The Practical Princess

Once there was a princess. She was graceful and lovely and sweet and all the beautiful things a princess should be. But the princess was sad. Animals and children followed her when she sang, peasants came to her for help and advice, and princes came from all the corners of the world to petition for her love. But the princess was still very, very sad. One day while speaking to her reflection in the mirror (something she did quite often, as she seldom found good advice elsewhere) she asked the pretty reflection girl,

"What will make me happy?"

The girl in the mirror looked back at her with a serious face.

"I try very hard to be whatever a princess should be. Why am I so sad?"

The mirror stared back at her without answering, which really did not surprise the princess, but still vexed her all the same. After an eternity (that lasted about 30 seconds) the princess had an idea. It was a very scary, exciting idea. The beautiful princess picked up a pair of scissors and began to cut the long locks of hair around her face. When she had cut it so short the shears could not cut any more, she moved back on her head till all her lovely hair was gone. Then she picked up a razor and removed the uneven remnants.

When she finally looked back into the mirror, she was surprised at what she saw. Staring back at her was a beautiful princess.

"Hmmm, not what I was expecting." She thought it would make her sad that she was not really any different, but instead, she felt something heavy in her heart grow light. For the first time in ages her reflection smiled at her. Satisfied that she had done a good thing, she went about her daily toiletries and headed out into the countryside to lend her assistance to her people as she did everyday.

First, she encountered a woman who often needed her help with her daily chores.

"Oh My Goodness! What happened to you?" The woman gasped in shock.

"I cut it off." The princess replied.

"Why?" The woman pressed.

"I needed to feel like just me, not a princess for a while. Do you like it?" The princess smiled at her.

"Well, no" The woman said, with a startled look on her face. "You don't look like a princess anymore. What will you do?"

"Well, I can still help you with your chores; just think of me as a friend instead of your princess." The princess felt that light happy feeling in her heart and smiled.

"Oh, I don't think so." The woman replied, a little angry. "I can't be seen with you like this, people might whisper." And she turned away, leaving the princess and hurrying off before someone saw them together. The princess felt the happy feeling fade, but continued on, she still had many people to help before her day was over.

Next, she came across a man who often needed her to help him take care of his animals.

"Good morning sir, may I help you clean out your stalls and brush your beautiful horses today?" She smiled brightly, as she was always glad of the man's company, for he was a gentle person who loved his animals as his own children.

"Eh? Who is that?" The man came closer to better see her. "What happened to you?" He exclaimed, backing up a bit. "You're not sick are you? You had better go home, I don't need your help." The man walked briskly away without waiting for the princess to reply.

She was feeling very sad now, and decided it was best to just go home and hide until she was presentable again. When she reached her palace, a handsome prince was waiting for her at the front gate.

"Princess?" He asked, sounding bewildered. "What happened to you?" I rode across three countries to marry the most beautiful princess in all the land, but you are not what I was expecting at all." He looked at her sternly. "I wish you had not wasted my time, perhaps the princess two countries over is still needing a husband. It would be closer to my own home anyway. He climbed up on his horse and rode off without letting the very discouraged princess say a single word in her defense.

The princess began to cry, and being a very proper princess under normal circumstances, went to hide in her room until she was done. As she sat in her bedroom not looking in the mirror, there was a knock at her door. She pretended not to hear it. The knock sounded again, this time quite firm and insistent.

"Who, who is it?" The princess asked, trying to sound like a proper princess should and not show that she was crying quite hard a moment before.

"Only me." Said the voice through the door. It was the son of the woman who had sent her away that very morning. She opened the door and let the child into her sitting room.

"Wow." The boy said, looking up at her. "Why did you cut your hair?"

"It made me happy." She answered, still trying to muffle her sniffles.

"Then why are you crying?" The little boy asked.

"No one likes me anymore." The princess began to cry softly. "They say I don't look like a princess anymore. They think I am ugly." The princess wept as the boy tilted his head to one side and thought for a moment.

"But you like it, right?" He asked after a moment of contemplation.

"I, I don't know." She replied. "I really thought i looked nice, and not at all special, just like everyone else. I thought people would see me as a friend, instead of a princess. But they don't want a real friend. They just wanted to say the princess was their friend, and I embarrassed them." She finally met her own eyes in, the mirror.

"You still look like a princess to me." The boy said, putting his little skinny arms around her neck. "And besides," he added, "sometimes you have to weed your garden." She looked down into his shining brown eyes. "Friends like that are like weeds, aren't they? They just crop up and steal the sunshine." The princess began to cry again, and laugh at the same time.

"Yes, yes they are." She looked down into his face. "So," she asked, "do you like my haircut?" Shed glanced up to see her mirror girl grinning back at her, blotchy-faced and beautiful.

"As a matter-of-fact,” he replied, "You are the most beautiful princess I have ever seen. He smiled as she sat on her stool and pulled him into her lap. "I was thinking..." He paused and she lifted an eyebrow at him. "Could you cut my hair please?" He snuggled in closer and rested his head on her shoulder, and they looked into the magic mirror together. "I think I need a change, don't you?"

The princess got out her clippers and shears and the boy watched his little boy in the mirror with glee as lock after lock of hair fell to the floor. When she was done, they sat together and stared at their reflections for an eternity (of about 10 seconds, won't try to kid you that he had an attention span worth mentioning).

"Wow kid, you look GOOD." The princess smiled at his reflection and watched as his eyes brightened, as though he had a light, happy feeling in his heart.

"I know." The boy in the mirror smiled back at her. They stayed in her room all that day, playing games, eating a picnic on the floor, and generally just enjoying the happy feeling they had. When the day was done, the princess took the boy home in her royal carriage, and all the people in town saw them climb out and walk to his front door.

"All the people know now that the princess is your friend." She told him before leaving him. "Does it make you happy?" He looked at the staring townsfolk and shrugged.

"I guess so." He answered looking bemused. "I kinda forgot you were the princess, I was having so much fun." He hugged her goodbye and went into the house. Before the door had shut all the way, the princess heard a woman's gasp and a little boy's giggle and smiled to herself, letting her heart fill up with the light, happy feeling they had shared all day. As she prepared for bed, she looked into her mirror one more time.

"Was it a good day overall?" She asked her reflection thoughtfully. As usual, she received no answer, only a smile and a wink that spoke volumes to her.

Yes, it had been a good day indeed.