Swiftcurrent Creek the pointy end

She smiled, “That’s right. Lovers flocked from north and from south, from east and from west to try their luck, but for all their cleverness and all the tricks and pranks they played, the princess was just as serious and immoveable as ever.”
 
Although her gaze roved the terrain before her, October’s thoughts were focused entirely on weaving her tale. She feared losing her focus and sounding silly, or worse, disappointing Rickon with a lackluster story. Hopefully her companion still had the search for the missing children on his mind, because in that moment October certainly didn’t.
 
“Not far from where the king dwelled lived a man with three sons. Two of them were handsome and incredibly charming, and they believed one of them would be able to crack a smile from Sonnet. Still, despite all their wit and appeal, neither of them could woo the princess.
 
“The youngest of the three, Hans, thought he might have a try. His older brothers laughed and mocked him, and his father would not give him leave to go. If neither of them had had any luck, how possibly could he? But Hans begged and pleaded until his father and brothers could stand it no more; they sent him to see the king, if only to not have to listen to his whimpering for a while.
 
“So Hans visited the princess and instead of trying to entice and humor her, he spoke to her as if she were his best friend. He told her tales of the mischief he and his brothers got into as children, and the clever ways he out-pranked them since he was smaller and had no other way to stand up for himself. Some time passed but soon enough Sonnet’s eyes were aglow with amusement and her sweet laughter filled the air.
 
“Hans and the princess fell madly in love. He had lifted her spirits with his truthfulness and vulnerability, things no one else had ever shown her before. They lived happily ever after in their half of the kingdom.”