Rin sat atop his horse and surveyed the land from over a cliff, a dissatisfied look on his face.

“Lord of Dethwysh?  Lord of the dung piles, more like.”  He spat over the edge of the precipice.

“M’lord?” a timid voice called him from a behind.  “The Monsieur would like to see you, now.”

Rin sighed.  The Monsieur was the king, or surveyor of all the lands.  To disobey him was surely death.

“Wonder what I’ve done, this time.”

Rin rode with his servant to the palace with all haste.  “Hurry up, Dionysus,” he said to his horse.  “We can hardly afford to keep royalty waiting.”

They reached the palace quickly enough.  Rin dismounted and ran up into his home, leaving the servant to put the beast away.  He hurried into the throne room, almost knocking the Monsieur down.

“Good morrow, Lord Rin.”

“Good morrow, Monsieur.”  He kneeled.

“Arise, Lord Rin.  I am here on a most urgent matter.”

“May I inquire as to what the matter is, Monsieur?”

“Let me show you.”  He turned around and called in a horribly loud voice, “Sarah!”

A tall, rather dumpy girl walked into the room.  She was very plain, and no amount of make-up, fine gowns, or jewelry could hide it.  She had to be about eighteen, but she did not meet Rin’s eyes, keeping them trained on her shoes.

“Lord Rin, this is my daughter, Sarah,” the Monsieur announced.

“My lady.” said Rin, bowing to her.  She giggled, and offered him her hand, which he kissed, ignoring the horrid smell.  She giggled, again, blushing profusely.

“Rin, I have decided that it is high time you got married,” began the Monsieur, speaking as a father would to his son, “and I happen to know that my daughter has quite a thing for you.”  Sarah giggled.  “Therefore, I have decreed that you, lucky man, shall marry my daughter and become the Monsieur after my death!”

Rin’s face drained of all color.  “You want me to marry her?  My lord, I am afraid that I simply must deny your request.”

“Why is that, Rin?”  The Monsieur’s eyes narrowed.

“Because, she is far too perfect for a man such as myself to marry her.”

“Oh, Rin!”  Sarah rushed forward and threw her arms around him.  He gripped the back of the table to keep from falling down.  “Darling!  You’re so noble!  Love separates all ranks, my love.  I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Rin.  We shall be husband and wife for all eternity!”

“See?”  The Monsieur was smug.  “There’s nothing to worry about, then.  Sarah and I shall now go back to the palace and start on your wedding feast.  I shall send the best tailors in the land to make your clothing, Rin.  It shall be wonderful.  Then, you shall live in the palace with my daughter and myself.  And when I die, then you shall be the Monsieur.  How lovely!”

They left, and Rin collapsed.

“M’lord?  M’lord, are you alright?”  His servants crowded around him.

“I’m fine, now leave me be.”

They left, and Rin walked to the window, staring out.

***

Far away, in the capitol, in an underground chapel, the eyelids of a fair maiden fluttered.

“Did you see that?” cried Lady Maura.  “The princess wakes!  Lord Kurori is on his way!”

“Hush, child.” said Lady Juliet, in a quiet voice.  “He will come when he comes.  For now, watch over the princess.  Wait.  He will be here soon.”

***

Lord Rin sat again, atop Dionysus, his loyal steed, and sighed.  He was wearing travel clothes, and his huge cloak was pulled over his head.

“Perhaps,” he mused, “if I fall off my horse and break my face, I won’t have to marry the Monsieur’s daughter.  Perhaps she’ll find me so ugly that she’ll be repulsed and I’ll have to live all by myself in my castle.”  But this brought him no peace of mind.

“Lord Rin!  We approach the city!”

He sighed again.  His blushing bride awaited him, dressed in a magnificent gown of red that made her look like a very awkward tomato.  Her father was next to her, dressed in red, as well.

“My love,” Sarah ran to him, half pulling, half dragging him off his horse.  “I have waited for so long!”

He patted her on the head.

The Monsieur walked up to him, bursting with pride.  “So glad to see you.  Did you bring your clothes?”

“Yes.  Yes I did, Monsieur.”

“Then you shall be permitted to retire.  Servants!”  A horde of bowing servants descended upon them.  “See to it that Lord Rin is given a proper room, right next to my daughter’s, eh?”

The servants dragged a bewildered Rin away.  No one noticed Lady Maura standing in the shadows, peering anxiously at Rin’s face.

She hurried back to the chapel and almost collided with Lady Juliet.

“It’s him!  I saw him with my own two eyes, Lady!  He’s here!  We must rouse the princess at once!”

“Yes, Maura,” Lady Juliet nodded, “it is indeed time to wake her.  Bring forth the oils.”

Maura rushed away, and Lady Juliet stood over the princess’ head, and stroked her hair.  “You’re about to come back to us, Princess Naki.”

“Here.”  Maura handed a vial of oil to Lady Juliet, and the older woman placed a few drops on the princess’ eyelids, brow, lips, and heart.  Almost immediately the princess sat up.

“Kurori!” she screamed.

“Princess Naki, hush!” cried Lady Juliet.  “He is alive again, fear not, my lady.”

“Who are you?” asked Naki.  “Where is Lady Darrah?”

“I am Lady Juliet, and this is Lady Maura.  Lady Darrah died a thousand years ago, but she left behind her legacy.  Since her death, women have been trained to watch over you, to guard you until Lord Kurori returns.  We know of the arrow he took so you would not die, and we know that he has come again.”

“Then it is true?  He is back?”

“He is, but he will not recognize you, Princess.  You must seduce him, make him love you, and take him from that dreadful Sarah to whom he is betrothed.”

“My Kurori is betrothed?”

“Yes, but not by his own free will.  Princess, you are the one he loves, and you must win him back.  The land will not prosper without someone of a noble bloodline and their true love on the throne.  Kurori, or Rin, as he is now called, is the last of noble blood, and you are his true love!  You must get him back, Princess, and we will help you.”

Naki rose.  “What must I do?”

Lady Juliet handed her four eggs numbered eggs.  “There are, as tradition has it, three dances before Rin and Sarah are married.  Open these before each of the dances, in order.  The last one you must save for your wedding day.”

Naki nodded.

“You will be staying in my house,” said Maura, “and I will live here.  Now you must leave and get ready; the first dance is tonight!”

“I will.”  Naki whispered.  “You’ve both been wonderful.  I will not forget you, or what you’ve done for me.”  And with that, Naki left, making her way to Maura’s house.

***

Rin threw himself on the bed, despite the servant’s protests that he would wrinkle the finery.

“Finery be damned!  I do not care what I look like, and I could care even less what Sarah looks like, so leave me alone!”

The servant bowed himself out.

Rin rolled over, and buried his head in the pillow.  Damn.  The dance started in an hour, and he was not nearly ready to leave this room.

“I do not want to see Sarah.  I do not want to dance with Sarah.  I do not want to kiss Sarah.  I do not want to…”

He broke off there.  Saying the rest was just too painful.  Rin rolled over again, onto his back.

“I’ll just sleep a moment.  Just for a little bit.”

***

In Rin’s dream, a lovely woman with nut-brown hair was cracking an egg in a small cabin.  Out of the egg fell a dress that was blue, and flowed about, with brightly colored flashes that moved about it and shoes that looked like fish.  The woman stripped, and changed into the clothes, whirling around, experimentally.  She was the loveliest creature he had ever seen.

“Master Rin!” she called out, suddenly.  “It’s time to go to the dance!”

***

He awoke to find a servant standing over him.

“Master Rin, hurry!  We don’t want to keep the Monsieur waiting!”

Rin jumped out of bed, and followed to servant.

“No, we certainly don’t,” he agreed, though his mind still wandered to the lovely stranger in the strange gown.

***

Naki walked into the great hall, stunned at how many people were there.

“I suppose I must be too late to hear the proclamation of marriage,” she thought.  “Everyone’s dancing already.”

A tall, blonde youth asked her to dance, and she was soon whirling on the floor, laughing and flirting with all the men, and women, there.

“Where is Kurori?” she wondered.  “Or, Rin, as I suppose I must call him.”

The song ended, and she excused herself to her partner, walking aimlessly around to look for him.  She heard admiring gasps as she walked past people, but paid them no mind.  She was on a mission.  And, with a start, she saw him.

Nothing could have prepared her for this moment.  There was her Lord Kurori, as perfect as he had ever been.  For a moment, it seemed as though they were the only ones in the world, but then she realized the woman he was dancing with.

“So.  This must be Sarah,” Naki thought with contempt.  The girl was not exactly what she’d call pretty, and had her grubby little hands all over Naki’s Lord Kurori.  Naki noticed with some satisfaction that Kurori/Rin wasn’t responding in the way Sarah must want him to; he was leaning away from her, in the most obvious fashion.

With a self-satisfied smile, Naki strode past them, brushing against Rin as she moved by.  His head turned and she heard his sharp intake of breath, and heard, rather than saw him pushing Sarah away to run after her.

Rin grabbed her shoulder.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Naki.  You must be Rin.”

“I am.  Tell me, Naki, why were you in my dream?”

Naki’s eyes lit up with excitement.  “Was I?”

“Yes.  You were.  You were changing into that dress and…”

“Let’s dance, shall we?”

She swept him into her arms, and he did not protest in the least.

They continued dancing until the sun came up, signifying the end of the dance.

***

The next day, Lord Rin found himself, again, an hour before the ball, falling asleep and having the same dream.  Naki cracking open the egg, this time finding a dress of mostly green, and looked to be made of leaves, moss, and flowers, shoes of leaves, and a crown of vines and flowers.  She looked even better than the previous night.

The dance went the same way, again; they spun around all night in each other’s arms, yet Naki ran away when the sun came up.

***

The next time, Lord Rin was determined to tell Naki how he felt.  In his dream, Naki opened the egg and found a dress that was made of fire, and shoes of the same material.  It crackled around her, making her seem to have a halo, and she glowed with inner light.

Instead of dancing the whole night, however, Lord Rin took Naki away to a garden, to talk with her.

“Naki, listen.  I have never loved someone so much in my whole entire life.  I want to run away from Sarah and make you my wife, if only you say you loved me as much as I love you.”

She smiled at him.

“I do.”

“I want to hear you say the words.  I’ll go first, all right?  I love you, Naki.”

She was overwhelmed with joy and love.  “I love you, Kurori.”

In that instant, he backed away from her.  “Kurori?  Who is Kurori?”

“What?”  Naki cried.  “Oh, no.  This will take some explaining.”

“No,” Rin said, seething with anger, “It won’t!  Forget love.  I know what you’re doing, now.  You’re using me to replace someone else, and I won’t have it, you hear me?”

He rushed from the garden, and she walked slowly back to Maura’s hut, utterly heartbroken.

***

Naki woke early on the day of the wedding.  Her heart had hardened, and she knew she had to do something to make Rin see who he truly was.  She cracked open the last egg to find a dress, veil, and shoes made of pure air.  She smiled to herself, dressed in the finery, and hurried to find a priest.  It was a tradition to have a myth told at a wedding, and she knew just the one to commission the priest to tell.  As a bribe, she sold the contents of the three other eggshells and gave the money to the priest.  She would not need them.

Naki smiled.  All she had to do was go to the wedding dressed in her gown and wait.

***

The ceremony was almost complete when she got there.  The only part left was the story telling.  The priest cleared his throat, and Naki hid herself in the crowd.

“Once upon a time,” began the priest, “there was a great king named Kurori, and his queen named Naki.  Kurori and Naki ruled for a time, when a great war came upon them.  While Kurori was lured away, a group ambushed the castle.  At the last minute, Kurori reached home, and was just in time to jump in front of an arrow that was about to hit his beloved wife, Naki.  He died, and her faithful maid, Darrah, put her in an enchanted sleep.  Naki swore to never wake until Kurori was born again, and the land would rejoice when that time is to come.”

Rin was getting more and more fidgety as the story went on, and when it ended he cried out, “Where is she?”

The people looked at him, quizzically.  “Where is who?” asked the Monsieur.

“Where is Naki?  Where is my Naki?”

“Right here.”

She walked out in all her finery, having never looked so beautiful.  People bowed as she walked past and Rin ran forward and took her into his arms.

“Can you ever forgive me, my love?” he asked.

“You are my love,” she said, resting her head on his arm, “you are already forgiven.”

“Come,” he said, gesturing to the priest, “let us be married.”

And so, they were wed, and the land prospered for all eternity.  Was I there, you ask?  Of course I was!  I wore a dress of earth, but the water came and washed it away.  I wore a cloak of spider’s web, but the branches of the trees tore it from my body.  I wore glass slippers, but I tripped and they broke *clink* in two.