Angelito looked out of his window. He smiled as he saw children frolicking on the other side of the castle walls. He longed to be there, having fun, instead of stuck as the prince apple in the town of Bananaramma.

“You have breakfast with the Queen of Veggietown, then off to the fitting for the royal crown, next a luncheon with the board of tree pickers, and then… Are you listening to me Prince Angelito?” the prince’s assistant Manny the Mango said.

“Yes, Yes I was listening. I have breakfast with the crown, then a fitting for the tree pickers, and then lunch with the veggies.” Angelito said sadly.

“What if I cancel your royal duties for today, you seem overwhelmed with your thoughts! Maybe I can arrange for a carriage to take you into town?” Manny said as he tried to cheer up Angelito. Manny has always known when it’s time to take a break, even though it could get him put in the dungeon.

“That sounds great Manny. I will be downstairs in a minute or two,” Angie began to walk away from the window. Manny was almost out of his room when Angie said, “Thanks Manny, you know me better than I know myself.”

Angie rolled himself into the wash room and scrubbed himself with his favorite veggie brush. Then he hurried out of the room and rolled himself down the stairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he saw a carriage waiting for him out front and he hurried to it outside. Angie and Manny entered the carriage and then they were off!

Inside the town, a banana named Betsy admired the castle from the window of her small cottage. She longed to live in the castle as the royal princess of Bananaramma. She imagined herself sitting on a thrown wearing the prettiest and most expensive dresses in the world.

“Betsy are you coming, it’s getting crowded down here, and I could really use your help!” Peter the Pomegranate yelled from the downstairs in the bakery. Peter was Betsy’s father who ran her bakery for her when she needed a break.

“I’ll be right there,” Betsy responded as she took one last glimpse at the castle before heading downstairs to join her father. Betsy is a very sweet and nice banana, but she hides her feelings, so no one knew what she was really feeling.

When Betsy got downstairs she saw a crowd of people yelling orders and request. Every morning rush was exactly this way and Betsy knew how to handle it. She stood on a chair and gathered a voice. She yelled over the crowd, “If you all don’t get into an organized line, I will close the bakery for the rest of the day and no one will have what they need.” Within a few seconds the angry people had formed into a long line, almost out of the door. “Thank you,” Betsy said as soon as they had calmed down.

She walked up to the counter and gave a quick wink to her father who was shocked with amazement. At the head of the line was a small banana that reminded Betsy of herself. “Can I please have a loaf of sweet bread,” she said shyly.

“Of course you can and why don’t I through in a special cupcake treat, on the house,” Betsy said as she happily fetched a loaf of sweet bread. Soon a smile formed on the little banana’s face and she was excited.

“Thanks” she said as she skipped out of the bakery. The small banana ran over to her mother, who was outside the store and showed her the cupcake. The mother looked into the bakery and gave Betsy awake. Betsy was happy now; this was the kind of thing that Betsy lived for.

Soon the morning rush had slowed down and what was a long crowded line was now an empty bakery. Betsy was about to go upstairs and leave the shop to her father when a huge carriage was suddenly in front of the bakery, Betsy froze as she store shocked half way up the stairs.

“I'll be right back Manny,” Angie said as he slowly left the carriage.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go instead?” Manny said nervously.

“I promise Manny, I will be fine,” Angelito said as he reassured Manny.

Angelito left the carriage and rolled the few feet into the bakery. By now Betsy had moved off the stairs and was standing behind the counter anxiously waiting for him to reach the counter.

“Can I have 2 blueberry muffins and a double chocolate cupcake,” Angie said as he fumbled with his sweatshirt.

“Anything you want Prince Angelito, and it’s free,” Betsy said nervously. Her father was watching from several feet behind her.

“Please call me Angelito; I came out here to forget about that. Also making it free was a very nice offer, but I would prefer it if you would treat me as a normal citizen,” Angelito said as he continued to have trouble with his sweatshirt.

Then the most amazing thing happened. Angie looked up from his sweatshirt and stared at Betsy. This only happens once in a lifetime. Immediately they were both deeply in love. They just stared at each other for a few minutes. After some time Manny burst through the door.

“Prince Angelito, are you ok?” Manny asked with confusion on his face.

Angie ignored him; he was lost in Betsy’s eyes. After a little while, Betsy broke the silence by giving Angie his order. “Here are two blueberry muffins and a double chocolate cupcake, that will be $3.50,” Betsy said still confused at what had just happened.

“Thank you.” Angelito said picking up the small bag, “Where can I see you again, I need to see you again,” Angie said, not expecting to spill out his entire heart in one sentence.

“This is where I work, and I live right up stairs. I’m always here. On the off chance I’m not my father will be here,” Betsy explained as she pointed to her father in the corner. She had forgotten that her father was there. Actually she forgot that anybody was there, she was lost in a stream of confusion located in Angie’s eyes.

“Ok I will be back then, soon. Thank you so much,” Angelito said as he signaled Manny that it was time to leave.

They were pretty much out the door as Betsy responded, “No problem,” As if she was a love-struck teenager.

The ride back to the castle was completely silent. Angelito was completely lost about the banana that changed his life in just one glance. Manny was starring at Angelito scared to interrupt Angie’s peace. Finally he broke the silence by saying, “So, you really liked this girl?”

“Yeah, just one look at her and I was in love. I have NEVER felt this way about anything. And the way I’ve heard love described is exactly like what I’m feeling,” Angelito said as his mind drifted off.

There were a few more minutes of complete and utter silence before the carriage pulled up to the castle. The castle shimmered in the light of the late morning and it made Angie sleepy. The carriage doors were pulled open for Manny and Angelito and they both exited the carriage.

“Angelito Mackintosh Applebottom, where were you.” A big, strong plum said as Angie got out of the carriage.

“I was in the village today, when the most extraordinary thing happened to me,” Angelito said cheerfully.

“I went to the bakery and fell in love with the baker. She is so beautiful and amazing,” Angie said as he built up enthusiasm through the sentence.

“There will be no falling in love with peasants, only with princesses, do you here me?” Angelito’s father, King Perry the Plum, said as he stood on the castle steps. There was a small silence, but this silence didn’t last a long time unlike the long ones that there was this morning. “I said, do you here me?” King Peter said yelling a little louder than before.

“Yes father, I heard you,” Angelito said as his confidence had gone from 100 to 0 in a matter of seconds. King Peter was always strict. He believed in tradition, tradition, and more tradition. Any idea that was new or different was automatically discarded and the proper way to do it was enforced.

Manny and Angelito slowly entered the castle and walked up the stairs. Once they had got into his room they began to make a plan to go and see Betsy again and before lunch their plan was set.

The next morning Angie and Manny went off into the carriage to do their duties for the day. Once they left the castle Manny would tell the driver to take them into town instead and to go to the bakery. Angie got there in the middle of the morning rush. He sat there and watched Betsy work her magic as she made the long line disappear within 10 minutes.

After the bakery had cleared out, Betsy left the bakery to her father. Peter didn’t mind, because he knew that this was a big step in Betsy’s love life. They took to croissants and two coffees and walked to the town square. There they talked for hours, about their lives from birth until present.

Soon they had realized that they really did love each other and they weren’t just in love with their looks. It was truly love at first sight. After their breakfast they both realized that they were happier with each other then they had been for the past years.

They decided that it would wonderful to do this again. So two days later Angelito did the same plan and snuck out to see Betsy. After many months of their forbidden meetings Angie decided that Betsy should meet his parents, so one day after their breakfast they took the carriage up to the castle. Betsy was very nervous, but Angelito reassured her. He knew that his parents had to like Betsy as much as he did.

“What! This is unacceptable, this is inexcusable, and this is a disgrace to the Applebottom name!” Perry huffed when Angelito told his parents about Betsy. “I can not believe that you had the nerve to go behind my back and see this low-life peasant, even though I told you not to!”

“Now Perry, I’m sure that he truly loves this girl. Do you think that our son Angie would go behind our back for something less then true love?” Queen Wendy the Watermelon explained to King Perry. Queen Wendy was the only person in the entire kingdom who had any sort of control of over Perry.

“Fine, he will not be punished. Except that this love is now forbidden. If you see this hideous peasant again it will be the end of her!” King Perry yelled as he huffed out of the room.

“Betsy, I will always love you, and I swear I will find a way for us to be together, I swear. I love you” Angie pleaded as Betsy was dragged out of the castle by two very large guards.

Angie stomped off to his room and didn’t come out until the next morning. He acted happy, but everyone could tell that he was angry and frustrated with King Perry. Angelito went through his daily routine of appointment after appointment and before he realized it was night.

Once everyone was asleep Angie climbed out of his window. Carrying nothing but a small bag with some bread and leaving nothing but a small note on his desk. This note explained that they would be moving to cottage in the outskirts of town and that if they changed their minds that are where they could find him.

Then he walked the few miles into the village. Once he got to Betsy house he through rocks on Betsy’s window. Inside her cottage Betsy was gossiping with her friend Kerry the Cantaloupe.

“It’s Angie!” She whispered to Kerry.

“Do you know what I would do? I would go downstairs and let him in. Then I would run away with him!” Kerry explained.

“Well, that’s quite an agenda you’ve got going on.” Betsy responded. She walked down the stairs and opened the door for Angie. Angelito kissed Betsy passionately, and then entered the bakery.

“Let’s run away, we can be there and live there without any worries.” Angelito said.

“Ok, let me go tell Kerry,” Betsy said.

“Really? I didn’t think it was going to be this simple.” Angie said. “But believe me, I’m happy.”

“I was hoping that you would come and rescue me. I knew you were the prince in shinning armor that I’ve always dreamed would come sweep me off my feet.” Betsy said. Then she quickly ran up the stairs. She was back downstairs quickly and ready to go.

They left the village and began the long walk to the cottage. They talked about their new life together. They were both happy, but very scared at the same time. Finally at 4 in the morning they reached the cottage. It was so big Betsy didn’t know what to do with herself.

They went right to bed when they got to their new home. They pretty much collapsed as they walked through the door. The next morning they woke up late and began their new lives. Betsy made breakfast and they ate it. Before they could begin daily activates a carriage pulled up to the cottage.

Out of the carriage walked King Perry, Queen Wendy, and Manny. “I’m so sorry son. I shouldn’t have done that to you. It was wrong and I hope you can forgive me,” King Perry said with sadness marked in his face.

“And Betsy we are so sorry for not welcoming you with welcome arms,” Queen Wendy said. “If you both want to we would be honored if you to got married and lived in the castle.

Before a direct answer was given the small things that Angelito and Betsy had were packed and they were entering the carriage. “Thanks mom, thanks dad,” Angelito apologized.

The next day they were married and were living in the castle. Both of their dreams had come true and they were no longer sad. They had found true love together and nothing could take that away. And of course, as all princes and princesses do, they lived happily every after.