When the king offered the princess’s hand to anyone who could prove his worth she was furious. All of her training to make an advantageous political match had been wasted.
The crowd vying for the engagement quickly grew to the hundreds thanks word of her beauty, wit, and charm. She had to do something.
Disguising herself as a boy, she moved among the social climbers, ‘heroes,’ and gadabout noblemen, taking their stock. She devised some tests of her own to winnow them down.
The princess had plans of her own, and she’d need an accomplice as much as a husband.

“<div class=’fn’> Ingena Rotterdam (died 1704), Betrothed of Admiral Jacob Binkes</div>” by Nicolaes Maes is marked with CC0 1.0.

My first very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2024 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

Have a fabulous day!