The Grip of Tragedy, part I

Mother always taught me that a princess never goes looking for trouble.
Princes sought danger, while princesses were to wait for the whatever tragedy would lead them to their true love.
True love, according to my mother, only blossoms in the grip of tragedy.
I guess she would know, having been abducted by trolls while on the way to her best friend's wedding, and then taken from the trolls by a dark wizard, who then was eaten by a dragon, who then took her to its cave. She surely would have been eaten if my father hadn't come to her rescue and slayed the dragon.
And so, true love came in the midst of tragedy.
I always bit my tongue when mother told that story. Surely there was something, anything, that mother could have done to save herself. Trick the trolls, distract the wizard with flattery, quietly sneak away while the dragon ate the wizard.
She could have done something.
"Isidore, do sit up, you'll wrinkle your dress." Mother's voice drew me out of my thoughts. I shifted, smoothing the fabric with my hand.
"I'm sorry, mother." I said, and she gave a sigh.
"I know you'd rather be out riding, but a princess does not appear at an event to which she was invited covered with dust from the road and smelling of a horse." Her nose wrinkled with distaste. I gave a meek nod, though inwardly I sighed.
Of course mother would want me looking presentable at the celebration feast in Clarke. Even though the feast was to celebrate the rescue of Princess Maybelle of Clarke by my brother, Prince Theodore, I had to be presentable.
For although true love came through tragedy, alliances normally came through arranged marriages. And many potential matches would be at the feast.
There was a sudden crack, and the carriage jerked to a stop. Mother and I stumbled in our seats at the loss of momentum.
"Charles?" Mother called, sliding open the screen between the inner carriage and the driver's perch.
"Nothing to fear, my lady. The trunk of the old oak beside the road broke, and most of the tree now lies across the road. Your men should have it cleared away shortly, so we shouldn't be too long delayed." Charles answered, his voice the unnatural calm it always was. Nothing could startle Charles.
"Thank you." Mother said, offering the driver a smile before closing the screen and turning back to me. "It would be simply awful if we were late."
I offered a small nod, though if being late kept Mother from discussing a potential pairing with the mothers of suitable princes. I would welcome it.
For though I didn't dream of some tragedy guiding some charming prince to my rescue, an adventure or two would be nice. Just something exciting to remember fondly after I became like my mother. All boring and responsible.
We waited, Mother chattering about who should be in attendance at the feast, and me trying not to yawn.
A princess never yawned while her mother was speaking, for it was far worse an insult than to show up at a feast with a few wrinkles on your dress.
Beneath Mother's chatter, I thought I heard a shout.
No, the soldiers wouldn't shout about a fallen tree, and they would never give only one alarm cry if there was a threat.
The carriage shifted slightly, as if someone had gotten off suddenly.
Mother kept chattering.
I shifted, glancing toward the small screen to the driver's perch. If there was trouble, Charles would have warned us.
A knock sounded on the carriage door.
Mother stopped chattering. "Who could that be?" There was mild irritation in Mother's voice now. She didn't approve of common soldiers directly addressing their Queen. I waited for Mother's command that I answer it, or for her to turn toward the driver's perch to have Charles take care of the situation.
There was another knock.
Mother turned and slid open the screen. "Charles?"
We waited, but Charles did not respond. "Charles, where are you?" Mother called again, a new, uneasy note tinging her voice.
There came a third knock.
I took a breath and pressed my shaking hands against my lap. Then I moved to the door, and ignoring the gasped protest from my mother, opened it.
A stranger stood there, hand raised to knock once more. His hair was dark, and somewhat shaggy. His clothes were worn, but well made, as was the wide brimmed hat he wore.
"Greetings, milady." The stranger said, opening the fist of his raised hand before taking off his hat and dipping into a bow.
I heard something behind me, and turned to find Mother slumped forward. "Mother!" I moved to her side, and felt my heart ease as I felt her breathing.
"Fear not, for she is merely asleep." The stranger called. I turned to see him with his head craned up to look at me as he maintained his bow.
"What did you do to my men?" I asked. With Mother unconscious, it fell to me to see to the welfare of our people. The stranger smiled, and motioned with the hand that held his hat.
"They are all asleep, and will wake with nothing more than a headache."
Narrowing my eyes, I tried to ignore my relief. They were alive. I focused on the fact that this stranger was still bowing. If he was waiting for my permission to rise, then he'd have a long wait.
"Why are you here?"
"Why?" The stranger shrugged, an awkward looking gesture given his position. "To meet you, of course."
I frowned, and moved away from my mother. Standing within the carriage before the open door, I met the stranger's eyes. "What interest do you have in me?"
The stranger shook his head. "It's nothing personal. No revenge story, no obsession. I need a princess, and you're the first one I found."
Stifling my curiosity, I summoned the fierce, commanding look that I'd learned from my father. "And what need do you have with a princess?"
The stranger grinned, the expression lighting up his blue eyes. "Today is my final exam to become a full wizard, and the options were quite dismal. Summon a dragon, transfigure a lump of lead into gold, or capture a princess."
"I could understand not wishing to meet a dragon, but why choose to hunt down a princess?" I asked, leaning forward a little. The stranger was an apprentice wizard! Some wizards chose to use their powers to serve a particular kingdom, but most were elusive and disliked mingling with non-magicals, while others used their powers wickedly against defenseless innocents.
"I'm not too good at transfiguration." The stranger said, giving another awkward shrug. "But sleeping spells? Those I'm good at. So I figured, find a princess, knock out her guards, and see if she'd be willing to come with me."
I stared at him. Just stared. He met my gaze evenly, though a hint of amusement seemed to flicker through his eyes as the silence stretched.
"So?"
"What?" I shook my head. "Why would you expect a princess to agree to come with you after you've disabled her guards and put her mother to sleep?" I paused, my lips twitching as I tried not to laugh. "Though perhaps I should thank you for the last part, as Mother's plotting can grow quite tiresome."
The stranger grinned. "I could hear some of it through the carriage." Then he shook his head. "To answer your question, I thought it would be more polite to give the princess a choice. Too many wizards just snatch people. I'd rather have a willing companion than a frightened victim."
I frowned, but my curiosity led me on. "And what would you do with the princess?"
"Take her back to the tower, showing the wizard panel that I can be crafty with the knowledge I've learned, and then probably let her go after the panel gives me full wizard status."
"Probably let her go?"
"Probably." The stranger grinned again, mischief in his gaze. "Unless the panel decides I still need to summon a dragon."
I glanced back at the form of my sleeping mother. She would be horrified if she woke and I was gone. But then again, some part of her would probably be eagerly anxious for some prince to rescue me and become my true love.
Probably.
"Alright, I'll come." I said, stepping down out of the carriage.
The stranger grinned. "Great! Sorry, but you'll have a bit of a headache."
Before I could ask what he meant, the stranger straightened from his bow and brought his hand forward. I coughed as dust filled my mouth and nose, and darkness filled my mind.