Tale 29: The Legend of Prince Arden and Princess Silvana (Brock)

(real tale: Prince Narcissus and the Princess Potentilla)


After lunch and the babies have awakened from their naps, Brock asks Happini "How would you like a prince and princess story next?"

"Pini!" Happini replies.

Brock takes a moment to clear the dirty plates before beginning "In a far away land there lived a king and a queen--we'll call them King Theron and Queen Gilana."

Misty raises an eyebrow at the names. "Interesting..."

"King Theron was renowned as a skilled hunter, and a wise ruler." Brock continues. "Queen Gilana, on the other hand, couldn't care less about royal decorum--she only lived to have fun. There was always a party going on at the castle, so much so that the kingdom was in a bit of disrepair. But King Theron and Queen Gilana didn't mind--so long as their people were safe and the kingdom was somewhat secure, the outrageous hunting expeditions and lavish parties continued."

"Talk about opposites attracting..." Ash muses.

"The king and the queen had one child, a daughter--we'll call her Silvana." Brock continues as he cleans a dirty plate. "Princess Silvana was very beautiful, so much so that her mother grew jealous, and hid her away in a small fortress in a forest not far from the castle. "She only had her nurse for company and guards instructed to kill anyone that did not bring food, water, or a desired item."

"That's not very nice!" Ash is appalled at this.

"Sounds like a cross between 'Snow White' and 'Rapunzel'..." Misty notes.

"Queen Gilana would always tell some sob story or another about Princess Silvana, to the point where the whole court believed she was ugly, or sick, or insane, or some other terrible fate." Brock continues. "In actuality, Princess Silvana was quite beautiful, very strong and healthy, and clear minded. Some years went by, and a few days before Princess Silvana's sixteenth birthday, a young prince named Arden arrived and asked for her hand in marriage."

"Did he hear the stories about the princess?" Melody asks, concerned.

"Prince Arden had an interesting story in himself--he had lost his parents to a terrible disease when he was young, leaving his guardian fairy--we'll call her Kimalle--to look after him."

"Was she always yelling 'Hey!' at him?" Ash sarcastically asks.

"Actually, she trusted his wisdom, and taught him a great many things." Brock replies. "When Arden was of age, she gave him a mystical ring to remember her by, and that she would always watch over him."

He pauses to organize the now cleaned plates. "But I digress...Prince Arden heard all the sob stories of Princess Silvana, and vowed to find out if any of them were true. It turned out the stories couldn't be farther from the truth--after slipping past the guards with his ring, Arden met Silvana in the tower--and the two fell madly in love with each other."

"And they all lived happily ever after, the end!" Ash interjects, a smug smile on his face.

"The story can't be over now!" Melody scolds Ash. "There has to be some evil figure that steals the princess away, like a dragon or an evil wizard--or something!"

Brock grins at Melody. "In fact, it was an evil wizard that threatened Prince Arden and Princess Silvana's budding relationship. This evil wizard's name was Darstan, and one day, he teleported himself to Princess Silvana's tower. Understandably, Princess Silvana was freaked out, and demanded to know where her prince was. Kimalle happened to be watching this whole encounter, and warned Silvana about who Darstan was. Darstan meanwhile, was about to kiss Silvana's hand, when Kimalle casted a spell of lightning, making him rear back in surprise." He then sings in character as a young girl Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...

Happini cheers at the sung "spell". She listens as Darstan tries everything to steal Silvana away, only to be thwarted by Kimalle at every turn....