I always wondered about the ‘happily ever after’ in fairytales and Mills & Boons. The prince would inevitably find his princess and then they would kiss under the open blue sky and then they would live happily ever after. I would get frustrated every time. ‘Tell me what happy ever after is like, I would sigh into the last page of the book.

Now, I know what happens after the kiss that seals the happily-ever-after life.

The prince and princess get married. They have a big fat wedding attended by thousands of people from all over the kingdom. They have to stand all day on the stage as people queue to shake hands with them. They look at the tempting banquet laid out for the guests, but they can’t eat. They have guests to meet. By end of the day, their feet are killing, stomachs are groaning, he’s irritable and she has a headache. Not a very good first day of married life!  

The next few days of their short honeymoon (the prince has a kingdom to rule so he can’t take too many days off), the married royal couple sleep throughout to recuperate from the strain of the wedding.

Back in the palace, the prince gets back to the royal business. He meets subjects all day, has consultation meetings with his ministers, leaves for a hunting trip, comes back and the princess pregnant, leaves for a travel trip to conquer the neighbouring kingdoms, comes back to see a three year old child who does not recognise him. The princess is frustrated, lonely and very very angry. And they argue and they fight- unhappily ever after.

I am glad now that the fairytales and books always finished at ‘happily ever after’. An incomplete happy story is much better than a complete unhappy one.