A Prince for Elizabeth

Sonja McGiboney, Author

Copyright 5-8-2025

My computer is full of short stories. Every now and then I read through them. Tonight, I decided to share this one. I hope you enjoy it.

From across the ball room filled with the scent of pine and sounds of bells, he winked. I almost whooped but covered my mouth to keep the unbecoming sound from escaping. Did this mean he had it? He certainly was handsome. But in the end, it didn’t matter. When the Yule candle burned the hour, the one who had it would be my husband.

I nibbled on my sweet biscuit as I surveyed the other candidates in the room. Normally, at the Winter Ball, I danced all night. But tonight, my special night, father insisted I sit and wait.  I glanced around at the final pool of men. Though a few had receding hairlines, which bespoke of their age, and some carried a bit of girth at their waist, none were off-putting. Father ensured they all possessed the proper breeding needed to be the future husband of the future queen. Soon, one of them would present it.

What “it” was, I had no clue. Father and mother would not say. They held close the secret. Not even the ladies’ maids, the most knowledgeable of palace intrigue, knew what “it” was.

I daydreamed about it.  Perhaps it was a castle with a stable full of white horses?  Or a diamond encrusted sleigh. Maybe a wardrobe of the finest furs. The excitement made me giddy.

Mother noticed me squirming and gently touched my arm. “I know waiting is hard, but you must keep your composure throughout the process.”

I turned my head, ever so slightly, in her direction. “But Mother, why cannot I choose for myself?”

“And who, Elizabeth Rose, might you choose?”

I closed my eyes and only one man popped into my head. Well, I only knew him as a boy, but I imagined the man he would be with dark hair framing a square face and tanned cheeks which dimpled when he smiled. He would have the same humorous sparkle in his dark brown eyes as when we played together. Yes, if I could choose, I would choose Rupert. But Rupert was a stable boy, a knight’s caddy, and wouldn’t do for a future queen no matter how much I wished it. Besides, he left many years ago and perhaps it was for the best.

I savored the idea of choosing my own path in life before I opened my eyes to the reality that I would, one day, be the queen and rule this land. My life was not my own but belonged to my people. 

“I will accept the man that father chooses.”

“Ah, you are a brave princess and our people will be proud.”   

I smiled wistfully and noticed the candle burned lower. Soon I would know which man would change my life forever.

Father motioned to a servant who rang the gong. The hall quieted. “Good evening. Today is a day of celebration. Not only for our Winter Tide, but for our future queen shall have a prince. I ask all eligible men to come forward.” Father walked to where I sat and motioned for the servants to usher the men into a line.

One by one they approached, bowed with a flourish and placed lavishly wrapped gifts in front of the large, decorated tree. They spoke their homage to the king with praise for his lands, the beauty of his wife and daughter, and their willingness to do what it took to protect the royal family.

In my head I assigned them nicknames.  One, Sir bunny, twitched his nose while he spoke. Another, Sir Bounce-a-lot, kept bowing between sentences. It saddened me that the handsome gentleman that I spied earlier, Sir Winks-a-lot, apparently had an eye problem.

Three more men stood in line. My heart beat faster. Would one of these men, who seemed so appropriate from a distance but were so dreadfully boring up close, be my future husband. I shuddered. Did any of them have it? I looked at the gifts piled in front of Father. Were any of them it? I couldn’t tell and Father did not respond to any of the men except to wave the men away so the next one could approach.

Boom!

The large hall doors slammed into the wall. A large man with long black hair wearing a tunic of bright blue marched into the room. He carried a sword and when one of the kings’ knights approached, he quickly knocked the weapon out of the knight’s hand and continued forward.

I didn’t recognize him.  Brown eyes showed through long black bangs and a bushy mustache and beard covered his face.

More guards ran up behind him, ready to attack but Father held up his hand. “No! Let him approach.”

Instead of going to the King, the man sheathed his sword and walked right up to me. He knelt then bowed his head. “My lady, I have traveled from the ends of the earth and have fought men and dragons, to be here this moment. I pledge my undying love for thee and will protect thee from all harm. Though I know I am not as entitled as others chosen to stand before you, I give you everything I own.”

He stood and pulled out his sword. The guards took steps toward him but the King stopped them again. The man held his sword with two hands, bowed his head again and placed the sword gently near my feet.

It was an unusual sword. Diamonds, embedded down the center of the steel blade, twinkled. Red rubies contrasted with the blue stone of the grip. 

I couldn’t help it.  My voice overcame decorum. “Where did you obtain such a beautiful sword?”

For the first time, the man turned his head toward the King. Father had an odd smile playing around his lips. He nodded for the man to continue.

The man looked back at me but kept his head bent. I couldn’t see his face. Then he told his story.

“Many years ago, I fell in love with a girl. Her father knew, according to the law, that I could not marry her. You see, I had no land, no money, and no honor.

“But her father knew a way. He pulled an old, rusty sword from a barrel in the stable and gave it to me.”

“Prove yourself worthy. This sword will record all your feats in its own way. Return it when it is time and I will give you my daughter’s hand.”

“Her father sent me away to work on the ships. One cold, terrible night, the ship was attacked. The captain, still seeing me as a young boy, unable to defend the ship, bade me stay below deck. But I wasn’t too young. I grabbed my rusty sword from where I hid it under my bed, then ran back up to fight.

“The scene which greeted me filled me with terror. My captain lay sprawled on the deck. Blood oozed from several wounds on his body. He saw me and yelled for me to run away. An image of my girl crossed my mind and I knew that if I ran, I would forever be running.

“Unafraid of a boy with a rusty sword, the pirates laughed.  I moved quickly, plunging the knife into the pirate’s gut. As if the sword guided me, I pulled it out and swung it around knocking the other pirates to the ground. I pulled a gun out of a fallen pirate’s leather pouch and stood by my captain. I didn’t know how to use a gun, but pointing it at them was enough.  Soon, other men from my ship arrived and our ship was saved.”

“That night, while cleaning the blood off my sword, I noticed a small diamond on the top of the blade. I tried to dig it out, for I could buy a lot of food with that diamond, but it remained fast in the metal.

“Each time I used the sword to protect my captain and the other men, another diamond appeared.  When I turned fourteen, we went on a mission to face the Dragon of Glen Orch. Dogo, as we nicknamed him, was the last of his kind and terrorized the people who lived in the glen between the mountain peaks of Murdoch Island.

“The Captain sent only a few men. I wanted to go, but he bade me stay behind. Again, I didn’t listen. I followed the men to the island but kept myself hidden from them so they wouldn’t send me back.

“We climbed up the mountain but when we reached a small plateau, Dogo appeared from beyond the mountain top. In one swoop he picked up three of the four men and flew them high into the air and dropped them. They died instantly upon contact with the earth. The last man avoided Dogo’s talons but fell hitting his head on a rock. I could see him moving as Dogo prepared for another dive.

“Again, the image of my love spurred me to action. I ran from my hiding place banishing my rusty sword that had, by then, accumulated four diamonds. The sun glinted off the tiny diamonds with double the brightness that hit them. This blinded Dogo for an instant but it was enough. Dogo slammed into the rocks.  He lay with his eyes closed for a moment.

“Fascinated, for I had never seen a dragon before, I raised my sword and approached him. Blue scales covered his body all the way to his eyes. Then his leathery skin turned a deep red until it ended at his nostrils. Sharp talons extended from his feet and his webbed wings, which lay open from the crash, fluttered in the wind.  Dogo opened one eye then inhaled deeply. Before he could move a wing to cover it, I saw it.

“An egg the size of a knight’s helmet lay on a bed of grass.

“Dogo was a girl.”

“Kill it!” the fourth man yelled from where he lay.

“I lowered my sword. Memories of my mother being killed by raiders filled my head. I couldn’t do it. In that instant, I felt like a failure, but to my surprise, I heard Dogo speak.”

“Young man, you have freed me. Your choice to preserve an unborn life, has given me the freedom to take my child and leave this place.” Dogo reached out and touched my sword. “Go, and use this sword to preserve all that you love.”

“The sword glowed. Rust fell off it like rain. The grip turned as blue as Dogo’s scales and two rubies, like Dogo’s eyes, appeared on the grip. Dogo and her egg disappeared.

“For four more years, I continued to serve my captain until I wondered if I had done enough to prove my worth. When I heard rumors that the choosing of a prince would commence on the fourth moon, I made my way back.”

Shifting in my chair, I almost interrupted the man when a sudden memory accosted me. Father must have seen my intent as he shook his head. I stayed quiet.

The man continued his story. “It is to your father that I owe my strength, loyalty, and perseverance.” Then he raised his eyes to mine. “But it is to you, Elizabeth Rose, that I pledge my love and allegiance.”

The minute he looked at me, I knew. “Rupert!” I flew into his arms.

The Queen mother looked at her husband with a twinkle in her eye. The king patted the sword in his hilt and smiled back.

Later, while waiting for Rupert to join them at the table, I asked father.  “So, the sword, was it? That’s what they needed to give me?”

He laughed. “No child, it wasn’t the sword.  He could have returned with the same rusty one I presented him eight years ago.”

“Then what was it, father?”

“The other men in the hall pledged their loyalty to me. They only wanted to please me.”

I smiled and finished his thought. “But Rupert had eyes only for me. Is that it, father?”

Father leaned over to plant a kiss on my cheek. “A man must value the one he loves. Not the prestige they bring, or the alliance a union will make. This is what Rupert brings to you.”

At that moment, Rupert entered the dining hall. His beard was gone and I could see the boy in the man that entered the room. I stood when he reached me.  He took my hand and kissed it.

“Enough with the kissing.” The King stood. “Let’s celebrate!”