High above on his magnificent golden throne, the elderly King stared directly at the bright red, sun shaped mark on my exposed neck. The color completely drained from his weathered, wrinkled face. His trembling hands tightly gripped the golden armrests as his tired eyes widened in absolute, heartbreaking shock.
“No,” the King whispered, his raspy voice incredibly soft but carrying perfectly through the dead silence of the grand marble hall. He slowly rose from his velvet throne, his heavy red robes cascading around him. The entire royal court watched in stunned, breathless silence as he abandoned his royal posture and began to desperately descend the towering golden steps. The furious Queen stepped back, her arrogant, cruel face suddenly twisting in total confusion and rising panic. She had intended to publicly execute a worthless peasant girl, completely unaware of the ancient, heavily guarded royal secret she had just accidentally uncovered. Exactly twenty long years ago, the kingdom’s only infant princess had been tragically kidnapped in the dead of night, stolen directly from her royal crib and presumed dead by the entire realm.
The only identifying mark on the lost royal heir was a very rare, vivid red sun birthmark on her right shoulder. The old King walked unsteadily across the polished marble floor, his tearful eyes never leaving my frightened face. The heavily armored guards immediately released my bruised arms and stepped back quickly, sensing the terrifying, immediate shift in the grand room’s power. I stayed frozen on my knees, my heart pounding violently in my chest as the most powerful man in the realm dropped to his own knees right in front of me. He reached out with shaking, wrinkled hands and gently touched my dirty face, hot tears openly streaming down into his long white beard. “My beautiful daughter,” he cried loudly, pulling me forward into a desperate, crushing embrace.
“You are actually alive.” The collective, shocking gasp from the hundreds of gathered wealthy nobles echoed loudly off the towering stone columns. The cruel Queen let out a horrified, pathetic shriek, suddenly realizing her terrible, fatal mistake. She had just violently assaulted and publicly humiliated the true, rightful heir to the entire kingdom. The King slowly stood up, keeping one arm wrapped fiercely around my trembling shoulders to protect me. He instantly turned his agonizing grief into absolute, terrifying fury as he glared viciously at the pale, shaking Queen. “Arrest her instantly,” the King commanded, his booming voice shaking the very stone walls of the hall. The exact same royal guards who had dragged me in forcefully seized the screaming Queen, dragging her violently away as she begged wildly for mercy.
The King turned back to me, gently taking off his own heavy velvet cloak and wrapping it warmly over my torn, humble peasant dress. I had walked into that grand throne room as a condemned, worthless beggar, fully preparing to lose my life. I walked out holding the King’s arm, instantly transformed into the most powerful princess in the entire realm. My difficult life of poverty was officially over forever.
