I don’t know about you, but I love fairy tales. As a speech pathologist, I know fairy tales can be valuable to teach a variety of language concepts. As a writer, I know fairy tales can teach us how to be better writers. But as a reader, I just like them.

They’re fun and touch an emotional chord within us. After all, almost every girl wants to be a Princess, right?

So having said that, I’ve wanted to write a fairy tale for quite some time. I know what I wanted to accomplish with it, but I’ll let you figure that out on your own. I’d love to hear your comments. I’ll post the story in parts so here’s PART ONE…

ONCE UPON A TIME in a kingdom far, far away there was a girl named Rose. More than anything in the world Rose wanted to become a Princess…

The Ceremony of the  Blessed Vessel

Finally! Finally! Finally!

The day had arrived. After today Rose would no longer be considered a child. The time had come to begin her One True Journey to find her one true love. Or at least that’s what she assumed the journey was about.

What else could it be about?

It was hard to know. Whenever she tried to talk to others about it, they would simply smile and tell her to wait for her time. Well, her time was now.

Soon she would get the answers.

And then she would become a Princess and live happily ever after with her one true love. They would live in a wonderful castle with their beautiful children. How many children?

She sighed…time to stop daydreaming and get on with the day. And a very busy day it would be. First the Ceremony of the Blessed Vessel, then the Games, and finally that night the Ball.

Oh, perhaps she would meet her one true love that very night. How exciting that would be!

Rose stared at the gown waiting for her. It seemed as if the gown had been here forever; but, in fact, she’d only received it on her thirteenth birthday, a scant few months earlier.

As she slipped the gown over her head, her skin tingled as the silk touched her. As much as she’d longed to try it on before, it was forbidden. Had she not followed the rules, something bad would have happened. Like not becoming a princess and that’s what she wanted most in life.

She had no idea how anyone would know if it was done in the secrecy of her own room. But know they did and so she’d followed the rule. Rose had already heard of two such girls in who had done just that.

She shuddered. More than anything she wanted to be a princess. If she didn’t succeed in becoming a Princess, then…then…well she didn’t even want to think the words. It was simply too awful to think about.

Instead, Rose stared at the mirror. That couldn’t be her, could it?

The gown was so beautiful—so perfect. The fitted bodice narrowed at the waist and then flared out in a swirl of pleats.

Surely this would be the most beautiful of all the gowns at the Ball.

The color was hard to describe. It was no color and it was all colors. It shimmered as the late morning sunlight made its way into her window. As if it wasn’t a dress at all but a cloud in the sky. Or perhaps the rippling blue water of the lake. No—a star.

Oh surely she would meet her one true love that very night! And he would see her in this beautiful gown and fall madly in love.

She slipped her feet into the matching glass slippers. Then swirled around and around watching the glimmers and shimmers of the gown. And then…she lost her footing and tumbled to the floor.

“Oh my.” She stared at the mirror once again. Instead of seeing a Princess, all she saw was herself sprawled out on the floor. Perhaps becoming a Princess wouldn’t be as easy as she thought.

Just wearing the shoes seemed to be a problem.

But as her mother often said, “Worthwhile endeavors were never easy but that didn’t mean they should be avoided.”

And Rose had no intention of avoiding it. She didn’t care how hard it was, she wanted to be a Princess—and one she would become!

Rose didn’t know all that she needed to know to become a princess because again it was forbidden to discuss the Journey before the Blessed Vessel Ceremony. The only thing her mother, a Princess in her own right, would ever tell her was that as difficult as it had been, it was well worth it.

But today at The Ceremony of the Blessed Vessel, she would learn.

Finally! Later would be the Ball. Surely it would be the most wonderful night of her life! Well it would be if she met her one true love there. But what if no one asked her to dance?

That’s a good place to stop. More of the adventures of Rose in a few days!