need to wake up before dawn, and be able to fight at first light."

"At first light?" the King of Dry Marsh asked.

"The arriving troops are being force marched to arrive here by tonight. If we can attack them by dawn, they are surely won't be rested. And if we can deprive them of breakfast, then even better."

"Very clever! I like you already." said the King of Dry Marsh. "Oh Great King, I hope you don't find it offensive if I extend an invitation to the Princess to our land?"

The Great King laughed. "It's too early for that. Go have your celebration, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Everybody agreed to that and left the tent for the Great Hall where dinner awaited. The Princess looked at Opa. Opa's face expression was stern.

"Yes, Opa? Do you have something to say?" asked the Princess.

"Just remember, Princess, that you command the whole troops." said Opa. "That means you are not to ride into battle all by yourself as you are wont to do!" Opa understood the Princess perfectly. The Princess blushed.

"Alright, Opa. I will remember your advice." Opa relaxed a bit. The princess continued, "But Opa, I have in need of your service. May I have it?"

Opa was surprised. "Princess, I will serve you to the end of my days, but my sword carrying days are long past."

"I need you to go to the celebration tonight and listen to the stories. Who was brave? Who was strong? Who was cowardly? Who can be depended to fight well, and who is inexperienced in battle?" The princess said, "Opa, you have a lot of experience in combat that you are able to tell the kind of soldiers they have, just by listening to their stories!"

Opa nodded, "Aye, princess. That I can do." He left to do some fact-finding.

"And father, I need your help, too." The Princess said.

"Daughter, I will gladly give you my life. But it will be many days before I can ride again."

"Father, I need to know what were the enemy formations? What was the thinking behind each formation? And how is their command, communication, and control structure look like?"

The Great King smiled. "I see that I have chosen wisely." And he began tutoring his daughter in the art of battle.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 15

15. The Princess Returns

The princess watched the dejected troops turned around. Once she was satisfied that the troops really turned back, she mounted her horse and signaled the horsemen to return to camp. What she saw shocked and horrified her.

The various groups that was united in fighting were all over the battlefield. Her father's group were nowhere to be seen. Although the battle was won, there was no sign of her father. She hurriedly rode toward the encampment. There she heard the terrible news. Her father was grieviously wounded!

Quick as lighting, she ran into her father's tent. The Great King was there, with Opa and Oma beside him. He was lying down on the cot, with bandages all over his body. The princess gave a cry and pushed people away to be with her father, her eyes shone with worry.

"Father!" the princess cried, "Are you alright? What happened?" The princess was beside herself. Opa grabbed her and calmed her down. He was having trouble controlling the princess until Oma touched the princess's hands.

"Your father is just fine, princess." Oma said. "Please calm down." The princess calmed down. Her eyes still filled with worry. Opa released her. He was overwhelmed.  Oma brought the princess carefully to the king's cot.

"Ah, you're here at last." The Great King said. "Where were you?"

"I was trying to persuade the enemy not to fight." replied the princess.

"Were you successful?"

"I failed. To a man, they will join the Queen and fight us."

"That's not true, princess." The Captain has joined them. "You turned away 2000 men today."

"I wasn't talking about those troops." said the princess.

"Ah, so you did turn away 2000 soldiers." The King said. "Please tell me more."

"I will." said the Princess. "But first tell me how you came to be wounded. When I looked over the battle, you had everything under control. What happened?"

"We were routing the foot soldiers on the ground when a large group of cavalry attacked us. The men panicked and ran. There were only 2 groups who stood and fight. Ours and the Dry Marsh's men. We took the brunt of the attack because otherwise the Marsh's men would not survive. We just managed to destroy the cavalry when the rest of the enemy foot soldiers came crashing into us. We weren't well formed to handle the foot soldiers after fighting the horses. I'm afraid, we lost a lot of good men." The King looked sad.

"But you are the greatest warrior of the land!" said the princess. "How can you be wounded so?"

Opa answered, "The King was as strong as ever and can easily handle 10 times his number. But he was facing 20 times his number. It was a miracle that he fought so hard, and still lived."

The princess tearfully listened to Opa.

Opa said, "Don't worry. None of his wounds are fatal nor permanent. He will need a good long rest, but he will be fine."

Opa's word calmed the princess. Then, with tears still streaming down her cheek, the princess knelt by her father's cot and said, "Father, please forgive this daughter, for I have been disobedient." She bowed her head, downcast. "I left your side during battle when you needed me most."

"In deed, you worried me, daughter. You were just as reckless as your brothers, if not more." the King said. "But you did not abandon me during battle." the King looked at his daughter carefully. "Did you not say that you turned 2000 men away? I didn't see them. Where were they?"

"In a flanking maneuver, for a rear attack." said the Princess. Then she told her father all about her encounter with the troops and the Queen, and how she challenged them to a duel, and managed to win.

The Great King smiled. She was becoming a magnificent warrior in her own right. He felt great pangs. If only she was a boy, then the kingdom would be saved. Alas, there was only a daughter left.

Opa, too, was proud of her, but he was not happy. He judged the Princess to be too reckless. He will need to talk to her about it. Especially since the King has been wounded and will not be able to fight anytime soon.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 14

14. The Queen

The Queen was watching the progress of battles. Her main force was composed of veteran soldiers and they fought well. However, the enemy fought better than she thought. The Great Warrior King made his impact felt. He was using the different kingdom's troops to disorient the soldiers. Hence her attack was blunted. In time, her main force was being decimated.

Yet, she had an ace in her hand. She had sent an expeditionary force to attack the unguarded enemy flank. Even though this group is composed of inexperienced soldiers, given enough distraction, the defense may falter. Yet, there was no sign of them coming out.

The Queen was wondering about it. When she saw a group of men walking back to her base camp. Peering through the glass, she saw that it was her expeditionary troop. The enemy must have stationed a defending force there. She had to make a quick decision.

"Send in the cavalry to help the main force." the Queen said. "Bring me my horse!" Her orders were obeyed and the Queen rode her horse to her expeditionary force.

Meanwhile, the Princess was dueling with the enemy troops. Soldier after soldiers was wounded, in the arm, in the leg, in the cheek. She handled her sword easily, without effort. The old warrior who was her first opponent slowly realized what a great swordwomen she was.

"So, you are right-handed?" asked the old warrior.

"Yes, I am." replied the princess.

"Then why fight me with your left hand?"

"Because you are so used to fighting right-handed people. By fighting with my left hand, I have nullified your speed by sacrificing my strength. Since you are much stronger to begin with, losing my strength did not matter." said the princess.

The old warrior must admit that it was clever of her to think of it. That she also have a relaxed fighting style that enabled her to keep her stamina up. The old warrior doubt that he could fight as long as she had. One by one, the soldiers lost their duel with the princess.

Some of the soldiers were wounded worse than others, and the princess suggested that they return immediately, instead of waiting for the duel to finish, which could take all day. Still, it was interesting to watch the duel, and no soldier took up the offer.

One of the soldier was stubborn. Even though the princess had clearly drawn blood, he was still fighting. In the end, the princess kicked him in the stomach, and he went down. The princess then turned around to take on another soldier in line for the duel, when the downed soldier rose and ran after her. He didn't so much to say a word, but his face expression clearly showed murder in his intent.

The rest of the troops felt this was unfair and cheating, but the events happened so quickly that they couldn't do anything. The backstabbing soldier brought his sword down from behind onto the princess. The princess didn't even hesitate as she blocked the rearward blow without looking and smoothly spun around, slashing her blade to her opponent's body, cutting his chest open, and without missing a step, resumed her walk back to the troops as the soldier gasped his last breath in the field.

Looking at this, half the soldier took out their knive and cut their hand. Sarge was surprised. "Hey, what are you doing?" he addressed his troops.

"Sorry, Sarge. She got me! I'm bleeding!" was the general answer.

The Old Sarge was a compassionate man, and he cared about his soldiers very much, but this was clearly an act of cowardice, and he doesn't mince words regarding the matter. His screams and insults made the soldiers cowers even more. He was deep into his shoutings when the princess interrupted him.

"Sarge," the princess said quietly, "Let them go."

Sarge was hotly berating his men. Upon hearing these words, he stopped. He looked at the princess, and saw that her facial expression was that of compassion. He sighed.  Then to his men, he said, "Those of you who doesn't want to fight her, go back!"

"Thank you." said the princess.

"Let's take a quick break." Sarge said. "You must be tired after all that duelings. Why don't you rest a bit before continuing?"

"Thank you again, Sarge. You're a good man after all." said the Princess.

When the Queen arrived, she saw that there was no enemy troops and that everybody was just sitting around, chatting amiably. This does not suit her at all! She glowered at Sarge, who avoided her gaze by looking at the ground. A quick scan by the Queen told her plenty. Her attention focused directly to the princess. She rode her horse to the princess. The princess stood up, ready to receive the Queen.

"Are you the cause of my troops being turned back?" The Queen's words were cold as ice.

"Yes, I am. I have been fighting your troops." replied the princess.

In response, the Queen took out her pistol and aimed it at the princess.

"Hold it." said the Captain pulling out his pistol and aimed it at the Queen. The rest of the horsemen followed suit. "Our princess has fought all these soldiers single-handedly and won. I doubt you will last a mere 50 of us." He was referring to him and his horsemen. For a time, no one moved.

"Captain," the princess said, "give me your pistol." The captain said nothing but threw his pistol to the princess. She caught it easily and thrusted it onto her belt. Then she looked at the Queen. The Queen put her pistol back to its holster.

"I challenge you to a duel. If I can shoot the feather upon your hat, I win, and you will turn your troops back." said the princess.

"A duel implies 2 participants. If you are to shoot at me, then I am to shoot at you." replied the Queen.

"That's fair."

"Yet, while I have a tall feather upon my hat, you do not have. What should I aim for?" asked the Queen.

"You may nick my arm, if you wish." replied the princess.

The Queen smiled. It would be easy enough to "accidentally" shoot her body. "Very well, then. If all you want to do is shoot at my feather, I accept!"

Quick as blink, by the time the Queen voiced "-cept", the princess whipped out her pistol and shot the feather off the Queen's hat. The feather flopped down to the Queen's face. She was dumbfounded.

The princess threw back the pistol to the Captain who caught it easily. "I win." said the princess. "Turn back your troops."

The Queen was livid. Her face was red with anger. But she had nothing left to say. She had agreed to the conditions and had no choice but to order her troops to turn back.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 13

13. The Princess and the Army

The Princess and the Old Warrior circled each other warily. They did not immediately attack one another as one would suppose. Each understood that their opponent was very skilled and experienced in sword play. By moving their swords in the air, they judged their opponents reaction time, response action, and above all their skill and familiarity with the sword. Brute force alone is not enough.

The princess did the first attack, but it wasn't aimed at the head or the body. It was aimed at the tip of the sword. She was striking the warrior's sword tip with her blade's body. The old warrior was impressed. There are precious few who could do that with precision demonstrated by the princess. It also showed him that she knew how to handle a sword. The tip is used for cutting and piercing while the body is for parrying and blocking. By attacking the tip with the body, in effect, she was blunting his sword.

The old warrior was a proud fighter. He immediately engaged in a series of thrusting maneuvers. Their distance was such that the thrusting maneuver was ineffective. He did it to gauge the enemy's resolve. Most people would panic seeing a very sharp sword coming to their face, and would attempt to block the thrusts. The princess didn't even blink. She kept her relaxed attitude and blunting the tip whenever it suited her. Otherwise, she'd just acted non-chalant about it. The old warrior was definitely impressed.

Then the princess started to angle her attacks. Her goal was the opponent's wrist. His hand was well protected, but depending upon angle, his wrist and forearm were vulnerable. Normally, in a fight, it is inadvisable to attack those target, but since this was a duel, a scratch there would be enough to win the duel.

It was clear to both combatant that the old warrior had the strength advantage, while the princess had the speed advantage. Yet, her speed wasn't that much faster than the old warrior's while his strength greatly outmatched hers. In short order, the old warrior began a series of strikes that the princess could hardly match and she was pushed backward, desperately maintaining her advantage.

It looked for a while that the princess would lose, but she cleverly stepped back at angles, and the old warrior would stumble and had to reset his approach. The fact that the princess was holding her sword left handed contributed to the disruptions of attack. It was clear, though, that the princess had no strength with her arm.

Finally, the old warrior began to tire, and the princess stepped up the attack. Apparently, the princess did not tire at all. She was as quick and agile as before, while the old warrior kept slowing down. The old warrior decided that since the princess was so weak, he would press the attack savagely and blow the princess away!

But the princess did the unexpected. Instead of stepping back or blocking weakly, she suddenly grasped the sword with both hands and jumped into the attack! Her angle was perfect. Her sword trapped the old warrior's swords and her point was perfectly angled toward his stomach. Her body weighted the sword down, and it looked like the old warrior would have his stomach pierced by the sword.

Only by reacting quickly and jumped back did the old warrior managed to avoid being stabbed in the stomach. The distance between the combatants widened and there's a lull in the duel. The princess smiled.

The old warrior recovered quickly. "That was a nice thrust, indeed. I didn't expect that."

"Yes. I have been hiding my techniques. I have shown you only a partial skill set. By suddenly employing more technique, I can surprise my opponent. Truthfully, I didn't expect you to successfully dodge that thrust. Most people would stubbornly block it, and end up with a sword in their gut."

The old warrior smiled ruefully. "I had always done it when I was young. Sometime between then and now, I learned to disengage when facing unfamiliar technique. No doubt that's what saved me."

"Indeed." the princess agreed. "It takes a lot of hurt to be learned. I'm glad you learned it."

"Well, then, shall we continue?" asked the old warrior.

"No need. I have won." replied the princess.

"Huh?" The old warrior is confused. "One failed strike did not a victory make. There's plenty more to do!"

The princess pointed down to the old warrior leg. There was a blood drop on his pants. The old warrior then saw it, too. "I didn't even feel that." said the old warrior.

"The terms of the duel is 'First blood'. Whoever draws the first blood wins the duel. Since I did, therefore I win." said the princess. "Even a single drop is enough to win the duel. Isn't that right?" The last question was directed to Sarge.

Sarge had no choice but to agree.

"Then according to our agreement, you will turn back the troops." said the princess.

"But I can't do that!" protested Sarge. "I have two thousand soldiers and it is folly to turn back just by a single duel!"

"Then you shouldn't have agreed to the terms to begin with." said the princess. "I'm *so* disappointed in you." she added as an afterthought.

For some reason, this stung Sarge badly. To be chided by a girl. The princess was about to signal her horsemen to attack the troops when Sarge said, "Now wait a minute. I'm an honorable soldier and I will turn back the troops." The princess eyed him cooly. "But I can't turn back on a single duel! There may be more soldiers who wants to duel with you and capture you as a prize!"

The princess looked at the oncoming troops. "Who will duel with me?" she asked in a tired manner. "After all, I beat your best swordsman!"

Sarge addressed his troops. "Who wants to duel this woman and claim a prize by bringing her back as prisoner?" All the troops raised their hands. Everybody wanted a duel with her!

The princess sighed. She looked at Sarge. Sarge smiled triumphantly. "Well, then," the princess said to Sarge, "Start lining them up." She reluctantly faced the eager soldiers who promptly lined up.

In all appearances, she looked tired and dejected, yet inside she was thrilled! Her goal of turning back the enemy troop without bloodshed was accomplished! Now to survive the duel with enemy troops, in which she had been doing quite successfully for quite a long, long time.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 12

12. A flank attack

The Princess, the Captain, and the rest of the horsemen rode together for some time. Then the princess indicated that they should stop and rest. They did so in the dark, without raising fire. When the sun rises, they ate their travelling ration and kept going.

After a time, the princess frowned. It was just instinct, but just as shamans have access to the world's spirits, so do the princess to the heart of men. She felt unease that has no indications that it should be so. The princess was unsure. She looked around to the riders, but none felt was amiss.

The princess had enough experience with the bad feelings not to dismiss it out of hand, but did not want to frighten the group unnecessarily. Here in the desert, there's not much place to hide, but there were some. They headed that way.

In an oasis, there was a group of men, guarding some carriages. It was soon apparent that these belong to the Queen. The princess gave the universal sign of peace when approaching. The group of men let the armed cavalry approach them.

"Greetings, men, I have never seen you here before. Where do you haul from?" The princess gambled that these are not soldiers and had no wish to fight a clearly determined cavalry.

"Ah, we're from the land yonder." A man indicated the direction of the Queen's.

"Thank you. Will you tell us where she is?" asked the princess. "We've been looking for her."

The men was unsure who this group of cavalry is, but since the Princess was clearly the leader, and that they only know one female leader that is the Queen, it was natural that it was assumed that the group was part of the follow up soldiers that would be coming to join the Queen's soldier.

"Her majesty had finished all the preparations this morning. You have just missed her. She is now leading an attack to the rebel's encampment."

If the princess was upset, she gave no indication of it. Her men on the horse, though, became rigid. "Do you know how many groups and which direction?" asked the princess, "I don't wish to join the wrong side." she added with a grin on her face.

The man laughed. "I do not know exactly, but there are at least three. But if you go toward that direction, there are some hills far enough and high enough to see the battle field and see what's going on."

The princess thanked the man profusely and signalled the group to move on. They rode for the hills. The Captain rode beside her.

"Princess, aren't you worried about your father?" asked the Captain.

"No, captain. There's not much profit in that. We'll check the situation first, and only after we know what's happening, do we worry about it." replied the princess.

The Captain marvelled at her discipline. Soon enough they came to the hills. It wasn't much, just a little rise and scattered boulders, but high enough to make battle formations and close enough to tell what's going on.

The field of battle was plain. The encampment was on one side, while the Queen's forces were on the other side. There was the Queen with her personal guards on one side. Then there was her cavalry, waiting for her order, and the main force coming at an angle toward the encampment.

The rebels forces were composed of several groups, each belonged to each kingdom. The princess saw that her father was in the center, directing each group to fight the battle. The groups stood between the encampment and the enemy.

The princess frowned. She looked over the the previous day enemy location and noticed that the soldiers did not follow a straight line approach toward the encampment. Although maneuvering is an important component to battle, she saw little use for it in the open space of the desert. She decided to ask her father later when she joined in. She looked over to the Captain.

"Captain, what do you think?"

"I think that your father will succeed brilliantly. By keeping each kingdom to their group, there will be no problem in control and communication." the Captain said. "Furthermore, there seems to be discipline problem with the enemy. They move together, but not like good soldiers would."

The Princess frowned. The Captain hasn't noticed the slight angle of approach. When she pointed this out to the Captain, he merely shrugged.

"What do you expect from a bunch of inexperienced soldiers?" said the Captain.

"I expect them to go straight to the enemy." replied the Princess.

"Then why the offset?" asked the Captain.

"I don't know." said the Princess. "I bet father knows. Come on, let's join them."

The group rode down the hills led by the princess, when the princess hesitated, then slowed down.

"Princess? What's the matter?" asked the Captain.

The Princess was looking down past the hills they just left and toward  a small group of trees that was lining up the river. It would make a good hiding place. Then she looked at the encampment and the enemy position, and mentally drew a line. An inspiration struck her, and she let them down the path between the tree and the encampment.

Everybody was wondering why she did so when she stopped, and jumped off from the horse. "Captain! Come and look at this!" she looked at the ground very carefully.

The Captain saw it, too, as soon as they're close. He jumped down from his horse and followed a faint line. Then he pushed his fist to the sand in several places. Finally he looked up to the Princess. "I'd say they're about several hours away."

"Several hours? That means they left before sunrise, and ... " the princess words trailed away. She and the Captain had the same idea at the same time. They ran to their horses. The Captain signaled "Battle Formation" to the group. Immediately, the men prepared for battle.

The princess led them to the edge of the trees. And she found them. A group of soldiers were walking among the trees, slowly approaching the encampment from behind. She signaled to the group and the trumpet blared and the banner was raised high. This was the cavalry of the Kingdom of the Hidden Valley.

She rode the group close to the soldiers, making sure that they see her, but otherwise took no action. She rode to the head of the column, which at that moment was crossing a break through to the trees before going into the next one.

The leader, "The Old Sarge", was surprised to see a group of horsemen rode toward his location _from behind_. He was even more surprised that the group was in fact his enemy. And he was downright befuddled when the enemy did not attack. His troops were strung out in the open and it would be a trying task, indeed, had the enemy attacked.

However, nothing surprised him more to realize that the leader of the horsemen was a young woman. She signaled to the group to wait for her, then rode to the Sarge. She saluted in a warrior's manner. The Sarge was too experienced to let this unnerved him, and he replied in the same manner.

"I see that you fly the Queen's banner. Do you fight for her?" asked the princess.

"Yes, we do, and you are?" asked the Sarge.

"I am a princess of the Kingdom of the Hidden Valley. I implore you to return to your base, and not attack our encampment."

The Old Sarge thought about this for a moment. "I'm afraid that is impossible, for it is her direct order that we should attack the encampment. So, that is what we will do." He was surprised that the Princess merely nodded her assent.

"Are you a good and honorable soldier?" asked the princess.

"Yes, I am." said the Sarge. "We all are."

"Can I trust your words?"

"Yes, you can."

"Then, I challenge you to a duel. First blood. If you lose, you will turn back your troops." said the princess.

"And if I win?" asked the Sarge.

"You may have me as your prisoner." said the princess.

The horsemen gasped at her statement. The Captain implored, "Princess, that is inadvisable."

The Sarge realized that the princess acted brashly. He could and should take advantage of it. "Why?"

"If we have to fight, my men will cut you down by the hundreds." said the princess.

"There are 2000 of us here, and we will prevail at the end."

"Perhaps, but you will no longer have the men to accomplish your mission." said the princess.

"Meaning?" asked the Sarge.

"Either we cut down all your troops and you fail your mission, having lost all your soldiers, or you turn back now, fail your mission, but keep all your troops intact to fight another day." said the princess.

"There must be a way for us to win. We are professional soldiers, after all." said Sarge.

"Or, you can somehow, miraculously, defeat a young girl in a duel, manage to capture her as prisoner, and find out that she is a prized princess of the enemy, and return with a precious bounty on your hand." said the princess.

This, Sarge admitted, was what she offered in the first place. But is there a trick to it? He was mulling about it, when the princess drew her sword. "Wait," said Sarge. "I haven't agreed to your demand, yet."

The princess said nothing, but merely pointed with her chin toward the tree lines. Sarge saw that his troops were filtering out of the trees. Soon, the field will be filled with his troops. He realized that the enemy had only 50 horsemen, and that if they want to strike, the time is now.

An old soldier strode to The Old Sarge side. He said, "Why not take her challenge? I'll beat her soon enough, and we can be on our way again."

Sarge look at the veteran, then at the Princess. "Can I trust your men not to interfere?"

"These men are at my command. You can trust me." The princess replied. "Can I trust you?"

"You can trust me." said Sarge.

"Then shall we have our duel?" asked the princess.

"Yes, we will." Sarge signaled the old warrior. The old warrior gave his battle axe to Sarge and drew out his sword.

The princess dismounted her horse, and met the old warrior head on. After looking at the old warrior carefully, she casually and imperceptibly transferred her sword to her left hand. And the duel was on!

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 11

11. Our Princess Has Marked You.

When the youth went outside, he was surprised that he wasn't alone. The whole village was awake. He sought his friends and found that they, too, have the same wound as he had.

"You, too?" asked somebody. The youth nodded, and people began washing and dressing his wound.

"How many did she wound?" asked the youth.

"Everybody."

"Everybody?" asked the youth, incredilous.

"Everybody." the answer was firm.

Then a sound of horse riding came along. The Captain of the Cavalry of Hidden Valley along with 50 horsemen were looking for the princess. He has visited many villages, looking for her. It took some time before he came to her trail, and some more time before he figured out what she wanted to do. He disapprove of this, of course, but the princess was headstrong. Yet, inexperienced. What if she fell into an enemy trap? Quickly, the Captain went from one village after another, seeking her.

The Captain and his horsemen came into the village finally. "Excuse me good people," the captain greeted the villager, "but I am looking for a traveller. A fair young woman on a horse, who ... but ah! I see our princess has marked you!" The captain saw that a group of young men were huddling together with their hand bandage identically.

The villagers were surprised. "A princess!? Here in this village?"

"Indeed." confirmed the Captain. "Where did she go, if I may ask?"

The villages looked around themselves. Finally, the youth pointed to his hut. "She's still here."

The Captain was relieved. Finally, he found her! So, he rode toward the hut, dismounted, and carefully entered the hut.

Inside, he found a very unexpected scene. The princess was crying on a old woman's shoulder.

"Princess?" the Captain said, "Your father is looking for you."

The old woman was surprised. "Are you really a princess?"

The princess nodded.

"Why? Why come here yourself?"

"I was trying to dissuade you from joining the Queen. I failed." said the princess.

"It can't be helped. These youth nowadays." said the old woman, comforting her.

"If only I can delay it a few more days, then it won't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because then the prophesied child will be born, and peace will come throughout the lands." said the princess.

The Captain was not so convinced. Peace may indeed come, but it won't be easy. The princess was just learning that fact.

"Come princess." he implored, "You did what you can. Those youths won't be joining the Queen anytime soon. That is enough. Your father is worried about you. Let's go back soon."

The princess nodded and disengaged from the old woman. "May you live in peace. I wish I can help you, but we do not come from rich kingdom. And our kingdom is so far away. Advice is given freely, but I fear we cannot give you food like the Queen can."

The old woman nodded her understanding. "How does the Queen do it?"

"By taking food from the rich kingdom, and spread it among the poor." The princess replied. "But there are more poor kingdoms than not, so in effect, it causes everybody to be poor." The princess continued, "Since not many people wants to be poor, corruption is rampant, and that will cause even more sufferings."

The old woman understood this too well. The princess continued. "We have a different way of helping. We will gladly share our farming and hunting techniques so that you can farm and hunt better, and raise yourself up. Then you won't be so poor anymore." The old woman was listening. "But it does take time to learn the skills. Time that not many people seems to want to spare.

"Yet, in the time that it takes for you to learn how to fight, you can easily learn how to farm, or how to hunt. It's just the difference between whether you want to do it yourself, or to want others to make the decisions for you."

"We have been told what to do for many years." said the old woman.

The princess nodded. "It's not so bad when you have good leaders." agreed the princess, "but bad things happen when you have corrupt leaders. And the Queen, from what I hear, is quick to punish, and does not listen to advice but her own. She's not a good leader."

The old woman said nothing. The princess said nothing. There was nothing anybody can do about it. The Captain waited patiently, and finally, the princess looked at the Captain. "Let's go." she said. They left the old woman alone to her fate.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 10

10. The duel (among enemies)

It was early in the morning, albeit still very dark when there was a knocking at the door. In a modest hut, in a village, a visitor came knocking. An old woman answered the door. When she opened the door, she saw a figure draped in travelling cloak. There was some unease background noise, but the figure quickly walked into the hut and carefully closed the door behind her.

The Wishing Princess had been coming door-to-door, and this time it's no different.

"Yes? What do you want?" asked the old woman.

"I heard that here lives a young man who wants to join the Queen's army today." said the princess.

"Yes, there is. Wait here. Let me get him to you. Please sit down." It was a modest room. Bare of the usual excess. Even to the princess, who was used to see functional rooms, this one felt particularly empty.

A young man entered the room a short time later. "Are you the recruiter from the Queen?" he asked her. "You're very early."

"No, I'm not. I'm here representing the people you will be fighting later today." said the princess.

"In other words, enemy!" said the youth, surprised.

"Yes. I am."

"Then, then, ... why are you here?" asked the youth, stammered.

"I'm here to challenge you to a duel." said the princess. "If I win, you will not join the Queen. If I lose, you may join her."

"A duel? Here? Against a woman?" asked the youth.

"Yes. Is that a problem? Do we have a deal?" said the princess.

"That's no problem. We have a deal." said the youth, fetching his sword. The princess directed them to move the table and the bench to the side to make room. After that, the customary dueling salute. And the duel began.

It wasn't much of a duel. Everytime the youth strike, the princess not only successfully parry, but also engaged in a skillful _riposte_. After a while, the princess simply brought down her blade to the youth's hand and the resulting strike caused the youth's blade to fall to the floor.

"I win." said the princess evenly. "Now you have to live up to our agreement and not join the Queen."

The youth stared at his cut hand. Then he looked at the princess. "How can I be beaten by a woman?"

"I am just a woman in the group. There are many good fighting men, and together, we will kill you if you dare resist us!" The princess said it loud and clear that it will happen as she stipulated.

The youth looked down to the floor, grasping his bleeding hand. The princess continued. "You need to take care of that wound. Wash it with some clean water and wrap it. It will take a few days to heal, and a few weeks before it is as good as before."

The old woman started to move around, but the youth simply stared at the princess. "I will still join the Queen!" he stated emphatically.

"You can't." said the princess. "Not with that wound."

"If not now, then later."

"You will be killed." said the princess. "We will kill you!"

"I don't care. I am willing to die for the glory of the Queen!"

"Why? Why her? Why not somebody else?" asked the princess.

"Because she's the biggest and strongest of them all. She managed to conquer all the kingdoms that stood in her way. That's why! It's just so easy to side with the victor!"

The princess raised her blade, adopting a thrusting stance. The youth simply stood proud. The old woman gasped and began pleading for the youth's life. For a few moments, there's only the old woman's pleading.

Then, the princess's face expression became that of sadness, and she began to cry. The old woman was confused, but the youth still stood firm. The princess finally sagged, her strength faded away from her and she sat on the bench crying. The old woman recognized a genuine sadness when she saw one, and so she pushed the youth to the door, to go outside, while she herself sat by the princess. The princess buried her face on the old woman's shoulder. The old woman hugged her close.

"Why? Why would they march to their deaths? Can't you see that is what will happen if you join the Queen?" the princess was just crying her eyes out. The old woman tried her best to comfort the princess, but she did not know what to do.

Finally, the old woman said, "There are many huts in the village. I'm sure not everybody will join the Queen."

But the princess kept crying. "You don't understand! This is the last one! I've gone from village to village, hut to hut, and *everybody* wants to fight! Why can't they just want to live in peace with everybody? Why do they have to fight?"

"Everybody?" asked the old woman.

The princess nodded, and kept crying on her shoulder.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 9

9. The Princess is Missing

The Queen's soldiers began arriving in numbers in late morning. By early afternoon, the soldiers deployment is complete, yet still, they did not attack. By late afternoon, another group of soldiers arrived at the scene. There was a group of horse riders with all kind of banners. In the center, rode a woman, richly dressed, wearing a helmet with a tall feather on it.

"That's the Queen." said the king of Three Mountains.

"Better send a messenger, quickly, before she decides to attack us." replied the Great King of the Hidden Valley.

So, a messenger rode to the group and talked to the Queen, explaining their desire to parley. After some heated exchanges between the Queen and her advisor, the Queen rode to the middle of the battlefield.

"Let's meet her." said the Great King, as he rode away to meet her.

The Queen, also known as "the old prune", sized up the situation quickly. The enemy was well rested and prepared for battle. Her troops were tired from forced marched. So, a parley was advisable, to let her know the situation and the best action to take.

"Greetings to the Queen," said the King of the Red Sand. "I welcome you to our land. What can we do for you?" He said it as a congenial host may be in greeting his guests.

The Queen replied, "I heard that a prophesied child will be born here. Lead me to him." She was cold and direct, and acted with disdain.

"The child is not yet born. We must wait."

"I don't want to wait. Do you see that my soldiers are already arrayed for battle? I can crush you easily."

The King of the Red Sand became unbalanced. He was not prepared to have a battle on his land. It was the Great King who replied. "Indeed, they are well formed. I can see your skill in battle formation." The Queen narrowed her eyes at this statement. "But I can also see that they are tired. If you engage us today, there will be many casualties, so much that the entire army may cease to exists. Is the Queen's army so large that the loss of the whole troops is inconsequential?"

The Queen immediately raised her appraisal of the Great King. This man, she decided, represented her greatest threat. "And what do you proposed we do?" the Queen sneered, "That we should just stand here staring at each other?"

"I suggest that you make your encampment there. There is no rush. We certainly will not be going anywhere until the child is born. We will still be here tomorrow and the day after that. Why not use the time to relax a bit and have a talk? We may come to an agreement after all."

"I have no desire to possess a pocket of sand." replied the Queen. "I do possess the desire to destroy anyone who oppose me!"

"There is no one here to oppose you. All of us of the various kingdoms of the land met in peace. And we will welcome you to, with open arms. A meeting of the kings and their advisor."

"Is that so?" The Queen was skeptical.

"Indeed, it is so." said the king of the Red Sand. "I have been hosting dinner every night, and it is my pleasure and privilege to serve so many distinguished guests over dinner." He was respectful at all times.

"So, how about you come to our dinner, in a few hours time?" The Great King said, "It will be our pleasure to talk with you. Let's discuss our differences and come to an agreement."

"Why don't you come to me for my dinner?" asked the Queen.

"Ah, but all the preparations have been done, and I cannot move the location of the feast." said the King of Red Sand. "But have no fear, your highness, for I myself guarantee your safety and comfort."

"It is not my nature to have dinner among enemies." said the Queen. "But I can send my regent to at least have a talk with you."

"Then it will be our pleasure to welcome him." said the king of Red Sand. With that, the parley is concluded and the united kingdoms have secured another day of safety.

The dinner went poorly. The Queen's Regent was a boor. Demanding and insulting in every way, he ruined the mood of the dinner. "The Queen will not accept anything less that total surrender." said the Regent.

"What does it mean, 'total surrender'?"

"It means," said the Regent haughtily, "your lands belong to her. Your houses belong to her. Your food belong to her. You will yield and surrender to her everything that you own."

"Why would we want to do that?"

"If you do not do so, you will be killed."

"And if we do so, we will die of starvation." said the king of Red Sand. "Open your eyes and look around! There is nothing but sand! We can barely survive as it is, any less and people will not survive at all."

"That is your problem." said the Regent.

Everybody in the room just shook their heads. There is no reasoning with the Queen. This was obvious. The cost is just too great. There is no question that the Queen meant to destroy them all.

At the end of long discussion, finally the Great King said, "There will be no agreement with the Queen. I'm afraid that I must ask you to inform your Queen that we cannot abide by her terms."

"Then we will crush you like insects!" said the Regent.

"We hope to avoid that, so let us retire to our chambers and rest and resume our discussion tomorrow. However, should you wish for battle, then we are prepared to do so."

"You will be marching to your death!" said the Regent.

"Nevertheless, it will be done that way." said the Great King.

And so, the dinner was concluded. Each went separate way.

The kings of the various kingdoms were preparing for battle the next day. Certainly, the Queen will not let the child be born at all. They must be vigilant and checked all their equipment and horses to prepare for all eventualities.

It was at this moment that the Captain of the Cavalry reported to the Great King in his chamber, that to his eternal regret, he could not find the Princess anywhere. The Great King was non-chalant, though. He quickly figured out that the Princess did not have an accident, nor was she kidnapped. The Princess must have slipped out of camp on her own volition.

"Take 50 horses and search the area. Do not fight for any reason. Avoid making trouble and see if you can find her before long." said the Great King. "There will be battle tomorrow, and I want her safely by my side before the battle commence."

The captain gave a smart salute, and moved toward his men.

The Wishing Princess - Chapter 8

8. Women for Cattle, Princess for Kingdom

After the dinner was concluded, the Great King suggested that they should go to the field and meet with the soldiers, familiarizing themselves with the various soldiers on the kingdoms. This was met with agreement. And so the kings, princes and one princess walked about the field, meeting and chatting with various soldiers.

Having literally grew up among soldiers, the Princess was at ease. She propped her travelling cloak once more and walked like a young male soldier would. She disappeared into the group of men easily. Especially since it was customary for women to wear skirts and dresses, instead of riding pants and battle armor.

Opa went with them. His experience and understanding of warfare proved valuable as to provide them with excellent insights. After the touring is concluded, one by one the kings retires to their tent. The Great King, Opa, and the Princess were the last one to go.

As they were standing alone in the field, the King asked the Princess, "So, daughter, do you see anyone you like?" He was smiling mischiveously.

Opa countered, "It's too early to ask that question. They may not survive the battle."

The Princess had a sharp mind, and in a flash, she understood that her father will not force her into arranged marriage without her consent. In other words, although it was tradition for daughters to be traded away, he would rather do it with a person she loved. Her mind remembered the event when she was first exposed to it.

It was when she was nine years old. It was a day just like any other. She had spent the day with the soldiers, practicing her sword play, and had beaten everybody. She was sitting on her chair, with Oma combing her hair.

"So, then I was able to beat everyone, one after another, except for the captain." The princess was telling Oma how it went. Oma merely smiled.

"So, I suppose he's next. After that, I will beat father in a sword play!" The princess continued. "Wouldn't that be great?"

"No, princess, it wouldn't." said Oma. "I wish you would stop spending so much time with the soldiers, and more time with other girls."

"But Oma! One day I may inherit the kingdom from father. What kind of ruler will I be if I don't know how to engage in sword play?"

"No, princess, you will not inherit the kingdom from your father. In time, you will go to another kingdom and marry their prince. And you will live the rest of your life there."

"But Oma, I don't want to go to another kingdom! I want to live here, with all my friends." Oma sighed understandingly.

"It's tradition princess. It must be done."

"I don't see why it has to be done that way."

Oma kept combing the princess's hair gently. "There are poor families everywhere. They don't have enough to eat. A son is precious, but a daughter is a burden. So if they have a daughter, they'd trade her for cattle, so they can work the field better."

"So, I'm to be traded for a cow?" asked the princess in disbelief.

"No, princess. You will marry a prince." Oma said. The princess sat in silence. "This is a small kingdom. There are many other kingdoms in the land. There may be war, and we need allies. So, your father will pick a good ally and in order to strengthen the bond, you will marry their prince, so that the bond becomes a family bond, and thus very strong."

"Which kingdom do I have to go?" asked the princess.

"I don't know. It's up to your father."

"Will you come and visit?"

"It may be a faraway kingdom. It may even be a kingdom no one ever heard about. I really don't know."

"So, I am to marry a prince I've never met, go to a kingdom I've never gone, to live in a castle I've never been, with people I've never seen. Oh, Oma, how horrible! That is exactly what happens when we banish people from the kingdom!"

Oma merely patiently combing the princess's hair.

And back to this field, with the meeting of kings and their princess. Her father is asking her if there's a suitable suitor for her, and Opa pointed out that such choices at this time is folly as people fall in battle, and as there's a battle coming in two days, her choice may indeed meet untimely death in battle. As such, the choice should be made *after* the battle is concluded.

Understanding this, it was obvious that he loved her dearly, and the princess understood then the depth of a parent's love for his child. She knelt in front of her father, and kissed his hand in a gesture of respect.