Chapter 4: Fate

Eventually came the wedding days of her sisters. Muttering followed Theresa as her sisters wed so much that they begged to leave her behind. She would not have been unhappy to be left.

But the King and Queen insisted Theresa attend so atlas she did, quite unhappily.

She was not sorry to see her sisters go. But with them gone the pressure only increased for her to wed. Frustrated her father set out to find a young girl said to know future events to guide him in his daughter's future. She was rumoured to be the daughter of one of Epis's children though it was not known which one.

She lived in a dark chamber below the ground. The journey took a few days to find her. After making their offering they proceeded to meet with her.

The daughters name was Zosa, she worn a long veil that shrouded her face from their sight.

"I have a young daughter named Theresa, she is beautiful but unmarried-"

The girl stopped him before he could say anything more. Her voice was bleak, "she will marry a monster, you must send her to the highest cliff in your kingdom, and you may not follow."

"Is that all," the King asked.

She spoke no more, and so mournfully they set off home again.

When Theresa was told she pressed her lips together, "I was born with too much beauty, and this is my punishment." She sounded calm, but inside she was a storm. She feared that she would have to wed a monster. What type of monster she wondered?

If she was lucky she would die quickly.

The kingdom entered a period of mourning leading up to her departure. She was dressed in funeral cloths and sent off to the cliffside. She walked alone, for her father could not follow. She was not quite sad, for she hoped that this would protect the rest of her people.

The cliff was steep and the climb took half a day. When she finally reached the top she looked out on the world, not sure what to expect. Far below she saw her people gathered watching.

From the ground the King and Queen both stood like statues, their daughter's form was against the sky, then suddenly she was gone, seemingly plummeting off the other side of the cliff. The Queen let out a huge sob, as did many people gathered for their lost princess. They would look for her body and never find it.