The kind old man slowly opens the wooden box. The King reached into the box and held up the treasure.... a bright, colorful red rose. The King hadn't seen color in so long that it took him a moment to realize what he held in his hand. He couldn't understand how it had kept its color and life for all of these years.
Tears streamed down the King's face as his heart filled with the knowledge that his Princess was still alive. He knew where she was. He had to ride home immediately.
The Queen had just gotten word that the King was arriving and had wonderful news. He has requested that all of the kingdom be invited to the castle tonight in order to celebrate the return of his long lost Princess Hope. The Queen was so excited that she could barely focus on the preparations. Her sons and all of the knights of the kingdom were called back to the kingdom for the celebration.
King Paladin arrived just as the final guests had assembled in the great castle hall. The King entered the courts to see his Queen bedecked in the finest gown he had ever seen. She looked more beautiful to him on that day, then she did on the day of their wedding. As he approached the thrown, the Queen stood to welcome her daughter, but quickly saw that Princess Hope was not with the King. A look of sadness crossed her face as she realized that the message must have been mistaken. The Princess was not found. The King kissed the hand of his Queen and asked her to join him as he addressed the people of his kingdom. She could barely stand with the weight of disappointment upon her, but she reluctantly joined her King. The King's voice boomed as it reached across the silent hall. "Thank you to all you of for coming tonight. You have not only stood by us as we searched the Earth for our daughter, but you also helped in the search as well. You have gone to the ends of the Earth seeking our daughter in hopes of restoring not only our hearts, but also restoring the beauty back into our world. This was to be my last journey. Many years have we searched but it was not until this day...the day I was about to stop my search....that I finally found my Princess. Please join me in bowing down in honor and joy...to Princess Hope of the Land Of Everlasting." He took his Queen's hand and turned on his heels toward the empty thrones behind him. He bid his Queen to bow beside him as he hit his knees. He dropped his head and in his hand he held out the bright red rose. As the room of people, bowed down, and silently watched. The shy and quiet maid servant Rose stepped out from behind her hiding place beside the thrones and picked the bright red rose from the King's hand. His eyes lifted to meet hers as they both smiled. He picked her up in his arms and spun her around. The Queen was both filled with joy and confusion and she realized that the girl that had been her maidservant for these many months, was in fact, her long lost daughter, Princess Hope. The kingdom erupted in celebration. The King wouldn't let Princess Hope out of his arms the entire night. He had brought with him new royal clothes from the old man's tailor shop that he had his maidservants put on her immediately. She was adorned with the finest jewels and gold. Queen Pillar and King Paladin were overjoyed. The celebration went on for days, then weeks. The entire kingdom rejoiced at the return of their lost Princess...
To Be Continued....
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