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The Girl Prince and Her Princess
This fairy tale is set in the kingdoms of Athena and Qax. It’s a magical brew of a big ol’ juicy problem, generous dollops of secrets, castles, kings and queens, princesses and villains.
The king and queen of Athena have a problem. They desperately need a son to marry off to Princess Vexa. She is the unsightly daughter of their neighbor, King Magnatus of Qax. If no prince is born, Magnatus will take over the peaceful Athena and what the heck, kill all the people of the kingdom.
When Athena’s rulers finally produce an offspring, the queen dies in childbirth. The king finds himself faced with the greatest challenge of all—a girl! Boys are scarce, and no one is willing to give up their son to replace the infant girl.
The ruse is on. The sweet baby girl is named Alexandre and is raised to take on the manly duties of being a prince. Eighteen years later, it’s wedding time. Can the deception continue?
** This fairy tale novella is about 23,000 words.
The king and queen of Athena have a problem. They desperately need a son to marry off to Princess Vexa. She is the unsightly daughter of their neighbor, King Magnatus of Qax. If no prince is born, Magnatus will take over the peaceful Athena and what the heck, kill all the people of the kingdom.
When Athena’s rulers finally produce an offspring, the queen dies in childbirth. The king finds himself faced with the greatest challenge of all—a girl! Boys are scarce, and no one is willing to give up their son to replace the infant girl.
The ruse is on. The sweet baby girl is named Alexandre and is raised to take on the manly duties of being a prince. Eighteen years later, it’s wedding time. Can the deception continue?
** This fairy tale novella is about 23,000 words.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2012
5 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Q. Kelly
47 books74 followersI live in Virginia, where I am a writer and an editor. I also have a master's degree in deaf education. In my free time, I hike and savor frappuccinos.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 28, 2016
An unusual fairy tale in that both the hero and the villain are "women in disguise as men for plot/political reasons", with neither one of them knowing about the other. It's a little bit sing-song-fairytale but turns out to be more unusual and complex than the initial tone would suggest.
At the center of the story is Vexa, a princess railing against her oppressive father. She initially leaps at the chance to marry a foreign prince she knows is AFAB, thinking "a girl will be easier to control, and she'll teach me to read and write", but once they actually get to know each other they fall in love and enjoy an active and affectionate sex life -- where she often winds up being the one wearing the attachment in bed. Meanwhile, her father's still dealing with the emotional fallout of having locked away his original self, because he's also in disguise and that's a big part of why he's such a shithead--he's literally in disguise as his own abusive husband, who he killed in self-defense. (He was originally Vexa's mum.)
I'm filing this under my femslash and trans tags because I'm not sure whether this story is intended to be cis f/cis f or cis f/trans m (and there are two pairings in question here), but I'm not sure the story itself knows and that's part of the punchline. At the end of the day I think at least the main couple are supposed to be f/f, because the foreign prince who was raised "as a boy" embraces the womanhood they never knew they did enjoy after all -- although Vexa, who presents female the entire time, does experiment with her own gender presentation and expression a little as a result of all of this.
The characters do start out a little cissexist in the sense that there's a lot of focus on "boy parts! girl parts!" but the narrative gets murkier as Vexa, her husband, and her father all try to figure out what genders they really are and who they want to be moving forward. It had even more of a happy ending than I was expecting, although there's a weird note about some totally undeserved violence visited upon the foreign prince's father.
Expect a casual fairy-tale tone, and warnings for some self-esteem issues about Vexa's weight.
At the center of the story is Vexa, a princess railing against her oppressive father. She initially leaps at the chance to marry a foreign prince she knows is AFAB, thinking "a girl will be easier to control, and she'll teach me to read and write", but once they actually get to know each other they fall in love and enjoy an active and affectionate sex life -- where she often winds up being the one wearing the attachment in bed. Meanwhile, her father's still dealing with the emotional fallout of having locked away his original self, because he's also in disguise and that's a big part of why he's such a shithead--he's literally in disguise as his own abusive husband, who he killed in self-defense. (He was originally Vexa's mum.)
I'm filing this under my femslash and trans tags because I'm not sure whether this story is intended to be cis f/cis f or cis f/trans m (and there are two pairings in question here), but I'm not sure the story itself knows and that's part of the punchline. At the end of the day I think at least the main couple are supposed to be f/f, because the foreign prince who was raised "as a boy" embraces the womanhood they never knew they did enjoy after all -- although Vexa, who presents female the entire time, does experiment with her own gender presentation and expression a little as a result of all of this.
The characters do start out a little cissexist in the sense that there's a lot of focus on "boy parts! girl parts!" but the narrative gets murkier as Vexa, her husband, and her father all try to figure out what genders they really are and who they want to be moving forward. It had even more of a happy ending than I was expecting, although there's a weird note about some totally undeserved violence visited upon the foreign prince's father.
Expect a casual fairy-tale tone, and warnings for some self-esteem issues about Vexa's weight.
January 27, 2019
What an odd, funny little story.
September 19, 2020
Interesting read!
July 8, 2013
This novella reads like a modern (adult) alternative fairytale but with a twist.
In order to ensure the continued mutual good relations between the kingdoms of Qax and Athena the royal families from both kingdoms agree to marry their first borns to the other. This isn't unheard of or entirely unusual, however what happens is. The kingdom of Qax has been anxiously awaiting a prince of Athena to marry their Princess Vexa. Not only is Princess Vexa reported to be unsightly, but if an heir isn't produced King Magnatus threatens to invade Athena and make the kingdom pay.
The King and Queen of Athena keep trying and after many years the Queen succeeds in producing an heir. However all is not well, not only does the Queen die in childbirth but the heir is also female. With boys being scarce and not finding anyone in his kingdom willing to offer up their male child in place, the King has no choice but to continue this farce and hope for the best.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book and there are several undertones and stories within stories. There is a little something for everyone. Much like other fairy tales, how some characters think they have no choice but work within the system in order to be happy. That there are characters of all ages and stations who are continuing to learn about themselves.
There are light references to lesbianism, transgender and sexual situations but they are extremely tastefully done.
In order to ensure the continued mutual good relations between the kingdoms of Qax and Athena the royal families from both kingdoms agree to marry their first borns to the other. This isn't unheard of or entirely unusual, however what happens is. The kingdom of Qax has been anxiously awaiting a prince of Athena to marry their Princess Vexa. Not only is Princess Vexa reported to be unsightly, but if an heir isn't produced King Magnatus threatens to invade Athena and make the kingdom pay.
The King and Queen of Athena keep trying and after many years the Queen succeeds in producing an heir. However all is not well, not only does the Queen die in childbirth but the heir is also female. With boys being scarce and not finding anyone in his kingdom willing to offer up their male child in place, the King has no choice but to continue this farce and hope for the best.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book and there are several undertones and stories within stories. There is a little something for everyone. Much like other fairy tales, how some characters think they have no choice but work within the system in order to be happy. That there are characters of all ages and stations who are continuing to learn about themselves.
There are light references to lesbianism, transgender and sexual situations but they are extremely tastefully done.
September 10, 2012
Right up front, I want to thank the author for allowing me to be a beta reader. It was fun to read a work in progress and to see the final results. I loved the story from the beginning. There is drama and a lot of what-ifs, just like other fairy tales. There was no magic, though, unless you consider the magic that can occur between two people, who find making the best of an awkward situation, into a loving relationship. But there is a lot more in this short story. I am looking forward to a possible part two. I love the characters and don't want to lose them as I move onto my next read. I plan to read this again and again!
September 8, 2012
I love the premise for this tale! A lesbian (and possibly trans-ish) fairy tale. What a clever idea! Q has never let me down with her other works and this one is right up at the top with my favorites. Her writing style matches that of a fairy tale perfectly! And what a tale it is. Full of mystery, danger, and of course, love. I highly recommend this story to anyone who wants to laugh and dream of a land far, far away.
July 3, 2015
It's a short, quick, fun read. Don't take the plot too seriously for optimum enjoyment.
There were a few scenes/events I could do without but it didn't stop me from enjoying this story.
It's a silly entertaining read.
There were a few scenes/events I could do without but it didn't stop me from enjoying this story.
It's a silly entertaining read.
October 26, 2013
I wanted Deirdre to be found out and the pronouns kept confusing me still a good read though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews