Jason didn’t sleep well that night, but not because of the lumps in the bed or the hardness of the pillows, or because of the wind-blown curtains swirling around his face, tickling him from near sleep every so often. Those things were bad enough, but they didn’t keep him awake as much as his reflections of the girl under the tree. He couldn’t get her out of his head. She had stirred his curiosity. Never had he been treated like a common man. He was used to the attention, the applause, people stopping for him, tripping over themselves to get his autograph or picture.

Except for the throng of women and their daughters who greeted him when he got to the house, he could have easily been among strangers who had no idea who he was. It unsettled him, burning the image of how unwelcome he was in this place he was supposed to rule. The people’s indifference towards him was disturbing, and he got an intimate sense of the urgency of the decision to send him to the village. But, if he was so despised, how would he get one of the village girls to marry him? And not just any one—the one who had defied him the most?

He was up at the crack of dawn. He stretched all the kinks from his neck and back, and slid into his white cotton shirt and nylon string pants. He slipped into his sandals, too conscious of walking on the potentially filthy floor, and shuffled to the bathroom. It was tiny, as was the rest of the house, but it sparkled and testified to its recent scrubbing. He wondered which of the village women had taken on that task. Maybe one of the women he had already seen.

When he felt like he was reasonably clean, he ventured outside, looking forward to the women who might bombard him again. He hesitated by the gate, too stiff-necked to go out and meet anyone. He preferred them coming to him, even though he had a lot to lose if he didn’t find a wife. He didn’t anticipate that would be a problem, but he was anxious about who he might be forced to marry. Only one person had stirred him so far, and she was anything but interested.

The morning was warm, and his stomach began to churn with hunger. His first thought was that he should have brought Ellie with him to prepare his meals. But his mother had suggested that he be brought low, that he mingle with the commoners, eat their food, drink their water, live their lives. Only then would they welcome him and give them what they wanted. So, he stood by the wooden gate, waiting for them.

With nothing else to do, he surveyed the village. The houses were small, all with gardens, like they were taken from a children’s storybook. He smiled when he thought about the Three Little Pigs and the straw, stick, and brick houses. There were no brick houses here, and they seemed as vulnerable to his presence as the little pigs’ houses were to the wolf’s blow. The town was still, and he got bored of waiting.

“I am not doing this,” Jason said under his breath and stepped through the gate. If he had to be there, he would interview the girls and choose the ones who suited him. But he had to find the girls first. Maybe he should simply invite himself into their homes.

He walked along the narrow strip of road, observing nothing but rows of houses, all as still as the morning. He was beginning to feel like he was in a ghost town when he passed a house and saw movement. A woman was working in her garden, her back turned, and she was humming.

He stopped and shoved his hands into his pockets. Almost as if by instinct, she turned and placed her hand over her eye to shield from the glare of the sun.

“Oh, how do you do?” she asked with a smile.

“Doing good,” he replied.

She stood, removed the gloves she wore, and walked closer to the metal fencing. “Out so soon?”

He looked around, feeling the awkwardness creep under his skin again. “Uh, I didn’t have much else to do.” He tried not to hold her gaze as she literally stripped him with her eyes. She was an ordinary woman, and not at all someone he would choose.

“Well, that’s understandable,” she replied, and bit her lips as a smile spread across her face. He could tell that he wasn’t going to like what she had to say next. “So, looking for a wife?”

“I am,” he replied casually, hoping she wouldn’t offer herself. She was a decent woman, but he didn’t want to ruin his morning either. “But it seems everyone is still tucked in. How come you are up so early?”

She smiled, and he noticed her yellowing teeth, slightly overshadowed by her dimpled cheek. She used her hand to comb the wisps 0f hair backward that had already begun to stick to her face as the morning grew hotter. “I’m always up. That could come in handy,” she teased and winked.

Jason winced, like she had dealt him a painful blow. “Thank you, but I think I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what you think,” she told him, and turned back to her garden. “You don’t know these women.”

She had barely spoken the words when he heard a commotion behind him. Jason turned to meet his throng of admirers, and his chest and ego swelled the closer they got to him. He noticed how they looked at him like he had done something wrong, and of the sideways glances they flung at the woman in the garden, who was too busy weeding shrubbery to notice them.

“Prince Jason, have you chosen a woman yet?” one woman was presumptuous enough to ask.

He started and rocked his head to the side to see who had asked such a ridiculous question. She wasn’t one of the women he had seen before, but she certainly wasn’t one he hoped to see again. Her hair was matted, and by all indications, she had pulled the mess together at her nape, perhaps to look more decent before appearing before him.

Jason wasn’t impressed. The least they could have done was dress up for him—wear some make-up, a nice dress, polish their nails, something. This brood before him were vultures, ready to swoop him off to their dungeon before he could take them to a better place he was sure they wouldn’t even fit into comfortably.

He held his hands up and addressed them. “Okay, we all know why I am here. Yes, I have to choose a woman from among you, but for God’s sake, at least come to me in a presentable way,” he said with disdain, addressing the woman who had asked the question. “Did that answer your question?”

She nodded and became completely self-conscious at her tattered clothing and shoes that were so worn she could likely feel the paved surface of the streets. She rocked on her heels and moved slowly away from the swelling crowd. As soon as she was gone, the chattering resumed, and Jason heard a voice he was almost sure was in his head—that of a man. He hadn’t spoken to any since he had arrived, and he hoped there was at least one good man he could reason with, preferably one with a beautiful daughter he might consider marrying.

“Prince Jason, would you like to have tea with my family and me?” the voice boomed.

Jason turned to see a well-dressed man standing next to an average-looking girl. He had brown skin, slick hair that curled from being swept back vigorously, and a face that gave Jason hope.

“That’s more like it,” he replied to the man. “I would love to.” That, plus he was really beginning to feel hunger pains in his stomach.

The crowd began to murmur as victory painted itself across the man’s face. “Right this way, Your Grace.” He swept his hand out and bowed slightly.

Jason was in pig heaven again. He had a feeling he would not be marrying this man’s daughter, but if he was hospitable, he would take advantage of it.

“Why didn’t you ask him first?” a girl whispered behind him.

“You could have too,” another replied hotly.

“What if he marries Candace? She isn’t even that pretty!” the first woman said angrily.

Jason enjoyed the bickering, and he grinned as he walked next to the proud father. The crowd followed them, as if they hoped he would change his mind by the time he reached their house. Jason wasn’t accustomed to being ignored, and he welcomed the attention from the villagers.

He continued next to the man who turned every now and again to look at him, perhaps to remind himself that the prince was indeed coming to his house. Jason didn’t say much along the way, but he did notice of the way windows opened as curious villagers tried to catch a glimpse. Every now and again he waved, and he smiled at the children as they ran out to meet him. The same town that had been dead not so long ago was now teeming with life, and he was loving it.

He was beginning to wonder how far they were going when they came upon a farm detached from the rest of the community. He was intrigued, and he stood by the wood and rope fence as a woman emerged from the house. It was her, the woman from under the tree, and for a reason unbeknown to him, his heart started racing. She was dressed in brown overalls, slinging what looked like a farm tool in her hand. She wore a straw hat that covered up most of her face, but he was sure it was her. She couldn’t have been more unattractive, yet he felt a pull towards her he couldn’t explain.

“Oh, don’t look at that one. You won’t have any luck there,” one of the women volunteered.

“Yes,” the man hastened to say and cleared his throat loudly. “That’s Elena. Poor girl. She doesn’t even have any friends.”

“Is that so?” Jason asked with wonder.

“Oh, come on,” the man pressed and touched Jason’s hand like he wanted to push him along.

Jason looked at the man’s hand like he had a disease and sneered. The man pulled his hand back quickly like he had been burned.

“Prince Jason, there is nothing to see here. Let’s go,” the same woman who had spoken before persisted.

“That’s for me to decide,” he stated. He stood by the fence, watching as she walked over to a wooded area and pulled a makeshift gate towards her. “Where is she going?”

“To feed the pigs,” the man answered all too eagerly, trying desperately to get his attention away from Elena.

He looked around at them, wondering if he had heard right. “She’s going to do what?”

“That’s all she does,” another woman volunteered. “Feed pigs and cows, draw hay, work the land. She won’t have soft hands to caress you, Your Grace.”

“Hmmm,” Jason mused. “I think I want to see.”

With the stubbornness that was practically his trademark, he bent and slipped through the ropes and entered the field. The people remained, muttering amongst themselves loud enough for him to hear, undoubtedly wondering what was happening.

Jason ignored them as he walked through the grass and to the wooden pen. He looked around but didn’t see anything or anyone else. She was hidden from his view, and he moved more cautiously the closer he got to the place where she had disappeared. He spotted movement, and he saw her bent over as she shoveled what appeared to be filth from a cemented trough. He stood just outside and folded his arms as he watched her working meticulously at a task he wouldn’t ever have dreamed of doing. The smell was rancid, and his nose twitched as his senses were overwhelmed by it. He stepped back and pinched his nose, just as she turned and noticed him. The shovel fell from her hand when she saw him, and she stood sharply.

“You scared me half to death,” she said, flattening her hand on her chest as her breathing quickened.

“Only half?” he joked. “I meant to go all the way.”

She rolled her eyes and looked past him to the throng still gathered at her fence. “Your people await, Your Majesty,” she said grudgingly.

He looked back and grinned. “Yeah. They’ll wait. I wanted to see—”

“How gross hog shit is?” she asked quickly. “Not so sexy, is it?”

Jason was laughing now, and the sound traveled across the grassy field. “No, it isn’t. But it is admirable,” he complimented her. “Not everyone will do work like this. I sure couldn’t.”

“Maybe not,” Elena replied, wiping her hand across her forehead. “But this is the kind of thing I like…this and farming the land, growing my own food, taking care of the animals…”

Jason listened to her, and even while she stood in the pen, surrounded by filth, he knew he liked her. She was different than the rest, and obviously not as easy. She presented him with a challenge without knowing it, and he welcomed it. He would have her groveling in no time, and he would take great pleasure in it.

“What?” she asked, obviously reading the thoughts displayed on his face.

“Nothing,” he told her, waving her off. “You go back to your…farming,” he said, and walked away quickly before he gave himself away.

He didn’t want her to be the one to walk out on him this time, and he thought that maybe if he left first, it would leave an impression on her. When he looked back, she was busy shoveling filth again, and the image knifed him through the heart. As he walked away, he realized she would be a tough nut to crack.

The throng was more than happy to see him return, and a woman he hadn’t noticed before that morning immediately handed him a plate of goodies. Jason’s brow raised at the gesture, but he accepted her offer. He handed the platter quickly to another eager young girl who begged to carry it for him – he would eat it when he got back to the cottage. The woman, who gave him the goodies, eyed the girl holding the platter with annoyance and flung daggers at her with her eyes.

They arrived at the man’s house, and he discovered the daughter he wanted him to meet. “This is Candace,” the proud father told him of the freckle-faced girl who stood midway between the gate and the door. She wore a plain white dress with a red ribbon around the middle, and her black hair was braided across the front and fell to her breast in a thick knot. She blushed as the prince neared her, but there was nothing striking about her that would keep her planted in Jason’s mind.

He took the girl’s hand in his, feeling how coarse it was against his palm. She clung to him, like she wanted to encase the memory of touching him, but he slipped his hand away before she took it as a souvenir. She giggled as she hurried behind him to the door, the rest of the group forced to remain outside the gate.

His wife had apparently been cooking up a storm in anticipation of his coming, and the smell of meat and freshly baked bread reminded him of his hunger. The dad—Bruce, as he later found out—ushered him to the dining table, right next to a smiling Candace. Before he could take a bite of the meal, her mother sat down hurriedly and beamed at him across the table.

“So, how do you like our Candace?” she asked pointedly.

Jason was put on the spot, but he didn’t have anything to lose really. He stuffed some of the venison into his mouth and chewed while he spoke. Bad manners, he knew, but for some strange reason he believed it was acceptable among less than noble people.

“She’s all right,” he mumbled between bites, his concentration fully taken with filling his stomach. The food tasted good, that he couldn’t deny. But as for everything else, he doubted he would be back. Not much was said throughout the meal, and he was ready to leave at the end of it, much to their dismay.

Jason walked back to the other side of the town, feeling odd as he did so. He was used to being chauffeur driven, but he found the walk pleasant. Soon enough, he was met by other villagers, and he spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon meeting all the women who lived there who were vying for his hand in marriage.

By the time he returned to the cottage he was dog tired, and he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. The cold air that seeped in through the windows later that night awakened him, and he arose, conscious of the music and loud talking coming from the square. He didn’t believe much in socializing with the people. He simply wanted to do what he came for and be gone in a month. He didn’t need to remember their names or faces, and he certainly didn’t need to mingle.

He hadn’t been awake long when he remembered Elena. He turned onto his side and flicked on the bedside lamp. The time read half past eight, and he wondered if she would be by the tree. He rushed to the shower, almost tripping over himself, and burst out laughing at his stupidity.

“Get a grip,” he advised himself. “You are the prince. Of course she would want you.”

He checked himself in the mirror, turning his head this way and that, admiring his features and his physique. He was a catch, and any woman would be lucky to have him. She wanted him, he could tell. He merely had to convince her of it.

He remembered the path he had taken before, and he followed it. Sure enough, she was sitting under the same tree with her lantern, doodling in the dirt. Before he got to her she saw him and groaned.

“Oh, God, now you’ve messed up my spot,” she complained.

“Messed up? I was out walking…”

She gave him a look that suggested she wasn’t an idiot. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m not kidding. I was walking by here and there you were, right in my path, like you knew I was going to come this way.”

“I what?” she asked with a puzzled look and took up her lantern.

“No, no, don’t leave,” he hurried to tell her. “You can have the tree.”

She started for a moment. “I can what? Have the tree?”

“Yes,” he said with certainty.

“I didn’t realize it was yours to give.”

She was beginning to get upset, and Jason smiled at the fact that he was able, after all, to stir her emotions, even if it wasn’t the exact one he was going after. “Well, this is my kingdom, so…”

She stared at him like he was the most impossible person in the world. “You can have your tree,” she told him calmly and stood.

“No, wait, don’t leave. That came out wrong,” he apologized and attempted to touch her.

“Look, Prince Jason, I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’m sure you realize I am not the princess type. I don’t dress up, I don’t wear make-up. As a matter of fact,” she said, sweeping her hand along the length of her body, drawing his attention to the oversized jeans and tee she wore, “this is what you would get. Not fitting for a prince. I suggest you spend your time elsewhere.”

Jason was not moved by her words. If anything, his stubborn determination was strengthened. “I spend my time where I want to, Elena,” he replied, and let her name roll off his tongue seductively.

Her eyes bulged when he spoke her name, and he saw her shiver, though slight, and it only encouraged him more. “Who told you my name?”

He chuckled. “I am the prince. Why wouldn’t I know?”

“Hmm,” was all she uttered. “That might be all you wind up knowing. Now, if you would just get out of the way…”

“Let me walk with you,” he offered, not wanting to be left alone again.

“No. You wanted to spend time with your tree,” she said feistily.

Jason laughed and, without hesitation, walked after her. “Nah, I don’t think it will miss me. Besides, I think it likes you.”

She stopped abruptly, and he almost ran into her. She wheeled around and held the lantern up to his face. “What are you doing?”

“Standing very close to a lantern…that has fire…that can burn me…”

She caught the gist eventually. “Oh,” she said and lowered her hand. “You know what I mean. I’m not joking. What do you want? You keep following me.”

“I want a wife,” he told her matter-of-factly, and whatever she was going to say died on her lips. He stared into her eyes, made even more beautiful under the soft glow of the light from the lantern.

“I’m not that woman,” she insisted, and before he could stop her, she hurried off.

But he had seen enough. A smile crossed his features slowly and warmed him inside. He had seen that he was getting through to her. Maybe he would wear her down just to prove a point. But even as he walked a little longer in the cool night air, he suspected it might not end with only that.