Chapter 1: THE BALLAD

Her Highness, oh Her Highness

Thou was a fair lady born to the crown

Though of golds and jewels, thou was loved by the lower class whose affections were overflowing for their "saint"

"Graceful young Princess, light of the Kingdom", they'd sing day and night to a princess no older than five.

Perhaps it was for their Majesties' long suspicioned infertility; but whatever the reason, thou could never understand

Blissfully unaware of what happens inside the palace walls, the common folk cheer and sing for weeks at a time for the birth of their Kingdom's hope.

It was at the age of seven that Her Highness showed acuity and brilliance

Interested in that of politics and military strategies and endowed with sharp intuition; thou began to drift to the currents of the court.

At the ripe age of ten, thou'd see the birth of thou's younger brother - the shining ray of sunshine of the Kingdom.

It was at that age that thou would realize how it feels like to not be in the center of attention, to have every achievement overlooked instead of praised.

Liberating.

In the same year came a rumor

A rumor spreaded from the servants' quarters.

A rumor that Her Highness had brought home a peasant and begged His Majesty to allow thee to keep "it".

Uncaring of the princess, he'd agree.

Though what sparked interest in the rumor was the apparent beauty of that boy.

Word got out, "Upon being fixed up by Her Highness, the Princess herself would too be amazed and complimented him as though he were royalty!"

It goes that the princess'd cherished the peasant so much that a small scratch could have thee worrying sick and throwing away paperwork, an act which was strange to the Kingdom's light.

It was strange for the sole fact that Her Highness would never dare think of leaving paperwork, let alone throw them, lest thou triggers thine own perfectionist self.

As word would have it, Her Highness'd kept that boy close to thyself, as he'd be seen with thou anywhere thou'd step foot.

It will only be for a short while before Her Highness would get bored, everyone thought.

However logical that conclusion sounded, the boy had not left Her Highness side since.

Reaching the age of seventeen, the Princess had grown into a fine lady, with a beauty that could rival that of the nymphs

In thy rebellious age, thou'd became the Saintess of the Temple, just for the sole purpose to spite His Majesty.

Often drifting was thy mind, dreaming of another reality.

Dreaming of a different reality, in which thou'd have loving parents

Dreaming of a different reality, in which thou'd have the freedom to be the person thee truly wanted to be

Dreaming of a different reality, in which thou'd freely express thy feelings without the binds of social norms

Dreaming of a different reality, in which thou'd be able to love the one thou does without any restriction

Dreaming of a different reality, in which thou'd lay in the arms of thy beloved, uncaring of what's to come the next day

Dreaming of a different reality…..

"Daydreaming again, my treasure?", hot breath hit thine ear as hands crept around thy waist.

A yelp, a resounding slap and laughter ensues.

A rumor would spread again.

A rumor of Her Highness being in love with a peasant.

Days later, the Princess would exit thy room with blood-shot eyes

No one would dare speak of the events leading up to what could be relevant to thy demise.

The events marked the point at which the servant boy would no longer leave thy side, even if for a blink of an eye.

"Sayonee, shan't there be a solution for… the prophecy?", thou'd ask of thy soulmate

"Noori… why do you persist in saving those who sadden you?", warm was the tone; oh how sharp were his words.

Thou'd sigh; answering it would only make thee lose the incentive to continue

Perhaps it was hope.

Perhaps it was the miniscule thread of hope that drives thee to protect this wretched species

Perhaps it was the miniscule thread of hope for something that logically cannot exist in this world

Perhaps it was the miniscule thread of hope for a change, for some sympathy-…

Perhaps it was thine own delusions.

Silence was all that was received.

It rained that day.

The rain soaked through one's clothing, drenched one's soul in sadness

The rain battered one's soul, damning what could only be the last shred of patience with humanity.

It showered that day.

The shower whipped and pelted the lush green of a delicate work

The shower painted the sky a deep gray and the scenery a soft white overcoat.

It was a downpour that day…

But the sky was blue and clear throughout the day

But the greenery of the forest was not touched by even a drop of water

But the scenery was vivid and pellucid

It didn't rain that day.

The Princess wore green that day, and thy close attendant's uniform was soaked at the shoulder

A look of pain crossed his features as he left the room, wallowing in the deep waters of helplessness

Help was declined tout de suite, citing to need space and time to think, but the look of disgust in his eyes was plain.

Did it rain that day?

The villagers would say it didn't

The merchants would say it didn't

The slaves would say it didn't

The nobles would say it didn't

The royals would say it didn't

They would say it was the most beautiful day anyone has ever seen

But the palace's staff would say it did.

Oh how the rain dampened their mood,

Oh how it affected their work, 

Oh how it pained them so.

Whether it rained that day, it would only be decided by one's empathy.

The days and months flew by in the blink of an eye,

What once was a Kingdom in its prime is now nothing but a shadow casted from its former glory.

The common folk know not of the pretext of their Kingdom's downfall;

It is only said that all gradually diminished with such little margin at a time that one would barely notice; all until the day we looked back and gape at the sheer difference.

Ignorant is the human species, never truly learning how to cherish the small things in their short lives until it was too late

Ignorant is mankind, insensitive to the pain they cause to others, even those of their own kind

Ignorant is the human race, oblivious to the affairs surrounding their own being and life.

Oh how sonder feels like rubbing salt into an open wound.

As if cognizant of the matter, the sky seems so somber as of late

Gray skies cover the entirety of the Kingdom's capital and its thousands of acres of land

The once vibrant flowers of its lush greeneries wilt, becoming colorless, easing its presence in with the dark gray sky

The lush greens seem to have a shade of melancholy to them

Gray are the skies,gray are the sceneries; but gray also is the color of people's everyday lives

Some poets would say it gives everything a calm feeling to it, a nice underwhelming feeling to the eyes of woe and too much empathy

However, the artisans would say that it ruins and taints the world true beauty, its vibrant and lively self;

"Why do you stare at the colorless world and say there is a charm? Isn't it all bland?"

"There is something selcouth about it. You'll understand once you grasp the true meaning of our mortal plane."

As it goes, there is always truth in the words of those who see the world differently; whether one chooses to put confidence in one or the other poses no real difference

One can hardly say that one was true and the other not; as the Kingdom's state of affairs has been in doldrums for some time.

All seems to fall into a bland routine, a solemn mood, and a lack of interest in life; all seem to only care of if anything is on their table the next day

Yet, despite what little light there is in the sky, it is pitch black for the citizens of the Kingdom; and the court falls into chaos.

Officials could be sighted on their knees, whether it be in the gardens of the palace or in its halls; when asked, all would give the same answer

"We have committed a serious act of offense against the Princess, as such we will continue to repent for our wrongs until the Princess has forgiven us and came back to help the court with the happenings of the Kingdom."

Selfish and disappointing are the court officials, knowing no shame in asking a teenager less than a fourth their age for assistance in matters they should've been able to solve with ease.

Time flies by like the chilling gust on a summer day, papers sit atop the courtroom's desks collecting dust

Nobles and commoners alike growing more and more distraught at the dilemma that all are faced with;

Famine eats up their lands, leaving nothing but dead crops and uncultivable lands, spreading across the entirety of their once prosperous Kingdom;

Bodies lay on the streets, covering every corner of dormant streets, piling up to the height of the statues and art pieces they were always so delighted about;

Famine ate their Kingdom, their futures and their hopes;

The only dream most kids would have is to not see the next dawn with an empty stomach.

Gloom was the outlook of life in their capital, one would wonder how outside of its walls the villagers would live;

Heedless of their own borders, the royals would not acknowledge that their lands were being taken and their people captured;

A new force arises in their West, waging war and taking lands and slaves as their own

Seeing the pitiful Kingdom's state, the ever righteous leader offered the royals a way out, with no bloodshed and the Kingdom lives for another few hundred years.

That was if he hadn't requested for the thy hand in marriage.

The foolish king, thy father, was greedy; he'd request an outrageous amount of gold and treasure as dowry

Upon being refused of such, he'd throw a fit and outright decline the treaty.

The Princess became 18 years of age the following day, and perhaps it was a day thee would pray to be able to forget.

Oh how brief is the life of a human being.

"How childish must he act?!", rash and hot-tempered would be how the servants describe the Princess' temperament that afternoon. 

Rarely would one see thee lash out as such, amusing how thee, whom was always so breathtaking and imposing, could too be human.

Dazzling was the celebration hall, but eerie were the palace grounds

One would suppose the Princess' birthday would be one to celebrate

A day for nobles and commoners alike to cheer thy name and feast joyously.

So what is this silence that has fallen upon thy fortress?

Shall it be a crime?

Would it be a sin?

For the fact that the emptiness of these walls was triggered by the cry of a mother hugging the corpse of her child;

Her wail ripped through the citadel, brought everything to silence, and stopped beating hearts for moments

For a day so glorious, the silence that settled itself on the castle grounds is sure to unnerve any who pass

The halls resounds with the clicking of the pacing heels

Anxious are the steps of the owner of those heels

Or is it rage one wonders?

Yet, as flame engulfs the entirety of the kingdom, it all melts to fear

One moment all was fine, the next fire had erupted from every corner

Was it the screams? Was it the horror?

What was it that prompted thee to jump headfirst into that sea of blaze?

But one would soon realize that

The cries of the children terrified thee

The collapsing of the buildings ripped thy heart of of thy chest

The smoke that rose must be a hazard to thine already fragile mind

Breathing became laborious, perhaps it was the crippling realization of what had happened

Of the fate that awaited thy beloved people

Of the fate that loomed over thee

Perhaps the prophecy was inevitable after all

The screams went silent

Art thou breathing?

Thou felt like being submerged

The world grew muffled

The panic became too much, so much so that no thought can be coherent

What had happened to the army?

Where are the people?

How had the fire started?

Why could thou not prevent this catastrophe?

And where is thy escort?

Loyal was he, only to leave when the smoke rose and the walls crumbled?

Why was it that it was at the last moments that he left?

Had it been a ploy all along?

Had it never been genuine?

Did he truly reciprocate her feelings as he said that summer night?

Oh how those questions will never be answered to the asker

Oh how truly heart-wrenching it is to see the once bright Kingdom go up in flames

Oh how can one not weep at the image of the princess, ever so kind, laying lifeless-

Well, the body was never found, they can only speculate what happened to her