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Preface:
The Grimm tale I'm using as my source material for this retelling comes to a quick end after the king regains his human shape, and the princess is instantly happy to marry him at that point (even though she was filled with murderous rage less than a minute before). And from my aromantic/asexual perspective (and, to be fair, probably, my expectations as a reader of modern fiction), that's skipping past the most interesting part:
How do you get from "stranger" to "you disgust me!" to "maybe you're lovable, after all," when good looks are not enough to spark an initial attraction?
So this is the point where the story starts to veer off the most from the original, as I try to plot and then connect all the dots.
I made a conscious decision to use the archaic English You/Thou distinction, and not just because it's old-timey sounding. "You" (or Ye) is plural, and it's also used for people of higher rank than the speaker (it's the second person pronoun version of the Royal "We"). "Thou" is singular, and used for people of equal or lower rank -- and it's also used as term of endearment for loved ones and family. So it can be either an insult or an attempt at kindness, depending on who is saying it to whom.
And that got me thinking of how the youngest princess would have heard the differences between You and Thou. As a the daughter of the king, probably all of the courtiers, and servants in court (except for her immediately family) would have addressed her with "You." And she would have used "Thou" with everyone except visiting monarchs. But because she's the youngest daughter, she also knows that realpolitik means her father could marry her off to a baron or a knight if a treaty required it. So her sense of authority over her own life is wobbly.
(She uses "you" with the frog from the very beginning, because she realizes that magic is in play, there may be fae involved, and it's better to be safe than sorry)
Where we left off:
( Under the Linden Tree, Part 3 (1,466 words) )
(Back to Part 2)
queerly_beloved)Preface:
The Grimm tale I'm using as my source material for this retelling comes to a quick end after the king regains his human shape, and the princess is instantly happy to marry him at that point (even though she was filled with murderous rage less than a minute before). And from my aromantic/asexual perspective (and, to be fair, probably, my expectations as a reader of modern fiction), that's skipping past the most interesting part:
How do you get from "stranger" to "you disgust me!" to "maybe you're lovable, after all," when good looks are not enough to spark an initial attraction?
So this is the point where the story starts to veer off the most from the original, as I try to plot and then connect all the dots.
I made a conscious decision to use the archaic English You/Thou distinction, and not just because it's old-timey sounding. "You" (or Ye) is plural, and it's also used for people of higher rank than the speaker (it's the second person pronoun version of the Royal "We"). "Thou" is singular, and used for people of equal or lower rank -- and it's also used as term of endearment for loved ones and family. So it can be either an insult or an attempt at kindness, depending on who is saying it to whom.
And that got me thinking of how the youngest princess would have heard the differences between You and Thou. As a the daughter of the king, probably all of the courtiers, and servants in court (except for her immediately family) would have addressed her with "You." And she would have used "Thou" with everyone except visiting monarchs. But because she's the youngest daughter, she also knows that realpolitik means her father could marry her off to a baron or a knight if a treaty required it. So her sense of authority over her own life is wobbly.
(She uses "you" with the frog from the very beginning, because she realizes that magic is in play, there may be fae involved, and it's better to be safe than sorry)
Where we left off:
Her lady-in-waiting opened the door and poked her head around. "Good morning, Your Highness--" Her eyebrows rose barely a hair, and she (almost invisibly) mouthed: "frog?"
The princess bit her lip to keep from laughing at the absurdity. "Good morning, Margarete. Is breakfast ready?"
"Yes, Your Highness. His Majesty waits on you." She curtsied quickly and backed out the door.
The young king tugged at his sash, smoothing wrinkles that weren't there. "Well," he said, "they're expecting us, though probably not like this." He offered her his arm.
After a moment's hesitation, she took it.
( Under the Linden Tree, Part 3 (1,466 words) )
(Back to Part 2)
