Princess and The Pauper

Ini adalah cerita yang sangat sering kita dengar. semoga setelah saya publish dapat dijadikan referensi drama bahasa Inggris. sebenarnya ini lebih panjang tapi sama temenku di edit nama temenku yang telah berjasa mengeditnya adalah Vanessa Tejakusuma

The princess And The Pauper

BG: Memories Of The Tree

In a kingdom hidden behind the mist, where the rich thrives and the poor suffers, there were a princess and a pauper. The princess ate meat loaf and bread, while the pauper ate crumbs in as little butter as possible. She was dressed in silk and satin, whilst the beggar was dressed in what you can't exactly call clothes. So was the differences in their lives.

BG: Light And Power In This Hand

The young princess sat on a chair in her room. She was bored with nothing to do. There was a rap at the door, and a maid promptly entered.

            “princess, His Majesty brought you a present.”she said, a doll in hand.

            “Another doll!”the princess complained.

            “Be grateful, princess,”the maid continued, “not every child can have a toy to play with.”

            “Fine.”

The princess accepted the chocolate-coloured doll, although reluctantly. The black-haired maid excused herself.

            “I shall take my leave now.”

And the princess was alone once again. She rose from her chair, and sauntered to a corner. Then, she threw the newcomer into a heap of similarly idle objects in her private space.

BG: Dreams Of The Black Cat

Far on the streets, the pauperised girl, Estella, was running back home after a long labour at Mrs. Plumber's costume workshop. She was exhausted and starving. The fine smell of freshly baked scones attracted her empty stomach. Estella looked eagerly at them, only to be shooed by the proprietor.

            “You, vermin, are driving away my customer!”

Before long, another sight distracted her. The toy store. A heaven for children. On the shop's window was a teddy bear. It was brown, and medium in size, with a ribbon tied round its neck.

            “I wish I had a doll like that.”she said to herself.

BG:Another Ending

That night, the princess made a resolve.

            “If I fail tonight, I shall never be able leave this castle.”

The guards and knights were either tired from the long war or drunk from the after-victory get-together. In either case, they were off guard. The princess slipped through doors and gates, guards and knights. And for the first time in her life, she was out of the castle. She walked along the streets of her kingdom slowly, trying to remember details of the outside world, although just as its renowned for, the scene consisted of mostly mist.

It wasn't until she caught a silhouette of a person marching towards her, that she began to feel frightened. She wanted to run, but her feet just wouldn't listen.

It turned out to be a short figure, about the same height as her. It turned out to be a girl.

BG:

            “What a nice clothes you have!”the girl remarked.

But the unworldly princess was too startled to articulate anything.

            “My name's Estella.”she added,“What's yours?”

            “Catherine.”the princess replied.

            “Now, Catherine, you ought to notice the great resemblance we bear.”

            “Well, we do look similar to each other,”she carried on, “which is strange.”

The girl asked her again, eagerly.

            “So, what are you doing round here?”

Catherine began her story of dolls and toys, and she ended it with revealing her identity as a princess, in which Estella responded by narrating her days of sewing dress in Mrs. Plumber's. Without prior notice, the envious feelings inside the two girls emerged.

            “You have such a pleasant life, it's nothing compared to mine.”Estella said.

            “At least you have your freedom.”Catherine commented.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck the princess's mind.

            “Let me dress in your clothes, girl.”

            “I want to dress in your clothes too. That way I can be a princess.”

Just like that, an agreement was formed. They changed into each other's clothes, Catherine into rags, and Estella into silk. Estella told the princess that she would meet her father, John, if she walked along that road. They said good-bye to one another, and parted ways.

BG: A Boy's Worry

The road was unfortunately long for Catherine. She had never walked for such a long time, and bare feet too. 'If I told her father, he would immediately take me to the king.' she thought. John saw her, and grabbed her harshly.

            “How much money do you have for me?”

He was a tall, large-build, and bearded man. His overall appearance gave her terror. More so since he seemed to be drunk. A drunk man can do anything. She hesitated for a second, before saying.

            “I don't have any.”

Upon hearing those words, John flew into passion. Catherine was dragged violently to a corner, and thrown to the ground. John began to beat her with the bat, only to stop occasionally to take another sip from his bottle.

            “The king will hang you for abusing the princess!”Catherine exclaimed.

            “Don't make me laugh, kid.”

            “I am the princess. My name is Catherine.”she declared.

            “You've gone mad.”he paused,“Let me give you another hit to clear your mind!”

John had almost swung the bat to her head, when someone interrupted him.

            “That is enough, Father.”a woman said,“If she's beaten too much, she won't be able to work at Mrs. Plumber's place tomorrow.”

It was a beautiful woman, probably in her early twenties. She was also dressed in rags, but she was less ragged than the rest of her people, and that include Catherine, at least for now.

            “Fine.”He let go of her,“But, don't give him any food!”he cried, rather than said.

John set off into the streets once again. The woman regarded her in distaste, and tossed her an additional rags, which was to be utilized by her as a blanket.

            “Go to sleep soon,”she said,“Mrs. Plumber won't be so happy if you doze off in your work.”

Catherine decided to call it a day. After many unfamiliar incidents, her mind and body just couldn't take it anymore. If she ever wished to see the king, it would be more sensible of her to take a rest now.

It seemed that the sun arose too soon, the princess was awaken by a kick to her torso. She shouldn't have been awake at this time of day, after all she is a princess.

            “Wake up, you lazy brat!”the woman from yesterday shouted at her,“Be quick, or you'll be fired from your work.”

            “Your sister's right,”John suddenly encroached on,“You'd better get me hard cash today, or you'll be laying with empty stomach on the street tonight.”

The woman handed her what she referred to as bread, and sent her off to Mrs. Plumber's, in which Catherine inquired her of the address.

            “What kind of misfortune have befell you last night, that you forget the very place you go to everyday?”the woman remarked.

            “But I really don't know.”

            “Just follow the road and you'll find it!”said she, leaving her.

She was actually very excited at the prospect. She was fond of dresses, and had always wanted to sew her own.

            “Perhaps there really is a good prospect to this.”she assured herself.

On the way there, she took a bit from this so-called bread. It was hardly a bread, since she could barely bit into it. However, food is food, and she ate it anyway. Catherine was revolted by the view of the slum ghetto and its inhibitors, but took a great delight of the sight of the horse-drawn cab, the hawker-boy and the seemingly occupied people. It was everything she could hope for a life. She arrived at Mrs. Plumber's clothier following a thirty minutes walk down the street.

            “There you are!”a voice cried out.

A heavy-build woman, presumably the proprietor herself, literally Mrs. Plumber, paced towards her. She started to nag, and complain, and soon sent her off to work. Catherine sat on her corner not knowing what to do. She knew how to do basic cross-stitch, and buttonhole stitch from her days with her governess, but she couldn't make out how on earth could you make flowers and leaves from those stitches. Fortunately, a very good friend noticed and taught Catherine some other basics, necessary for her success in this embroidery business. Though she thought it was queer for the Estella she knew to forget something as important as that.

After working for six hours successfully, although very unproductively, Catherine was fatigued. She stood up from her chair, wanting to get fresh air, only to be confronted by Mrs. Plumber's outburst of rage.

            “I didn't pay you to lounge about, Young Miss. If you wish to do so, I shall be glad not to have you here anymore.”

Catherine tried to explain that she had been stitching for six hours, and that she was tired, and hungry too.  But the lady refused to listen and threatened to fire her once again. She didn't wish to ruin Estella's life for her own momentary gratification of starting a dispute with Mrs. Plumber. Therefore, she returned back to her seat and carried on from where she had left.

When everyone had finished their work for the day, they queued up, forming a line of women and girls, Catherine followed them, and realized that they were queueing up for their share of penny. Women and girls spent their time in the line by gossiping, about their neighbours and fellow workers. But the two women behind Catherine was chatting about something else.

            “My sister−she worked in the castle−said that the princess forgets stuffs lately.”she said.

            “How strange it is to say that someone forgets stuffs.”A woman taller than the other one remarked.

            “But did you hear?”

            “What happened?”

            “My sister said the princess will have a gala held for himself tomorrow. She also said royals and nobles from other countries will attend.”

            “How wonderful!”she exclaimed.

'Of course, she forgets stuffs! She never had the memory in the first place!' Catherine said to herself. 'But  a gala! That scoundrel, Estella. I have to get back to the castle now.' Suddenly, she ran out leaving the line. She didn't think, she just ran. The people who queued up paused their prattle to take a look at the girl.

            “She must've been pretty rich already, not receiving her penny for the day.”A woman ignorantly concluded.

Catherine knew where she should like to go to, though. But that was all. She tried her best to caught a glimpse of the castle, but buildings in the vicinity were tall, she couldn't get anything there. Catherine ran to, literally, nowhere, not knowing where should begin, and too uneasy to ask. She stopped to pant for a while, when−lucky for her−she managed to caught a sight of the castle behind the buildings. 'Now, I only have to go straight.' she thought. Hours of walking and running bare feet had built resistance on her two feet's soles that she no longer felt pain from them, or precisely had learnt to shrug the pain she felt off.

Meanwhile since two days ago in the castle, the princess had been forgetting stuffs. One high-noon, the princess was standing in front of the mirror, admiring her gown it would seem. When out of nowhere, she said to the lady's maid that she was actually a beggar. The maid excused herself at that instant and broadcasted the news to the whole castle. The next day just before noon, the king instructed for his only daughter to be brought into his office, and she came.

            “Well, my daughter, can you fetch me the Grand Seal? Because I need to stamp my letter for the Parliament.”

            “What is a Grand Seal, His Majesty?”

            “You must've caught a fever,”the king said,“I shall order the doctor to cure you.”

That was the situation in the castle at about twilight. But the princess didn't pay a visit to the doctor, instead the doctor pay a visit to the princess. The doctor couldn't find anomaly in her body, her temperature was normal, her throat was good too. He then called his fellow doctors by the phone, and they all discussed and inferred that it must've been a new syndrome. And they agreed on calling it Forgetful Syndrome, with symptoms of amnesia and disordered speech.

Even though Catherine could see the castle from where she stood, it was a long way to actually reach the castle. Due to a deficiency in abstract map, back then she had actually run her way further from the castle. And now it would've took her at least eight hours to get there, which meant that she would not arrive in the castle until dawn. However, a carriage carrying loads to the castle passed by, she halted it, and had a ride on it. The kind carrier also offered her some bread and water to fill her stomach.

Following a five-hour ride, the carriage alongside its loads and passengers arrived. The guards in the castle gate inspected them. Finally, they let the carrier man and his loads in. However, they stopped Catherine with the spears.

            “ I am your princess. Let me in.”

            “Our princess is sleeping soundly in her bedchamber.”

            “She is a an imposter. I am the real princess!”she said with a shriek in the word“real”.

            “I'm sorry, we don't believe you.”

Catherine withdrew from the castle gate, because she knew they would never let her in now.

            “I have to make a plan.”

A shadow dashed past the forest trees. Catherine thought she just saw the Duke Of Leicester. The  Duke Of Leicester was known for his habit of wandering around without guards. Catherine had met the duke a few times before. She immediately chased after him, thinking he might be able to help her.

            “My Lord!”She called out.

He paused, to locate the source of the voice. He noticed a little girl, ragged, and looked exactly like the princess. Catherine began to tell her story in detail.

            “I have confidence in your story. That explains why the princess has been very ambiguous lately.”he said.

            “Thank you. And you ought to help me return to the castle.”

            “Why don't we drop by my country house to get a change of clothes? I have something I need to talk to you about.”

            “That would be great. Thank you.”

Thus, they went to the duke's large country house, just nearby. The princess was bathed and given proper clothes. And she proceeded into the parlour, where the duke was waiting.

            “princess,”he said solemnly,”if you remember the Marquess of Worthington, my cousin.”

            “I do.”

            “He has cause disturbances in our family. It is a shame for us to say this, but he and his troops have lay hold of Ravensbruck Castle and our land.”

            “How long has it been?”

            “It has been two weeks. The townspeople are complaining about the high tax they ought to pay. But that was not all,”he cleared his throat,“My spy there, informed me that he intended to take over the throne as well.”

            “Do you have any intention of fighting back against him?”

            “I do, princess.”

            “Very well. I shall be your partner and help you in any way that I can.”

            “I can't thank you more, princess.”

Someone knocked at the door, and the duke signalled whoever it was to come in. A maid drew closer to them and handed the duke a letter. The duke opened and read it. A different expression formed in his face. He handed the letter to Catherine, and she read it too. Tears formed in her eyes.

            “I believe that the marquess has murder His Majesty.”

            “Tell me your plan.”

He apprised the princess of his well-constructed strategy. She firmly agreed. He commenced his plan at that instant by summoning the tailor. He instructed the tailor and the forge-owner to create ten armours identical to those worn by Marquess Of Worthington's army. They were willing to produce them for free, aware of the duke's intention to fight back the rapacious noble. Many men, particularly farmers and breeders, from the village who disapproved how the new marquess put such a high tax on their land, offered themselves and their sons to be the ten persons who ought to wear the armours in order to infiltrate the Ravensbruck Castle and spread false information. The new ruler was fully unaware of the scheme his new people were plotting underground. Being constitutionally of a self-indulging nature, he was busy ingesting grapes provided by a couple of poor farmers who couldn't pay him by cash.

Even though the princess said she was willing to help, there was practically nothing she could do to help, for the duke had prepared his plan so thoroughly. All she could do was to wait in a secured place for whatever result the plan may produce. The main reason the duke placed the princess in his care, was because she was the next target for the murder, after the king. Although, it was likely that Worthington would fall for the fake princess in the castle, he still wished to take precautions.

The purpose of infiltration was to spread false information that his nephew, the Duke Of Leicester and other nobles are plotting to attack the kingdom hidden behind the mountains, a fairly large country with remarkably fertile soil that managed to live on by keeping a tight bond with much larger country, such as the kingdom hidden behind the mist, and the marquess's fiancee's homeland. The marquess was afraid that his fiancee as a princess of the kingdom hidden behind the mountains would be killed in that attempt. Meanwhile, the duke departed to the kingdom hidden behind the mountains with the purpose of informing its king another false information.

            “The Marquess Of Worthington, your soon to be in-law, is scheming to attack your kingdom. My spy at his place informed this to me. If you still don't have faith in me, you shall see for yourself. Two days after today, his troops shall stand on your land ready for battle. And you will start to believe me at that time, but everything will be too late.”

Then and there, the king ordered his army to prepare for an all-out war. Concurrently, Catherine discovered that the princess shall be appointed as the new queen the day after the purposed attack.

After receiving a word from his spy in the duke's place about the precise date of ambush, Worthington and his massive troops went to the coastline of the kingdom hidden behind the mountains. He ordered them to stop there to defend the coastline from enemies. From behind him, a large scale and fully-armoured troops of the kingdom hidden behind the mountains marched towards him and halted at a distance of about 300 meters from him. Their archers began to fire, and soon the marquess was in a war with a country. No matter how fearsome his men were, they didn't stand a chance against  a whole country. In matter of hours, the news of the Marquess Of Worthington's passing arrived at the duke's place. The duke was glad to be back to where he was supposed to be, and the townspeople seemed to be glad that they won't have to pay another sixty-percent tax.

The next day, just as he had promised Catherine before, the duke escorted her to the monastery where Estella was about to be appointed as queen. When they arrived there, the monastery was swarmed with folks. Catherine's plan, as she had told the duke the night before, was to sneak into the princess's changing room and exchange places with her there. But she failed to do so because her lack of direction. The ceremony began and the princess entered. Consequently, she began to feel anxious. The archbishop started the read phrases. And vows after vows, the Archbishop laid his hands on the crown, and raised it up above the princess's head. Catherine couldn't take it anymore. She was advised not to rush with anything in the monastery, but she simply couldn't take it. She ran to the altar, and declared.

            “I am the real princess. This person is a fake.”

She declared, confidently, a statement which yielded astonishment in every people's face. The princess, who was seated on the throne, rose to her feet and said,

            “She's right. She is the real princess.”

Then, she bowed after her. The Archbishop doubted Catherine, and began inquiring her of everything, including the location of the Grand Seal. The princess told the maids exactly where they would find it,

            “When you see a porcelain doll, with beige-coloured dress, green eyes, and blonde hair, take a look under her dress, and you'll spot a pocket that I have sew there.”

The Archbishop accepted her answer. Estella took off her mantle and handed it over to Catherine. Later, Catherine was appointed as the queen of the kingdom hidden behind the mist.

Estella became the queen's best friend and was asked to live in the castle with her. Meanwhile, her father and sister were sent to prison for abusing children. As a queen, Catherine established an act that stated,

            “Any form of abuse against children is unlawful and the accused can be prisoned up to 20 years.”

She also set up another act, under the suggestion of Estella, which said that,

            “All employees must have an hour break for every six hours of work.”

The poor was very grateful for the new acts. Although, child-abuser and employer across the country weren't so happy about them. The kingdom soon progressed for the better under Catherine's period.