THE PRINCESS WITCH of the Kingdom of Gray Area

I. The Gray, the Colored and the Unconventional Royalty

She could feel every eye on her as she walked the cobbled gray stones of the Kingdom of Gray Area. She could sense both the townsfolk's wonderment and fear from their stares.

"The Princess Witch," she heard them whisper as she passed. She dismissed these voices and cleared her head, and continued to walk on as if she didn't hear anything.

I cannot change how they see me, she told herself. I know I'm different. Don't be bothered,

Different was an understatement. People are wary of her for a lot of reasons. For starters, she dresses up funny.

Even if the realm between reality and fairytales, the Kingdom of the Gray Area is such a unique locality, it is still known to have a combination of fantastical elements with futuristic steampunk aesthetic.

From the looming castle atop a nearby plateau to the houses and other industrial infrastructure, everything is gilded in silver and gold and is often made of metals, wood, and glass. Visible gears and screws on the exterior of the facade of homes and buildings in the town.

Vehicles like steam-powered cars and wagons passed through town streets while flying airships hovered above. All vehicles in the kingdom were made of retrofuturistic materials with rotating propellers and dials to accommodate the speed and movement needed by these transports.

The clothes of the townsfolk are a combination of the old and the new, where steampunk fashion meets modern casual dressing.

Gentlemen wore Victorian-styled suits and waistcoats, while the working-class folk preferred more casual looks like tees and denim pants. Yet both classes accessorized themselves with popular steampunk motifs like brass and copper cogs and pocket watches.

In the Kingdom of Gray Area, women had more freedom with their clothing. Women wear cotton blouses with three-fourths sleeves and billowy skirts with a decent length of an inch or two below the knee. Upper-class ladies, on the other hand, wear embroidered-laced, fanciful silk garments. Both classes of women decorated themselves with leather-unhinged belts as a fashion accessories on their waists while brass jewelry to their daily outfit ensemble. All women except seventeen-year-old Princess Vera.

She prefers to wear a white embroidered mini-dress whose armor design adorned her bodice, where a detachable puffer train accentuated her waist. To complete her outfit for the day, she wears red knee-high boots. Her artistic preference definitely reflects her rebellious streak.

But the people Kingdom of the Gray find even more distasteful about the princess the fact that she is colorized.

The Kingdom of the Gray Area is not called such for no reason. Despite its beautiful restrofuturistic aesthetic, it's still a bland environment as everything is gray.

The exceptions of course were the children, the minority who call themselves the non-conformists, and the Princess witch herself.

Think early Charlie Chaplin flicks, Sampaguita Pictures, or LVN films - if you're in the Philippines. That's how gray everything in the kingdom is. And before you say this idea is a rip-off from "Pleasantville," take note that the people in the Kingdom of the Gray Area always have a choice to be decolorized if they want to.

You see everyone in Gray Area was born with color. They decide to decolorize themselves at age thirteen if they don't want to be ostracized by society.

But Vera stays colorized up to this day. While she respects the beliefs of the society she lives in, she doesn't mean she needs to lose her sense of self. For her, there's nothing wrong with conforming, but she knows there's more to routine existence.

This wasn't the only thing that bothered the people of the kingdom when. They fear her because she's both a princess and a witch.

Unlike in fairytales and real life, a princess and a witch are often nemeses and never the same person. And yet Vera is both. She is also not like any other witch in the kingdom, as she possesses the Nexus de Vita, a legendary unexplainable power bestowed to the prophesied and anointed Sorceress of Omni-Magic. In this case, is Vera. Nobody knows how she got it. All everyone knows is that she was born with it. 

The Nexus de Vita is untapped light and dark magic that can either create and restore or destroy reality. Among its powers is that it can bring dreams to reality and make wishes come true once harnessed and unleashed.

This is why she wants to be left alone. She has a short temper around grown-ups. She rather is with children and they prefer to be with her too.

The children naturally gravitate toward her because of her beauty, her warmth, and genuineness. Oftentimes, she doesn't mind playing their silly games. They don't see her as a princess witch. They see her as a princess with magic that often entertains them.

Parents of these children see something else. They see a potential evil witch who will bring havoc to the kingdom. hey allowed the princess to play and talk to their children, in fear of their own safety and not because they could see the kindness of the princess. However, they would not dare disallow their children to go near her to avoid royal entanglements concerning the Princess.

Vera was now at the edge of town. She was definitely far from any of the prying eyes. She stopped and heaved a heavy sigh, shook her head.

I cannot change what they think of me, I cannot control them, she told herself, But how can I lead a kingdom, if they don't trust me?

By now, she has reached a towering wall covered with vines and a cherubim appeared before her.

"What afflicts the young princess that she dares to visit the dwelling of the sacred trees," asked the Cherubim Lucian.

"Good morrow, milord Lucian," Vera greeted the cherubim and bowed before him. "I would like to seek answers from the sacred trees regarding the impending trials tomorrow night,"

"Ah, I see. You fear the Grandiloquentia Simulacia Trials. That's understandable," Lucian nodded as he understood the gravity of the situation.

Vera breathed a long sigh before nodding in agreement.

"Very well, since the kingdom's fate depends on your success in these trials, you may proceed in entering the sacred grounds of the Terrestrial Paradise," Lucian said and lifted his flaming sword.

As soon as he did this, the Door of Light of the Terrestrial Paradise appeared. Vera could now see the golden path leading to the east end of the Terrestrial Paradise.

"Thank you, milord Lucian," Vera said with reverence and bowed. She then straightened herself up, breathed, and proceeded to the Terrestrial Garden. Once Vera was inside, the luminous door disappeared along with its Guardian cherubim. The wall returned to its original green foliage.