Requested by kkaebsongsnakeu

[name] = your name

[h/c] = hair color

[e/c] = eye color

Based off of the story "1001 Arabian Nights"

Note:  Anything italicized and not in some sort of 'single-quotation marking' is the narrator speaking.

Narrator's POV

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled all of England.

He was young, handsome, and smart.  Yet his only downfall was his prideful nature, coupled with his sense of utter boredom.

It was due to this that the king was constantly unable to find himself a suitable queen, or rather, it was because of this that no woman could be a suitable queen for him.

The king demanded two things of any bride presented to him; that she be beautiful, and that she be able to entertain him.

Fulfilling the first wish was easy enough, as there were many pretty faces to be found, but fulfilling the second one was not so easy.

For as soon as the king was wed, he would demand his bride entertain him for the night.  She would obey and do so however it was she could, be it singing or dancing or playing an instrument.  But this was never enough for the selfish king.

When the night was through, he would grow bored and sentence his bride to death, having her dragged away by the guards and set off on a boat that would take her to the middle of the ocean, where the crew on the ship would lower the former queen onto a small boat and leave her to float on the water, dying a painful death on the sea, whether from a merciful god granting a quick watery death, or an unmerciful one teasing her with an unquenchable thirst while surrounded by undrinkable water.

Either way, the queen would die, and by the day's end the king would take on a new bride to entertain him for a night, thus starting the cycle of marriage and death anew.

Time went by, as it always does, with pretty women running short in the kingdom, as the king had ordered that they all be brought to him, if only to die soon after.  Others were quick to flee the kingdom, even if it meant being caught and dragged off to be forcefully wed to the king, which was sadly the case most of the time.

Which brings us to the [name].

She was one of these beautiful girls being hunted down by order of the king.  And fearful though they were, the people of her small village loved her too much to let her be taken.

So, every week when the guards would come to search for any pretty faces, the villages would hide [name] away from sight, having her go from house to house as guards raided each other them, dragging people out to make sure no one would intervene in their search.

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You sighed with relief as an old woman let you know it was safe to come out of your hiding place.

'Another inspection I lived through,'  You thought to yourself as you climbed up out of barrel that had been filled with apples, hiding you from sight.

"Grandmother, I don't know how much I can take."  You said, sitting at the table.  She shook her head.

"I know child, I know, but what can we do against the king?"  She said.  "He has an army behind him, and trying to flee is foolhardy."  She said.  "You know you will be caught just like all the others."

"I know..."  You said softly.

"We can only wait and pray that he either dies somehow or perhaps actually settles on a queen."  She said, standing from her seat.

"I hope one of those things happens soon."  You said, leaning back.  Just then your grandfather walked in, a tired look on his face.

"Those fools finally left."  He said, taking a seat.  You and your grandmother nodded.  You watched as your grandmother went over to the stove to begin making dinner.

"[name] dear, can you please go draw some water from the well?"  She asked.  You nodded.

"Yes grandmother,"  You said, placing your cloak and hood on.  You took you bucket and quietly walked out to the well nearby.  You hummed as you lowered the bucket into the well, not noticing as two men approached.

"Halt citizen."  A man said.  You turned, flinching as you saw it was two guards of the royal guard.  You were quick to bow your head and keep it bowed, hoping they wouldn't see your face.

"Y-yes?"  You asked.

"We are thirsty woman, let us drink from your well."  He ordered.  You bowed lower and turned back the well, drawing the bucket quickly and passing it to the guards, letting them drink from it as you kept your head respectfully bowed as they both drank from the bucket.

When they were done they whispered to each other and laughed before tossing you the empty bucket, knocking you into the well and making your hood go down, causing the two to gasp.

"It's her!  The beauty of the town we're been looking for!"  One cried.  They were quick to rush as you and grab you by your arms, holding you tight as you kicked and screamed, getting the attention of the other citizens of the town, as well as the other guards who joined in on taking you away from you home.

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And so [name] was dragged away from her home in a a village, to the capital, where she was forcibly dressed in beautiful clothing and paraded as the King's newest wife, with the citizens there giving her the same looks of pity they had the other brides of the king.

Soon enough, she was brought to the palace, and told to wait in a room for her new husband, King Arthur.

But [name] was a clever and brave girl who decided that she would not go down without a fight, so she devised a genius plan...

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"So you are the new queen are you?"  The king asked, sitting in his seat.  You bowed.

"Yes your majesty."  You said.  He snorted.

"Well, you know the drill; entertain me for the night, and try to not to cry and beg for you life like the last one."  He said in a bored tone as he shifted in his seat.  You nodded.

"Very well then your majesty, how about a story?"  You asked.  This just slightly peaked his attention as he glanced to you.

"Yes, that sounds good enough for the moment."  He said, his eyes turning back to his hands which were playing with the gold chain of his watch.

"Alright,"  You said, taking a seat.  "Once, a long time ago..."

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And so [name] began telling a fantastic story that held the king's attention all that night, and when the sun rose high in the sky [name] stopped speaking.

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"Well?  Why have you stopped?"  The king demanded, sounding angry.  "I wish to hear the rest of the tale."  He said.  You shook your head.

"I'm sorry your majesty, but perhaps your next wife will be able to tell you the rest, that is, if she knows it."  You said in a sad tone.

"What?  What new wife?"  He asked, getting angrier.  You simply stood up and pulled the curtain back, letting dawn's light into the room.

"You see?  It is morning."  You stated.  "And as you said, I was only to entertain you for a night, and now that it is day, you are to send me away on a ship to the middle of the sea to die so that you may take on a new bride."  You said.  The king was quick to get to his feet as soldiers entered the room, ready to take you away.

"Wait a moment!"  He cried, making the guards and you stop.  "I will let you live one more day, so as to hear the rest of the story."  He said, shocking the guards as you bowed your head, hiding you smirk.

"As you wish your majesty."  You said.

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And so, that night, [name] continued the story, stopping once more at dawn when it was time for the guards to come.  And once more, the king, wanting to hear the end of the story, stopped the guards from taking [name] away to die.

This cycle of story-telling continued for 1001 nights before [name] finally finished her story, unable to make anything more up.

That morning, [name] sighed as she waited for the guards to come as they did every morning, only this time knowing that they would take her away for good.

And yet, the king once more stopped the guards when they came, and sent them away, shocking [name].

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"What?"  You asked after the guards had left.  "Your majesty, I finished the story, there is nothing left to tell, nothing left to entertain you with, so why do you not send me off to my death just like all your other brides?"  You asked.  The king stood from his seat and walked towards you, shocking you by taking your hands into his gently.

"Because I realized I do not want you to go away, I do not want you to die so that I may take a new bride."  He said, shocking you even more.

"It is only now that I realize that I have fallen for you, and, if possible, I would very truly like to marry you."  He said, looking into your eyes with a very warm, sincere expression.

"You mean you wish to make me your queen, not to entertain you but-"

"But to be my queen, my real queen, whom I promise to love and cherish forever."  He said earnestly.  You smiled.

"Then yes,"  You said, making the king give you the first genuine smile you had ever seen.

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And so the two were properly married; the people of the land rejoicing that the king had finally found a bride who had proved to be very clever and wise, making the citizens believe that she would be a great queen for them, and certainly steer the king on the right path.

Time passed and the two rejoiced upon welcoming their first child who grew up, happily hearing the tale his mother had told his father.

And thus Arthur and [name] lived happily ever after.

~Fin~