By: Nausheen Jamil

Olden Days

“Mother, what’s that?” asked Sarah. Mother picked up a broach from her dresser table.
“Well, I might as well tell you now,” she said, nodding at Sarah, “rather than saving it for another time.” Sarah nodded wondering why a broach would be so important as Grandma started her story.
“Long, long ago when a king ruled his people here, there lived your great-great-great-great-grandmother, Lilly. She was the Princess of this land. She was extremely beautiful and easy to please. No one was ever angry in front of her or angry with her, except her father. She had fair skin as soft as the cushion on a bed. Her rosy cheeks were a shimmering rose when her eye droplets fell from the sky onto each of the blood gushing petal. Lilly’s dark velvet like hair shone brightly in the summer sun. Also her light sea blue eyes were shining as a pebble at the bottom of a crystal clear pond. Her mother died when she was five years old. She had three older brothers and one younger sister that died a few days after her birth. Lilly was a really imperfect girl because she was the only girl in the family.
There were princes from other lands that wanted to marry Lilly, but she was in love with only one of them, the most powerful King’s son, Herbert II. Lilly and Herbert did not care about what their parents thought. They wanted to get married no matter what happened. They both loved each other, but Lilly’s father, King Brian’s kingdom was not sternly powerful at the time. Lilly and Herbert knew that Herbert’s father, king Herbert I would also object.
Herbert gave Lilly many splendid presents, but one of the most expensive gifts was his deceased mother’s rose broach. After hearing about the gift, King Brian went to King Herbert II, and asked if his son could marry Lilly. King Herbert I had already denied Lilly because the other two princesses that were also being considered were from wealthy families and their parents were a lot more powerful and richer than Lilly’s father. Then later, when king Herbert I saw Lilly, he thought that she was highly beautiful. There were two other kings’ daughters being evaluated as well, but King Herbert I left the decision up to his son, who of course married Lilly.”
“Now, this is a real story, but of course there are no kings here, anymore. This rose broach is one of the things left from the kings and queens from 100 years ago, and it is part of the family. You know, if there still were kings and queens today then you would be a Princess, and known to everyone as Her Majesty Princess Sarah,” Grandma said, finishing her story.
“There is no magical story behind this broach, but it is an important piece of history and your ancestors, so, don’t look disappointed, okay?” Sarah replied that she was not disturbed, and went to her room, to change her clothes for the dinner party that would start in ten minutes. However, Sarah had asked her mother if she could wear the broach to the party. Her mother said yes.