A Merry Christmas Romance

“Downstairs, your majesty”, said Marius, the old toymaker to the handsome young prince Leopold, “In my workshop. There you will find my most stunning creation yet. The most wonderful new toy”.

Prince Leopold yawned as he headed towards the stairs that led down to the workshop, “To be honest Marius”, he said, “I am getting a little too old to play with toys although I am grateful
for all the toys you’ve made for me in the past but soon I’ll be eighteen and my parents are already nagging me to find a bride. They’ve arranged a Christmas ball and invited debutantes and everything”.

“Say nothing, my prince”, said the Toymaker, “Until you have seen this new toy. Believe me you will feel just like a child again”.

The Prince entered the Toymakers dusty old workshop and looked around, not expecting much but then, suddenly, his eyes met the eyes of what surely must have been the most beautiful and realistic life size doll that he had ever seen, just like a young and pretty maiden in every detail with long light brown plaited hair, chestnut coloured eyes and bright rosy cheeks.

“You really have outdone yourself, Marius”, said the Prince, “This toy is amazing”.

“I thought you would like it”, said the Toymaker, calling from above, “And just wait till you hear it sing and dance”.

“You sing and dance too?”, asked the Prince of the pretty, maidenly doll.

The doll gave no reply but, for a moment, Prince Leopold thought he saw a look of worry enter its sparkling brown eyes.

“Yes, yes”, Marius called down, “All you need to do is tweak its left earlobe and it will sing and dance just like the finest dancers on the stage”.

Leopold gave a good tug upon the dolls left earlobe and, to his utter amazement, after wincing in pain and letting out a loud ‘Ouch!’, the doll began a giddy little dance around the room and sang a sweet little country song but quite off key.

“I’m just a poor country girl”, sang the doll, wheeling round a little clumsily, “All that I want is someone who’ll love me, be gentle and friendly and take care of me”.

“Oh wonderful, wonderful”, laughed the prince, his eyes lighting up with glee, “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful and more charming”.

“Thank you, your majesty”, came the proud voice of Marius, “I’m so glad”.

“And her skin and hair are so soft just like a real young woman’s”, said the prince, stroking the hair and cheek of the doll.

“Her? Young woman?!”, asked Marius, confused, “That doesn’t sound like my toy”.

The toymaker hurried downstairs then, shaking his head and saying, “No, no, your majesty. You must surely be looking at the wrong toy”.

But, seeing the doll that the Prince was now eagerly admiring, Marius suddenly burst into loud, hysterical, laughter, “Your majesty”, he said, “That is no toy. That is my daughter, Gretchen”.

The prince look stunned and then the doll, that had until that moment been standing as still as a wax dummy, blushed and started to apologize frantically.

“I am sorry father”, she said to the toymaker, “I was so eager to see your latest toy and I had no idea that the Prince would be here”.

Then, curtseying and bowing she started to apologize profusely to the prince.

But the Prince didn’t seem angry at all. Infact, he seemed to see the funny side of it. “Don’t worry, dear lady”, he said, bowing, “You gave an excellent performance. The most splendid impersonation of a doll that I have ever seen”.

And then, suddenly, there was a glimmer of recognition in the young princes eyes, “I remember you now. It was you who sometimes came to the palace to play with me when I was very young”.

“That’s right”, said the toymaker, happy to see that his daughters little charade hadn’t landed her in trouble, “She’s grown up a lot since then of course”.

“She certainly has”, said the Prince, gazing into Gretchen’s eyes and deep pangs of love at first sight starting to flood into his heart.

Then, taking hold of Gretchen’s hand to shake it, he said to her, “I was very lonely, being an only child and your visits meant so much to me. Infact, I’ve often remembered your face in my dreams but have never been able to put a name to that face however, now that we’ve been reintroduced, I hope that we have a chance to get to know each other again”.

Gretchen was startled by the Prince speaking to her so candidly but there was something very gentle and kind and even a little helpless within the Princes eyes and then, she too started to feel something, like a twinge of longing stirring within her breast for this most handsome prince.

"Ahh, now, here it is", said the toymaker, picking up a strange looking but distinctly doll sized little boy doll that was clutching a tiny bow and arrow, "This is the doll that I made for you. Cupid. It even fires arrows, look".

And, saying this, the toymaker squeezed the dolls right hand tightly and it fired an arrow from its little bow across the room that struck a small, pink, heart shaped target on the wall dead centre.

"Then give it to your daughter, herr toymaker, as my gift", said the prince, smiling warmly, "For, today she has surely put an arrow deep in my heart and with it, please include an invitation to the Christmas ball that my parents are holding at the palace. There will be many fine ladies there but none, I believe, as lovely as your daughter".