Once upon a fairy tale chapter 1

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess whose name was Katelyn. Her hair was yellow as gold, her eyes as blue as sapphires, and her lips as red as blood. She was the youngest daughter of the king, and had many beautiful brothers and sisters who were as wise and fair as she. The king was a wise and just ruler of his land, and was beloved of all his people. His children, in turn were welcomed wherever they roamed.
Now it was written that on the day of a Prince or Princess’ sixteenth birthday, they were to spend one week alone in the abandoned castle at Fearful Peak, to prove their bravery and valor. The eldest Prince, Wilhelm, left a child and returned a brave soldier. He joined his father’s army and rose quickly through the ranks until his name was feared throughout the lands. Next came the Princess Amelia, who never spoke of her time away but was always the first one to look out for her younger siblings on their return. The twins Alec and Peter had the company and protection of the other, and only became stronger together. Stephan was a shy, bookish boy who returned home having eaten nothing but berries all week, too timid to hunt. The Princess Madeleine sobbed as she left, and came home looking like she had done little else all week.
On the days leading up to her sixteenth birthday, Katelyn found herself dwelling on the task before her. She wandered the fields outside the castle walls and pondered what she would take with her and how she would survive. She feared little for the beasts and animals that prowled the wild lands, for her siblings had told her in great detail what to expect. She had a fine map of the castle, made by Wilhelm and passed down through the children.
Two days before her birthday Katelyn sat at her bedroom window and looked out across the land. Below her was spread her father’s kingdom, and everything to be seen in every direction belonged to her family. She smiled to herself as her close friend Theo entered, carrying several dresses in his hands.
“Good morning Princess.”
“Good morning Theo,” Katelyn sighed. Theo turned in surprise to see her still staring wistfully out the window. He placed the clothes on the bed before crossing over to her, carefully stepping over the discarded quills and balled up papers that covered the floor. He leant against the wall beside her and tried to gain her attention.
“Hello, anybody at home?”
Katelyn turned to him with a smile.
“Theo, do you ever wish you still lived in the forest?”
“Goodness, where did that come from?” he asked, distractedly smoothing the deep brown fur on his legs.
“Well, surely it’s not natural for a faun to live indoors. Don’t you wish you were still dancing in forest clearings and drinking with nymphs?”
Theo smiled and patted Katelyn on the shoulder with a soft laugh. “Yes we had some wonderful times dancing and drinking. But you have to think of the winter nights, huddling together in a dark cave trying to keep warm, or during the wars when it’s all you can do to hide from the foreign armies. No my dear, I much prefer it here. There are few people in this world kinder and more generous than your father.”