Now, as far as princes go, the average one was handsome, witty, debonair, and utterly irresistible.In fact, except for that certain arrogance that they carried about with them, they were some of the best of their gender. Elamdar was exactly the opposite. He was not witty, for his father was to busy eating to seethat his education was taken care of. His charm was practically non-existent, for he had spent his timeplaying with the common "riff-raff. His father was to busy ordering his hunters to deplete the forest, at that point in the young boy's life, to care who he playedwith.

In fact, the only thing that Elamdar had going for him was his looks, which he got from his mother, who was quite beautiful, but as stupid as a cow. So,consequently, Elamdar was a dim-witted, uncouth, yet handsome young heir to a small backwater country who's biggest industry was turnips.

"But father, it's only one silly scullery maid!" Prince Elamdar whined annoyingly.

"My son, that is the third one this week, how am I going to eat with no servants, eh?" The king asked, stripping the last meat off of a bone and throwing it to the ravenous dogs on the ground.

"You could live off of your current blubber for threelife times," Elamdar muttered to himself.

"Eh, what son?"

"Nothing father, nothing. All I'm saying is, well can't me and cousin Azdar just go and raid some of theneighboring peasant cottages? That's real fun!" He looked up at his father hopefully.

"No my son, no. That scullery maid was sufficient and I don't want to have the others waste time training a new one, I'd rather have them cooking veal. Nice, juicy veal," the king said, slobber dripping out of his mouth and onto his royal robes. "Anyway, just go fetch the lass eh?"

"But father." Elamdar whined, stomping his feet.

"I expect this out of a small child, not a eighteen year old man like you. Now if you do not fetch her Iwill take away all your horses and sell them to the tanner. I hear horses make excellent leather," theking remarked smugly.

The prince looked at the floor, ceiling, and windows and sighed in the manner of a man without another option. He did need his horses to impress the lasses and to hunt as well. "Fine, I'll go," the princesulked, and dragged his sorry feet out of the throneroom.

* * *

Xylia groggily opened her eyes to the sound of several birds reveling joyously in song. She blinkedthe grit out of her eyes and sat up, yawning. Openingall her senses she took a deep breath that smelled of rich soil and morning dew, and tasted the wind with the tip of her tongue. Yes, she thought to herself,this is where I belong. An impish grin gradually appeared upon her heart shaped face, she deemed today to be a good day for travel.

She threw her sack of belongings onto the ground, and deftly climbed down the branches of the stately tree.Tossing her bag over her shoulder she set out on the open, and empty, road.

Xylia daydreamed as she walked along. What would it be like to be queen? To have someone else wash thedishes? Have someone else cook the food? In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered what royalty ever did with their time. Servants shopped,cooked, farmed, cleaned, and even dressed their masters. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered what kind of life experience one could havewith a life of total leisure. Why surely, they would be "vegetables".

Suddenly she had to stop and beat the air in front of her, for it was full of gnats. She stopped suddenly and gave her armpit a tentative sniff. "Dear God! I reek to high Heaven!" Well, at least she had goal number one for the day: Take a bath!

Returning to her thoughts of royalty, her mind drifted towards Elamdar-as the adolescent mind tends to do. No, her Elamdar could never be like that...never. Hewas brave, handsome, and intelligent. And most definitely out of reach. She sighed and bowed her head. Well, maybe there would be a nice stable boy at the next castle she stopped by for work. That wouldn't be so bad and at least she wouldn't feel so terribly alone anymore.

Xylia sniffled and wiped a tear from the corner ofher eye, that wasn't the way she wanted her life to proceed. She wanted it all, even when everythingaround her contradicted all her hopes. Xylia finally sat down and sobbed by a weeping willow.

* * *