The Dale Arc
King Dale sat alone in his throne room. So vexed was he, he dismissed his own personal guard to the hall, so he could think. The last month had been like a bad dream. His old friend, King Fulco, had left the Dale in a fury, with his entourage in tow. Leofwine Fulco had sworn he would never again set hoof in the Dale as long as that “nightmare princess” was still residing there. And naturally, his son, the prince, would never come back either.
The king was generally unworried about trade taking a hit; it was too essential to cast aside over what still wasn’t a petty squabble. It was his friendship with his old blood brother that bothered him… that, and the half a million gold pieces Essenta seemed to be worth to everypony.
He’d actually been hopeful for a moment- for the first time since Essenta learned to say the word “no” to him- that she would be okay with Prince “Askle” Fulco. Even though his daughter’s poor choice of dress and the prince’s “roguish manner” sent his mind reeling, the two royal children had become fast friends… It had been a little bumpy, but it was a start.
Then… then the two of them had to put on that show! He was often ashamed of his eldest and youngest son for their disgusting behavior, but nothing they ever did matched Essenta’s worst. He knew Queen Fulco was more than a little weak to any manner of rude behavior, and the little belch Essenta uttered sent her packing… along with his own wife and King Fulco. Why, he himself once cut a fart during such a meeting, but rude noises from a lady?!
If that wasn’t bad enough, Essenta had dragged off the prince and taken him on a tour of town. It wasn’t the first time she had done such a thing. When she was younger, she often stole a young prince off somewhere to show him a fun time- and not anything romantic in nature- just… fun. They’d be found later playing with some other foals- common foals- filthy and full of sweets.
But what she did with Prince Fulco… they got drunk and tore through town, unattended- not that Essenta couldn’t throw a follow if she wanted to- and disappeared. Then to find her puking in the silversmith’s shrub, the prince laughing it up and helping her along… was too much to bear. She and the prince danced a dance that was… well, forbidden among royals. Then after out drinking everypony at the pub, she literally finished off the ale dregs from a full-size barrel, lifting it in an embrace!
The prince had sworn up and down, on his honor, Essenta’s honor, on his family, that nothing happened… other than the drunken shenanigans. And he believed the prince. He may have been one of the few that did. The prince had practically begged that somepony thank Essenta on his behalf. He’d had… fun. He’d had more fun than he could ever remember having… with his friend. King Dale was an icy pony, but that struck him. He knew other ponies valued his daughter in ways he couldn’t begin to comprehend. Often, he wished he could see what they saw… but he didn’t.
All that aside, the damage was done. King Fulco and his entourage would never speak of what happened. But the entire city of Greendale knew the whole sordid affair the next morning. Traders and travelers knew… and now, so did the entire valley and a few surrounding lands.
The fact Essenta was a princess that dug ditches, pulled plows, helped tar roofs, outfought trained soldiers, and drank ale never deterred any suitors… until they actually met her. But this! What she and the prince had been up to were beyond the pale. With visiting suitors, however put off they might have been by the coarse princess, there was at least hope of selling her off…
Now, since that wild night, he hadn’t received any requests, pleas, or even humble beggings to meet Essenta. All that gold… and Calleha was still a couple years too young to even think about “giving away”.
He thought of his wife. She had taken to bed for about a week after that fiasco. His sons were all cowed. Everypony was on edge, as if King Dale was just waiting for an excuse to hang somepony… If he was unconcerned with a full-scale rebellion, his subjects probably loyal to her above him, he would have punished Essenta with extreme severity. He wouldn't have killed her, but...
He’d had Essenta locked in her room, ever since she woke up with that two-day hangover. She was under guard. He was so furious with her, he had no idea what to do about it. He had to think. And oh, how his head hurt…
Essenta was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was boooooooored. Her father had ordered all her books and entertainment out. All there was to read were holy texts, telling her what a bad girl she was, and books on decorum and behavior. Her father had ordered these- and only these- to reside with her, in hopes she’d read some on it. Scoffing, she refused. She knew everything in those texts by heart… she just hated all of it.
Even the smuggling she was used to seeing when she was under house-arrest wasn’t happening. Other than her father, mother, and two of her brothers, everypony in the castle loved Essenta and wouldn’t see her go without some semblance of enjoyment. A funny poem or a bar of chocolate can really raise a pony’s spirit when she’s grounded. If nopony dared help her out, then her father was more pissed off than usual.
She wouldn’t say she’d regretted what she’d done with Askle. It had been fun. Hopefully, he wasn’t going through the same crap she was… The thing that bothered her most was… the “near kiss”. Well... the dance too. She knew it would sound funny to most, but she was upset with herself for letting things go that far.
For all the disobedience, and questionable behavior, she exhibited over her 17 years, she had never- never- done anything to compromise any level of her purity. She supposed it was her one way of honoring her father. Regardless of whatever the future held for her, it was her place in the world to be a queen someday. And as much as she hated it, she would go to her king unbesmirched, faithful, and ready to pump out little princes and princesses for him.
She’d made friends with plenty of princes over the years. Hell, sometimes she’d receive harmless letters from them. And she wrote back. She corresponded with many stallions, even some who had become kings or having come to be married. It was unusual to see such a thing, but nothing forbade it. They were her friends…
But Askle… he was the first prince, colt or stallion, she had actually… fallen for. If the guards hadn’t found the two of them… she could imagine where things would have wound up. They would have been hurriedly married the next day, with or without that fat dowry her father was beating off thinking about. That… wouldn’t have been so bad… But it wouldn’t have been on her terms, even if she did like him.
Her one condition for obeying her father was she would marry a prince or king that… she loved... whomever it turned out to be. Not that she’d ever had the guts to say that out loud. And in the grand scheme of things, that cup would hold no water. In the end, it didn’t matter what she thought or wanted. If this sounds confusing, it was to Essenta as well.
Coming from her thoughts, Essenta heard a clatter of hooves at her window.
“Sen…”
Looking over, Essenta spotted Dechaa Beiran. She was a very pretty unicorn mare, just a little older than her, with a straw-colored coat and ebony mane, tied back from her face. Her brown eyes were sharp, but friendly. The two of them had been best friends for about 13 years.
Essenta sat up and quietly paddled over to let her in, “Dechaa, how’d you get up here?”
Dechaa smiled, “I finally got the teleportation spell working… a little. I can jump about 30 feet in any direction.”
Essenta smiled. Dechaa was something of an acrobat. But she could also fight, a little. But oddly, though it never showed up in her family before, her affinity was healing magic. She’d… probably saved Essenta’s life more than once, with some of the dumb stuff she had gotten up to.
She hugged her friend, “Well, I’m glad for that! How are you? I haven’t seen you or Zyra in a month.”
Dechaa chuckled humorously, “Well, what’d you think was gonna happen? The whole town’s still in an uproar. I think your father had a mind to whip anypony that crosses him.”
Dechaa wasn’t known for any affinity in breaking rules. She was the single straightest arrow Essenta had ever known. It was a wonder they’d managed to stay friends, as different as they were. The only reason they’d even met in the first place, was the fact Dechaa’s father was on the king’s council… A Beiran had sat on the council for generations, knighted and respected. Dechaa’s mother, Lady Beiran, was warden of the castle.
“Dechaa, I’m surprised at you! Breaking rules and smuggling in food!”
Dechaa shook her head, “Sorry, Sen, no food. Guess I should’ve thought to bring you something… And don’t give me a hard time about the rules. If you tried, even a bit, to cause a little less trouble, I think your life would be much easier…”
Essenta flopped on her bed, “If by ‘easier’ you mean boring as shit…”
“And another thing, Sen, you really need to clean up your language! I heard about what happened at the tavern… You called the farmer Vess… the “C-word” when you beat him in a chugging race.”
Essenta had to stifle a guffaw, “Oh, that sure got a laugh!”
“Sen, I’m serious. If you knew how angry your father is-”
“Don’t think I don’t know… It’s almost mid-summer and I’m still stuck in here. I admit… I don’t know what he’s gonna do this time…”
Dechaa came up blank… Nopony knew just what King Dale might do… And they didn’t have any time to think about it, as Essenta heard the 10 or 15 locks on her door being undone.
She hugged Dechaa again, “Best leave. Tell Zyra I miss her.”
“Sure… I hope you can get out of here soon.”
With a little snap, Dechaa reappeared on the windowsill and ran out of sight. Essenta went to her window and heard another snap. Dechaa materialized on the ground and galloped into the downtown area. That’s soooo cool.
Trying to look innocent, but surly with her captivity, she casually lounged by the window. A few seconds later, Lugaid the Pegasus, Captain of the Guard, could be heard.
“Princess, may I enter?”
She was glad to hear his voice, “Yes, Captain. Please do.”
He did so, keeping his pair of guards outside. Essenta had a mind to hug him. He felt the same way. He’d known her since she was born and had been like a second father to her. But she’d grown up and there was correctness to observe.
Essenta pulled up a chair for him and they sat down across from the other, “I’d offer you something to drink, Captain, but all I have is water. I’d offer you something to eat, but all I have is porridge… with dried fruit…”
Captain Lugaid chuckled, shaking his head, “Oh, Princess… Keeping up that spirit of yours… How are you?”
She hadn’t seen him in two weeks. She’d been given a chance at “forgiveness” if she begged and swore obedience to her father. She wrote a message back to him, making it clear how she felt. It wasn’t petulance or immaturity. She’d meant what she wrote. But instead of delivering the message to King Dale, it was burned in a fireplace.
Nopony, even under threat of death, would have wanted to deliver what she wrote to her own father. To some effect, she had told him to “stick his own scepter up his ass”. So, Captain Lugaid had simply said Essenta refused an audience.
“I’m bored, Captain… Please tell me Father is considering letting me out sometime in the near future. I’m not exactly wanting to kiss his ass, or anything, but I won’t tell him to put his shiny stick up there, either.”
The older fellow laughed, “Essenta! It beggars the imagination you picked up such language… Well, no it doesn’t. Still, when your father heard about the things you were spouting at the pub, I thought he might have a heart storm.”
She chuckled at the idea… half-jokingly, “That’s the first time you’ve called me by name in… four years.”
He got a bit flustered; he’d forgotten himself, “Yes, but don’t change the subject! I miss the days you were a little princess as much as you do… maybe more. But Princess, you have things expected of you. And you know the time will soon come you must shoulder that responsibility.”
He was perhaps the only adult she’d take that from. She loved him… more than she loved her own father. And he loved her like a daughter. Her father hadn’t comforted her when she was sad. Captain Lugaid had… He also taught her the very basics of soldiering, a decision he sometimes regretted and would never admit to. King Dale had been his friend since they were both foals, but even that probably wouldn’t have saved his neck from the king’s wrath.
“I know, Captain… And I’m… sorry for any trouble I may have caused you. But really, Father sent you here for a reason. I know you wouldn’t have come on your own when he’s like this.”
“Indeed… he has something for you. I don’t know what it is. Whatever it is, Sir Beiran was recused from the council chamber over it. But he won’t say what. Your father commands your presence tomorrow at noon. He said you can either come and listen to what he has to say, or you can remain where you are until winter… or until…”
Essenta was worried by the unease in his voice, “‘Or until’ what?”
Captain Lugaid tried to look evenly at her, but had a hard time with it, “Until he decides to send you away with a dowry of his own…”
At this, Essenta’s front cracked. Her face fell, and she fell back a little in her chair. She didn’t want to cry in front of anypony, but if it had to be somepony, the captain wasn't her last choice. All the wind taken from her sails, Essenta felt small… and young. And she did cry… Sometimes, when she was reminded just how little her father treasured his daughter, she couldn't help herself. She knew she could've been a better daughter to him, but... he could've been a better father... and a better king.
Captain Lugaid, casting aside his formalities, took up Essenta and embraced her, “Oh, Essenta… it’ll be alright.”
He wished his words were true. They just came out, probably in one ear and out the other to the princess. He wished his words were true, but he couldn’t say. He only wished there was something to say to comfort his friend.
She may have been tough, independent, and bold… but she was just a young mare in the end.
The next day at noon, Essenta stood in the throne room, looking up to her father and mother. Her siblings were seated off to the side. Much of the court was there, watching.
Her stomach was doing cartwheels. And she was tired. She didn’t get much sleep, thinking about whatever this was. She also couldn’t manage to eat much that she was able to keep down.
To keep on the best possible terms, she elected to wear something a little more formal than the last time she dressed up. And her mane had now grown long enough she could wear that stupid headpiece, so there she stood, gussied up and ready to listen to whatever her father had to say.