Once upon a time, there was a princess. She lived in a beautiful kingdom surrounded by a dark wood and there were many other princes and princesses for her to play with. The girls father, the king, was a just and righteous king, and he loved all his little princes and princesses very much.
The princess tried very hard to be good and to obey her father, but even though she was a princess she was still human and therefore, imperfect. Some days she would be disobedient or would say or do unkind things to the others in the kingdom. Some days she would even yell at the king when she didn't get her way.
One day, she got very tired of not getting her way and she grew angry with the king, so she ran away to the dark woods surrounding the kingdom. Now the woods were full of dangerous creatures and it was forbidden to journey there alone and without the protection of the king. And yet, this is where the princess, in her frustration and anger, fled.
Now the princess really loved the king and didn't really want to run away so when she came to the edge of the woods she entered them only far enough to hide behind a tree and there she sat and there she pouted.
It wasn't long before she heard voices calling her name. The king had sent some of the other princes and princesses looking for her but the princess was not finished throwing her tantrum. She did not want to be found so she crept a little further into the woods to remain hidden. She sat there for a long time. She thought the woods were really quite lovely and she began to wonder why they were forbidden. The sunlight shone through the trees almost like stained glass and there were squirrels and rabbits and deer that made her laugh. She rather liked it and found it peaceful. She could still see the kingdom from where she was so it was quite safe, she reasoned.
Little by little, she began to explore the woods. The animals were friendly and there were some beautiful flowers that grew there. She spent many days wandering the edge of the woods and for awhile she was careful to always keep the kingdom in view. But each day she wandered a little further and grew a little more careless. And each day she questioned the commands of the king a little bit more.
One day she discovered that she could no longer see the kingdom. She felt afraid for a moment and then she laughed, "That silly kingdom and it's silly rules. These woods are perfectly safe. I can live here quite happily for now, and anytime I want I can find my way back to the kingdom." And she continued to wander deeper and deeper into the woods.
But over time, the princess grew tired of living in the woods. She longed for a warm bath, clean clothes, and good food, and deep down, where she wouldn't even admit it to herself, she longed for the king. She determined to return to the kingdom. She knew everyone would be excited about her return and she could tell them stories about what the woods were really like. She would be a heroine. She had survived, no, thrived in the forbidden woods. She turned around and started back toward the kingdom.
She walked and walked and walked and the woods, instead of opening into the clear pastures of the kingdom, grew more dense. The beautiful flowers were now ugly and full of thorns and the animals, instead of making her laugh, frightened her. She continued to walk, growing more panicked by the minute, but no matter which way she went, she could not find the way out.
She wandered for days, her clothes became tangled in the brush and torn to rags. Her legs and arms were stained with blood and carried the scars from hundreds of long, sharp thorns. Her face grew thin from hunger and her eyes no longer sparkled with the laughter of a princess. She knew she was hopelessly lost and yet she continued to wander, hoping by some chance that she would find her way out. She grew old and tired and she forgot that she was a princess.
One day, she sat down and wept, which was the very best thing she could have done, because as all little princes and princesses are taught, when you are lost the best thing to do is to be still and let someone find you. So the ragged girl, who used to be a princess, sat in the woods and sobbed, "I'm so sorry I left you father and now I am lost and I can't find my way and I will never see you again."
And suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see the smiling sad face of the king. "I will show you the way back to the kingdom," he said. And for a moment, her eyes sparkled like a princess once again and then she was filled with shame and she dropped her eyes to the ground. "I have forgotten how to be your daughter."
And the king wrapped his strong arms around her and picked her up like a little child and kissed her head and said, "The journey back to the kingdom is a long one, and as we travel I will teach you how to be my princess again. But you must trust me. You are very deep in the woods and the path will not always be clear or easy. But I will hold your hand and show you every step you are to take. But if you try to make your own path you will end up even deeper in the woods and it will be even harder for you to get out then."
The princess sobbed into the kings shoulder, "Oh yes, I will go with you, I will do whatever you say, just don't leave me alone."
The king smiled, "Good girl," he whispered. "Now come, we must begin our journey." He set her on her feet and took her hand. "This is the way we must go."
The girl looked where he gestured. She trembled, "No, that way looks too overgrown to even walk through and I can see hungry animals prowling in the brush."
The king looked his princess in the eye. "Do you trust me?"
She took a deep breath and gripped his hand even tighter. "Yes."
And the princess took her first step back towards the kingdom.
