I.
Once upon a time long ago
In a land far, far away
There was a beautiful kingdom
Where people craved stories

Everyone became so bored, bored
Had read all the books there were
Told every story that they knew
Twenty and ten times more

The King had no answers either
He scratched his regal, crowned head
Consulted with his advisors
But they found no more tales

The Princess Bella now fourteen
Wanted to help her people
So did what a princess would do
When she had a problem

She went to her tower bedroom
Put on her best dress and crown
Sat prettily by the window
And waited for a prince

For her father used to always
Come to her in her need
Dried her tears and calmed her fears
Isn’t that how it worked?

Whenever there was some trouble
A prince would come riding by
Chase away the nasty monsters
Isn’t that how it worked?

So she waited in her tower
With her cat-dragon nearby
(A dragon with cat’s whiskers, paws
As if you didn’t know)

She waited and waited right there
For her prince to come to her.

II.
Princess Bella waited there in
Her high tower bedroom roost
For a prince to come to her aid
Put the kingdom to right

Her cat-dragon stayed faithfully
By her side morning and night
Beating its wings to amuse her
As she kept her vigil.

“Why are we sitting her, Bella?”
The little cat-dragon asked
“Surely there are much better things
For a princess to do.”

“We must wait for a prince to come
To rescue us from our plight
He will have new stories to tell
The people will know joy.”

The cat-dragon shook his green head
And shrugged his scaly shoulders
Still the Princess always knew best
So he stayed by her side

Summer blew its soft warm kisses
Fall donned a red and gold coat
Winter draped the landscape in white
Still a prince did not come

One year passed by, then two and three
Princess Bella sat steadfast
Waiting, patient in her tower
Still a prince did not come

Then as Spring awakened the flowers
From their months-long slumbering
Princess Bella stirred from her place
Gave her head a firm shake

She knew that it was time at last
To give up this waiting game.

III.
Princess Bella tapped her green friend
“Come on, dear one, time to go.
She climbed on his leathery back
From the tower they flew

A flight for miles through the sky
Over forests and oceans
Her kingdom needed new stories
She would have to find them

She visited every kingdom
First she landed in a place
Made of gold, shining like the sun
On a bright July day

Then she came to one of diamond
Diamond castles and houses
The people were sharp, faceted
Like little moving gems

Then a land where buildings floated
Held by balloons in mid-air
And one made of cotton candy
Where small, pink people lived

Princess Bella danced at the balls
Met princes of all sizes, types
One wooed her with jewels and riches
Another with his charm

One prince gave her his signet ring
To stay and become his bride
Go back to life in tower?
That wasn’t how it worked

She mounted on her cat-dragon
To see more of the wide world
Then one day realized at last
It was time to go home

The Princess and her cat-dragon
Flew back to their own kingdom.

IV.
Princess Bella landed upon
The fertile royal courtyard
That remained arid and woeful
As a winter’s morning

She headed for the great throne room
Where her father the king sat
Twisting his hands, pulling his hair
His advisors frowning

“Father, do not despair,” said she
A bright smile on her face
“Listen, I have found what you need
To cheer the people up.”

She proceeded to tell them all
About her travels, and wove
Tales of what she had seen and heard
The places that she’d been

The King sat stunned for a moment
His little Princess Bella
Had done what none of them could do
She had solved their problem

The King clapped his hands with glee
“How wonderful, how unique!
The people must hear these stories
Heed my royal command.”

The royal scribe wrote them down
The royal guards dispersed them
Soon everyone in the kingdom
Knew Princess Bella’s tales

In every corner of the land
The people praised their princess
Princess Bella became famous
For bringing them stories

The Princess had rescued them all
Riding her pet cat-dragon.

THE END