"... And they lived happily ever after." That's the line we all wish for ourselves. Of course, getting there is never easy, and sometimes it is downright frightening along the way. I know. I've lived it.
At the start of my life, I was called Sanja. Now I have a different title. I was born and raised in the small, historic kingdom of Molvenia, along the banks of the Danube. We live in modern countries in a modern world, but live by old traditions. We often travel to Budapest or Belgrade or Zagreb but always return to our home for peace and security. Our king, queen and their family live in a classic castle high above the Danube.
My parents were farmers and lacked a formal education. I was told little of the world since they knew little of it. I knew from the farm animals how reproduction happened, but my parents explained little more than that. I was surprised when I had my first period, but mother just told me to get used to it happening regularly. I was told not to explore my body and its feelings, so I was ignorant of many, many things about myself. I eventually learned all of them in the castle.
My childhood was normal, until 1993. That year, the royal family announced a program to teach peasant girls (like me) the skills and functions needed to attend court and administer government. "Evaluators" were sent to every province to select the most qualified girls. The actual criteria for qualifying were never defined in public. I was the lucky girl selected for my province and was very excited to move to the capital and meet new people. And perhaps, do something with my life other than marry the boy down the road and bear his children. I was, of course, completely naïve about the ways of the larger world, and of the royal family.
I cried when I left my parents and brother. I was only 16 and I was leaving the only world I had ever known. But I was also excited. I understood that I was entering an entirely new world. I was coming of age, as they say. About to discover the world, and the people in it from an adult perspective.
There were 13 of us selected for the program from across the kingdom. We were housed in a large building just outside the palace grounds. Each of us had a "guardian" to watch over us and ensure our young minds developed in the desired ways. None of us had ever experienced the ease and comfort of life on silk sheets and in beautiful clothes. We were, clearly, the luckiest girls in the kingdom. I noticed right away that all of us were very pretty. I knew I wasn't beautiful, but the boys would often compliment my golden hair and had begun to notice as my body changed. Most of the other girls seemed strikingly beautiful and I soon tried to emulate their look and demeanor. I didn't want to be the ugly duckling of the group.
On our first day, the queen herself welcomed us and explained that the royal family were all looking forward to watching us develop and learn to serve them. I didn't catch the double meaning in that last part. We were given fancy dresses and shoes. We ate together in a large dining hall with food brought in by servants. It was like heaven to a girl raised on a farm. The only drawback was that family and former friends could only visit us once a year.
We began classes in court etiquette. How to curtsy, the proper terms for addressing royalty and how to cast our eyes downward when not being addressed. We also learned practical skills like cooking and enlightened conversation. I swelled with pride as I became a sophisticated women. The only skill we weren't taught was relationships with men. We had almost no contact with boys our own age.
We also received formal education in mathematics, science, languages and psychology. It wasn't really a university curriculum, but it was far greater than any of us would have received back home. After two years of training and education, most of us had grown into worldly women. Three girls had been sent home when they couldn't keep up with the lessons. That made the remaining ten of us even more proud.
Dmitri Stepanov, Prince Oleg's principal assistant, organized and ran the education program. He was tall, strikingly handsome and always had an air of confidence about him. He taught some classes and would often drop in to monitor other classes and the students' activity. I noticed him taking notes a few times. Once, he even stopped to chat with me when we met in a hallway. I was very surprised that he knew my name and what I was studying. He said I was a beautiful girl and asked that I call him by just his first name, Dmitri, since he was not part of the royal family. I was very flattered that such an important person was aware of me and thought me beautiful. He was always encouraging, so I wasn't suspicious of his activity around the ten female students.
Dmitri also mentioned that the prince occasionally looked in on our classes, though always surreptitiously. We had seen most of the royal family, but had never seen the prince. There was plenty of chattering among the girls about possible reasons for his absence. He was rumored to be around 27 years old and there was no princess ever mentioned in the palace. Some of the girls speculated that the prince was somehow disfigured and ugly and so hid himself from outsiders. We realized that he must have been the man who frequently sat in the balcony of the classroom behind a sheer curtain.
We had all joined the training program just after we turned 16. Two years later, after we had all turned 18, Dmitri announced that the initial program was completed. We were all given certificates of accomplishment in a ceremony and congratulated by everyone - except Prince Oleg of course. Seven of the girls were offered jobs in the government, usually serving under ministers or generals. I was very proud of our accomplishments and the depth of our education. I was disappointed that there were no additional classes of girls to be trained after our group.
But, three of us, me, Heidi and Margot were brought together by Dmitri and offered a unique opportunity. We were told that we had been selected by the prince himself as candidates for a new position - his wife. We all sat there is stunned silence. It's every girl's dream to be a real princess - but this was too weird. I was the first to regain her voice and asked a question.
"Why us, and why would the prince select a wife this way? Isn't he supposed to fall in love with someone before marrying them?"
Dmitri smiled and told us the long story of the prince and his methods. It seems Dmitri had known the prince his whole life. They could never be true friends because of the difference in their stations, but Dmitri had always helped the prince learn about the real world and adapt to the royal lifestyle. He had been rewarded with his current position as Assistant to the Prince, a very powerful job for a commoner.
The prince was extremely shy, hence his invisibility to most people. He loved to watch the activity in the palace and throughout the kingdom, but always from a place of concealment. Dmitri confirmed our suspicions that it was the prince behind the sheer curtain in some of our classes.
My curiosity got the best of me and I asked: "Is the prince deformed or otherwise hideous to look at? Is that why he hides himself?"
Dmitri laughed heartily and it took him a minute to regain serious control of himself. "No. the prince is a normal looking man, some would even call him handsome. His reasons for hiding have nothing to do with his appearance, he hides to protect himself in the future. Beyond that, I cannot explain. I hope you will understand some day."
