Not Chosen

Many long years ago, a powerful king was in want of a worthy heir to honor his legacy. Even though he did not spare any expense in bring the best doctors to aid in this matter, his beloved wife did not bear him any children. This changed a few years later, when she bore him a healthy young girl who spent most of her time shadowing her father and learning of things well-beyond her years. The young princess was also an avid rider who owned a stable of horses, her favorite of which was a purebred mare. One day, as the king was attending a private meeting, a distressed guard brought him the terrible news that she fell off the horse during a harsh training course, which left her injured and immobile. Falling deeper and deeper into despair, the king would routinely invite the greatest physicians in the world to help his daughter walk again, to no avail.