Princess Valerie Meyer's Diary

Dear Diary,

Something really strange happened this morning.
I went out of the castle by ten in the morning with two of my ladies and three guards.
We were supposed to ride as usual in the forest to reach the meadow and have lunch there, but as we passed through the nearest village, we found out that a fire had destroyed five houses during the night.
I never saw a fire, neither its consequences.
There was such a big chaos all around that almost no one recognized us.
Many people had lost their houses and everything they owned. Women were crying in the streets and their sons and daughters and husbands prayed God next to them.
The guards suggested us to return to the castle but I was too shocked to say a word.
So I shacked my head and ordered to my horse to go ahead.
As I looked around, I felt a deep hole in my stomach.
Finally, the people of the village turned to look at our small group of rich nobles.
They knew us before, I mean, not only because I'm the princess.
They were usually kind to us, but today they weren't.
They looked at us as we were responsable of the fire.
A little boy moved closer to my horse and my ladies, Letitia and Frances, gasped.
I looked at the boy and watched his dirty face. I noticed immediately that he was too thin and his left arm was in a terrible condition. The fire burned it.
Once again, the guards told me that we had to leave, louder, but I stood my hand up and jumped off my horse.
I smiled at the little boy and offer him an apple I had in my pocket.
He smiled and let me see his arm as he ate his apple. He ate it as it was the sweetest of the candies.
I spoke to him a little because I didn't know what to say exactly, but in the end he let me see his arm. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad as I thought and I could medicate it with some elementary herbs I had with me.
We spent some hours in the village: I spoke with the men about the damage and gave them the gold coins I had in my pocket to repair their houses.
I was sorry I didn't have more.
We left the village in the late afternoon. People seemed no more angry with us, on the contrary, they thanked us and blessed my name.
While we were on our way to the castle, I fell thoughtful and upset.
I left my horse in the royal stables and went to my private rooms alone.
I didn't want to have my ladies around (I was angry with them because of their detached behavior at the village).
I fell on my bed and started watching at the ceiling until I decided to write this experience down on these papers.
I don't know what to think. I can't stop thinking about those people who doesn't have their house anymore. What will they do?
What I COULD do?
I know that this shouldn't be my business.
Sometimes I wish a was born a man.
Maybe I will talk with my brother, for I'm sure that my uncle, the king, has no time for this kind of things. I could talk with my aunt, also...
Tomorrow I will be back there.
Perhaps, I don't know much, but I'm still the princess, the second on the line to the throne...
Do I really have so less power?