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Once upon a time, there lived a tiny prince, no more than the size of a pea. His whole kingdom lied upon the face of a single, fallen leaf, and all his retainers and servants lived with him in a castle built along the thin stem. One day, the prince rode out on an ant to survey his lands, his kingdom of green, but he felt no joy looking over it, for it did not make his heart beat. Indeed, nothing in his whole realm made his heart flutter, his pulse still as a tree. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept up his small kingdom, and tossed it far away, to a true kingdom where it landed upon a marble window sill, ornate with carvings and etchings. The prince dared not leave his kingdom, however, and only stood upon its edge, looking down at the other world below. He prayed for a return to his forest, but he knew not who he prayed to, but his plea was cut short by an awful sneeze that rang like thunder, and, looking about, saw a giant nested upon a great and colorful bed. The giant was unlike anything the prince had ever seen, she was taller than a thousand of his kingdoms, more beautiful than a thousand stars, and enchanting enough that he almost dared to step out of his kingdom. He watched for what felt like years, and, suddenly, let out a sneeze of his own. As low and insignificant as it was, the giant's head perked up and turned his way, curious of the sound. The prince panicked, and begged for mercy as the giant approached. She lifted the leaf and peered down at the prince. She asked him his name, and who he was. He responded he was a prince, and repeated her question. She answered that she, too, was of royalty, a princess. The two talked the rest of the day, speaking of their kingdoms and their people, content with one another and eager for the next word out of the other's mouth. The prince whined about his small kingdom, but the princess assured him that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, for it was a lovely color. Then the sun fell and night inflicted its curse upon the princess, a spell of drowsiness overtook her, and she wished the small prince a good night as she returned to her bed. The prince, however, could not sleep, his heart beat much too fast and loud for him to ever rest, and his cheeks would surely set his pillow ablaze if he lied down his head. So he sat upon the edge of his kingdom, thinking of the princess and her soft voice. When the sun rose anew, the spell of night was broken, and the princess awoke, much to the prince's joy. She returned to him, and the two spoke once more, of all things that came to their minds. Then thunder roared, rumbling from below, and the prince knew not where it came from, until the princess spoke of her hunger, and left to break her fast. The prince eagerly awaited her return as he pondered up more ideas and dreams to distract him. He found himself dreaming of the princess, of a beautiful union, but he feared she would never accept him, not the prince of a leaf. The prince grew depressed, and knew not what to do with himself. He then heard a familiar whistle, and a gust of wind swept him up with his kingdom and dragged him away, he screamed and prayed for the wind to stop, he ordered and cried, demanded and begged, but the wind drowned out his words and he watched the window, his new world, disappear. His leaf landed upon a blade of grass, balanced but weak. The prince yearned for his princess, and his tears soaked his kingdom until it grew so wet, the sad prince slid from its edge, and into the grassy floor. His heart pounded when he stood, his eyes saw only the princess, and his ears heard only her words. He missed her greatly, and decided he would find her once more, no matter his size, so he tore a sliver of green from a blade of grass and used it as a staff on his journey. His heart grew louder with every step, but his steps grew louder as well! He realized his every heart beat made him taller, for now his measure was that of two seeds, and another pulse made him taller still, three seeds was his height now, and then four! He wrestled a caterpillar and mounted it until he was too tall, and he then leaped upon the back of a toad, to carry him off. His heart did not slow down, but hastened with thoughts of the princess, and he grew more, until he was forced to leave the frog, and rode upon a fox, who insisted it was just trying to find its village in a strange land known as Japan. He was soon forced to leave it too, as he grew taller still. He began to ran, and felt his body grow and grow as he raced back to the castle, following his rabid heart. He finally came to the princess's home, but found his clothes did not grow with him, and he stood about naked, so he knit himself a suit of grass, weaving each as he declared his love for the princess, and he could hear from high above, the faint sound of crying, and the low, beautiful voice of the princess. He hastened his work, and climbed the castle wall in his new suit, and poked his head through the window. The princess gasped and was about to scream, when she noticed he looked oddly, happily familiar. She ran to him, and pulled him through the window, his suit of grass barely holding itself together, much to the delight of both the prince and princess. The two held one another, declaring their love over and over until their tongues tired, but their lips continued to speak as they shared kisses, each longer than the last. The two spent every day together, and the young princess's royal father and mother loved the boy and approved wholeheartedly, and the two grew together into fine young royals, but the prince knew nothing of proposals, though in his heart, he desired her love forever. The prince knew not who to ask, so he sought his own answer as he left the castle for a walk. He then remembered the fateful meeting, and the princess's love of his kingdom, and he knew what he could offer her. He walked day and night until he found it, a single leaf sitting upon a single blade of grass. He picked it up and admired it keenly, seeing, barely, his castle and his land. He loved his kingdom dearly, and had missed it, but he loved the princess more, so he rushed back to the castle, and, finding the princess, he knelt down before her, and offered to her his kingdom, his home, and his people. It was all he had, but the princess was all he needed, and the princess accepted happily, wrapping the leaf tightly around one finger. She pulled the prince, who looked so small upon his knees, to his feet, and they exchanged both vow and kiss before one another, and the two lived happily ever after.

Happy one year anniversary, my beautiful princess, you've helped me grow more than you could ever know. I will always love you.