Author's note: I have my 8 1/2 year old daughter to thank for this story. I wrote the prologue several years ago, but I got stuck and abandoned it.

Several weeks ago, my daughter found the story, read it, and demanded to know why I hadn't finished it. She insisted that I start writing again. She has even served as a beta, reading parts of the story where appropriate, and giving me advice like, "That doesn't make sense. You should say this instead," or "You really need to add more details here, Mom."

Enjoy!

THE MAIDEN'S TREASURE: A fairy tale about a maiden, a prince, a treasure, and a destiny

Blurb: At age 18, Prince Fitzwilliam of Pemberlea disguises himself as a soldier in order to defend his country against Auroran invaders. That same year, a young maiden of 12 named Elizabeth receives a magical treasure: four acorns with the power to reveal truth, give courage, bring love, and make peace. The last one, she is told, must be bestowed on the man of honor who is destined to bring peace to the land.

Eight years pass, and the acorns have transformed into brilliant jewels, indicating that their power is at its height. Will Elizabeth be able to find the man of honor? And when she does, will he accept his destiny?

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Prologue: The Prince and the Maiden

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in the kingdom of Pemberlea, the king and queen gave birth to a son, whom they named Fitzwilliam. Young Prince Fitzwilliam was a cheerful boy, and kind to all the servants.

The young prince became good friends with two boys his age, Charles and George, both sons of servants in the castle. The three youngsters would often pretend to be soldiers fighting great battles, turning large sticks into swords. In this way, they became quite good at swordsmanship.

When the prince was fourteen, his mother died, leaving both the boy and his father sad and withdrawn. In his grief, the despondent king seemed like easy prey to his enemies, and the neighboring country of Aurora soon invaded. The vicious soldiers of Aurora burned down entire villages, looting all the gold and any other precious metals they found and killing all the inhabitants except the young women, whom they sent back to Aurora to become wives of the Auroran men.

The war continued for years, and as a result, young men from all the villages and towns of Prince Fitzwilliam's land were sent off to fight. When Charles and George joined the army at age eighteen, the prince asked his father if he could join as well.

The king looked at him sadly. "My son, you are all I have left. If I lose you, how could I go on living?"

"Please, Father," Prince Fitzwilliam begged. "I cannot sit back and do nothing while my people are being slaughtered. I must fight for our country and people!"

Hi father sighed deeply. "I will consult Thumpin."

Fitzwilliam nodded, thinking of the old tailor he had met but once, who was his father's most trusted adviser.

When the letter from Thumpin arrived a few days later, the prince pressed his father, eager to know the response.

The king beheld his son, his eyes etched with sorrow and his lips pressed into a thin line. "He writes that I cannot withhold a young man from his destiny."

Grateful but aware of the pain he was bringing his father, Prince Fitzwilliam embraced him tightly. "May God bring you back to me safely," the king whispered in his ear.

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About this time, a young maiden of twelve named Elizabeth lived in a small village in the prince's kingdom. She was the second of five daughters of a farmer and his wife.

Despite the worried talk among the villagers, Elizabeth was a happy young girl, for her village had not yet been invaded and she had no brothers fighting in the war. She enjoyed taking daily walks into the forest, where she would pick wildflowers and watch the small animals scamper. Occasionally she was thrilled to spot the lovely sight of deer.

One day, she heard a whimpering cry among the trees, and she sought out its source. She finally spotted a young fox kit, caught in a hunter's snare. "Oh, you poor thing," she cried, immediately taking pity on the pup.

She knelt down and gently stroked the kit to calm it, and then carefully pried open the trap in order to release its leg. She removed her apron and soaked it with water she carried in a flask, and then applied it to the kit's leg until it stopped bleeding. Under her tender ministrations, the fox soon seemed to recover its spirits, licking her hands with its small tongue.

She cuddled the young fox to her chest. "Do you know where your home is? I must take you back to your mother!"

She startled when the fox answered her. "I live under the root of a large oak tree," it said. "If you take me there, I will give you a treasure, to thank you for your kindness."

When Elizabeth recovered from her surprise, she stood up with the fox in her arms and followed his directions to his home. When she arrived at the large oak tree, the fox scampered to the ground, where he was warmly welcomed by his mother and brothers and sisters. As the young kit nuzzled his mother, he said, "She is the one, Mother. I have found the young maiden worthy of accepting the treasure."

The mother fox approached Elizabeth. "Thank you for caring for my son. Please, lift the large rock near the base of this tree. Under there you will find the most valuable of treasures."

Elizabeth lifted the rock and saw a small wooden box. She opened the box and saw within it four small acorns. She was puzzled, but decided to accept the gift. Who knows, she thought. Perhaps to a fox, this is indeed treasure.

"Those may look to be ordinary acorns, but appearances can be deceiving," the vixen said, as if reading Elizabeth's thoughts. "Look closely at each one. Do you notice something special?"

As Elizabeth examined the acorns, she noticed that although all were brown, each one had a slightly different tint, especially when held up into the light. One appeared somewhat green, the second red, the third silver, and the fourth gold. "They're different colors," she said.

"Yes," the mother fox replied. "Now I know that you are without doubt worthy to receive this treasure, for an ordinary human could not distinguish between these acorns. Each one has a special purpose. Three of them are for you alone to use, and the fourth you are to bring to a man of greatness. The green acorn is the acorn of courage. When you find yourself afraid, rub it and you will receive bravery without measure."

Elizabeth peered at the green acorn and nodded.

"The red acorn is for discernment," the fox continued. "When you fear you are being deceived, rub it and the truth will become known to you."

Touching the red acorn, Elizabeth nodded again.

"The silver acorn is for love. Rub it when you want love to come to you or your family. And finally, the gold acorn is for peace. This is the only one you cannot use yourself. Instead, you must bring it to a man of honor, the only man capable of bringing about peace."

Elizabeth exhaled, overwhelmed. She could scarce believe that these small acorns could have so much power—but until today, she never would have believed that foxes could talk. If the vixen's words were true, then she truly held the world's most valuable treasure.

"One thing I must caution you," the fox added. "Except for the man to whom you give the gold acorn, you must never tell anyone about this treasure. And you can only rub each acorn once, so choose the time to use each one with great care."

Elizabeth carefully placed the acorns back in the box, and curtsied to the mother fox and her children. "You have honored me with this treasure. I will use it well."

When she returned home that evening, Elizabeth laid the acorns in a small cloth sachet and tied it firmly. Then she tied the sachet to a string, which she placed around her neck. She knew this was a treasure she must always protect.