Princess Pea woke up, her vision fuzzy. She found herself in a carriage that was being pulled by a coachman and two horses. She peered out the window and didn't recognize the trail they were traveling on. She realized the door was locked and someone had trapped her inside. The last thing Pea could remember before waking up was finding her mother, Annalynne, waiting for her in her guest room at the Beast's castle. The memory of what had happened came flooding back to her...

    "Mother!" Pea had cried when she walked into her room to find Queen Annalynne. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
    "Pack your things, Pea," Queen Annalynne replied coldly. "We're leaving."
    "What? No, I'm not leaving," Pea whined. "Besides, the last time I saw you, weren't you the one telling me to run away? You called me a royal bitch, I believe."
    "Listen, you silly girl," demanded the Queen. "There's been an arrangement. Prince Bartholomew, of the South Kingdom, wants you to be his bride."    
    "Excuse me?"
    "It's an incredible opportunity, for both of us," Annalynne's eyes glistened with greed. "The South Palace is two times the size of our castle. And the prince will buy you and I countless new dresses, tiaras, pieces of jewelry and shoes."
    "But, I can't," insisted Pea. "I've fallen in love with Conrad. He's stood by me through thick and thin."
    "Leopold's son?" the Queen was shocked. "Don't be ridiculous. He can't provide for you, he's a mere commoner. Pea, this news should have you ecstatic. Until this offer, our entire kingdom never wanted to see you again. They wanted you dead. But if you accept Bartholomew's proposal, you can have your old life back. Everything will be as it was before...no better!"
    "NO!" Pea yelled. She ran towards the doorway but a dark shadow blocked her way. It was one of the palace guards.
    "Take her away quietly, we can't have her causing a scene, she'll thank me later," said Annalynne.
    The guard forcefully put a drop of sleeping dust into Pea's eye and the princess felt herself lose consciousness...

    Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt. A much larger carriage rolled its way next to the one Pea was trapped inside. The same guard who had attacked her forced Pea into the larger carriage...where her mother sat patiently.
    "MOTHER!" Pea was shocked. "What is the meaning of all this? I refuse to marry Bartholomew and you can't make me...take me back to the Beast's castle at once and I'll consider letting you live!"
    "Fine, you win," answered Annalynne. Pea was surprised at how easily she'd given up. "We'll take you back to the Beast's."
    "Alright..." said Pea suspiciously. "By the way, how did you find me?"
    "Your tiara has a tracking device, did I forget to mention that when I gave it to you?" Queen Annalynne pulled out a small envelope. "Peanalita, the only reason I'm agreeing to take you back to that dingy castle is because I reckon Conrad is in love with you. I met him about an hour ago and he asked me to give you what I'm assuming is a romantic love letter. We'll just take you to the South Kingdom to formally reject Bartholomew's proposal and then we'll bring you back to Conrad."
    "Oh, thank you, Mother!" Pea hugged the Queen. "I'm so glad you understand. I know he's not rich but he's truly the one for me. And by the way, if you ever have that disgusting guard put kidnap me again, I will put poison in your apple martini."
    "Fair enough," Annalynne smiled. "Conrad asked me to give you this." She handed Princess Pea the envelope. "I bet he confesses his love for you in that letter. Maybe there will even be a proposal."
    Pea opened the letter excitedly...

    Dear Pea,
    I know that we have spent a great deal of time together recently and that we shared much passion. However, it saddens me to say that my passion for you has run short. I've given the matter a lot of thought and the truth is, you are nothing more than a spoiled brat. Meeting Belle has opened my eyes and I now see that people can be beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. Thank you for the memories but I think you deserve a rich prince and I deserve a girl with an actual brain beneath her pretty face. Sorry it didn't work out.
    Sincerely,
    Conrad

    "Whatever does it say?" Annalynne asked, faking curiousity while Pea read the letter she herself had written fifteen minutes earlier.
    "It...he..." Pea felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She crumpled up the letter. "I guess he doesn't feel the way I thought he felt. Once again, I'm in love with someone who doesn't love me back..."
    "Oh, you poor thing," the Queen pretended to be heartbroken. "Well, at least now you can see that true love exists only in fairy tales."
    "Maybe you're right," Pea sighed. "Maybe I was just fooling myself. I just really thought he saw beyond my stunning good looks. He seemed to really understand me and...anyway, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I should just go back to what I'm good at...shopping to fill my empty void."
    "But you've been banished from our kingdom and if you return, they'll execute you, how on Earth could you get your old life back?"
    "I suppose I could accept Prince Batholomew's proposal," Princess Pea considered the idea. "If true love is just a big fat lie, what's the point in sitting around depressed? I might as well just marry for money. At least that way, I get something good out of the deal."
    "Now there's an idea," Queen Annalynne felt victorious. "In fact, we've arrived at the South Kingdom..."
    Pea looked outside the carriage window and saw a handsome prince waiting for her.
    
(End Of Part 22)