Story 2: The Lost Forest

Once Upon A Time, there was a princess. This princess was never satisfied with what she had and always craved for one thing. Adventure. The only issue was that there was a rule that said no one was to leave the castle without a guard.

One day, the princess was being dressed and she was allowed to wear leather armor for the first time.

When the armor was equipped and the maids left the room to gather other outfits, the princess made her move and left the room. She made her way out of the castle despite always being warned not to leave.

Once out of the castle, she continued into the forest that surrounds the castle. She ran, jumped, and sprang, all in joy as she ventured further from the castle.

Eventually, the sun had begun to set and she wanted to go home. This was not the adventure she had been searching for. She began looking around, searching for the castle but to no avail. She had become lost in the forest with no hope of finding her way back.

not giving up on searching for the castle she attempted to climb a tree. She tried and tried, but could not do it. Lost and alone in the cold forest, she curled up next to a tree when a voice came from nowhere.

"Don't worry young one, I am here." The feminine voice said. The princess looked around, looking for the source of the voice. "Silly youth, you will not see me." The voice said.

Comforted by the thought that she is no longer alone, the princess began talking. "Who are you?" She asked ever so innocently.

"I am the forest and the mist that guides. I am the soft breeze and the stagnant air, ever invisible, yet comforting when there. I am the wolf and I am the tree, I am no one thing." The voice responded.

The princess and the voice spoke back and forth until the princess eventually fell asleep. When she awoke she could no longer feel. There was no dirt beneath her feet, no tree behind her back, and she felt no breeze along her body.

She could only see, and see she did. She saw that her own body had vanished and disappeared. She was but a spectral ghost, floating in the air. She tried to move her hands, but she did not have any.

She looked around and called out, hoping to hear a response and that someone would help her. "Please, help, I'm so lost and I'm alone! Anyone!" She screamed desperately.

You see, she had heard the stories but had not believed them. Those who speak to beings of the wind vanish, never to be seen, but always to be heard. After screaming and panicking for hours and hours, she heard a voice call back.

"Princess!? Where are you!?" A servant called.

"I'm here! I'm here, so help me!" She demanded. She kept calling until the servant had reached her. When the servant found her his eyes widened as he viewed the lifeless corpse which spoke without moving. "Won't you help me!?" The princess asked impatiently.

In shock, the servant took a step back. "Demon!" He yelled. "A demon stole the princess's voice!" He yelled as he ran. Eventually, a large party of people reached the princess' corpse. A priest walked up to her body.

"Priest! Please help me! They've said a demon stole my voice, but they have not!" The princess yelled desperately. The priest ignored the cries of help and spoke in verse.

Desperate, the princess tried and tried to control her body and managed to open her eyes. In an instant, her own bodyguard's sword went through her lung. With tears running down her cheeks, the princess looked at the guard.

"I just..." She stopped, taking heavy breaths as her lung filled with blood. "Want... ed... adventure..." She said softly as her vision faded. Having realized his mistake, the guard left the group and isolated himself, disappointed and frustrated.

"Are you the guard of which the princess spoke?" A feminine voice spoke.

"Who are you!?" The guard asked as he looked around and pulled his sword.

"I am the forest and the mist that guides. I am the soft breeze and the stagnant air, ever invisible, yet comforting when there. I am the wolf and I am the tree. I am no one thing." The voice responded.

The guard gripped his sword as he swung at random. The voice chuckled.

"The fear and naivety of humans. How adorable." The voice said as vines wrapped around the guard. In just a few moments, the guard passed out and the vines regressed into the ground. "I am the forest of the lost." She said.