Over the centuries the royal family had become more and more insular, focusing on the spiritual welfare of the kingdom and leaving the actual governing to chancellors and ministers.
Eventually they stopped leaving the palace altogether and became the subject of awe and rumors among the people.
A young princess became curious about the outside world and began sneaking out. It was quite an education. Her father threatened to disown her when she was discovered, ranting that she was sullying her royal purity among the common folk.
When she became queen, she used her unique perspective to save the kingdom.

“Mary Stuart, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange” by lisby1 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

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

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0