The Princess & The Slave: Part One

To celebrate the release of Talons of the Hawk, I thought I'd showcase one of the stories from inside so that those of you who haven't picked it up can see what you're missing.

So without further delay, allow me to present...

THE PRINCESS 

& THE SLAVE

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in an exotic land very far from here, there lived a princess who was very spoiled.

She was the most beautiful woman in the land with dark skin, long black hair and bright eyes, but she was also the meanest. She and her parents, the king and queen, were served by a thousand slaves but the princess was nasty to every one of them that crossed her path. She didn’t care about their feelings. All she cared about was getting her own way.

And Princess Saffie always got her own way. From morning to night she did whatever she liked and slaves by the dozen were there to see to her every whim.

The king and queen had not always been so wealthy. Theirs was a new kingdom, founded with magic. It was said that the king had started life as the humble servant of a great explorer. They travelled far and wide, exploring the world until one day, in a distant rain-drenched land; he found a precious statuette made of stone that granted the holder anything he desired.

It wasn’t long before the servant became a king and took himself a queen, and when they had a daughter, the king said that she would never want for anything. She would have the childhood he wished he had himself.

He didn’t realise how spoiled and self-important this would make her, but spoiled and self-important Princess Saffie became.

The princess always wondered how it was that her father, the king, amassed his power and on her eighteenth birthday he told her the tale and he showed her the statuette, taking it from the locked stone box in his bed chamber.

It was the image of a hawk with folded wings and a proud stance and within the dark grooves and crevices that marked its body the rock glistened. It had two glistening jewels for eyes that drew the attention hypnotically. Saffie looked on the hawk with wonder when the king told her of its powers and she lusted for it herself. All one had to do, he said, was to hold the hawk tightly and state what was wanted. The magic would make it come true.

She was jealous of the king’s power and thought him selfish to keep it to himself, but when she asked to have it, the king told her no.

Upon his death it would be hers when she was queen but until then she must respect his wishes and never touch it. He said the power to achieve any desire was very dangerous.

Left alone, the princess was furious. How dare the king keep this treasure to himself? She wanted it and she decided she had every right to have it.

From that day on, the princess grew restless and angry, taking pleasure from nothing. She might have power over a thousand slaves but that was as nothing compared to the power of the stone hawk.

After a week had passed she resolved to take it. She didn’t want to risk the wrath of the king but she was prepared to do anything to hold the statuette in her hands.

That night, well after her mother and father had fallen asleep, Princess Saffie crept into their bed chamber and stole the key to the big stone box. Using the key, she opened the box and took the hawk out, holding it up with excitement.

But at that moment, the king woke up and drowsily said, “Saffie, is that you?”

The princess closed her eyes, gripped the hawk tightly and said, “Would that my father would fall asleep and forget that he saw me.”

The king looked shocked and angry for a second, then right away, he lay back down and closed his eyes in slumber.

The princess was so excited to find that it worked but she was still afraid he would punish her. So gripping it tightly again, she said, “I would have it that the king forgets he ever owned this hawk and forgets what powers it holds.”

She crept from the bed chamber and hid the hawk in her room.

When morning came she sought out her father and asked him what he kept in his locked stone box. Sure enough he told her the box was empty and always had been.

Princess Saffie grinned with delight because now she knew the power of the hawk was hers and hers alone.



The next episode will be out in two days but do pick up Talons of the Hawk by clicking on the picture to the right. You won't regret it.

What to do next?

Why not take a look at the latest episode of The Sixth Guest that came out at the same time as this over on Emma Finn's Dark Tales!