With a hushed voice, faraway eyes, and a soft smile, I began, "The prince liked to read a lot, and he always visited the kingdom's bookstore so that he could find a new book. He only went there every month or so, not too often, but he liked to see his friend who worked there. They'd chat for a few minutes and then the prince would let him get back to work.

One day, the prince went into the bookstore. He was looking at a book, and even now, he can't remember anything about it. He can't remember the name, the author, even the colour... Because he looked up from that book, and he laid eyes on the most beautiful princess he'd ever seen... He'd seen a lot of princesses, but none like her. He stared at her, watching, memorising every piece of her... Because he was sure she was going to disappear seconds later... Time had frozen where he stood, and although he couldn't quite believe she was real, he prayed that she was. He held his breath, and he knew that this princess was meant for him. He was in love, within a second, he loved her." Taking a long breath, I continued, "Her hair was pulled back with a red hair tie. She wore no make up at all, an effortless beauty. Her brown eyes entranced him as she laughed lightly at something her co-worker had said. It was in that moment, as he took in her beautiful, perfect face, that he realised she worked there. So he vowed to go to the bookstore every night until she noticed him." I chuckled, shaking my head softly, "He went every night for a week, but only saw her again on the next Monday. This time her hair was down, dark hair that fell along her face and curved around her soft cheeks before flowing down her back. She had rosy red lips, and all he wanted to do was kiss them... But he waited. He figured out that she only worked on Monday's for definite, and so that became the night he always went to find a book. Of course, it was after he was finished his prince duties for the day, but it made his day go a lot quicker knowing he was going to see his princess soon.

Very soon, his friend started to talk to him about the princess. He even told the prince that the princess had asked about him! The excitement that flowed through him could've lit up the entire kingdom. So, the prince started to learn about the princess. He watched her every Monday night when he went to the bookstore. She always played with her hair, especially with her left hand. She used to sneak books off the shelves so she could read them as she worked. She'd read a particular book, Wuthering Heights, the most. So the prince knew it was her favourite. She looked tired a lot, and his friend told him she always went to bed late. So he knew she was a little bold, but he liked that. He didn't want a girl who always stuck to the rules, he wanted one who made him laugh, and liked to do daring things with him! The princess had a wonderful laugh. He would listen to it all night, he would even hear it in his dreams at night. The prince learnt a lot about the princess from his friend too. He learnt that she was very smart, and her castle was very close to his! He learnt that she loved animals, like Snow White. And she was a clean freak, kinda like Cinderella... But the one thing the prince loved the most about her, was that she was completely different from anyone he'd ever seen. Her smile lit up every room, her eyes held a million thoughts and emotions. Her entire being made him feel like he was home." I gave out a long sigh, "But one day, the princess started to ignore him. She wouldn't give him the opportunity to look at her eyes anymore. He knew he'd never spoken to her, but he felt very lonely during that week. And so, one night he made his way over to her. She looked up at him with her wide, doe like eyes, and it was better than anything he could imagine. He wanted to be held in her eyes forever. They kept him safe, made him feel warm and loved, and he just knew he had to have her...

"A week after that though, he didn't see her at all. It turned out she was taking very important princess exams, but he missed her. The next time he saw her, he was very happy. His memory of her did not serve her justice. But she seemed sad, and when he left that night, he never imagined what would happen next."

I paused, collecting my thoughts for a long moment, "The next day, the prince got a call from his friend... The princess was leaving... And even worse than that, she believed the prince loved another princess! He didn't have much time, but he did everything he could to get to her. He couldn't stand the thought of not seeing her ever again, not seeing her smile, or hearing her laugh. It was impossible. So he ran and ran, and he caught her, right before her carriage took her away."

Silence surrounded me as I told the tale, a lump in my throat as I thought back to that day.

"Then what, daddy?" The little voice piped up from the bed beside me, her soft brown eyes watching me expectantly.

I hated the fact that tears were forming in my eyes, but suddenly I was alone, telling the story to no one but myself.

"I caught her. And I told her I loved her."

Neither of us spoke for a long moment, but after a few minutes, a little four year old body was almost jumping out of the bed, her long bronze hair fluttering wildly, "You just said I! You said 'I told her I loved her'... Are you the prince, daddy?! Is mommy the princess?!"

Blinking, I smiled down at my little girl, nodding my head slowly, "Mommy is the princess."

"And you really loved her after seeing her for a second? A SECOND?"

I just laughed quietly, tucking her back into bed, "Yep. After a second."

"Is that the end of the story?" She yawned, her eyes closing against their own will.

"Well... After the prince told her he loved her, she said she loved him too. And then they kissed. And a few years after that, they got married and the princess became a Queen. And a few years after that, they had a little baby together, another little princess. And they lived happily ever after."

My daughter did not respond, as now she was fast asleep, a soft smile on her face.

Suddenly, I felt soft arms moving around my neck as I sat in the chair beside the bed. I grinned, shutting my eyes as I laid back and let my Queen shower my forehead with kisses, whispering once again just how much she loved me.