country full of mountains and valleys. His palace was built upon one of
the mountains, and was very grand and beautiful. The princess, whose
name was Irene, was born there, but she was sent soon after her birth,
because her mother was not very strong, to be brought up by country
people in a large house, half castle, half farm-house, on the side of
another mountain, about halfway between its base and its peak.
The princess was a sweet little creature, and at the time my story
begins was about eight years old. I think, but she got older very fast.
Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of night-sky, each
with a star dissolved in the blue. Those eyes you would have thought
must have known they came from there, so often were they turned up
in
that direction. The ceiling of her nursery was blue, with stars in it,
as like the sky as they could make it. But I doubt if ever she saw the
real sky with the stars in it, for a reason which I had better mention
at once.
These mountains were full of hollow places underneath; huge caverns,
and
winding ways, some with water running through them, and some
shining
with all colors of the rainbow when a light was taken in. There would
Madhuri Noah
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