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Lena flopped down onto her bed after another long day of watching people make a fool of themselves to make her laugh. Every attempt was poor and boring and annoying and Lena was not amused by a single person.
She mumbled “Come in” when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. Her dad slowly walked in and to her bed before carefully sitting down next to her with a slight sigh. “Lena sweetie, we’ve been doing this for over a year now, you’re 19.” Lena groaned into a pillow.
As soon as she turned 18 it was a celebration as the King’s daughter would finally be able to be married. Every young man with royalty in his blood took to the palace on the day began the line up to meet the Princess in hopes they can marry; the only criteria was if they could get her to laugh. Lena hated that she was forced into the tradition but she was the Princess after all. Lena never laughed, she hadn’t in over a year, not even a chuckle. Nothing would amuse her and she grew tired of people trying to just so they could marry into royalty. Half the men that showed up would probably hate being married to Lena, she’d admit to herself that she was a handful, all they cared about was the money and a title.
“Dad, I hate this, none of them are funny. I wish I didn’t have to go through it,” she complained. Her father stroked her hair feeling some sympathy for his daughter.
“You know its tradition sweetie, your mother done and we were so happy together for so many years. I just want you to smile and be happy again.” Lena didn’t reply and she felt her dad remove his hand and walk out of the room closing the door.
Lena sighed heavily and stood up, walking outside to her balcony that looked over the garden. The garden would stretch far away from her window, during the night Lena would sometimes hop out her window and jump the few feet down to take a stroll through the garden bare foot, so she could feel the grass between her toes. The garden was Lena’s favourite sight and the flowers that bloomed throughout it quickly turned into her favourite smell.
She’d remember when her mother used to take her hand and walk her through the garden telling stories about how one day Lena would find a man who’d make her smile till her cheeks hurt and soon it’ll be him taking her hand through the gardens. Lena never said anything but she didn’t want a man walking her, she just wanted to live her life.
She neared the neared of her walk and struggled to climb back up onto her small balcony before looking out towards the flowers for another time.
Hiding in the bushes by the side of the Princess’ balcony was the resident thief, everyone knew her and the rule stood as, as long as we don’t catch you, you can keep doing what you’re doing but stay out of trouble. She’d stalk through the royal gardens at night and find the prettiest flower there to pick, which was illegal if you weren’t royalty, but she was sneaky. She had heard the Princess climb down her balcony and jumped into the nearest hiding space. She looked so sad as she walked over to different flowers, sighing as she took her steps. She watched the Princess as quietly as she could until she climbed back up, not without difficulty. But the thief kept looking at her as the Princess so longingly gazed out into the gardens, her eyes were full of despair and sadness. All she wanted to do was make the girl smile, or laugh. So, out of the pure reason of just making the sad girl laugh she slowly emerged from the bush and began to dance. Her head jolted from side to side and her arms flew about. But no matter how silly she looked, the Princess didn’t spare her a glance. The thief stopped dancing and smiled slightly to the Princess before running off into the night with a bunch of flowers in her hand.
Not put off, the next night the thief came back to the same palace at the same time to see the Princess once again sparing a look to the garden outside of her bedroom. The sad look was still plastered on her face. This time the thief walks up to the pond where she spots a few frogs sitting. Slowly she stalks up to them and attempts to grab one, needless to say it didn’t work. And it also didn’t work for the next 15 times she tried, until finally one frog seemed to take pity on the thief and lets her pick it up. She walks over to the sad girl and raises the above her head so the Princess can see. But still no reaction.
The thief continued to go back to the Princess for the next three nights to try and get her to smile, she even acted out the first act of Shakespeare’s “A midsummer’s night dream” but nothing worked. It was as if the Princess didn’t even know she was there
Lena was close to tears and she walked back into her room after another long day of feeling sick each time a man so much as looked her way and smiled. She got out of her dress and changed into her sweats and once again took to her balcony to imagine a life without being forced into the royal family.
As she looked out into the horizon she saw a familiar figure walk up to the patch of grass just below her balcony and sit and begin to fiddle with something. The girl had been here for the past week, trying to get Lena's attention. Lena wasn’t sure why as she knew who she was. She knew the thief that went into the royal gardens to steal flowers handfuls at a time and she knew the whole, don’t see don’t know rule. So for the benefit of the thief Lena ignored her. But each night the thief would bring more and more attention to herself, as if she was trying to make her laugh. Lena knew the thief had no idea about the tradition her father had pushed her into which only furthered Lena’s confusion. Even so the rules still stand, Lena almost feels sorry for the thief, she’s trying so hard for nothing. Lena doesn’t laugh.
“You know these flower crowns are an absolute bitch to make.” Lena eyes dart to the thief sat on the floor, finally seeing the row of daisies in her hand. The thief smiled at Lena when they made eye contact. “Honestly it’ll be easier to teach my mother how to drive a car and she’s dead.” Lena stays silent. The thief sighs as she finishes the crown and stands up. Lena’s face doesn’t change as the thief walks up to her and holds the crown up, gesturing for her to take it. Lena does slowly. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” the girl grins and runs off once again. Lena looks down at the crown and feels warmth spread through her chest.
The next night Lena walks to her balcony to see the thief already there stood up straight with her hands in the air. “Tonight for you M’lady,” she announces. “I have learnt what is called an Irish dance. Watch and be amazed.” There’s still no smile as the thief begins kicking her legs back and forth to the sound of her own humming.
“You do know this is pointless,” Lena finally says. The thief stops dancing abruptly and her eyes go wide.
“So she does speak,” she said smiling and walking slightly closer to the balcony.
“She speaks to tell you it’s pointless,” Lena reiterates.
“What?” the thief says. “No way! I’m going to get you to laugh.” Lena felt a sense of refreshment at the idea of someone trying to make her laugh not in the hopes of marriage but just to get her to laugh. Even so she shakes her head.
“The funniest clowns in the kingdom have tried and failed, you’re wasting your breath.” The thief frowned and put her hands on her waist in a superhero pose.
“Well I am better than those bobos,” she exclaimed, still trying to get a reaction from the Princess. “I’ll show you Princess.”
“It’s Lena.” The thief smiled once more. “And I’ve just been calling you that bugger who’s stealing all my flowers so you may as well provide me with your real name.”
“Kara Danvers at your service,” she said bowing overdramatically before winking and running away.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and Kara was still showing up every night in some sort of way to get Lena to laugh. Nothing worked, but Lena noticed each night Kara would almost get closer to her when she wouldn’t answer her jokes. One night Kara introduced herself with the words “Why did the chicken cross the road?” After being met with Lena’s silence she said herself “To get to the idiots house.” Lena had no reaction as Kara then proceeded to say “Knock knock?” So Kara got closer and used all of her strength to jump and pull herself up and let herself dangle of Lena’s balcony once again saying “Knock knock?”
“Who’s there?”
“The chicken.” Kara had laughed to herself and Lena rolled her eyes and pushed her forearms making her fall to the floor with a thud. Lena’s eyes widened as she peered over her balcony at Kara in a heap on the floor.
“Oh goodness! Kara are you okay?” she said in panic but Kara just stood up and waved her off.
“I’ve had worse.”
As the nights progressed the two would begin to engage into more serious talks and the thief slowly became a dear friend to the Princess. So much so, when Lena heard Kara had been arrested for stealing food Lena paid the police offers on duty a large sum of money to ‘let it go’ so to speak, and walk Kara to the palace gardens.
Kara looked sheepish when Lena walked out to her balcony with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. “I lost my job,” Kara said quietly. “I didn’t have enough money for food this week.” Lena faced softened and she leant over her balcony dropping an open hand down. Kara slowly walked towards her and reached up to hold the hand.
“Until you can find another job I’ll give you money.” Kara immediately shook her head and went to pull her hand from Lena’s but Lena gripped harder. “Kara please.”
“I don’t need charity your highness,” Kara said with some bite in her tone but Lena didn’t react.
“You’re my only friend and I care about you, let me help you,” she said softly and felt Kara relax. Kara looked up and into Lena’s eyes before watching the corners of Lena’s mouth twitch up. Kara made no outward reaction but inside she was on fire.
From there on Kara would climb up to Lena’s balcony in the middle of the day at lunch and sit on the edge with her feet dangling to the garden so she was never actually in Lena’s room. Lena would eat her lunch and offer Kara some which would always be turned away and met with a remark about her obnoxious lunch and a question of why she couldn’t just stick to a sandwich.
Kara one day reached down from the balcony edge to pick up two slices of melon that Lena had as part of her lunch, Lena with a mouthful of some fancy chocolate frowned in confusion at Kara as she looked Lena directly in the eye with a straight face. “Why do the melons have to get married?” Lena made no response. “Because they cantaloupe.”
“You literally only know that word from my lunches!” Lena exclaimed.
“Fantastic pun,” Kara said proudly. Her eyes lit up as she saw a large smile grace Lena’s face. Kara jumped down from the balcony for a moment and Lena was confused as to where she had gone until her heard grunting which indicated Kara was climbing back up with great difficulty. Lena stood up and help Kara over so she was, for the first time, standing on the balcony with Lena. “Say Lena, what do you call a Princess that got caught up in a conversation with a thief?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, bracing herself for yet another pun. “What?”
“A pretty theft,” Kara said, delivering the punch line whilst producing some flowers she had just picked from the garden to Lena.
Lena froze for a second. For the pass almost two years she had been bombarded with compliments that were so clearly fake, calling her graceful and elegant but never pretty. She’d never been called pretty. It such a common compliment, one you save for the girl you pass on the street who is a milkmaid yet should be a Queen herself.
Lena’s silence ceased when she burst out in laughter, the idea someone called her pretty was hilarious to her and yet she was also blushing because it was Kara who called her pretty. Her laugh was a thing of paradise as it took up the whole room. It was then she suddenly stopped laughing, realising what she done.
Kara was in front of her, eyes full of amazement and the flowers she had held were falling to the side in Kara’s limp hand as she quietly whispered “ . . .wow” as she heard the Princess laugh. Lena was still frozen as she hadn’t laughed in years, but it felt so good.
The two just looked at each other, both wrapped up in the laugh. Kara dropped the flowers and took a hold of Lena’s hands. “I’ve been trying to hear that for a year now,” she all but whispered to Lena who had grasped Kara’s hands tightly.
“I’ve been waiting so long to find someone worth laughing for,” Lena said back to Kara at the same volume and she slowly leaned forward leaving time for Kara to move away. But she didn’t and the two met halfway, both pressing their lips together hard. Their smiling made the kiss messy but they thought it perfect. When they moved away from each other they kept smiling into each other’s eyes until they were interrupted by an urgent knock.
“Sweetie you laughed!” Lena's father said rushing into her room before Lena could get to the door. Her dad paused when his eyes found Kara. Both the girls tensed as he walked to her but much to their surprise he opened his arms and wrapped them around the thief laughing as Kara awkwardly hugged back. He muttered “Thank you” into Kara’s ear multiple times before realising her and walking out of the room announcing the Princess’ engagement.
Lena spun round to see Kara’s shocked faced. “That’s why you wouldn’t laugh,” Kara realised slowly. Lena smiled at Kara worriedly and nodded. “Guess we cantaloupe now either,” Kara joked, smirking back to Lena. Lena laughed freely again and jumped into Kara’s arms hugging her as Kara lifted her and spun her around.
The wedding was bright and full of different kind of flowers from all over the kingdom. Everyone watched in happiness as the Princess and the thief danced closely together in the gardens that they had first met in. Her father watched on with tears in his eyes, over whelmed with seeing his daughter happy again.
Lena still doesn’t laugh a lot, she finds it hard to smile too. You’d be lucky to hear it, unless you’re around for the well-timed joke or a flower with a double meaning given to her by the thief – her wife – but when you do hear it, your troubles seem few and the whole world looks brighter.
Because the Princess finally danced with the person she loved.