True stories more extraordinary than any fairy tale These are not the princes and princesses of make-believe, but real people who lived, loved, fought, and suffered through some of history's most dramatic moments. Mrs. Lang has drawn from the chronicles of centuries past to bring us tales that prove truth can be stranger and more thrilling than any invented story. Meet Napoleon Bonaparte, the Corsican boy who played at being a general in the snow and grew up to command the armies of Europe, whose very name made the world tremble. Follow the tragic fate of his son, the King of Rome, born to inherit an empire but destined to die in exile, forgotten and alone. Witness the courage of young Princess Jeanne de Navarre, who refused to be forced into marriage and stood firm against the most powerful king in Europe. These royal children faced challenges that would test any fairy tale hero-poisonous uncles, forced marriages, exile, imprisonment, and the burden of kingdoms they never asked to inherit. From the glittering palaces of France to the mountain fortresses of Navarre, from the nurseries where future emperors played with toy soldiers to the battlefields where young princes proved their worth, these stories reveal the human heart behind the crown. Some found glory, others tragedy, but all discovered that being born to the purple brought as much sorrow as splendor. Their stories are filled with the same magic as any fairy tale-transformation, adventure, courage in the face of overwhelming odds-but with the added poignancy that these princes and princesses were real, and their struggles shaped the destiny of nations. For readers who have wondered what it would really be like to be a prince or princess, these true tales offer both the dream and the reality-proving that royal blood brings not just privilege, but a special kind of magnificent suffering.