—Once upon a time, many years ago in an enchanted land... There was a princess, a very beautiful princess, she was smiling, charming and interesting, but there was a problem: She was trapped in a tower, where a very scary and disgusting dragon surrounded her. There were no fences or claws holding her there, but this dragon always stared at her and roared at her, every time she dared to look out the window. Many people tried to get her to leave the tower, princes, princesses, and even her enchanted family. They offered their hand to pull her out, but whenever she refused to be rescued, out of gigantic fear of the dragon, they would leave her, or force her out. Having to try very hard to get back to the tower before the dragon ran after her. The princess, smarter than anyone thought, realized even before entering the tower: The dragon never attacked the princes, maybe they would threaten them if they were really charming, but it was always just for the princess to see. The people who tried to save her said they understood, that they believed there was a dragon there. But they never really understood the princess's patience. Little by little, with the others giving up, or even the princess herself, who had tried to leave the tower alone a few times, she stopped opening the door. Looking at the window. Even at her family, who visited her to make the tower less scary. She had given up. The dragon would always scare her and make it impossible for her to leave. and the tower, even though it constantly hurt her with its thorny walls, falling ceiling and loose floor, even though the thick and unwelcoming walls of the tower prevented her from experiencing something truly good outside, it was familiar. It was safe. Safer than trying to live life with the dragon trying to hurt and torment her forever. And let's be honest? The princess wasn't born in the tower. She had been born on the ground, in the city, and even though many years had passed, did she remember that even without the dragon, there was really a reason to leave the tower? So she stayed there. And stayed. And got hurt. And scratched. She cried. She hated every moment of being in that place. But she always told the princes and princesses that she loved the place, because there was no way she could leave, look the dragon and the beasts of the city in the eyes. And so, they stopped coming. until one day... the princess heard a voice from outside the tower, not necessarily calling her, just there. And the princess, bored and hurt that they had left her, even though she understood that it was solely her fault, opened the window to face the owner of the voice. and for a brief moment, the world stopped. The dragon's roar did not frighten her, even though the princess's head was sticking out of the tower to face the person. It was a prince. A dazzling prince, who had seemed confused when he first saw her, but he smiled kindly. And the princess felt an urge to leave the tower to see him,
But the dragon stared at her with blood in his mouth, and she could hear the screams of the people being attacked by the city's beasts. So she quickly jumped into her tower, sad that she would probably never see Prince Charming again. But unlike what she thought, the prince did not leave. He stayed there. Under the tower, next to the door, waiting for her. She screamed many times for him to leave, because he would not leave that tower. But the prince did not hesitate, he did not open the door and pull her out, leaving her exposed to the dragon. Much less did he abandon her, alone in the tower. He just waved and said something that made the princess's heart tremble. She did not need to leave the tower. He would stay there with her, even if she did not leave. And he did. For months, he went back and forth to talk to her. He never forced her to leave the tower, much less asked what made her go in. They just talked. And every time the princess heard the prince's voice, she was more tempted to go out, to go to town with her prince. He never made her feel like she had to leave, or even that she forced him to come in. And then one day, as they were laughing and talking, she opened the door. She saw the dragon, she saw the beasts, but most importantly: she saw the smile of her prince. And after that, the door began to open more often. The princess would even sit outside with the prince for a few minutes, but always close to the door.
and sometimes, the dragon would roar in a way that made her go back to the locked door, hurting herself and sometimes hurting the prince. But the prince, most of the time, made her want to stay. they started talking about what they would do. away from the tower, away from the city, but never away from the dragon. The prince couldn't promise the princess that he would defeat the dragon, he was just a prince, after all. And the princess couldn't promise that she would stop being afraid. But they were okay with that. The princess spent more time outside the tower with the prince than inside. one day, when they had been outside the tower for a long time. The prince looked at her and offered his hand, not forcing it in a gentle way, but really as a question. And she didn't look at the scary dragon, much less at the violence of the city. She looked at her prince, thought about her future with him after they were gone. And for the first time, she really felt like she could accept the offered hand. and they left. The dragon accompanied the princess, and the city was violent in its own way. But the princess didn't even blink twice. She looked at her prince. Her hero... Despite the incredible and unforgettable times. The city wasn't exactly a fairy tale. And on his way away, the prince was injured. The princess cried and begged, but the eyes that had once been kind and comforting to the princess, stared back at her without vitality.
The princess wanted to stay there with her prince, but she knew she couldn't. She even tried to go back to the tower, but she realized that being trapped there again wouldn't help, and it would be a dishonor to her beloved's name. So, with a lot of pain and a lot of fear, she moved on... Away from the castle. Away from the chaos of the city. And she realized how worthwhile it was to finally be living. Without being completely intimidated by the dragon's claws. Without being trapped in sharp walls. She was living. And it hurt. Looking ahead and realizing that her journey would be without the love of her life. But sometimes... When she looked at the Sun or the stars outside that tower, so bright that they illuminated her entirely... She saw her prince. And that was reason enough not to go back to the tower.
Claire, with a slight, sad smile, asks: "And what was the prince's name, Uncle Klaus?"
"The prince's? Not the princess's?"
Claire shakes her head slightly.
Klaus ruffles his niece's hair with a sad smile. "Dave. His name was dave."
