FanStory.com - Prince Charmingby Begin Again

The orange glow of the full moon filtered through the lace curtains, its shadows drawing delicate patterns across the old wooden floor. A rocking chair creaked against the floorboards as Maggie sat, lost in her thoughts. Her fingers mindlessly touched her wedding band, a symbol of undying love.

Age had left its mark on her hands, which were thin and papery, yet the palms showed proof of hard work through the years. Her blue-gray eyes misted with memories. A photograph, her favorite, of her late husband smiling at her, rested on the side table beside her.

Like most nights, as she sat in the peaceful silence of her room, her thoughts drifted back to the days when his laughter filled the house, the warmth of his hands as they walked by the river, and the way they danced around the living room when no one was looking. The hands on the clock had moved forward, but the ache of his absence still held residence in her heart.

Freshly bathed and pajama-clad, two sets of tiny feet scampered down the hallway, their giggling breaking the stillness of the night. Emmy and Cam, their innocence sparkling in their eyes, peeked around the doorframe.

"Nana?" Cam, the youngest of the two, asked, "What's wrong?"

Maggie blinked, her walk down memory lane interrupted, and smiled as she turned toward them. "Nothing for you to worry about, sweet girl. Nana is fine."

Emmy, consistently bolder, marched into the room and climbed on the bed. "It doesn't look like you're fine. You look sad."

Maggie brushed Emmy's unruly hair from her forehead as Cam climbed onto the bed to join her sister. "It's not an unhappy sad. I was just remembering."

"Remembering what?" Emmy asked. "Was it one of your awesome stories like the ones you write about Cam and me?"

Maggie hesitated for a moment, her heart being tugged by her memories and the innocent girls waiting patiently for her to answer. "I was thinking about my Prince Charming."

"You had your very own Prince?" Cam asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

Emily demanded more details. "Did he ride a white horse and slay dragons?"

Maggie smiled. "He didn't ride horses, but it always felt like magic when we were together. As for dragons, the only one we ever saw was at Disney World. Its mouth opened wide, ready to swallow us whole, but he held me close until we were on the other side, safe and sound. His laughter was music to my ears."

"Tell us a story, Nana. Tell us a story, please."

Cam soon joined in, and the room filled with laughter.

Maggie smiled and opened her arms to the two children. They eagerly climbed into her lap, snuggling in her embrace, and rested their heads against her.

Emmy, wise for her age, placed her small hand against her grandmother's face. "Tell us a story about you and your Prince Charming."

Maggie's heart swelled with love for her granddaughters and the man who would always hold her heart. "How about a story filled with magic and everlasting love?"

She cleared her throat, opened her mind and heart, and told the girls a story. "It all began on a summer's evening —"

A woman who lived in a small cottage nestled deep in the forest spent her days laboring over her computer, searching for the right words and emotions so she could write stories filled with dreams of happiness that everyone enjoyed, especially sweet girls like you.

Maggie kissed each girl's head, smiling at their giggles.

"How did she find her Prince if she worked all day, Nana? Did he ride his white horse through her rose garden?"

"No, honey, this Prince knew better than to mess with her beautiful garden or to interrupt her when she was busy at work. He had to wait for her to come to him."

Cam squeaked, "Daddy says men don't like to wait."

"Well, Mommy says she'll come when she's ready, and Daddy better be happy when she gets there." Emmy gave her little sister one of her know-it-all looks.

Maggie chuckled. "The woman in this story —"

"Remember she's a Princess, Nana?"

"Okay — The princess didn't have to worry because she knew her Prince would always wait.

"One day, after writing stories all day, Anna — Princess Anna took her usual walk through the enchanted forest. She walked by the riverbank, where the water glistened in the evening light. She had walked here many times, but on this day, something felt different.

She gazed at her reflection in the water — her face no longer the same as it had been in her youth. Time had etched lines on her face, and her once vibrant hair was now many shades of grey.

She remembered meeting her Prince Charming by the river and their love. Tears glistened in her eyes, and she couldn't bear the pain in her heart. And as she stood there, she whispered for her Prince to return to her once more.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she saw another reflection—her Prince had returned, not on horseback but standing tall beside her with his eyes shining with love. His powerful arms enfolded her against his chest, holding her tight and brushing his lips against hers. Embraced, they stood in silence, enjoying each other.

As the stars twinkled in the night sky above, he whispered, "I'm always with you, my love." Then, as quickly as he had appeared, his shadow faded from the reflection in the water, and he was gone.

Anna wiped away her tears, knowing their bond would never be broken even though they were separated by time and space. Her Prince Charming would stand guard with his trusty steed until white chariots would carry his princess to Heaven's Gates, where they would live happily ever after — the End.

The girls were sleeping peacefully, and she whispered a silent prayer of gratitude for their love and the love she shared with her Prince Charming.

A voice whispered from the doorway, "Everything okay in here?"

Maggie's heart was filled with love as her daughter and son-in-law carried her sleeping granddaughters to their bed.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, "Thank you, Lord," feeling a sense of peace wash over her tired, wrinkled face. She knew her Prince Charming would be by her side tonight and every night until they met again.