Princess Lulu was a lucky, lucky princess, indeed.
Her castle was just so – with tapestries and statues and couches and cushions all just as she liked them. She was very rich, of course, so she had only to ask, and countless servants would rush to find anything she liked and to do whatever she bid them.
Princess Lulu ruled a happy land filled with well-fed peasants and contented lords. Each afternoon, just around two o’clock, Miss Lulu would mount her charming white pony and trot throughout her little kingdom, spreading cheer everywhere she went.
Lulu had, as all princesses do, a lot of time to do the things she loved. She read books and books and books. She invited friends (she had lots of friends – all sorts of friends!) to tea in the back gardens. She spent hours listening to her very own minstrels, and she meandered endlessly througout her vast lands.
But Princess Lulu was not happy. Not happy at all. Because there was one thing that she did not have. Princess Lulu did not have magical abilities. Other princesses, in nearby kingdoms, had magical powers. They could wave their wands and make flowers appear. They could speak a word and make trees whisper. Some could even fly.
The lack of this one thing had Lulu feeling very badly, indeed. She spent hour upon hour pondering and wondering and fussing about how she might unearth a magical ability of her own. Many days, Princess Lulu became really quite cranky because of this one thing that she lacked.
She spent a great deal of time reading about how she might acquire magical power like the princesses nearby. She even sent her most trusted servants to scour the land for a magic wand that she could learn to use, thereby giving her abilities like those of her neighbors.
But try, try, try as she might, Princess Lulu could not stir up any sort of magical anything.
Lulu’s effort turned to frustration, and then to anger. And Princess Lulu, once a caring and fun loving girl, became a grumbling and demanding aristocrat.
Tea with friends was put off indefinitely. She was far too embarassed by her useless magic wand and magic-less life to have the other princesses around. Her books stayed on their shelves, her minstrels went unheard, and her lovely horse went unexcercised while her many subjects daily went without kind words or cheerful conversation.
Lulu stayed in her bed chambers, her beautiful quilts and lovely cushions tucked snuggly around her, her servants at a loss as to what to do to change the mood of this suddenly sour young lady.
One particularly despairing day, the princess threw a fit of temper, sitting there in the middle of her princess-perfect bed and blubbing. "Why can’t I have a magical ability?" she demanded. "Why must I have such a useless, not-magic wand?" she complained. "I want what the other princesses have! It’s just not fair." And she flopped herself down amongst the bedclothes and sobbed deep, gulping, nose dripping sobs.
At just that moment, one the castle servants knocked hesitantly on Lulu’s bedchamber door. "Excuse me, Your Majesty?" the servant queried nervously, "Princess Abeline requests an audience."
"Let her come," sighed Lulu disinterestedly, quickly wiping her eyes and pulling herself together with a sigh and a pout.
Now, Princess Abeline was from the countryside, two kingdoms over from Lulu’s. She was a dear friend, generous of heart and humor. Abeline had, of course, a special magical ability: she could make brand new stars appear with just the humming of a tune. Princess Abeline was sweet tempered and gentle. She was known throughout the lands for her tender heart.
But, judging by the look on her very stern face, her heart was not tender that day. Princess Abeline, usually soft spoken and meek, marched up to Lulu’s bedside, and in a very un-gentle voice demanded, "Just WHAT do you think you are doing?"
Princess Lulu, very much surprised, and a little put-off (she had been, you remember, in the middle of a rousing tantrum before she was interrupted by her friend), looked sharply at Abeline. "What do you mean, ‘What do I think I am doing’?"
"You must stop this fussing nonsense, at once!" commanded Abeline. "How long are you going to sit holed-up in your castle, muttering and pouting about the one thing you do not have when so much has been given to you?!" Princess Abeline was angry, and her voice was rising with every breath she took. "Really! What a spoiled girl you are! Fussing and tantruming about not having magic. Silly thing! Think of all that you DO have! How long are you going to sit in here, behaving like a very un-royal, over-indulged baby?!"
Princess Abeline paused for a breath, her face reddening with effort and embarrassment. Princess Lulu, meanwhile, sat very still. Completely still. Completely shocked. She stared at her good friend, amazed at the stern words and harsh tone she had used. And while she sat, and while she stared, she had a good long think.
Abeline was right, of course. She had been behaving badly – like a spoiled princess. Abeline was right about all the things she did have, too. In fact, the list of things that Princess Lulu did have, she realized, was much, much longer than the list of things she did not have.
Lulu jumped down from the bed that very moment, her sudden burst of activity so startling Princess Abeline that she let out a shriek and ducked behind one of Lulu’s beautifully ornate bedposts. Lulu ran around to where Abeline was hiding, gave her a quick hug, and said "You are absolutely right, of course, my wise friend! I’ve been looking at this magic thing all wrong! So what if I don’t have the ability to turn toads into servants or servants into butterflies! There are so many things I do have!"
That very afternoon, after serving Princess Abeline a hot tea and sending her on her way, Lulu sat down with her royal scribe and made a list – a very loooong list of all of the wonderful things she had in her kingdom. And she made another list – a very short list of all the things she did not have. She put that list on the nightstand beside her bed – a place she’d be sure to see it each and every morning upon awakening.
Princess Lulu called for her minstrels and for her cook. She had a special garden party planned for the very next day: a party for all of her magic-doing princess friends. A party with music and readings and good things to eat. She called for a servant to bring her pony to her straight away. And she mounted that horse and had a good long ride through her kingdom spreading kind words and cheer everywhere she went. "Magic!" the peasants whispered as she passed by them. "What a magical way she has about her," intoned the lords as she waved her way past.
And it was magic. Not the sort that turned stones into crickets or mosquitos into mud, but the sort that reminded people for miles around, that once more, all was well in Princess Lulu’s kingdom.
Her castle was just so – with tapestries and statues and couches and cushions all just as she liked them. She was very rich, of course, so she had only to ask, and countless servants would rush to find anything she liked and to do whatever she bid them.
Princess Lulu ruled a happy land filled with well-fed peasants and contented lords. Each afternoon, just around two o’clock, Miss Lulu would mount her charming white pony and trot throughout her little kingdom, spreading cheer everywhere she went.
Lulu had, as all princesses do, a lot of time to do the things she loved. She read books and books and books. She invited friends (she had lots of friends – all sorts of friends!) to tea in the back gardens. She spent hours listening to her very own minstrels, and she meandered endlessly througout her vast lands.
But Princess Lulu was not happy. Not happy at all. Because there was one thing that she did not have. Princess Lulu did not have magical abilities. Other princesses, in nearby kingdoms, had magical powers. They could wave their wands and make flowers appear. They could speak a word and make trees whisper. Some could even fly.
The lack of this one thing had Lulu feeling very badly, indeed. She spent hour upon hour pondering and wondering and fussing about how she might unearth a magical ability of her own. Many days, Princess Lulu became really quite cranky because of this one thing that she lacked.
She spent a great deal of time reading about how she might acquire magical power like the princesses nearby. She even sent her most trusted servants to scour the land for a magic wand that she could learn to use, thereby giving her abilities like those of her neighbors.
But try, try, try as she might, Princess Lulu could not stir up any sort of magical anything.
Lulu’s effort turned to frustration, and then to anger. And Princess Lulu, once a caring and fun loving girl, became a grumbling and demanding aristocrat.
Tea with friends was put off indefinitely. She was far too embarassed by her useless magic wand and magic-less life to have the other princesses around. Her books stayed on their shelves, her minstrels went unheard, and her lovely horse went unexcercised while her many subjects daily went without kind words or cheerful conversation.
Lulu stayed in her bed chambers, her beautiful quilts and lovely cushions tucked snuggly around her, her servants at a loss as to what to do to change the mood of this suddenly sour young lady.
One particularly despairing day, the princess threw a fit of temper, sitting there in the middle of her princess-perfect bed and blubbing. "Why can’t I have a magical ability?" she demanded. "Why must I have such a useless, not-magic wand?" she complained. "I want what the other princesses have! It’s just not fair." And she flopped herself down amongst the bedclothes and sobbed deep, gulping, nose dripping sobs.
At just that moment, one the castle servants knocked hesitantly on Lulu’s bedchamber door. "Excuse me, Your Majesty?" the servant queried nervously, "Princess Abeline requests an audience."
"Let her come," sighed Lulu disinterestedly, quickly wiping her eyes and pulling herself together with a sigh and a pout.
Now, Princess Abeline was from the countryside, two kingdoms over from Lulu’s. She was a dear friend, generous of heart and humor. Abeline had, of course, a special magical ability: she could make brand new stars appear with just the humming of a tune. Princess Abeline was sweet tempered and gentle. She was known throughout the lands for her tender heart.
But, judging by the look on her very stern face, her heart was not tender that day. Princess Abeline, usually soft spoken and meek, marched up to Lulu’s bedside, and in a very un-gentle voice demanded, "Just WHAT do you think you are doing?"
Princess Lulu, very much surprised, and a little put-off (she had been, you remember, in the middle of a rousing tantrum before she was interrupted by her friend), looked sharply at Abeline. "What do you mean, ‘What do I think I am doing’?"
"You must stop this fussing nonsense, at once!" commanded Abeline. "How long are you going to sit holed-up in your castle, muttering and pouting about the one thing you do not have when so much has been given to you?!" Princess Abeline was angry, and her voice was rising with every breath she took. "Really! What a spoiled girl you are! Fussing and tantruming about not having magic. Silly thing! Think of all that you DO have! How long are you going to sit in here, behaving like a very un-royal, over-indulged baby?!"
Princess Abeline paused for a breath, her face reddening with effort and embarrassment. Princess Lulu, meanwhile, sat very still. Completely still. Completely shocked. She stared at her good friend, amazed at the stern words and harsh tone she had used. And while she sat, and while she stared, she had a good long think.
Abeline was right, of course. She had been behaving badly – like a spoiled princess. Abeline was right about all the things she did have, too. In fact, the list of things that Princess Lulu did have, she realized, was much, much longer than the list of things she did not have.
Lulu jumped down from the bed that very moment, her sudden burst of activity so startling Princess Abeline that she let out a shriek and ducked behind one of Lulu’s beautifully ornate bedposts. Lulu ran around to where Abeline was hiding, gave her a quick hug, and said "You are absolutely right, of course, my wise friend! I’ve been looking at this magic thing all wrong! So what if I don’t have the ability to turn toads into servants or servants into butterflies! There are so many things I do have!"
That very afternoon, after serving Princess Abeline a hot tea and sending her on her way, Lulu sat down with her royal scribe and made a list – a very loooong list of all of the wonderful things she had in her kingdom. And she made another list – a very short list of all the things she did not have. She put that list on the nightstand beside her bed – a place she’d be sure to see it each and every morning upon awakening.
Princess Lulu called for her minstrels and for her cook. She had a special garden party planned for the very next day: a party for all of her magic-doing princess friends. A party with music and readings and good things to eat. She called for a servant to bring her pony to her straight away. And she mounted that horse and had a good long ride through her kingdom spreading kind words and cheer everywhere she went. "Magic!" the peasants whispered as she passed by them. "What a magical way she has about her," intoned the lords as she waved her way past.
And it was magic. Not the sort that turned stones into crickets or mosquitos into mud, but the sort that reminded people for miles around, that once more, all was well in Princess Lulu’s kingdom.
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