Faerie Tale Prince

26 - July 2003

A little girl in a dress so green it matched her eyes kicked her legs back and forth under the chair that was too big. The Teller was having words with her mother. Trying hard to pay attention, the girl fidgeted in her seat. She’d never seen either the Teller or her mother look so agitated.
   Finally her mother came and knelt down beside the girl, and cupped her face in motherly hands. “I told you that you had a big destiny, Sonya.”
   “But what did the Teller say, Momma?”
   Her mother’s eyes were damp. “She said that you, my child, are going to find your true love in a prince.”
   “A prince. Like in the faerie tales?”
   Her mother nodded, and the tears started flowing down her cheeks.
   “What’s wrong, Momma?”
   Her mother looked back at the Teller. The blind woman gestured her to continue. “She must know the whole of it.”
   Her mother bit her lip and turned to look at her again. “Well, baby, the Teller says you’ll love many times. Haven’t I told you that you are just so full of love? But you must deny this love until you find the prince.”
“Why?”
“Because,” the Teller broke in, “it is only in your union with the prince that we will be saved.”
“We?”
“All of our people, dear” her mother said.
“Something’s going to happen to our people?”
Her mother nodded. “That’s why you have to go away and find your prince.”
“Go away?”
“You must go live among the others and find your prince. If you don’t….”
“But I don’t want to go away.”
“Time runs short,” the Teller cautioned. “The threads of destiny may not be able to pick out another such as you. You must go and find your one true love before it’s too late.” With that, she turned back into her house, shawl flapping behind her. The room started to fade, colors becoming fuzzy.
“Momma?”
“Remember dear, you are on a great mission. You have to save us. Do you remember how?”
Tears added to the distortion of reality. “I gotta find a prince, like in the faerie tales.”
As the reality shifted, she heard the echoes of her mother say, “That’s right dear, find your faerie tale prince.”
Reality settled, and Sonya was alone in a different world.

Sonya sat on a bar stool, squirming a bit, trying to find a more comfortable position. She was almost crushed into the ring stained bar as bodies pressed in behind her endeavoring to get various drink requests filled. The rhythmic thumping of the bass beat pounded at her temples, and the smoke and sweat rising off the dance floor stung her eyes. She pulled her drink closer to her chest as a broad shouldered man squeezed into the seat beside her. He had obviously just left off the dance floor, breathing hard and sweating.
Trying to take up as little space is possible, Sonya wondered where Matia had gone off to. It'd been her roommate's idea to come to Club Nine's grand reopening. "It'll be a nice change in studying for midterms" she had assured. When Sonya looked skeptical, Matia had added "Who knows, you may even find "Mr. Right" or whoever it is that you're saving yourself for." Sonya had flushed that, but had agreed to go, knowing that if she didn't, Matia would pursue that uncomfortable conversation until she finally relented.
Sonya had intended to find a good excuse not to come, but by the time Matia was ready to leave, she had not located any friends who could provide an adequate excuse. Apparently most of them were out of town on a retreat.
   Looking into the bar glass in front of her, she realized it was finally empty. Sonya turned in her seat, half standing on the crossbeams, trying to see past the crowd and on to the dance floor. Unfortunately the lights had darkened, and the floor was a mass of dancing colored lights, and strobe effects accented by the neon glow of jewelry supported by the ladies. Matia had explained that they were like Mardi Gras beads, but the guys had to win the girls favor to win her necklace. She could not find Matia among the confusion, and with a sigh settled back into her seat, careful to pull down the short skirt her roommate had loaned her to cover her legs to least mid thigh. This, unfortunately, pulled down the waist, exposing her belly button under Matia's pink skull and crossbones baby doll shirt. Sitting up straight, Sonya tried to ignore her exposed midriff and fingered her own neon necklace instead. She suddenly felt the pressure of eyes on her and moved her hands to hold on to her glass once more.
Careful not to turn her head, she glanced to her right and saw the broad shouldered man looking at her. Eager for distraction, and uncomfortable with the attention, Sonya tried to get the attention of the bartender, to little success. After three passes of taking orders behind and to either side of her, Sonya gave up. At least the disconcerting feeling of being watched was gone. The bartender made another pass, mixed drink in hand, when the guy sitting next her suddenly stuck out his hand. The bartender slowed, with an impatient "Yeah?"
Speaking over the music the patron pointed to her and said, “She wants a refill of…" and suddenly turned to look at her.
"… Root beer" she supplied.
"Root beer," he said, turning back to the bartender.
The bartender nodded, "Right with you."
Sonya turned to look at the broad shouldered fellow as he sat back down on his bar stool. "Thanks" she mumbled.
"No problem. You just to make sure you really try to get their attention. With this crowd only the loud or the pushy get served."
   Sonya nodded, then turned back as her empty glass was replaced a full one. Wrapping both hands around her drink, she glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still watching her. She had expected him to be leaning close to her making some comment about her choice of beverages at this college town hot spot, but his eyes were searching out over the dance floor. Relieved she wouldn't be forced into an awkward conversation, Sonya started as a voice in her left slurred, "Root beer, huh? Why don't you try somethin’ with a little more kick? It's a party after all."
Whipping around, Sonya found herself almost nose to nose with the speaker. She could tell he was wearing contacts, too much hair gel, and 5 glow necklaces he had acquired from various women over the course of the evening. His eyes dropped to her green necklace, then drifted a bit lower, taking in the skull and crossbones and heart combination over her chest. Disgusted, Sonya tried to turn away, but found that he placed his arm on the bar in front of her preventing her retreat. The crowd shifted, and he stepped closer to her to allow a girl behind him access to the bar. He brought his right hand up to finger her necklace. "How’s ‘bout I buy you a real drink, an’ you can reward me with this pretty little thing." Sonya shifted uncomfortably as his eyes drifted down once again.
"No. Thank you. I’m fine with the drink I have." She tried to keep the shaking out of her voice. Her speaking drew his eyes back up to meet hers. He leaned closer, and in what she assumed is meant to be lowered voice said "How ‘bout I do something else for you to earn your necklace?" Sonya started to reach for her root beer to throw in his face, when he grabbed her wrist with one hand while his other gravitated towards her chest.
There was a sudden pressure on her shoulders, and she heard from behind her head, "Move on buddy, she’s with me."
Her attacker looked up past her, then back to her face. She smiled as he tried to process was going on. "Oh, there you are dear,” she said over her shoulder, then looked back at the drunk who still held her wrist. "Would you care to meet my boyfriend?" she asked innocently. He dropped her arm, and turned away.
As he left, she tuned out what he was muttering. Sonya felt like slumping back in relief at his departure, but the warmth against her back told her that her mysterious savior was still standing right behind her. She waited a moment to see if he would move, and when he didn't, she slowly turned to face the bar. Her movement drew his attention from watching the retreating back of the aggressor, and he backed up, returning to his own seat.
"Thanks," Sonya said, and turned to look at him once more, this time really allowing herself to take in the man. He was broad shouldered, as she had first noticed, but not overly buff. The dark blue of his shirt contrasted with paler features and light brown eyes. “I’m Max," he said. “I figured you should probably know my name if I’m going to be your boyfriend."
She looked at the hand he offered, then looked up to his face, a sincere smile there. She took his hand. It was smooth and pleasantly warm. "Sonya. Max, thank you."
He nodded, and took back his hand. “I just can’t stand arrogant jerks like that. They give college males a bad name.”
“I thought that was typical behavior for college guys.”
“Damn. You see, a bad name.” He shook his head.
“Or it could be that you’re trying to ruin their reputation, being a decent guy, and all.”
He raised both hands. “Guilty as charged. But it seems every nice act I try to do is undermined thrice over by one of the others of my species.”
   “Well, it’s appreciated. You’ve almost made the evening worth coming to.”
   He raised an eyebrow. “Almost?” he said, sounding hurt.
   “Unless you’re really a faerie tale prince in disguise, that is.”
   “No, sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I guess I’ll have to settle for almost, then.”
   She gave a wan smile. “I guess,” she said, and turned back to her root beer.
   Matia pushed her way through the crowd. Hair matted down from dancing on the crowded floor, she gyrated her hips at Sonya, who rolled her eyes. It was probably similar dancing that had won away Matia’s glow necklace. Sonya placed her hands on her roommate’s shoulders. “Matia, I think we should go.”
   She could smell the alcohol permeating Matia’s breath as she replied. “I don’t wanna,” she said, pouting. “I’m having fun.”
   “Apparently. But I’m driving and I say we go,” Sonya replied, slipping off her bar stool. She left five dollars on the bar to cover her tab and tip.
   “I kep’ my necklace so long. A lotta guys tried to win it from me, but I held out,” Matia proudly proclaimed as Sonya nestled her shoulder under Matia’s, providing support for her staggering form. “Did you now?” she said, and started steering both of them towards the door. Matia had planted her feet, however, and when Sonya took her first few steps, she was suddenly off balance and falling. Warm arms suddenly appeared, stopping her fall, and propping up her sloshed roommate.
   She turned and was not surprised to see Max. He indicated to Matia. “Looks like you could use a hand.” Sonya nodded, and he pulled Matia’s other arm across his shoulders. As they made their way to the door, he carried most of her weight. Matia mumbled the whole way about the night still being young.
Max helped Matia into the passenger seat, then stepped back so Sonya could reach over to buckle her in. Matia suddenly grabbed her shoulders. “Wait!” she cried. “We can’t leave yet, you still got yer necklace.”
   “I’ll keep it as a souvenir, then,” Sonya said, buckling Matia in.
   “No,” she wailed. “It doesn’t work like that. You gotta give it to a guy” she said, reaching to unbuckle herself. “Don’t worry, I’ll find you a guy to give it to.”
   Squatting by the open car door, Sonya grabbed Matia’s hands in her own. “Matia, if I can give my necklace to a guy, can we go home?”
   Matia nodded, pleased that Sonya understood. “Okay,” Sonya said. “Wait here.” Standing, the lifted the glowing green ring over her head and handed it to Max.
   She turned back to Matia. “Happy?”
   “No,” her drunken roommate pouted. “He has to earn it, or it’s not legit.”
   “Don’t worry, he’s earned it,” Sonya assured.
   “Don’t believe you.”
   “Trust me, he has earned it,” Sonya said, and turned an apologetic smile towards Max.
   “No. If he’d earned it already, ya’d already’ve given it to him. He has to earn it ‘gain. Make him give it back.”
   Sonya sighed. “Matia, he saved me earlier. Do you want me to go fetch a drunken slob to drool over me so he can save me again?”
   Matia screwed up her face in thought. “No…” she thought some more. “No. That’d be bad for my poor pretty roommie. He should kiss you. That’d earn it, but without the slob.” Matia suddenly burst into giggles.
   Sonya turned to Max, who was standing a few feet away, still holding the car door open. She took it from him and closed Matia in. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Matia tends to get more and more stubborn the more inebriated she is. I should be able to distract her long enough to get on the road home. Thank you for everything.”
   Pointing back towards the door, Max said, “Apparently you’ll not be getting away that easy.” Matia had opened the door and was trying to get out, restrained by the seatbelt she forgot she was wearing.
   “Kiss,” she said, leaning out.
   Max scooped up Sonya’s right hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. He turned towards Matia, held out the necklace, and asked “Is that okay? Have I earned this now?”
   She scrunched up her face again. After a few moments, a decisive “No” emerged. “You gotta kiss ‘er on the lips to get a green necklace.”
   Sonya turned. “You must made that up” she accused, and to her frustration Matia merely smiled. She turned back towards Max. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to…” she began, but trailed off as she noticed he was staring down at her.
   She looked into his eyes, and suddenly felt lost in them, and found at the same time. Heartbeats passed.
   “Do you mind?” he asked quietly.
   Enveloped in his eyes, she couldn’t find her voice. Sonya shook her head a fraction. “No,” she mouthed. Max cupped her cheek in one hand and tilted her chin back slightly as he brought his lips gently to hers.
   For a moment there was nothing but his soft lips and her heartbeat. When Matia started “whooing” it took Sonya a moment to realize the warmth on her cheek and lips were fading memories.
   “That’a girl,” Matia cheered, and somehow managed to get the car door closed.
   Still standing inches away from Max, Sonya searched his brown eyes. “Are you sure you aren’t a faerie tale prince?” she whispered.
   Max shook his head. “Sorry” he replied, voice just as low. “It looks as if you’re all set to go. Good night Sonya.”
   Sonya hesitated, and finally said good night in return. As she drove away, she saw Max turning back towards the club, and sighed.

   Before Max had approached the door to Club Nine, a dark car pulled out in front of him. The driver got out and quickly opened the rear door. Max got in and sat down across from the older man already occupying the car. As it drove off his companion began, “I really do wish you would not slip out like that.” Max stared out the window the direction Sonya had left.
   “We could at least have sent someone…” his companion stopped as Max gave him a warning gesture with his hand. He had heard all this too many times before.
   Resigned, the man sat back in his seat. Left in silence, Max fingered the green necklace and pictured the woman who had utterly captured his heart. After a few moments his companion said, “I at least hope you enjoyed your evening, Maxwell. Her royal highness your mother has sent word you are to return home tomorrow.
   Max sighed. He had expected this day to come. Sometimes the burdens of royal life annoyed him. Pressing his fingers to lips that remembered their first real kiss, he wished his life was just a faerie tale.