The Beautiful Ones

Once upon a time, a beautiful young princess named Alana lived in a castle far away. She had curly black hair, chocolate skin, and sparkling agate eyes. She loved to dance alone in her garden in the morning mist of purple rain, when doves cry softly.

One morning, a young man was digging in the garden.

"Greetings, your highness," he said, bowing low. "I'm Aiden. Your father the king hired me."

"Welcome," she smiled warmly.

She liked Aiden's handsome brown face, strong jaw and kindly eyes. She did not want to dance in front of a stranger, so sat quietly on a stone bench, enjoying the breeze carrying scents of herbs and jasmine.

Aiden found a baby bird fallen from its nest. He picked the fledgling up gently and replaced it. The mother bird sang a song of gratitude. Alana was delighted.

He has a heart of gold. He would be suitable for me to marry.

Every day Aiden labored to make her garden thrive, adding special touches like a thyme walk, a butterfly house or a well-placed topiary shrub. Alana admired his devotion to his task. She looked forward to being with him.

They spent hours talking as he worked. Sometimes they sat down to rest, reading books aloud to each other. He was always polite and respectful, and her heart grew fond of him, yet she never thought it appropriate to share her love.

As winter drew a thick blanket of snow over the garden, Alana no longer ventured outdoors to see Aiden. I miss him. Will he come back? I wish I'd danced with him.

Sometimes it snows in April. It seemed like spring would never come. Finally, the crocuses and cherry blossoms awakened.

On a warm day, Alana once again wandered through her garden, dreaming of Aiden. Songbirds filled the air with melody, and irises gave off sweet aromas, but the princess was lonely.

As she rounded a bend in the path, he came running. Alana rushed to hug him. Aiden knelt at her feet and brought forth a shimmering diamond ring.

"My dear princess Alana, I love you and I wanna be your love forever and ever."

"My heart is yours, dearest Aiden!" Alana squealed as he placed the ring on her finger. "But I'm afraid my father would be unhappy if I married a poor gardener."

"Oh, but I'm not." Aiden's eyes twinkled. "I'm a prince from the neighboring country. I agreed to work in the royal garden for four summers to prove my devotion to you, and to see if you would love me, even without the diamonds and pearls I could give."

They twirled in each other's arms among roses and daffodils. The dawn painted the sky peach and lavender. Delicate flower petals floated down like raindrops, kissing their shoulders and softening the path under their feet.

As church bells rang and sunbeams shimmered across the misty mountains, Alana knew she would never dance alone again.

Words: 495.
Written for "Prince Challenge Writing Contest 2025" 
Prince song titles used (highlighted in violet)
The Beautiful Ones (story title)
When Doves Cry
Purple Rain
Sometimes It Snows in April
I Wanna Be Your Love
Diamonds and Pearls
The Dawn
Mountains