The Prince Named Helene, Part 1

Once, a long time ago, there was a little prince born to a king and a queen. As you might imagine, the little prince was pampered from birth, getting to have the finest of everything. His parents loved him and cared for him and kept him from any unnecessary harm. And he loved them too. And he should have been happy, because he had everything – except for one thing. You see, the prince was supposed to be a princess. The wizard that served the family had predicted a little girl, so they had searched and searched and searched for the perfect little girl's name, until at last they came upon Helene. And when the baby finally came, and they knew he was really a boy, the royal court didn't know what to do. There was talk and gossip every where as the news hit the nobles like a shockwave. Things like:

"Meep! But there was supposed to be a princess!"

"We never planned for a prince! What do we do now?"

"He needs a new name, surely, M'lady Milica!" and other such whispering nonsense as royal courts will often have. But the king and queen, being the practical people they were, did not engage in that worthless chatter. A few days after the baby was born, the two clasped their hands and walked forth before the court.

"I am sure that you all have wondered what the name of your new prince shall be." The king started. The nobles stood in suspense, the royal recorders sat at their desks, shaking so much that one would think they had double vision. The king smiled and nodded to his queen.

"You already know his name, however," Milica said, a smile dancing upon her lips. It was so quiet you could hear a pin thinking about dropping and deciding not to, for fear of disturbing the peace.

"As you all know, we spent many months discussing the name of our future princess... And the queen and I have decided there is no reason that that time should go to waste."

With this statement, the silence remained for a half-second, then exploded into noise. Was the king implying that they would actually use a princess' name for a prince? Utter madness! Without waiting for order to resume, the queen went on, shouting above the crowd as she lifted up the baby for all to see.

"Your new king will one day be Prince Helene."

At least three duchesses and four recorders fainted, and one knight took to drink a fortnight thereafter.

And so was he named... Prince Helene. For a thousand years since, no one has really understood why they named him this. But it was his name, and so we must call him. As I said earlier, this prince had everything that could ever make a little boy happy... except for one thing. And that was his name. Not one of the lords, the dukes, the knights, the ladies, the duchesses, the maidens – not one was nice to him because of his name. They all pointed and laughed whenever he came round. By the time the little boy was 8, he hated going out in front of the royal court for any reason. They made him very sad.

Then, one day, as he was sitting in his room crying, he heard a little voice call out to him. Outside his window, a cute robin with brown feathers and a red chest was perched on a branch.

"Little boy, why are you crying?" it asked.

"No one likes me!" he sobbed, not looking up.

"Well, little boy, you seem nice enough to me. I've watched you every day for a month now, and you're very kind. Why does no one like you?"

"Because my name is Helene! They all call me a little girl whenever I go anywhere!" The prince never once looked up from his table.

"I see. Would you like to know how to change your name, little boy?" asked the robin. Helene got up, wiped his tears away, and looked for the voice.

"Where are you? I don't see you..."

"Over here, little boy!" the robin chirped, waving one wing.

"You... you can talk?" Helene asked. The bird twittered something that sounded like a laugh.

"Sure can, silly! Call me Robbie."

The young prince jumped up and down and clapped his hands together. "Yay, it's nice to meet you, Robbie! How can I change my name?"

The bird paused a moment and did the strange sudden head shifting and turning that many birds do. "I don't know, now that I think about it... you might be happier now."

"Oh, please please please please tell me!" Helene got on his knees and looked up hopefully at the robin. Robbie cocked his head sideways and peered into the young prince's eyes, then relented.

"Alright, Helene. You see, far away, there is a pond in what we birds call the Infinity Forest. Only one man has ever gone there, and it's said he has the power to do anything. He calls himself... the sage." Robbie whispered the last two words as though speaking the name of a god.

"So how do I find him, Robbie?"

"Good question, Helene! It's straight on left from your window as the crow flies. You're smart, you'll figure out the rest by yourself." Though his beak made it difficult to tell, Helene could feel the bird smiling at him warmly. "And now, I must go. Perhaps I'll see you there soon!"

The robin stretched his wings out and leaped into the sky without another word. Helene rushed to the windowsill and called out to him, "Thank you, Robbie!"

The little boy resolved then and there that he must find this sage. And, as much as it made him sad, he knew he had to go without telling his mom or his dad. So that very night, after his mother tucked him in, he made a rope of bedsheets and climbed out his window. He took with him a backpack with all the food he'd snuck out from the kitchens, a telescope, a map of the known world, a compass, and a little sword from the armory.

To be continued...