Once upon a time there were three princesses, Melanie, Michele and Jillian. Their mother, Queen Nicolette, was adored by all for everything and everybody she encountered opened up like the most beautiful blossoms when hearing her singsong voice that when spoken flowed as sweet as honey and as melodious as a fresh breeze of air blowing through wind chimes made from Mother of Pearl shells. To be near Queen Nicolette was truly a gift and her three rumble tumble Princesses followed her everywhere, trailing under her soft amber gowns made of layers of the thinnest of white cotton and bejeweled in gems of every color.

The princess’s father, King Harold, was known across the land for his gift of laughter … and for his enormous roar. When he laughed it was an infectious deep belly filled laughed that caused anybody within hearing to laugh with him until tears rolled down their cheeks and they fell out of their chairs, if they were sitting down of course.

And when he woke up with a dark cloud over his head and roared people fled with tears in their eyes from fear. The only people that would walk with him and endure his yelling were the many men who came courting for his daughters. They knew that Harold was a special King and that by listening to his grumbling they could earn his trust and admiration, possibly opening the door to an invitation to dinner with a daughter, or something of the sort. Those who couldn’t withstand the storm, rode off far away, never to return.

On these stormy days, when the clouds looked like charcoal scratches of turbulence threatening torrential downpours, Harold would spit and sputter like rain splattering on pavement while moving his arms up and down like a wild goose protecting her goslings, honking at the world and everyone in it for behaving so upsurdly. Soon the storm would pass and his sputtering would run dry, causing him to forget what he was sputtering about in the first place. Taking a deep inhale to breathe in the fresh air he would raise his face to the sun to feel its warm embrace, throw his arm around the shoulders of the anxious young suitor and remark, “Balderdash, now what was I going on about?” and King Harold and the young men would laugh and laugh and laugh until all the people of the land would return back to his side.

Now the Princesses were always nervous of these lads that hung around their father. You see, they weren’t interested in any of them. Not a one. They were too happy playing with each other and all of their animal friends that would wait for them to come visit in the nearby enchanted forest where deep green moss grew from rocks forming large rocking chairs for them to hold council in and discuss their next adventures.

Melanie, the oldest of the princesses, was princess of the sea. With long chestnut ringlets that spun around 24 Carot gold clips, and velvety green eyes as mysterious as a Siamese cat, Melanie was as dreamy as an aquamarine shimmering in a sun’s ray and she surrounded herself with beautiful clothes …. and animals. Wherever she went, she and her animals were dressed in matching outfits. They were quite a sight to see in their cashmere hoodies and changing cloaks of shimmering Swarovski. She was the best dressed in all the kingdom and she trotted around all day long on her favorite horse and faithful flock of decked out friends.

Michele, the middle princess, was the princess of the mountains. With soft, silky, straight blond hair and sparkly blue eyes she was as brilliant as a diamond and had a petite but lanky and fast little body. She had King Harold’s thirst for adventure, loved all people and often brought stray pets and people home to the castle for dinner. The dining table got longer with each new guest.

Jillian, the youngest princess, was the princess of the bulls. She was wild and curvaceous with very big curls that reached out towards the sun, the moon and the birds, and long fluttering eyelashes, so long that she could not wear sunglasses. She inherited King Harold’s gift for laughter and his smile that could melt a crocodile’s heart. Her insides glowed like a diamond set in prism light and she loved to dance under the stars as the sun changed the sky from an emerald blue to black. Sometimes when the laughter wouldn’t stop, she would find her sisters and they would all run off together to laugh and play in the fields of wildflowers.

One day King Harold summoned his daughters to his throne. “Children,” he thundered, “you have had enough time to be silly, frivolous and rascally in the castle. Having fun is not everything. I have approved of many a husband for you all and you have denied every one. It is time for you three to go off into the world and find your own husbands. Tell me whom it is you wish for and I will help you to find him”. Little did they know that Harold’s real motive for finding princes was that he was lonely for more male companions, and he needed help him around the castle to clean the gutters, rake the leaves, save the animals that had fallen in the moat, and watch football with him.

The three daughters stood still for the first time in many moons with their mouths dropped way open. Husbands? Why husbands when everything they needed they got from each other. They looked at one another and agreed that they would stay home forever. King Harold looked at all three and told them to think again, but after much consternation and discussion the Princesses came to the conclusion that maybe it was a good idea to have more men in the castle. Melanie spoke first. “Daddy, if I were to find a husband I would hope that he be strong and funny like you. Somebody who jumps up and down in excitement when they see me, my clothes and all my friends, and who can rock out on a guitar and take long power walks on the beach with me. He would dress like he owns a yacht and he would give me jewels to help me sparkle, and sweaters to keep me soft and velvety. Most importantly, he would let me keep my animals who all sleep with me in my big feather bed”.

Michele spoke next: “I wish for my husband to be very mischievous and to surprise me daily with planned adventures to foreign lands and to get deep with me in conversation about life. He would love children and let me have hundreds of them and feed me chocolates and cheese daily so that I could have all the energy I needed to play and climb in the surrounding mountains”.

Lastly, Jillian spoke: “I would like a handsome, charming knight in shining armor of Scottish descent with eyes the color of Pine Trees when the sun hits them. He will know just how to make me laugh and keep me safe and warm so that I never feel lost. He will bring the sun to me on cloudy days, teach me all the languages of the trees and animals and tell me what the wind is whispering. He will also take me off on adventures all over the world.

King Harold, who had far different ambitions for his daughters with visions of Princes living in castles made of pure gold with faithful servants running about taking care of everything, tolerated his daughters dreams full of nonsense, his dreams for them were far greater. “Okay, okay my three little chickens. Pack up your best dresses and pets and we will start our quest in the morning. I will round up the horse and carriage and your mother will prepare the food for the journey with cucumber soup – lobster sandwiches, lemon tarts and lots of root beer.” “Hurry up now, we have no time to waste.”