Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, there lived a princess.

Her name was Princess Lulu, and she was the most beautiful girl in the whole land. The way she smiled could light up a room like warm, early morning sunshine. Her hair was long and beautiful, and her features were fine and flawless.

In a neighboring kingdom, there lived a Prince. He was handsome and strong, and the crush of many girls. Because of his soft, squishy cheeks, many people affectionally called him "Little Bun".

Princess Lulu and the Little Bun met and fell in love. It wasn't long until their marriage date approached. Both kingdoms were overjoyed by the reunion of the two. The marriage was to take place on a giant ship (HAHA see what i did there) but suddenly, a huge, ferocious dragon appeared and kidnapped the Princess. It turned out that the dragon was under a dark curse of the Evil Panda King.

The devious Panda King told the Prince that only way to save Princess Lulu was to bring him the Phoneix, a huge, dangerous bird with the power of fire. Determined, the Prince set off to the mountains, where it was rumored the Phoenix lived.

On the way, he met a hooded figure. The moment the Prince looked at him, he disappeared in a puff of black smoke. It was then that the Prince noticed that his sword was missing! Looking around frantically, he reasoned that the Shadow Walker was the thief. The Prince called out into the darkness and demanded that his sword be returned. The Walker appeared, sword in hand, but explained to the Prince that he was attempting to free a baby owl that was caught in the net of some hunter. Agreeing to help, the Prince set off with the Walker. The trap was set in a tree on an island in the middle of a mountain lake. 

The Walker explained that getting onto the island was not the problem, but he was scared of the Water Guardian that guarded the island. The Prince laghed and told the Walker that he was ridiculous for being scared of a mermaid (man) but it the Water Guardian, was indeed frightening. The Guardian refused to let them pass unless he was given a gale to wake waves. 

Confused as to how he could possibly get a gale, the Walker and the Prince saught the help of a magic parrot, whose feathers were bright and of a rainbows colors. The parrot, taking fancy on the Walker, decided to help. He gave the Prince and the Walker one of his red feathers which could make strong gales. The Walker and the Prince gave this feather to the Water Guardian, and at once, the Guardian let them pass. 

They freed the baby owl, and once they cut open the hunter's net, the owl transformed into a boy with big, brown eyes. The Owl Boy and the Walker embraced immediately and thanked the Prince profusely for his help. They disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Prince continued on his journey, more in a rush now, as he was sidetracked by aiding others. He finally came across the lair of the Phoenix. However, standing guard before the lair, was a troll. It seemed to be creating sparks of lightning with his hands.

The Prince, being clever, was quickly able to get past the troll when he gave the troll a mirror so he could admire himself. 

The Prince finally met the Phoenix, but it was not in it's beautiful glory. It's feathers were faded and wilted. The Prince explained his situation to the Phoenix. The Phoenix agreed to help the Prince save his beloved if he could find him someone to keep him company in the darkness of his cave. The Prince gave the Phoenix a simple gift: a light bug. It was a humble, small gift, but yet the Phoenix was enchanted by how such a small thing could great so much warrmth and light and happiness.

In his joy, the Phoenix accidentally unleased flames of happiness, burning the hand of the young prince. The flames, being magical, could not be healed by any kind of medicine. The phoenix apologized profusely, but there was nothing they could do.

And so, the Phoenix, light bug, and the Prince set off to the palace of the Evil Panda King.

On the way, however, they met a unicorn. It sensed that the Prince was hurt, and, being a gentle and generous being, he healed the Prince's injured hand. The Prince was so thankful, and promised the unicorn himself as debt. The unicorn let out a sad laugh, but said that he did not want the Prince to be in his debt. Instead, he wanted the Prince to free his friend, the Dragon, who was under the curse of the Panda King.

When they reached the Panda King's palace, the Evil King seemed surprised that the Prince was able to survive the Phoenix's flames. He let the Princess go, and trapped the Phoenix. The Prince did not want the Phoenix to be hurt or corrupted by the Panda King's evil ways, so he tried to rescue him. The light bug flew into the enchanted lock, and both the unicorn and the brave prince struck the magic cage. At once, the curses of the palace broke. And the Phoenix was free! The dragon was released from the curse as well and everyone rejoiced. 

They all returned to their palace, and the marriage took place in the gorgeous summer sunshine.

To make the Panda King pay for his devious crimes, the Prince banished him to the Bamboo forests, where the sun shined all the time. Because of all the sun, the Panda King could never, ever sleep. And this is why all pandas have dark circles under their eyes.

THE END