The Princess and the Pirate Part 1: The Birthmark

The roar of hooves pounding filled the town as the royal carriage raced through. The horses, six and all black, were the largest in the kingdom. Their powerful muscles threatened to break the stones of the streets themselves. People stopped what they were doing to watch the carriage. They lined the streets in hopes of getting a glimpse of the people inside, but the shades were drawn tight. The black carriage gleamed and spoke of wealth. The royal crest, set in relief, had been done in 24 karat gold.
Though they slowed down as they went through each town, the dust the horses and carriage kicked up coated the already dirty children with a nice, hearty layer like cherries dipped in chocolate. The children didn’t care. Getting a little dirty was a small price to pay for the privilege of seeing the royal carriage with its escort of fifty knights. The children who had gotten to see the magnificent sight would be the heroes for the day amongst their peers as they told the story over and over again, embellishing as new ideas came to them. Seeing the black steeds racing along alone would have brought them fame and glory, but to actually see the carriage was more valuable than gold. They could only guess who occupied the carriage.

Could it have been the king off on an important mission? That was the most likely answer, because the queen had not left the castle in seventeen years and the princess had never even been seen in person by the public her entire life. The king always had some business to attend to throughout the kingdom. Then again, he usually traveled on horseback with maybe ten riders at the most. Yes, it would be most unusual for the king to be out alone in the carriage unless an important dignitary was in the carriage with him.

The tale of the queen was a tragic one to tell to be sure. When she was married to the king but a year, she became pregnant with their first child. She had always been generous and understanding to the poor and merciful to the guilty, pleading their causes, but she suddenly became a super saint; she tirelessly worked on charitable causes throughout her pregnancy. When the time came for her baby to be born, she had a rather difficult labor, but in the end, she had a lovely baby boy who had a peculiar birthmark just below his left breast that was in the shape of a dog’s head. She loved the baby instantly, of course, and she smiled because her husband and every king before him in his line had had that same birthmark. Later, when she and the babe had been cleaned up, the king beheld the boy and laughed out loud.

He told her the story of the strange mark:
"Several centuries ago a large pack of wild dogs plagued the land. People weren’t safe and you never knew when they were going to attack. At about the same time, a dispute arose between the two strongest men in the land as to who should be king. David and Saul were true believers, and they decided that they would consult the most holy woman in the land and accept her decision. The winner would be king. The loser would swear faithful fealty to his lord. Each surrounded by his followers, they stood before this woman and asked their humble question in polite tones. The woman looked at them for a good long time, and no man dared move. Finally, she said, 'I must go fast and pray and ask my Lord, for this is indeed a very important question. I recommend that you also fast and pray.' She turned on her heel and left the men standing there in her yard. The men set up tents and did as the woman had bidden them to do. They fasted and prayed for three days, taking only water to sustain them."

"On the third day, the men awoke to the sounds of dogs on the attack and a woman’s scream. David grabbed his sword and ran out of the tent. Saul grabbed his mace and ran out of the tent as well. Most of the other men ran, because before them swarmed the largest pack of wild dogs they had ever seen.. The woman, the prophet, was fighting off the dogs as best she could with her bare hands. One dog had a hold of her arm and would not let go. David and Saul ran for the unarmed woman and fought like they had never fought before. At one point, a large dog jumped up and bit into David’s chest, leaving a large hole. Saul had bites on his legs and arms and one crazy dog rammed him in the head and knocked him out. David kept up the fight until, at last, the remnants of the great hoard of hundreds of dogs fled as a pack of twenty or so.

"David carefully picked up the unconscious prophet and carried her gingerly into the house. He laid her on her bed and covered her with her blankets to keep her warm. He cleaned and tied up the places where she was bleeding, and then he took care of his own wounds. He went in search of Saul and found him bleeding and unconscious on the lawn. He brought him in the house and tended to him as well. David fell to his knees and begged for the lives of the three of them, for he did not know if any of them would live or die.

"Saul woke up and found David in prayer. He felt much stronger than he expected. They both heard the prophet cough. They ran to her side. She coughed some more, and then she breathed her last. Saul covered her face gently with the blanket and the two of them prepared to leave. As they were passing the table, they noticed two letters, each with their own individual names on them. They each took their own and began to read.

"Saul’s said:"
The Lord has revealed all to me. You are to be David’s help, his right hand. The Lord has chosen this for you and knows you will accept this.
My time is drawing to a close, for the Lord has called me home. He has told me that this is to be my last prophesy, but he has not told me how I am to die.
May God bless you all the days of your life.

"David’s said:"
You are the rightful heir to the throne of this land, David. The Lord will mark you this day and all of your heirs will be marked in the same way with the sign of a massive dog. Saul will be your right hand. The Lord knows you will both accept this.
My time is drawing to a close, for the Lord has called me home. He has told me that this is to be my last prophesy, but he has not told me how I am to die. I go to his arms willingly.
May God bless you and all your descendants, mighty David. Long may you reign.

"David and Saul banished the wicked hoard of wild dogs forever that day, but the people lost the greatest prophet they had ever had. David’s scar under his left breast healed into the shape of a mighty dog, and ever since that day, all of the children in line for the throne have been marked with a birthmark in the same shape." The king laughed for joy as he examined the baby from head to toe.
The queen had fallen asleep in pure exhaustion even while her husband spoke. The king finally put the baby to rest in the cradle beside his mother and went off to celebrate. Sometime in the night, as the happy new parents dreamed of all the promises that come with having a new baby, a nurse tied up and gagged the other three nurses and ran off with the child. No one knew about it until morning when the maid woke the queen up to give her breakfast.

When the king found out, he raged and he fumed for only the briefest amount of time while his wife wailed from her bed. Then he took action. He had his men search every home and cave, every nook and cranny in every town in the kingdom. But no matter how hard the king and his men looked, they could not find the baby or the nurse anywhere. They searched for three months with absolutely no news. It was as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth. The queen withdrew completely. She wore only black and spoke only to her husband. She stayed that way for two years. No message ever reached the royal ears about the boy, but the king passed a decree stating that any child stolen away and not returned until much later would lose his birth order privilege of line to the throne. He rightly assumed that whomever took the boy was planning to raise him their way then have him take over the kingdom later. This king would not let that happen, even if it meant that the throne would go to a more distant relative.

The queen, once she had finished mourning, resumed her massive charity efforts. The whole kingdom held its breath for word of another royal pregnancy, but day by day then year by year, they were disappointed. One day, about five years after the queen came out of mourning, the king began a long process of interview and building plans. He had the castle renovated in such a way that the royal living quarters and personal servants’ quarters had a completely separate part of the castle. It was entirely private and carefully guarded. As the months went by, it became obvious that the queen was pregnant once more. Yet she became more and more reclusive with each month.

When the renovations were complete, the queen disappeared entirely within the new walls along with the carefully selected group of servants who had had to swear an oath of allegiance and pass all of the king’s scrutinizes. Along with these servants, a priest and a local artist became secluded as well. None of these people were allowed to ever leave the castle. None were allowed to communicate with the outside world. Now, rumor had it that not a single one paid room or board and all were well-fed and had ample apartments. They also collected double the usual rate for their positions. Certainly, none complained as they wished their families well and headed into the castle, never to be seen again.

Three months after the baby was born, the king hung a portrait of the baby girl in the great hall. The paint was still fresh. Six months later, another portrait hung next to the first. Then every year on the birthday of the princess, a new portrait hung in her honor in the great hall. When the princess was about five years old, some of the poor and orphaned children of the local towns were invited to come dine with the princess. No adults or anyone over the age of the princess were ever allowed to come in with the children.

The children came eagerly. When they were there, they feasted on fare fit for a king. They always left with fat little tummies and big, happy smiles. None of the children ever revealed what they did or what they saw in the princess’s garden and dining room. They all wanted to be invited back, so all any of them would say was "The princess looked well today," or "The princess is so beautiful!" or "We had so much fun."

One day, when the princess was nine years old, a man tried to sneak in with the children. He was shot with fifteen arrows before he had taken seven steps within the special children’s entrance gate. The children were horrified, of course, but thankfully, none of them were hurt. No one ever tried to do anything like that again.

And so it went on.

Today as the carriage tore through the kingdom, though, there was an expectancy in the air. The princess would have reached her sixteenth birthday. Maybe they would get to see her. Maybe the queen would feel safe enough to come out of seclusion with her. They just watched and they waited, and when other children came up to them after the carriage was long gone, they told their stories.