Ursa Chapter One: Choice (part one)

--------CHAPTER 1: CHOICE----------

"Ugh, but Mother! I'm sixteen! I'm old enough to make my own choices!" Princess Nora said to her mother, flopping onto her bed. Her dog, Athena, picked her ears up.

"Nora, you must learn that it is a princess' duty to lead a kingdom, not to laze about all day," Queen Audrey smiled, sitting next to her daughter.

"But there must be more than just being royalty! I want a choice!" Nora said, looking up at the stained glass windows portraying various fairy tales. "They all got a choice," she said, sitting up, gesturing to the windows. Athena barked in agreement.

"But those are stories, dear. Real people have to work for what they get in life. Do you think that the frog prince just simply got a kiss from a princess? No, he earned it by working towards it," Audrey looked into her daughter's brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Nora, but it's for the best."

With that, the queen left the young princess in her room to think about what was happening. Princess Nora began to pace a bit. Athena continued to lay on the floor.

"So, that's the way it'll be, then. Tradition way or no way? Well I pick something new. I pick my way!" Nora laughed excitedly. She then called to the maid, Catherine, Athena following.

"Catherine! Catherine, I require your assistance!" Nora hollered down the hallways and stairwells, Athena by her side.

"I'm coming, your highness!" came a woman's voice from the other side of the hall. Catherine soon appeared. She was tall, and kind of lanky for a woman of thirty.

"You asked for me, Princess Nora?" Catherine smiled.

"Yes. I need all the bedsheets, linens, and cloths we have to spare," Nora smiled deviously.

"May I ask why, your highness?" Catherine tilted her head.

"You'll see in due time, Catherine. Now go, go!" Nora shooed the maid off with giddy excitement. Catherine left with slight hesitation and worry.

"Oh what an excellent plan I've devised!" Nora said, taking out a small blade and a wooden staff. She hacked and chopped some more carvings into it, and tied a tight drawstring on each side, creating a bow. Athena looked at her in confusion.

"Now, I know I'm not a good bowman, but what choice do I have? Without this, I'd be defenseless against wild animals, and possibly worse!" Nora said to her dog. Athena whimpered.

"Oh, well the chances of being something worse is rather really small. The biggest thing is probably a troll, so that's the worst. But animal wise, the biggest is probably just a bear," Nora smiled. Athena laid down again, falling to a slumber. Nora giggled and started gathering arrows, unused by her father and brothers. She snuck around the castle late in the afternoon, while everyone was eating supper to collect them.

"Ahem! Just what do you think you are doing?" came a sharp voice from behind. Nora turned around to see the smiling face of her eldest brother, Roderick. He laughed and stepped towards her.

"I was just, um, collecting these...arrows..." Nora said, her face flushing. Roderick gave a confused look, but smiled anyways.

"Listen. I'll give you my quiver. Those arrows are horrid and torn. You can have mine. I rarely use a bow and arrows anymore, so you can keep them. Do you have a bow?" Roderick asked.

"Well yes, but-"

"Let me see it. I need to make sure it's safe to use, so you don't end up breaking the drawstring and nicking yourself in the eyes," Roderick walked Nora to her room as she grabbed her bow. "Uh-huh. Just as I thought. You'll need a better one than this. Don't worry, though, I can get you one. I have some to spare," he smiled, setting the bow down. He ran to his room and got a long, mahogany bow with green decorations on the middle.

"Oh, Roderick that's wonderful! Thank you!" Nora said, hugging her brother. He smiled in response.

"Now, I'm not going to ask what you plan on using these for. I just want you to be careful," Roderick's face became serious as he placed his large hands on her shoulders. "There are things in this world that will bewilder you, and sometimes endanger you. Don't get mixed up in something you cannot win."

"I understand, 'Mom'," Nora joked, cracking a small smile on Roderick's face.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave you be," Roderick walked off, back down to the dining hall. Nora took off back to her room to find Catherine with the linens.

"I-ugh-I got them!" Catherine poured the sheets onto the floor. "Anything else I can do?" she asked, out of breath.

"No thanks, Catherine. You are free to go now, to rest up," Nora smiled as she looked over the sheets. Catherine stepped out of the room to go dine with the rest of the castle. Princess Nora started tying the ends of the linens and sheets together.

"I will not stay in a place where all my choices are made FOR me! I will be a free woman, no matter what tradition decrees!" Nora said to Athena, who merely barked a response. "And I'm sorry, but I cannot take you with me, girl. You'd be in danger, and I could never do that to you."

Athena howled, her gray fur wisping about. She then began to wag her tail happily.

"I bet you're glad you're not going, then," Nora winked, continuing to work on the rope. It took an hour and a half, but she finally finished tying the cloths together.

"I am ready to finally start MY life!" Princess Nora said as the long linen rope was thrust out of the window.

(To be continued...)