Princess Clara Balia and Her Magical Smile

Princess Clara Balia and Her Magical Smile

by Justine C. Tajonera

Once upon a time, there was a little princess named Clara Balia and she lived in a kingdom called Silver Land. Clara was the second child of a King and Queen and she was very much loved by her parents and all those who knew her. There was just one problem. She didn’t really smile. She just had a curious look, a sad look, a surprised look, an annoyed look, and an angry look. She rarely had a happy look. Or if she did, people generally didn’t remember how she looked when she was happy. 

She was extremely good at the annoyed and angry looks. Because of this, many of the people of Silver Land tried to avoid seeing the princess because she didn’t really make them happy. They were scared of her and they thought that she was always critical of them. 

Her older brother, Prince Gabron, was very worried about his little sister’s behavior. He wanted all the people of Silver Land to love not just him but his whole family. People generally loved the King and Queen because they were just so nice and generous. People adored Prince Gabron because he was a very gallant young boy and he was also handsome, on top of that. He loved doing feats for the people. He would battle dragons that tried to burn up the villagers’ crops and he would go out of his way to be present during feasts and celebrations to represent the King and the Queen. 

Unfortunately, Clara Balia was not invited to any of these feasts and celebrations because the people were afraid of her. They thought she was bewitched and she might bring some kind of misfortune to the event. Her governess, Aya, was also very concerned about this because she dearly loved her little princess and she wanted everyone to love her too. 

“Oh, Prince Gabron, what are we to do with our little Princess Clara?” Aya asked Prince Gabron one afternoon after he had returned from one of the village feasts. 

“I don’t know what to do either, Lady Aya,” Prince Gabron replied. He was tired and talking about his grouchy sister did not make him feel happy either. 

“But I love Princess Clara,” Lady Aya insisted, “She’s just misunderstood.”

“But why doesn’t she take the time to learn how to smile?”

“I do try to help her by amusing her and bringing her to the garden and showing her the kittens and the butterflies but she just watches them with awe. Nothing can seem to make her smile.”

“I have an idea!” Prince Gabron exclaimed. He really loved these moments of insight. He wondered why he never thought it before. 

“I’m going to create a tournament!” Prince Gabron said to Lady Aya. “It’s going to be the biggest tournament in all the land. Everyone will want to come to our kingdom.”

“How exciting!” Lady Aya said, caught up with Prince Gabron’s enthusiasm. 

“I’m going to hold a tournament and the object of the tournament is make our Princess Clara smile. Whoever wins will have lots and lots of gold from my own coffers. What do you think?”

“That’s a splendid idea!” cried Lady Aya. 

So preparations were underway for that great tournament. The whole kingdom was abuzz. Announcements and invitations were sent out to other kingdoms as well. All the women set about to make a great feast. All the young boys and girls were tasked to decorate the tournament grounds. They gathered as many flowers as they could from the orchards and the forests. All the men were tasked to put up tents so that the guests who arrived might be protected from the heat of the sun as people expected the tournament to last the whole day. 

Princess Clara Balia was dressed in one of her best dresses. She was wearing a pink gossamer gown and Lady Aya made sure that her hair was combed and decorated with lots of yellow and pink flowers from the royal gardens. Lady Aya made sure that she wouldn’t be irritated by her clothes so Princess Clara could just concentrate on all the people who were trying to make her smile. The King and Queen were very proud of Prince Gabron for thinking of such a splendid solution for their dilemma. 

Many visitors came from near and far to win Princess Clara’s smile. There were clowns and jesters and dwarves from circuses. There were clever young men and wise old fools. There were merry midwives and all kinds of people who had practiced their jokes and swore by their shows. 

Then the tournament was announced. The problem was that each candidate did not win her smile. No matter what they did, Princess Clara either frowned or looked them up and down. A lot of people were disheartened. There was a very long line of people who tried their best but to no avail. 

Finally, a little boy who wasn’t even part of the tournament approached the raised platform where Princess Clara was seated. He was a sickly boy who hobbled with a cane. And all he wanted to do was give her a simple flower. The little boy went up to her and gave her a daisy that he picked from the field. 

Finally, after a very tiring and disappointing afternoon, Princess Clara smiled a very bright and beautiful smile. The little boy glowed in the warmth of her smile and it was said that his sickness went away as soon as he saw her smile. It turned out that Princess Clara’s smile was a miraculous smile that was why it was very rare. She and the little boy named Luc became good friends and together they brought her smile where it was most needed: to the sick and the needy. Prince Gabron was very happy with this and the royal family lived happily ever after. 

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Image credit: Mariana Yarritu of Unsplash

Note: This was part of a fairy tale series that I wrote on 750words.com. 

July 20, 2012