One day a charming princess of a far away kingdom snuck out of the castle and into the neighboring forest. She was just a little princess the day she went out into the normally foreboding forest. So full of youthful innocence she was that even the feral animals seemed tame in her presence. She would stroll aimlessly for hours gathering wildflowers and abandoned feathers as the squirrels chirped merrily behind her, the birds sung sweetly overhead, and the foxes made sure no harm came to her.

As she skipped across rocks in a shallow brook a delicate fawn came into view.  He was a handsome little fawn with doe-eyes and perfect flecks on his rump. His antlers were still hidden except for two tiny bumps on his head. He was a dear thing, he was.

For a moment that seemed a lifetime the princess and the fawn gazed into each other’s eyes. The princess felt that there was something special about this young buck, but couldn’t put her finger on what. If what she saw in his eyes was true, he thought the same thing about her.

She hopped off the rock and slowly walked towards the deer. Cautiously she patted his muzzle, thus knowing that he was a kind deer. From that strange and magically moment a bond was made that neither the princess or the fawn would yet understand.

Every day following the previous the little princess would sneak out of the castle and meet her little fawn in the woods. They would run and run and run through the trees, leaping over fallen limbs, and bursting from the underbrush. The fawn would take the princess to his favorite spots in the forest: a pool of water so clear and still it was like a mirror, a strand of the brook where a myriad amount of delicious red berries grew, and a grove where the most perfect little white flowers found a home.

Every night the little princess would part from her little fawn and sneak back into the castle where her nursemaid would quickly clean her due to fear of the Queen’s wrath. Then she would be rushed off to whatever must be done and then to bed where she would dream of the fawn and the forest.

As the years went by the little princess grew. As the little princess grew so did her lessons and times spent learning the art of royalty. As these lessons grew her time in the forest shrunk. Soon she never ventured out of the castle unless to take a stroll through the palace gardens with the other palace ladies.

The once little princess grew into a fine young lady who was well suited for a throne:  she had gained fair, snowy skin from staying inside the castle, her lips were pink and delicate, and her cherry-wood hair soft and luscious. She was the envy of the neighboring kingdoms and the desire of those kingdoms’ earls, dukes, princes, and even the kings. She became a jewel that every royal man lusted for, but every suitor that came to her she expressed a state of less than uninterested.

On the day her parents seemed hopeless of their daughter ever taking liking to a man, a fair and handsome young figure walked into their court. He introduced himself as Prince of Fel, a kingdom of many leagues away. Word has reached his ear of a lovely damsel who is of marrying age and he traveled all the way from his kingdom to ask for her hand.

The King and Queen were taken aback at this confident young man. They grew very pleased at the thought that their daughter would never turn down such an incredible candidate, but this time they would not give her the chance.

At once they rushed him off to meet their darling daughter.

But the princess had her eyes on something else so steadily that she did not care to notice the prince come up to her. She was staring off into the forest from a balcony at something that seemed warmly familiar to her.

“My princess,” the prince said, startling the princess.

She turned towards the prince. In her parents eyes he was most lovely, but to her she saw a man who was far from lovely, maybe even cruel in his deepest part. She wanted nothing to do with the suitor from far away and coldly turned her eyes back to the forest where what was so familiar was now gone.

“My princess I must have your hand in marriage,” the prince continued as he turned her toward him.

“I’m sorry, but-“ was all the princess had time to say before the King and Queen announced that it was decided that they would give her away to the Prince of Fel.

The poor princess felt her heart snap in two and ran down the hall. She ran so fast and so far, letting only her feet guide her, until she found herself on the edge of the forest. Normally the sight of it filled her with a silent joy, but now it only brought despair. She soon fled from the wood’s endless eyes until she locked herself in her room.

Months passed and the princess and the prince were married. They planned to stay at the princess’ home kingdom for a year and then return to the Kingdom of Fel.

In that time the princess grew steadily ill. Her complexion grew ghostly pale and her frame became thin and hollow. The prince noticed this change and disliked it very much. He began to assume that he was tricked. He thought the king and queen must have hired a witch to give their daughter the illusion immense beauty so they could marry her off.  

This angered the prince, but he was clever. He concocted a plan to rid himself of his hideous bride without cause upset in the kingdom.

So the prince invited the princess to go with him on a hunt, claiming that the fresh air would be good for her health. The princess barely heard the invite and went along for she had no energy to deny.

They cantered through the forest on horseback and the deeper into the wood they traveled the more upset the princess became. She seemed more hideous to the prince by the second. Soon, when he felt they were far enough away from the castle, he strung his bow and let loose an arrow at his terrified bride.

The arrow struck, but not what it was intended to. There, lying on the soft forest floor was a healthy stag that jumped out from behind the trees right before the arrow was to strike the princess.

The prince, now terrified of what might happen with his bride still alive, fled from the forest at top speed in the direction opposite of the castle.  

The poor princess wept at the sight of her old friend slain before her in order to protect her. Her old little fawn was now a handsome stag cut down in his prime. Her tears streamed down her hollowed face and fell onto her fallen stag.

As she cried a gentle fairy appeared from the trees and smiled down at the princess.

“Tears are not becoming to a young princess such as yourself,” the fairy said.

“I have just lost a dear friend who I have been unfaithful to for I never said goodbye and yet he stayed loyal to me,” the princess replied.

“Do not fret. There is a way to save your friend. You must gather three items from the forest: water from the mirror, a berry of the heart, and a star of the earth. You are then to bring them back to your friend.”

“But I know not what those are. How shall I be able to find them?”

“If you are true of heart then you shall find them.”

The fairy disappeared back into the trees. Tears formed at the corner of the princess’ eyes but she shook them away. She was determined to save her childhood friend and not let him die in vain, for if she cannot save him she felt that she would surely wither away.

Drawing back her childhood memories to her she flew through the forest. She ran and ran and ran through the trees, leaping over fallen limbs, and bursting from the underbrush. Her feet lead her to a little pool of water that sat as still as a mirror. The place burst forth in her memory and she knew at once that this was the water of the mirror.

She poured the water into her little flask, but only enough so that there was a sip for she would not take more than necessary.

And so she ran and ran and ran again through trees, leaping over fallen limbs, and bursting from the underbrush. She stumbled upon a little brook where the reddest berries grew. They were the color of blood and she once again felt her memories return. These were the berries of the heart.

She knelt down and plucked only one berry from the bush for she would not take more than was necessary.

Again she set forth. She ran and ran and ran again through trees, leaping over fallen limbs, and bursting from the underbrush. As she felt herself tire since she was still ill she fell into a clearing. In this clearing was the most delicate, little, white flowers she has ever seen. Hope sprang in her chest as she realized these were the flowers from her childhood; these were the stars of the earth.

Carefully she plucked one flower, avoiding the damage of the others for she would only take what was necessary.

But, alas, she had no energy left in her. So she lay in the clearing exhausted and miserable. She would never make it back now. Once again tears snuck out of her eyes.
The fairy came through the trees once more and kissed her gently on her forehead. And the princess slept a deep and peaceful sleep.

The princess awoke in a silk sheeted bed in a lovely sleeping chamber of gold and silver. For a moment she thought that she was now in heaven, but she did not feel spirit like.

She walked out into the gorgeous castle’s courtyard and saw that it was intertwined with an ancient and inviting forest that was more real, yet more like a dream than any forest she had ever seen. The most amazing thing she saw was stand a few feet from her. He was dark and handsome, perfectly built for life in the forest. But the part that drew her attention the most was his perfect doe eyes.

“My true-hearted princess,” the man began, “I am Prince Damon the former and true Prince of Fel. My older cousin was jealous that when I was born he was no longer in line for the throne, so he hired an old hag to bewitch me. I was trapped into the form of a deer and sent far away when I was only ten years old.

“But then I met you and found love even if I was too young yet to understand it. Eventually my cousin came here for your hand, but I could not help for I was trapped.

“The days passed until I saw you and my foul cousin riding out into the forest. I knew he had evil in his mind from the look on his face. You know what happened next: I took the arrow to protect you and my cousin fled.

"What you do not know is that the fairy was my dear mother who came to free me of my kiss. After you gathered the three items she gave you her blessing with a curse. You and I were spirited away back here to the grand palace of Fel.

"Now I must ask you one question: will you give me your hand in marriage?”

The princess smiled and for the first time in her life crying pure tears of joy.

And so the Princess and the true Prince of Fel were happily married in the Grand Palace of Fel, were blessed with many lovely and healthy children, and reigned over the land with fairness.

But do not worry. Though the cousin was never seen in the land of Fel again he did not go unpunished. In the land he wound up at he was charged and hanged for attempted swindling of the high court.

And, at the risk of sounding cliché, the princess and the prince lived happily ever after.