Day One .:Tulla and Rizzi:.

This is a small part of the story of Princess Tulla. An ordinary, but nonetheless hardworking, girl who lives in a world where fairy tales come alive. She was chosen to be the next princess in the newest story, but at the last moment her dearest Prince Charming ran away with Cinderella. Leaving poor Tulla to have to make a substitute with the boy she can hardly stand, a former merchant called Rizzi.

The clear sunlight shone through my bedroom window on that beautiful morning. The sun was shinning, birds where singing.
Unfortunately, as I opened my eyes and sat up I remembered where I was.

My new home. As of last night I was living in the Rose Field Kingdom, the world for my new fairy tale, and right now I was locked away in my room. In the home owned by my new "mommy"/kidnapper, the Queen of the Goblins.

"Tulla?" A sweet voice that hid much malice called out from down the hallway. "Are you awake yet?"

Speak of the devil...

"Yes, m-mother." I almost choked when I called her that. Even though I'd prepared for this story all my life, calling this woman "mother" and pretending I didn't know who she was was going to be tougher than I thought.

After answering her call, I quickly scrambled out of bed and changed into one of the many brightly colored but casual dresses I found in my dresser drawers. Perhaps you've never thought about it, but starting to live a life that you know nearly nothing about and have to act as if you know everything about is quite the task.

When I arrived in the main room, where the queen waited, she gave me a list of chores to be done around the small cottage. She wasn't particularity cruel, she just gave them in the way any parents would, but I couldn't help but find a few of them a little bit strange.

Well, you'll never succeed if you don't even try.



After nearly two hours of doing my chores, I was on to my final task. Having propped a ladder against the side of the house, I climbed onto the roof with some soap, water, and an old sponge to clean the cottage roof. Luckily, the slant on the rooftop was very slight, and it would have been almost difficult for me to have fallen off.

When I was nearly finished, I heard soft footsteps behind me.

"Hey princess, how's it going?"

I turned around to see none other than that blasted merchant-turned-hero Rizzi standing on the roof behind me.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed quietly. "In broad daylight? The Goblin Queen will find you and turn you into a frog or something! Didn't you read the script I gave you?"

"I just decided to drop by and try to make sense of all this first." He remained completely unshaken as he sat down next to me, as I was still on my knees from scrubbing the rooftop tiles. "Even though I stayed up nearly all night reading that script. You should be very grateful."

"Grateful? You're going to ruin everything!" I let the sponge slide from my hands, and off it slid down into the grass below.

"Tulla? Is everything alright?" I heard the queen's voice and the sound of the cottage's front door being opened.

After quickly mouthing the word "hide" to Rizzi, I assured her that I was doing just fine.

Just as the queen stepped into the sunlight and glanced up to make sure I was telling the truth, that troublesome hero of mine slid over the other side of the slanted roof. Barely escaping her watchful eye.

"Good." She said. "Once you're finished there I suppose you may take a quick break. I'm off to the market, and I'll be back before dinner."

"Yes, mother. Travel safely!" I called down to her as she began walking towards the forest.

As soon as she was out of sight, I turned back to Rizzi, whom by this time was returning to my side. Questioning his reasons for being there any further would surely be fruitless.

"If you're here for a list of sorts, you're going to need a sword for one." I said, mimicking his ever casual attitude as I began my decent back down the ladder to the solid ground. "Not to mention some armor and a horse."

"I don't see why we can't just make a break for it now. No weapons or fighting necessary." He replied as he went down the ladder after I done going down.

"Because that isn't how a fairy tale goes." I said calmly. "No one will ever want to hear a story about some chicken of a knight who simply ran away from everything."

"Okay then." He brushed the dirt from the old ladder off his hands once he too reached the ground. "I'll get right on that after I head out. Any other 'basics' I apparently don't know about?"

"Do you have any idea how to fight?"

"Not really..."

"Just great." I said sarcastically. "I probably know more than you do. I guess I'll just have to try to teach you what little I learned from the knights at school. I mean, how else are you going to fight a dragon?"

"D-dragon?" The color instantly drained from his face. Before that moment, it had never occurred to me that "Mister Fearless" might just be able to back up all of his tough talk.

"We're almost bound to run into one sooner or later. This part of the land's got plenty of them!"




"RIZZI! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!!"

So unlike myself. It just wasn't in my nature to lose my temper with people. Of course, on most days I didn't find myself chasing a scruffy boy through the woods thirty seconds after I happened to mention the word "dragon."

"NO ONE EVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT DRAGONS!" He shouted with a quick look over his shoulder.

Taking the time to look back at me is where he made his mistake. Because when he did he tripped over a rock and stumbled to the ground.

By now, you've probably figured out that I'm not horribly athletic or nimble, but chances are you've also learned that when my story's at risk I seem to obtain some new fire of energy and determination.

As Rizzi fell to the ground, I jumped after him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to my level.

"You are NOT going to leave me now!"

"Dang, Tutu, I didn't know you could run that fast." Being the kind of person who makes wise cracks when under pressure, his reply didn't at all relate to the subject at hand and was said in a joking manner.

"Tutu?" I let myself be distracted by about the strangest nickname I'd ever heard.

"Sure. More fun to say than 'Tulla', not to mention catchier."

"Why would you be afraid of a dragon?" I put the subject back on track, having decided that now was not a time to argue over such a thing.

"Let's see, they breathe fire, have scales of armor, and are known for enjoying would-be knights with their meals!"

"That's not what I meant! You're not afraid of anything, why this?"

"Shows how much you know." He replied coldly as he pulled away from me and sat up against a tree. "Look, I'm honored that you want my help and all, but I think I'd rather live a 'normal' life than get eaten."

"I won't let that happen!" I said before even thinking it over in my mind first.

"And how do YOU plan to stop a humongous dragon if it comes down to it?"

"I..I'm not sure." I returned to my feet and brushed some of the dirt off my dress. "Though, if you're willing, I'll make you a promise right now."

"What's that?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly at me.

"I'll stand by your side as long as you'll stand by mine."

For a moment, silence hung in the air and I saw a look on Rizzi's face that I had yet to see. As if he was contemplating whether or not to trust me.
Instead of speaking, I simply reached down and offered my hand to him, which he accepted and shook as he too stood.

"Alright, you got yourself a deal. You watch my back, and I'll watch yours. We'll be the most unlikely team in the history of that old Head Writer's stories."

"Good." I nodded and smiled. "Now, you can head back into town and get ready for the next act, while I go back to the cottage and change before 'mother' returns and asks what I've been up to."

"Right!" He said as he took a step back.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"You know I still find you rather annoying, right?"

"Of course you do, Tutu. The feeling's mutual." He said with a smile.