I run through the greenery of the vast, stretching lawn, sunlight painting the world in front of me in bright colours. 

"I'm going to get you!" Papa exclaims, putting fake menace into his soft voice. He is so funny. I scream in excitement. 

"You can never catch me, Papa!" I yell back at him, my shining blonde curls blowing in my face, my hands lifting the skirt of my colourful, layered dress. 

I keep running through the palace grounds. It's a rather beautiful palace. With neatly manicured lawns, citrus fruit trees growing all around, huge, gilded fountains scattered all around, neatly trimmed hedge sculptures basking under the trees, and marble pillars holding up a roof over the vast stone walkways. 

There is a flower garden not too far from here. And Papa got it commissioned just especially for me. It's my favourite place to go. I love sitting on the carved marble benches and looking at all the pretty flowers and the butterflies and birds kept in by the fine mesh net around the place. 

Papa is so nice to me. He gets me everything I want. All the clothes and toys and treats. And even the bigger things, like the flower garden. He throws special parties just for me, his princess, and he invites all the nobles from the whole kingdom to come. 

Right now Papa is pretending to be a horrible monster, and he is chasing me through the grounds. I am running from him, and it's the perfect thing to do on a beautiful summer day like today. 

I run faster as he is gaining ground on me. 

"Oh no you don't!" I shout. 

"Oh yes I do!" He shouts back, keeping a mirthful growl in his voice. "I've almost got you!" 

I run into a heavily carved, painted gazebo made out of blackwood. The sloping roof is lined with birdcages made of fine gold, each housing an exotic bird with clipped wings. 

"You can't get me here, monster! This place is enchanted to keep you out!" 

Papa stops in his tracks and hits the palm of his hand to his face. His dark polished shoes shine in stark contrast to the gay grass. And he suppresses a smile, which is only visible in his eyes. 

"Whatever shall I do!" He exclaims, prowling around the wide gazebo. "However shall I capture the beautiful Princess and take her to my lair?" 

"You never can!" I laugh at him. "I will be free! Now go away! Get lost you foul fiend!" 

"I will not give up so easily! I will find a way to break your wards, and I will return again to make you mine! You will become mine! Whether you like it or not!" 

"No! I will always find ways to defeat you!" 

He stalks away in exaggerated motions and I run in the other direction, on the hunt for something with which to defeat him with. I pass fountains and statues, and I pass by gardeners busy keeping the grass and the hedges trimmed. I pass by servants sweeping the walkway and I pass by a servant polishing a gazebo. I eventually find bright berries growing on a low hedge lining a walkway. I take handfuls of them and hide them in my purse. These would do. 

I walk back to the gazebo. And I wait. 

I see Papa coming back with an ivory cane, which he probably had a servant go and fetch for him. 

"Are you ready for your final demise, beautiful Princess?" 

"It is you who must be ready for yours, foul fiend!" I smirk at him and he smirks back. A sparkly, flighting thing, just the faintest bit dark around the edges. 

"I have brought with me a spell stick, that can undo the most powerful of protection enchantments. When I wave it, and speak the magic words, your protection will dissolve and so will your chances of remaining free. What say you now, fair and lovely Princess? However will you defeat my scheme?" 

"I will easily defeat you! You need only to wait and see! You will sow the seeds of your own demise!" My voice rings confident and clear and jubilantly light, the drama happening around me making my heart swell with delight. 

I feel so bright and joyous here in the garden, with my father, playing games that rouse my imagination and my heart. I know that this is what happiness is. This is what the meaning of life is. This is what the meaning of love is. This is love, right here, right now, out in the garden, between a daughter and her father. 

He raises his cane, and declares that he will have me soon. 

"By the witch's brew and the wolf's bane. By the new moon and the joy of pain. By the dark night and the fires bright. Poison and potion, lightning and thunder, bring down the spells that keep her from harm. Lie and lunacy, swell and swelter, break the enchantments and break all the charms." 

I scream as he finishes saying his incantation, pretending that the gazebo walls are breaking all around me. I double over myself, falling on the floor, my thick dress protecting me from any pain. 

Papa strides towards me, slowly and confidently, grinning widely, eyes sparkling with victory. But I will not give him his victory. I spring up and start running in the opposite direction. 

"You can't get me!" I laugh at him, the lushness of the gardens passing by around me. 

I hide behind the large stone figure of an angel dressed in battle armour with wide, stretched-out wings flaked in gold. The angel has rosy cheeks and eyes made of blue gemstones. Her bronze armour gleams in the sun and her bright red dress underneath it falls to her calves. She's almost as pretty as me. Almost. Papa says that I am the prettiest girl of them all. 

I peak out from behind the pedestal of the statue and see papa approaching, breathing hard, cheeks flushed with colour. I throw a handful of berries at him and they hit him square in the chest, on his creamy white shirt filled with curling ivory patterns. 

"I have thrown a potion of destruction at you!" I declare. "And now you will dissolve to ash!" 

He screams in fake agony, throwing his arms up into the air, coming down to his knees. 

"See!" I yell, "You are dissolving!" 

"Foolish girl," he begins, rising back to his feet, "I am far too powerful for a mere potion to destroy me!" He springs after me and I run away from him, squealing. He makes pained sounds, as if he is hurt from the potion. And I know that they did something to him. I just need to make them more powerful. 

I hide behind a fountain, that has colourful little fishes swimming around the water. The fountainhead is a beautiful swan streaked with silver, with black at the tips of its wings, raising its graceful neck high. I peak around. Papa is nowhere here. Perfect.

I stand up and I dip the berries in my purse in water. And I put them back into my purse. I stroke the fishes for a few moments, their smooth scales hard against my fingers. Then I crouch down in anticipation. 

Papa strolls up near my fountain. He scans all around the garden for any sign of me. But of course he doesn't see me. Not yet. 

"Oh little Princess!" He calls out. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" 

I spring up and throw my berries at him. 

"You fool!" I pronounce, "These potions have been dipped in the waters of power! They have the ultimate power! They can defeat you easily!"

He screams in agony and falls to the ground. There he writhes in pain for a long time, horrible, wretched sounds coming out of his throat. I stand over him, and I look at him, and I laugh, victory painted all over my delicate features. 

"You have defeated me!" He exclaims. "You have defeated me fair and square. Please, show mercy! Please let me go! I promise that I will not chase you any longer!" 

I think about that for a long while, my thumb and forefinger wrapped around my chin. 

"Okay," I finally reply. "But you better not come after me again. I have more of those potions in my purse." I pat my light green purse covered in satin ribbons and white lace. 

"I promise," Papa begs. "I promise I will leave you alone." 

"Fine." I stroll through the gardens, looking for anything to use as an antidote. I see a couple of flower petals, pink and delicate, sitting under a rose bush. I guess the servants haven't gotten a chance to take these away. Perfect. This is my chance. 

I take them and run to my Papa, and hold them up above his writhing body. I let them flutter down from my hands and land on his side.

"There," I state declaratively. "You're cured." 

"Thank you so much, fair Princess. However can I repay you?" The gratitude in his voice is overexaggerated and his eyes shine. 

"Maybe with a new dress?" I offer mischeviously. 

"Whatever the Princess wants." He gets up and he pinches my cheeks. "After all, she is such a beautiful young girl." 

"Papa!" I notice, "Your shirt. It's stained!" I point to the faint red berry stains that dust his front. 

"Oh don't worry about it," he reassures. "The washers will wash it away. And if they can't do that properly, it'll be time to get a new shirt. And new washers. I've been thinking of getting a new shirt." 

We walk hand-in-hand the long distance back to the castle.