'Once upon a time' has led the way in many great tales of princesses and magic; I begin now with the very same, dreaming of my own infamy, though I regret to admit my story is somewhat lacking in grandeur.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of great splendor called Rocheland. Within the kingdom, there lived a princess. She was all the things a princess ought to be: elegant, kind, caring. However, there was one princess-like thing she was lacking; her parents had given her the most unfortunate name for a girl: Sebastian. If you haven't figured it out yet, that princess is me.

"Princess Sebastian," my mother read from the paper in front of her, "You have been cordially invited to the 21st birthday party of our renowned Prince of Parchton." She dropped the paper on the table in front of her. "Sebastian, you have to go." She finally declared.

I smiled, glad for an excuse to dress up. I had been ready to prove my worth as a princess for a while and to show the world that I am not hindered by my name.

"Of course, mother!" I was actually surprised to have been invited to such an event as a birthday party. I had never been invited to something of the sort before, as my kingdom was small and I was often mistaken for a man. My mind was racing. Mentally, I chose the perfect dress, nothing too extravagant, just perfect for the occasion. I knew exactly what I wanted.

"You only have two days to prepare, goodness..." My mother mumbled to herself, but I ignored it, my mind elsewhere- a real ball!

The next two days passed in a flurry of daydreams and preparations. My handmaiden was almost as excited as I, for when she dressed and readied me for the party, she was practically giddy. She finished off my look with a small comb placed in my hair. I grasped her hands and we shared a smile. I headed down to the foyer, waving a simple goodbye to my parents. I climbed in my carriage and headed to the kingdom over, Parchton.

It wasn't supposed to be too long of a journey, but the ride was, to say the least, unpleasant. It in no way dampened my excitement, however.

"How much longer?" I huffed in my coach. There was no one to hear me since I was traveling mostly alone. My driver was outside of the coach, which was fairly soundproof, but it made me feel a little better to complain. Without warning, the carriage rocked to a halt and I heard a scream from right outside my coach. I swung the door open in a tizzy, frantically looking around. I heard a hoarse roar above me and slowly looked up, my eyes wide. A dragon was flying overhead, blowing flames in my surroundings. While not uncommon, dragons were scarcely seen in daylight. I screamed, unable to hold it back. The dragon whipped his head around and looked at me with fiery eyes of coal. I felt my breath coming faster as the dragon reached towards me with his claws. The sharp talons of the beast wrapped around me and lifted me from the ground before everything went black.

When I finally came to, I was in a small wooden cage and the dragon was sweeping wood into a fire with his tail, making the flames leap higher. I whimpered and looked around, trying to find a way out. I quickly discovered the latch at the top of the cage and reached my fingers through the bars to flick it open. The lock finally opened with a soft click, prompting me to freeze and wait to see if the noise was heard over the roaring of the fire. I slipped out of the cage, hoping to leave the cave unnoticed. Despite my attempts at silence, right as I began the slow walk away from the cage, the dragon turned to grab at me. I squeaked and leaped out of the way, effectively falling in what I hoped to be a puddle of mud.

As I was trying to pull myself out, the dragon came barrelling at me again. I twisted in an effort to stand up quicker when there was a loud crunch in front of me, the sound of sword hitting scales. I looked up to see an armour-clad person standing before me. The dragon stood no chance against his swordplay. I scowled. I hadn't needed saving. I pulled myself out of the mud and wiped my face off with the sleeve of my already ruined dress. The person turned around and pulled his helmet off. He offered a hand.

"You must be Princess Sebastian. I'm sorry such a thing befell you as you came to my party." I took his hand and he kissed the back of it, bowing. "Though when I heard your name, I certainly didn't expect you to live up to it so fully," he said, gesturing to my current state, which was covered in mud like some foolish young boy, with a smile. I ripped my hand from his and turned from him in a huff, glad that this occasion had caused me to miss properly meeting him. I ignored his apologies that he sputtered out between chuckles and stomped out of the cave.

It didn't take me long to get home. A carriage and driver had been waiting for me when I came out of the cave, as they had followed the prince from his palace on his horse. The prince informed me that this was for me to get home. I spent the evening scrubbing my skin to remove all signs of the incident.

The next few days were filled with nonsense things like attempts at cooking as I tried to find new ways to prove myself as a princess. My ideas were always full of holes. Finally, an opportunity presented itself: a chance to read for the young children of the kingdom. Children and reading were both very closely related to good princesses, and thus, I ought to involve myself with them. I informed my handmaiden of my plans and she prepared me in a simple outfit that was suited for the town.

As I arrived at the city square, the children had gathered and were all running around happily. I smiled in delight at their childhood innocence. I sat on the edge of the fountain and the kids formed a natural crescent shape around me, seating themselves on the ground. I pulled a book from the basket at my side that had been previously prepared for me.

"Once upon a time, there was a prince. That prince had a magic curse cast on him, turning him into a frog..." I started reading. The children were raptured with the story, my voice spinning a magical tale around them. "And they lived happily ever after..." I finally concluded, closing the book softly on my lap. The children clapped and in the midst of standing, I was suddenly surrounded by a cloud of swirling black smoke. I looked towards my guards in alarm, but they were not prepared to deal with magic and had no defenses against it. The blundering idiots. I felt my skin shrinking and my body changing.

After my transformation, everything seemed very large and the children were peering down at me in horror. I went to speak, only to have a large croak leave my mouth instead. I started moving around, only to discover that my only way to travel was through hops. I hopped around in a frenzy, trying to figure out what happened. The ground fell out beneath me and I looked up to see a guard pick me up. I tried to jump from his hand and walk along side, but he began to carry me to the castle paying no mind to my movement. I stopped protesting and slumped into his hand.

The high council of magic was called in and ideas were discussed as to what to do. That wretched prince from Parchton was there, vying to be the one to help. A decision was made to treat it like most prince-to-frog cases were handled, with a kiss. My mother tried first, but to no avail. The prince approached me and I tried hopping away, somewhere his lips couldn't reach, but I was too slow. He wrinkled his nose but pressed a kiss to my face all the same. There was no change. The council went into an uproar, yelling this and that as about how to resolve this. The prince scooped me up, against my protests, when no one was looking and ran to his horse.

"We'll just find the witch that did this and solve it ourselves." We started abruptly and I began hanging on for my life as the horse galloped through the kingdom. I didn't really pay much attention to what the prince did as he continued searching for the witch, since every time he stopped, I would focus on trying to catch my breath. It was all very bumpy and scary. Finally, as I tried to get my bearings once again, the prince pulled me from where he had stowed me. I finally got a good look around at our surroundings. We were in the woods, far from our respective kingdoms. There was a small cottage, and within it, a small flame. I tried to kick my way out of the prince's hands, but to no avail. He took me to the door of the cottage and knocked. There was a small voice in reply that I could scarcely hear due to the thick walls separating us. The door opened and a small, frail woman came into view. Her hair was thin and wispy, looking as if it was going to fall out at any moment and her skin was a sickly pale shade of blue.

"You have cursed this princess," he thrust me at her, shoving me close to her face, "Please, tell me what I must do to solve this."

I squirmed away from her gaunt face, trying to escape. There was no way that this sickly, old woman was a witch! I almost pulled away when the prince stuffed me in a pouch strapped to his side. I popped my head out and looked around. I couldn't escape. Even if I did, I would never find my way back home.

The woman smiled at the prince and suddenly the air was crackling with magic. I ducked back in the prince's pouch in fear. I could feel the magic surging through the air and then suddenly everything went still. I peeked out of the pocket to see that the woman was no longer old and frail. She was lean and tall, much younger than before. I cowered under her eyes, a green, like lightning. She smiled coyly, arching an eyebrow.

"Ahh, but riches are all that I wish." She said, her voice a low, seductive sound. Her powers as a seductress even affected me. The prince just frowned.

"That's it? I have plenty of riches. Take what you will." He replied, pulling a large coin purse out of his tunic. My eyes widened. How was he able to resist her charms? The witch looked a little shocked as well, pulling back a moment before reaching forward and snatching the purse from the prince's hands. She ripped it open, examining the contents. She glared up at him for a moment before tilting her head up and looking down at him.

"Fine." she waved her hand and I suddenly felt my body changing back. I quickly leapt out of the prince's pockets as my body stretched back to proper proportions. Once I was righted, I quickly covered myself, wasting no time to notice I was in the nude.

"This is far too much," I cried. A dress was suddenly presented before me. I looked up to see the prince facing away from me.

"Wear that, it will be enough for now. I suspected something like that might happen." I looked up at him one last time before snatching the dress and pulling it on with much difficulty. I didn't dress myself often. I finally succeeded in dressing and turned back to the prince.

"Thank you," I finally said, tersely. He turned to me and grinned.

"No problem, princess, though, I do wish your name wouldn't get you in such trouble. To think! You received the curse reserved for men, instead of the sleeping curse used on women." I felt my face heat up at his words. I turned and huffed away from him, followed by his apologies once again.

The ride back to my kingdom was tense and silent as I was still mad at him. When we arrived, I quickly dismounted myself and ran back into the castle. My mother greeted me with open arms and I could hear my father thanking the prince for 'saving' me. I could have handled myself well enough. My mother forced me to turn and curtsy to him, although I had already thanked him. I pulled myself up and shot him a look before heading to my room.

I spent the next few days in mild self-torment, searching for a way to prove myself as a true princess. I kept trying and trying but to no avail. It was pointless. Why, it would almost be easier to be a prince. I pulled a blanket from my bed and sat on my window seat, the blanket keeping my lap warm. I rested my head against the window pane and watched as nature went on with its life; its sunny skies unphased by my dreary disposition. I turned from the window, the happiness causing me to forget my despair, which I couldn't allow myself to do. If I forgot, all of my struggle would have been for naught.

Something caught my attention in the corner of my eye and I turned, quickly rushing back to the window. There was a messenger, galloping to the palace, followed by a group of scouts. My eyes grew wide. Something must have happened! I ran from my room and headed to the main foyer to greet the soldiers. Before I reached the entryway, however, a maid caught me and sent me to the throne room, where I was go sit with my parents and await the news as they did. I settled myself in my seat to the Queen's left. The messenger finally entered and was quite out of breath by the time he arrived.
"Troops!" He gasped out, "Troops have been spotted!" My father stood quickly and Mother grabbed his hand, glancing at me. My own reaction never happened. I was in a state of confusion. Troops? Why? My handmaiden suddenly appeared at my side and I was escorted back to my own room. I laid back on my bed, my mind spinning.

What would troops be doing in Rocheland? We had had no disputes with Parchon and the kingdom on the other side, Glaukum, had had no contact with us for months... I snapped up. That was it! There must have been some miscommunication between us and Glaukum. I started towards the door, intending to head back to the throne room only to remember that I was being guarded, unallowed to leave my room. I pulled my hand back from the doorknob and turned to my window. I was only on the fourth floor. Jumping would result in, most likely, my death, so that option was out. I thought back to my books where princesses had always been escaping towers and such. However, since my hair didn't wrap around the castle twice and my lover was not waiting below to catch me, I wasn't sure of how to go about it. I looked out my window again, peering warily at the ground. A glint of silver caught the corner of my eye and I turned my head to look at it.

Seeing it clearly required leaning very far out the window and to the left. Finally I saw what had caught my eye. The ornate decorations of the castle were freshly shined and, conveniently for me, in hook shapes. The line of hook shaped ornaments were on every floor, making an easy path to the ground. I pulled myself back into my window and grabbed a cloak to hide myself with. Wrapping myself, I stepped up onto my windowsill and, carefully holding the frame, put my left foot on the first hook.

I started facing away from the castle, which wasn't a good plan. I focused for a second on turning around and facing the castle wall, so I could easily pay attention to my feet placement. It was a laborious task, getting down to the ground, but after a long climb, I finally made it. I let myself drop from the last line of hooks with barely a squeak. Next: getting a form of transportation. I assumed that my parents would only send me back to my room without question and wouldn't allow me to have any time to provide a potential solution to their problem. I pulled my hood over my head and slunk to the stables, trying to keep away from others. I slipped in the stables only to hear someone dismounting farther in. I slipped into the stall next to me, glad it was empty. A horse would have made a commotion, should I have slipped in with them. I heard the person's footsteps leave the stables and left the stall quickly before anyone else came.

The first horse I approached tried to bite me, most likely because most of these horses had never known me. I cursed myself for not having had more interest in riding. Finally, I was faced with an unfamiliar white horse- my last chance. The horse sniffed me and, to my surprise, nuzzled my hand. I smiled, finally something had accepted me. I entered the stall, climbed on the bale of hay nearby, and mounted the horse bareback and men's style, causing it to whinny in distaste.

"Sorry, horse, but you're going to have to bear with it for a bit, just as I must." I whispered to it, stroking its neck. I threaded my fingers through its mane and dug my heels into its hindquarters, causing it to jerk forward as I attempted to lead it out the gates. Finally, me and the horse came to an understanding and it took off through the gates and towards Glaukum. I heard calls behind me, but I could only hope that no one recognized me with my hood up as it was.

It was a long ride and after a while, I could no longer feel my legs from the hard riding. The horse seemed to be struggling as well, slowing down for moments before speeding back up. I ran my hand along its neck and in what I hoped to be a soothing gesture. Finally, the gates of Glaukum's palace were in sight. I clambered off the horse, trying to get feeling back in my legs before I reached the palace. I leaned against the horse for support before pulling myself up and assuming a regal posture. I approached the closed gates and called up to the guard tower. A guard came down, his weapon positioned to attack, reasonable, since they felt they were in a time of war. I felt it best not to expose my identity straightaway, as that may make them hold me for ransom in order to reach their prefered ending with my parents. I curtsied to the guard.

"I am here as an ambassador of the palace of Rocheland. I was sent to discuss peace," I lied, hoping my words would get me to the throne room. The guard held his position.

"Do you have any documentation?" he asked tersely and I mentally cursed myself. I should have thought to create a document for myself. He scoffed at my silence. "No documentation, no passage into the palace. That's how it works, lady. For all I know, you could be an assassin," he backed back through the gates, holding his position as they closed. I groaned, kicking a lone rock at the gates with fury. I turned back to the horse I had ridden here.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I cried out, burying my face in his mane. He made a huffing noise that wasn't quite a neigh but wasn't just a breath either. I felt as though I understood what he meant and pulled away. "You're right. I have to find a way in." I turned back to the gates and the stone wall surrounding the kingdom. Strengthening my resolve, I began to walk the length of it, looking for a way in. Finally, something clicked. I wouldn't be able to go through, thus I would have to go over. I looked up, the imposing height of the wall towering over me. I encouraged myself, hiked my skirt up once again, found hand-holds in the walls, and began to climb.

It was an awful long way up and, although I was far from the main guard towers, I didn't know the situation nor the layout on the other side of the wall. There may be a minor guard tower right on the other side. My hands grasped the top of the wall and I steadied my breath before hoisting myself over and sitting at the top. I had been right, there was a guard tower right on the other side. However, it was not to watch the wall, but rather, to watch the town. Thus, the roof was right underneath me. I shimmied down the wall on my rear, trying to see if the guard was at his post. Luckily for me, it seemed empty. I shifted back down to right above the roof and carefully turned to climb the short distance down.

I stepped carefully and, I hoped, quietly on the roof of the guard tower. I lowered myself to my hands and knees, feeling as though I could slip and fall at any moment. I took a deep breath. If this was scaring me, how was I planning on handling what actually happened in the castle? I steadied myself and crawled to the edge of the tower's roof, on high alert for anybody who might notice me. I leaned over the roof, peering into the tower, my hands gripping the edge for dear life. How was I supposed to get down now? I shook my head and crawled backwards from the edge. This had been a stupid idea.

I pulled my legs up to my chest and thought. I was here now, so I needed to go through with my plan, but I had no way of getting down from the roof. I looked back at the stone wall. I could always keep climbing down. I sighed and crawled back to the edge of the roof, looking straight down this time. Below the guard tower was just grass, so at least if I fell, I would land on reasonably soft ground. I shifted my seating, making my legs hang over the edge of the tower. I shimmied down the roof and reached the wall again. I pulled my skirt over my knees, making sure I wasn't going to step on it as I found hand holds in the wall again. It was actually quite easy climbing this wall, in retrospect. The side of my palace had been very difficult, but the rocky wall of Glaukum was much less organized in its structure, making it easier to maneuver.

I finally reached the ground, my arms and legs feeling very tired after all the work they'd had to go through over the course of the day. I pulled my hooded cloak back over my head and glanced around. It didn't seem that anyone had noticed me. Honestly, it struck me as kind of odd. What kind of place has such a big wall and then doesn't monitor it to make sure no one comes over? Actually, there didn't seem to be any guards within the wall at all. The few villagers that were outside hadn't noticed me either. I slipped among them and tried to blend in. It wasn't that easy since the dress under my cloak was too fine for even a merchant's daughter. I noticed a few looking at me curiously, but no one ran to alert others or drew any attention to me. I took that as a sign that this was the right thing to do.

The Glaukum castle was positioned in the middle of their kingdom. It was a farther walk than I had expected. I knew that our kingdoms were truly teetering on the edge of war. Since troops had already been spotted in Rocheland and we had soldiers stationed all around the kingdom, battles may have already begun. I picked up my pace, I had no time to waste. I needed to end this war before it began. I lowered my hood as I approached the palace and strode through the gates as though I belonged. I knew the basic layout of the castle, as most are the same, and it didn't take me long to find the throne room, though it was empty, save for a few servants who were all glancing at me nervously. I decided now was the best time to expose my true self, as nothing else would get me to the king. I straightened myself to my full height.

"I am Sebastian, Princess of Rocheland. I demand an audience with the king," I spoke directly to the throne, allowing my voice to echo over the room. The servants all scattered like scared mice. I held my ground, refusing to back down.

Surprisingly, the king actually came. The doors behind me swung open with a vengeance and the room was suddenly full of guards, all pointing their weapons at me. The king strode in behind them, making sure there was a guard between me and him at all times. When he was seated comfortably at his throne, his eyes bore into me and he waved a hand. The guards mostly relaxed, but still stood at attention.

"You claim to be Sebastian of Rocheland, and yet you also claim to be their princess. Explain how this is possible." He boomed, making me falter. He was much scarier than I had expected him to be. I swallowed hard before regaining my resolve.

"I am, your highness, simply because I was born as both," I replied, glad that my voice didn't so much as waver. "I was born Princess and I was named Sebastian."

The king furrowed his brow. He leaned forward and whispered to a servant that was below him. She scurried off, going through what I could only assume was a passage behind his chair. There was silence and I started feeling anxious. What was the big deal about my being Princess Sebastian? That wasn't was I was here for, but I knew better than to make a scene with the king who was currently holding the condition of my kingdom in his hands. I waited.

Finally, the doors behind me opened again. I turned to be faced with two women, one older and the other fairly close to my age. The elder sat next to the king, solidifying her position as Queen while the other stood to their side. I presumed her to be the princess.

"This young woman is Princess of Rocheland." The queen and the princess both tensed up and looked at me with contempt. I curtsied to them anyway. I wouldn't allow myself to falter again. "This is also Sebastian." The king continued. The two women looked to each other before looking at the king, confusion evident on their face.

"How is this possible? Sebastion of Rocheland is their prince!" the Queen exclaimed, "She must be lying!" The king shook his head at his wife's proclamation.

"No, my dear, it seems she is not. There had been suspicions about the status of the prince of Rocheland and this only solidifies them. Had their message of refusal been clear before, this all wouldn't have happened," I looked up at him curiously.

"What refusal, your highness?"

"Of marriage to my dear Princess Maria, of course. Did you not hear of the proposal we made, offering our daughter to... Well... You, as it turns out." He let out a small chuckle at his own statement. I shook my head slightly, astounded at this new information. I had been offered a marriage... A bride, at that! How ridiculous! I laughed lightly.

"Was... Was that the reason for the troop invading Rocheland, your highness?" The king stiffened.

"I suppose I ought to call them off. But it appears that I need to have a long conversation with the King and Queen of Rocheland. We shall travel back together. I'm sure they are wanting to have you back." He stood from his throne and waved away the guards. He quickly took care of business, calling over a messenger to go to the troops and tell them to return home, to surrender if it had already come to a full battle.

Heading back out the gates I had been refused entrance to, I saw the white horse I had ridden here waiting for me to return. I smiled at it and walked there, assuming I was to ride back on my own. However, a soldier called after me, telling me my carriage was ready and my horse could help pull it if I wished to bring it back easily. I agreed, ready to be home.

The ride home took much longer than the ride here had taken, as I had taken what is traditionally a two day trip in the span of around eight hours. When I finally arrived to the door of my palace, I was surprised by a man who ran out and grabbed me by the shoulders. Ahh, the prince of Parchton, nuisance that he was. Of course he had been there, eager to save another damsel.

"Princess Sebastian, thank the gods that you're safe. I was so worried! Well, we all were... Anyway, don't run off like that again! If you plan on going on some princessly mission, please, at least let me know about it before hand," He grasped my chin firmly and turned my head this way and that, as though searching for injuries. I pulled my face away from him.

"Why? So you can steal the glory for yourself?" I replied teasingly. He looked taken aback and I noticed how serious he was.

"Please, Princess, promise me that you'll tell me. Or, at least, tell someone. Please don't run off like that alone again." I suddenly felt ashamed. I had made people worry about me and caused them distress during an already stressful time. I nodded and the prince sighed in relief. I looked him over, truly taking in his looks for the first time. To be honest, he was actually quite handsome. Add in the fact that he simply can't leave a damsel in any type of distress, he fit very well into the mold of a typical Prince Charming. It made me wonder...

"After receiving a wedding refusal from me, due to my name causing more misunderstanding, as I'm sure you're aware it is due to cause, the kingdom of Glaukum declared war. Why didn't they simply move on to your kingdom and offer their princess to you?" I asked, confused. We were a trifecta of kingdoms, after all, we were all within close distance of each other; there was no reason to simply offer to one kingdom when you believed that both could have suitable husbands. The prince seemed to fumble his words and he stood for a moment, befuddled. Finally, he muttered an answer.

"What did you say? I can't hear you. Speak up, Prince," He looked up to me, determination in his eyes.

"My name is Prince Elizabeth," I drew back for a second, processing what I'd just heard. Suddenly, everything made sense. I laughed, loud and ringing, before pulling Elizabeth into an embrace. He returned the hug, pulling my face to his for a brief moment.

"You finally understand, then?" he asked and I nodded. I understood everything.

And Princess Sebastian and Prince Elizabeth lived happily ever after.