A Tale of Two Princesses

Once upon a time there were two beautiful princesses, Princess Camryn, and Princess Kelly. One was fair with crystal eyes of blue and hair like spun gold. One was exotic with silky, black hair and mysterious, dark eyes. One was long and lean, and one was teeny-tiny. One was older and wiser, and one was still quite young. But no matter their differences, both princesses were very special, and both princesses loved and trusted one another very much.

One day, Camryn, the older, wiser princess, said to Kelly, the young, tiny princess, "Sweet little one, I have noticed that you refuse to wear shoes. Why is this?"

"Because," answered the tiny princess, "shoes frighten me so. I just do not understand the purpose of wearing them. Besides, they feel dreadful on my feet!"

"Oooh, I see." replied Princess Camryn. "Well, let me tell you, Princess Kelly, shoes are nothing to be afraid of. In fact, they're actually quite wonderful! They protect your feet from terrible, sharp things you might step on that could hurt your feet. They keep your feet warm when it's cold out, and they can make quite a fashion statement! Oh, they also help your feet to stay soft and clean, which is very important for dainty princesses like ourselves. You really should try them!"

"But the queen has already requested that I try them several times, but I just cannot do it. They feel too strange and I do not like them at all, Princess Camryn. The king and queen have granted me permission to walk without shoes on, so why would I want to try shoes when I don't have to?"

"Because, think of how proud the king and queen will be of you if you show them how brave you are that you are willing to try shoes even when you don't have to? And don't worry, little one, I will help you to find just the right pair of shoes that feel perfect on your feet! If not, you can continue to go without shoes and I won't mention it ever again."

"I don't know," replied the tiny princess suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not going to force me to wear them, like you force me to wear bows in my hair?"

"I promise!" said the big princess (with her fingers secretly crossed behind her back). "I will not force you to wear them if you don't like them."

So tiny Princess Kelly agreed to try shoes if it would please the older, wiser Princess Camryn.

"Yeah!" says Princess Camryn. "She's going to try them!"

But the little princess must first study the shoes to make sure they're well-constructed.

"See, these are called sandals." explains Princess Camryn. "This is where you fasten the strap so it stays on your foot."

"Oh, Princess Camryn, I just don't know about these." replied the tiny princess. "They're so strange-looking. I don't think I'm going to like them."

"And exactly how am I supposed to attach these contraptions to my feet anyway? Which one goes on what foot?"

After several attempts, Princess Camryn finally helps the tiny princess to get the sandals on her feet. After taking several steps, Princess Kelly realizes she still does not like the way the sandals feel on her feet, and she begins to protest vehemently.

The older, wiser princess knows the tiny princess will do anything for strawberry yogurt, so she offers her a bite if she will only walk across the room in her sandals. The tiny princess reluctantly agrees.

After walking across the room several times in the sandals, the tiny princess has not changed her mind about shoes. She says they still feel dreadful and she does not want to wear them.

The older princess thinks about this, and then decides that the sandals must be the wrong shoes for the little princess, so she asks her to try on just one more pair of shoes.

Princess Kelly tells Princess Camryn she is not in the mood to try on any more shoes, but Princess Camryn *convinces* her to try on the second pair of shoes anyway.

"You said you would not force me to wear shoes, Princess Camryn, but this feels an awful lot like forcing to me! Well then, if that's the way you're going to be, I'm going to pull this ridiculous bow out of my hair!"

The older, wiser princess just knows the tiny princess will love the sparkly, pink shoes if she only takes a few steps in them, so she doesn't even notice that the tiny princess has pulled the bow out of her hair.

The tiny princess takes a few steps in the beautiful, pink, sparkly shoes, and something magical begins to happen...

She hears the clip-clop of the beautiful, pink shoes on the tile, and it's like music to her ears. She notices the shimmer of the sparkles, and it feels like rays of sunshine beaming from her feet!

"Oh, Princess Camryn, I do love these shoes! I do! Listen to the sound they make when I walk! Isn't it divine? And look at how lovely and sparkly they look on my feet! I love them! I love them! I absolutely love them!"

"Look at me! Look at me! Oh, they're so comfortable- I feel like I'm walking on a cloud! They're simply divine, Princess Camryn! Thank you so much for helping me discover how wonderful shoes can be! I will never walk without them again!"

And so, Princess Kelly continued to walk in her magical, pink, sparkly shoes. The king and queen were very pleased with Princess Kelly's bravery and Princess Camryn's determination, so the entire kingdom celebrated with brownie-a-la-modes for everyone! Hip-hip-horray!

Hip-hip-horray!

Hip-hip-horray!

"For she's a jolly good fellow,

for she's a jolly good fellow,

for she's a jolly good fellow,

which nobody can deny!"

Good job, Princess Camryn. Your powers of persuasion with Princess Kelly know no bounds!