When Greer wants something, she usually gets it with the help of her trusty servant who tracks down anything her heart desires. Unfortunately, he can’t get the man she loves to love her back – that’s a task for powerful magics…
Greer’s eyes widened. “It actually exists?”
The man kneeling before her nodded. “Yes, my lady. The Lamp was found in the possession of a destitute lord. I managed to … acquire it for you.”
She sat forward, her tiara nearly falling off her head in her excitement. “Where is it? Let me see!”
He carefully removed a cloth-wrapped item from a satchel and held it out for her inspection. She almost snatched it from his hands and flung the cloths off. A golden lamp rested in her palms. It looked like an elongated tea pot, intricately decorated with golden swirls.
“I’ve found a genie!” She tugged at the lid, frowning when it wouldn’t budge. “How do I make him come out?” she demanded.
“I believe the secret is rubbing the lamp, rather than taking the lid off,” the man replied, still kneeling before her.
“Thank you, Rafe. You may get up now. You’ve done well.” She always trusted him to find the things she desired. He could get her anything her heart wanted without fail. In fact, there was only one thing he couldn’t get for her.
The love of the man she adored. The Prince hardly knew she existed, but she’d longed to be his queen ever since she was a child. Being the queen of the kingdom – now that would be something amazing! But it was something that Rafe could not procure for her. It seemed a man’s heart could not be stolen the traditional way.
Hence the reason why she’d tracked down the legendary genie lamp. A wish granted from a genie could get her everything she’d ever wanted and more!
“I’ll let you know when there is something else I want, Rafe. You may leave.”
He bowed to her and left, closing the door to her treasure room behind him.
“Now, my little beauty. Show me what you can do.” Greer rubbed vigorously at the side of the lamp and a puff of purple sparks flew out of the spout. She frowned when nothing else followed. She rubbed furiously at it. “Get out of there, I order you!”
In a flash of violet sparks and blue smoke, the genie sprung from the lamp and hovered in the air. “Alright, alright! I’m here! Give a girl a chance to wake up. I’ve been stuck in that thing for years without being summoned. I need a little time to warm up. Geez!”
Greer realised her mouth was hanging open. “You’re … you’re a girl!?”
The genie put her hands on her hips. “You have a problem with that? I’m sick of you humans thinking guy genies are better! I can do anything they can do, and I can do it better than them, too!”
“I was just surprised, that’s all,” Greer hurried to say. “I wasn’t expecting it. I thought all genies were male.”
The genie relaxed a little. “Yeah, well, I’m one of a kind. You won’t find another girl genie in all the kingdoms. I’m the only one.”
“Whatever, I have a wish,” Greer said impatiently. She didn’t care what gender the genie was. She just wanted her Prince and her royal crown. The tiara really didn’t cut it these days.
The genie rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised? All you humans ever want is your three wishes. Standard rules apply – no wishing for more wishes, no wishing for the dead to come back to life, blah, blah, blah… I’m sure you get the gist.”
“I wish for the Prince to fall in love with me and make me his Queen.”
The genie hesitated. “I’m not supposed to change people like that. I can’t interfere with their basic freedoms and rights. The Prince has the right to choose who to love.”
“You’re saying you can’t grant my wish? I thought you could do anything the guy genies could do?”
The genie crossed her arms. “I can. Guy genies can’t make people fall in love either! It’s one of the rules.”
Greer tossed the golden lamp to the floor where it clanged loudly. The genie flinched and rose higher off the ground. “What’s the use of you then? Get back in your lamp!”
A desperate gleam filled the genie’s eyes. “Please, don’t send me back in there yet. I’ve only just gotten out!”
A sly idea entered Greer’s mind. “You said that you weren’t supposed to change people. Does that mean you could change them if you wanted?”
She bit her lip, hovering indecisively. With a sigh, she nodded. “Being a girl genie has a few benefits. I possess the power to make people fall in love. However, there can be extremely dire consequences from granting such a powerful wish,” she warned.
“Grant my wish, and I will let you stay out of your lamp for as long as you like,” Greer told her. She saw the genie’s eyes light up with longing. “If you don’t, I will make a wish to seal you into that lamp for eternity.”
Horrified, the genie nodded. “Fine! I’ll do it. But don’t blame me when the consequences catch up to you.”
“Just shut up and grant the wish.”
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