Princess Peony~Perfume
A long, long time ago in Japan, an emperor lost his empress, and with no son having been born, he decided to flee to his sleepy castle in the country, to raise his only daughter and kin, Princess Peony. The castle was remote, and surrounded by a mote full of water lilies and lotus flowers, and an impenetrable stone wall. The castle grounds were covered with gardens of peonies, his mother's favorite flower, for which his daughter was named.
This was the castle he grew up in, and the gardens planted by his parents. The old growth fairytale garden stretched for miles, with acres of peonies of all colors and growth form. They were an entity in their own right, singing in the daytime when no one was listening, and whispering in the night when they were. Perfuming the air with their sweet fragrance, blooming in succession, their flowers always lighting up the garden, which could be seen from the princesses balcony, and the patio that extended into the garden beneath her tower.
When Princess Peony was of age, her beauty and grace captivated suitors, and soon her Father had arranged for her to marry a prince, the son of a wealthy king from a land she had never heard of or known. The two met, and although sparks did not fly, they approved of each other at their parents wishes.
Princess Peony, who was known by all to light up a room, and dazzled all she met with her smile and kind nature, suddenly cocooned herself, and seemed listless, sick and sad to those who knew her. She grew thinner, isolated herself in her bed, pale and unhealthy from not eating much. Her father postponed the wedding until she felt well again. She professed her dismay to her closet handmaiden Aya, that she was stricken with heartbreak, and sick because she did not want to marry the prince, who she felt no love for.
Princess Peony's handmaidens tried to cheer her up. They brought Peony to her favorite fountain pool, surrounded by her most loved variety of peony. Princess Peony, with Aya following not far behind, kicked off her shoes, and held up her dress, ready to wade into the warm water. Just as she went to take a step, her grounded foot slipped and she began to fall, but just before she fell into the massive hedge of peonies, a handsome Samurai dressed with the finest breast plate, his clothes covered in embroidered silk peonies, stepped up from the water and caught the princess in mid-air.
They locked eyes just for a moment, and the Princess fell deeply in love. He placed her upon her feet, and just as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.
The handmaidens saw what had happened from afar, but to their sight only a glimmer could be seen.
Princess Peony turned to Aya, and exclaimed like her old self, "Did you see, Did you see? A beautiful Samurai lept from the waters edge and caught me! He saved me!" Aya, not being as far behind as the other handmaidens, did in fact see the handsome warrior leap from the waters, catching the princess before she fell. By this point, the other handmaidens had reached where they were at the waters edge, and the princess and Aya explained what had happened. They all began to question how anyone could get past the heavily guarded mote, drawbridge, and gates.
They agreed not to speak of the incident again, for fear that the emperor would have the guards hunt down the handsome intruder.
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As the summer waned on for Peony, she grew weaker, and her beautiful appearance became paler. Heartbroken, she'd lost her spark for life. She lay bedridden in her chambers, not wanting the handmaidens to even open her shades to allow in the sunlight, and she barely nibbled on her meals that were brought to her bedside. Her Father was desperate to find out what was ailing his daughter, as the doctors, and the practitioners of ancient medicine magic, could not heal her, or tell him what was ailing her. The emperor called for his daughters closest handmaiden, Aya, and begged her for any information she may have that could potentially be the cause of his daughters illness. Aya, in fear for the Princesses life, told the emperor what had happened that evening in the garden.
"She is sick with a broken heart, and please forgive me for my words, but she does not want to marry the Prince. She is in love with the handsome Samurai.", she said with truth in her voice. The emperor, wrought with desperation, called off the wedding, and ordered the guards to find the young man his daughter so truly loved.
The guards searched the castle grounds, and upon more orders from the emperor, went door to door looking for the young man Aya had described to the Emperor. But after going to each and every home, they could not find him.
Upon hearing that the wedding had been cancelled, Princess Peony, although still sick, did seem like she had regained a bit of her energy, and her father decided a garden party might cheer up his daughter. Princess Peony, with encouragement from her ladies in waiting, and her handmaidens, joined them on the outdoor garden patio, to enjoy petite cakes and tea. Her Father instructed the violinist to play cheerful songs, and they enjoyed the view of the garden as he played. As the song picked up, movement within the peony patch caught everyone's attention. There, just in front of Princess Peonies chair, rose the handsome Samurai, dressed in the finest silk kimono covered in peonies. He gazed upon Princess Peony, and handed her the largest, most beautiful peony she had ever seen. As she took the flower from his hand, he disappeared like pollen in the wind.
The emperor immediately shouted for the guards to sieze the young man, as all of the guests had observed him this time, but after searching the gardens and castle, they found no one.
The princess retreated to her chambers, and the handmaidens placed the peony in a bell jar as instructed by the princess. The days that followed, the Princess seemed to be in much better spirits, and along with her entourage, she decided to visit the fountain pool and peony patch, where she had first gazed upon the man she now loved. The peony, kept in the glass cloche, was vibrant as the day it was handed to her by the Samurai, seemingly not aging or deteriorating by magic. Daily she visited the fountain pool and peony patch, but still there was no sign of him.
As the summer days grew into autumn, the princess grew weary. She feared she'd never see the Samurai again. The peony began to loose a petal here and there, but remained intact.
Her Father decided now that his daughter was better, and the Samurai had seemingly disappeared, a suitor would need to be found. He made arrangements for her to marry the second son of the wealthy king, as his first son had married another. Upon hearing the news, Princess Peony fell ill, and was once again, bed ridden. The thought of never seeing her true love again caused her to wither away, and as she did, so did the peony in the bell jar, until all that was left was dust.
Princess Peony, about to take her last breathe, was carried to the fountain pool, and laid upon the finest silk, which had been embroidered with silk peonies as she had requested, and was laid in front of her favorite peony patch. She peered into the water with her solemn eyes, searching with one last glimmer of hope. Then as Princess Peony drew in her last breath, suddenly, as if by fate, the young Samurai appeared, just as he did the first time. Princess Peony's soul, an image of her healthy, smiling and happy, shrouded in pure white light, rose from her body, joining hands with the Samurai. They walked together hand and hand towards the fountain pool, and once reaching the water, they turned back, smiling, love in their eyes. The emperor, the ladies in waiting, and the princesses handmaidens watched in amazement. And then just like that, they were gone. They all looked back towards the princesses body, but all that was left was a single peony, where her body had been lying lifeless upon the silk blankets.
The Perfume.......
Princess Peony Perfume is a Peony flower Soliflore created with the extrait of my handcrafted flower enfleurages which include; Hyacinth, Carnation, and a multi flower enfleurage laid with Peonies, Lilacs, Gardenias, Jasmine, Honeysuckle and Rose. My handcrafted tinctures of ambrette seed and orris root help to diffuse the enfleurage extraits, and violet leaf and oakmoss tinctures round out, and anchors them. What is projected is the pure, floral fragrance of the beautiful Peony flower.