When Winnifred retreated to her bedroom,
by choice, for she liked to dive into wonderful volumes of history and
geography, she would often sit and think…. She would think of what it meant to
be a princess. All the stiff rules of protocol did not enchant her. Bows that were
hollow, compliments that were dry, and partner duets without carefree laughter.
Loneliness throbbed in her spirited heart. The king and queen, an
elderly power duo, were separated by an ocean of royal laws and court rulings. As
a result, Winnifred, would pour her most sacred and secret dreams into the loving
ear of a Father in heaven. On the arrival of her sixteenth birthday, Winnifred tapped
into that hour of love…more than ever. Her parents had decided that they wanted
to see their daughter on the arm of a fashionable suitor, not unlike a Russian
emperor.

            He was tall and intelligent,
well-dressed and athletic, and suave and powerful. The only problem that
Winnifred found with him was in his beliefs. When asked by a close advisor whether
he believed in God, this suitor had said, “Christian doctrine pacifies the ignorant.” Winnifred
was not impressed. She was even less impressed when she met his rude manners in person. Beforehand, she had pleaded with the king and queen by saying: “My dear
parents, you would not want your daughter to be the wife of such a terrible
fool.” Winnifred bit her lip, hopefully.

        The
king and queen looked at each other and laughed. “My dear,” the queen said, as
she dabbed her dignified face with a well-used handkerchief, “Do you believe
that? Everyone knows….”

Winnifred interrupted. “A man who fights
against God’s name is worse than a liar.”

The
king looked at his daughter and sighed. “My dear,” he said quietly, “I regret
that you feel this way about the marriage, but I cannot prevent it without
giving a bad insult.”

Winnifred’s
eyes began to fill with tears. “But Papa…I want to the wife of the people.”