The Princess and the Viper

The Princess and the Viper
By: Whitney Sweet

    Once upon a moment in time not far from here, a princess was born. She was a perfect bundle with cinnamon coloured skin, wild dark hair and eyes like a river after a storm. There were three small freckles adorning the left side of her face, just below the outer corner of her eye. The King and Queen named her Cannella.
    It was the story of these freckles that Canella remembered the most. “The freckles”, her father said “were for the three tears I cried the night you were born. One tear for the past, one tear for the present, and one tear for the future of my kingdom. If you were born a boy, I know that you would grow and hold my kingdom in your strong hands when you became king, but you are only a small girl, with small hands. When you are queen, I fear your hands will not be big enough to hold onto my kingdom and keep it safe.” The Queen, however, told Cannella that the freckles were, “for the three stars that watched over you the night you were born, stars of happiness, truth, and love.”
    As Canella grew she realized that her father was a king who was cruel to his people. He built high walls around the castle property, and posted guards to keep the villagers out. He enjoyed living in a life of luxury as the people of his village starved and lived in cold shacks. Cannella was so saddened by this, she made a vow to herself that when her turn came to rule, she would do things differently.  
    The princess often visited the village in secret to get to know the people she would one day rule. Into the village she would go, talking to the villagers, to learn what it was like to live in her father’s kingdom, with none of them any the wiser to her true identity.  She felt that if she knew the people as friends, then when she became their ruler they would respect her, and she would know how to make the kingdom a happier place. 
    One day, a terrible storm blew in, trapping the princess inside the castle walls. Unable to visit her subjects that day she paced, bored and restless. The Queen saw her daughter’s agitation and called her to her dressing room. “Cannella” she said, while she reached out to her dressing table, “I have something for you.” The queen picked up a small golden box, covered with carvings of flowers. “This is a music box your father gave me on the day he learned I was with child, I would like for you to have it.” The queen placed the box in Cannella’s small hands. Cannella opened the lid, inside was a beautiful, gleaming, green enamel viper, with sapphire eyes, and ruby scales down its back. “It is beautiful, mother”, Cannella replied, “but it plays no music. You did say it is a music box, didn't you?” The queen smiled and said, “Yes it was intended to be a music box, but it has never played for me. There must be some trick to it, but I am afraid I do not know what it is. Why don’t you take it to your room, maybe in your hands it will come to life.”
    Up in her room Cannella placed the music box on the window sill. She turned the key on the side of the box, and no music played. She lifted the lid, still there was no music. “Why don’t you play for me viper?” The princess spoke aloud. “You are so lovely, and beautiful. I believe your music will be beautiful as well.” When nothing happened, Cannella left the box alone on the window sill, the viper, looking out the window from the opened lid. Then, thinking of her friends in the village, the princess spoke aloud, “I love my people and wish I knew the way to improve their lives.” As she spoke these words, some quiet notes came from the viper, as though in response. Thrilled, Cannella kept speaking to the viper, and the viper kept playing music in response. Soon, however, Cannella discovered that the music was not music, but words of sadness.  As Cannella listened, she learned the story of the viper. “I have been trapped here in this box for many years. Once, long ago, the king fell in love with me and chose me from all the women in the kingdom to marry, but I did not and could not love him, and when I refused to love him as a woman should, he placed a magic spell upon me turning me into a viper and placing me in this music box. I must stay here until someone in the world loves me once more.” Cannella was sad to learn of the terrible thing her father had done, but sadder still, to see the viper forced to languish in that box. “Oh viper, I do not know how to help you, other than to never close you in that box again. From now on you will sit on my window sill and look out at the beautiful village, and I will be your friend.”
    As months and years went by, Canella and the viper became the best of friends. Every evening, after her visit to the village, Cannella entertained the viper with stories of the villagers. They grew to know each other very well, and when Canella turned 18, something remarkable happened. One day the princess noticed several scales had fallen from the viper’s back as her friend filled the room with the saddest music that she had ever heard. “Whatever is the matter viper?” Cannella asked.  The viper responded “I shall never leave this box, or this window ledge. It has been years and years and I shall be trapped here forever. No one will ever love me again.” She cried, full of despair. It was at that moment, when Cannella realized, that she loved the viper, more than she had ever loved anyone in her life before. 

“I love you viper. You are my very best friend in the world, but more than that, you fill my heart with hope, and joy.” As she said these words she bent and kissed the viper on the head. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and a blast of the most mystical music anyone has ever heard. When the smoke cleared, there, standing before Cannella, was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Dressed in green taffeta, her hair the colour of rubies, and her eyes as blue as sapphires, stood viper in human form. Cannella’s love was brought to life. 
    “Oh viper, you are human!” Exclaimed Cannella as she reached out a hand and touched the woman in front of her. “My Cannella, you have saved me from my prison with your love. I can do nothing to repay you, but to spend my life loving you in return.” 
    With that, the spell was broken and Drakena (viper’s human name) and Cannella joined hands, and ran down the stairs. At the bottom, they found the king, lying dead. His heart exploded the moment his spell had been broken. For he cast a spell filled with so much hate, that once broken, it drained the life from him.
    The princess was now Queen of the Kingdom. Her first task was to change the kingdom for good. She gave food and shelter to her people, and opened her castle to allow them to come and see her anytime they wished. Cannella ruled with love and truth working with the people to create happiness in the village. The second task for Cannella was to change the kingdom into a queendom. Together with her mother and Drakena, Canella ruled in happiness, truth and love, using their six hands to hold the weight of the queendom, removing it from the old rule and the two hate filled hands of the king.

The End