Eteria's Moonlit Escaper

Chapter 1 and Prologue with Dedication

Dedication :

To All the Escapees from Reality:

May your imagination soar higher than your Wi-Fi signal, and may your daydreams be more vivid than your last Zoom meeting.

Soldier's Tears

"20 years ago , 1792"
As the world blurred, I whispered a prayer. Not for victory, but for release. For the truth to surface, even if it meant my demise.
And so, with the taste of salt on my lips, I closed my eyes and surrendered to fate. In that moment , Sir Cledri 's blade pressed along my chest .His eyes bore into mine , the truth I dared not to speak clinging into them.
"Why?" His voice was a rasp, edged with anger and sorrow. "Why protect him, a traitor to our cause?"
" I can't kill .My..", I choked , spitting blood . My voice barely an audible whisper above the cacophony.
I die with the truth that crossed my path . The one that was about...

Chapter 1
" Speak, won't you?" The plea hung in the air, a desperate attempt to shatter the oppressive silence. My eyes drifted to the photograph on the dresser, a relic of a family that once was. My father's beard, once a tapestry of black and platinum, had faded to a soft silver, with only a few stubborn strands of black remaining, like scattered grains of salt amidst pepper. His eyes, once as dark as a moonless night, now held the stormy hue of a brewing tempest.

I've read countless tales of girls like me-princesses burdened with crowns and destinies written in the stars. Their stories, more often than not, end in nightmares, not fairy-tale endings. As I stand on the edge of my own story, I find myself yearning for something different.

I turned away from the royal insignia etched into the corner of the photograph, my fingers brushing against the heavy crown resting on the dresser. With a sigh, I pushed it aside, my heart longing for scraped knees and dreams that didn't carry the weight of kingdoms. I yearned for a life where my name was just a name, not a title echoing through grand halls. A life where I was just a girl, not a princess.

My mind loiters back to a time when my life was perfect . His laughter from years ago rings in my ears a song that operated in this house , a haunting melody of a song long ended like him . Now , despite how hard I try to shut the noise from my ears. My mind listens to the wails , a distant remainder of who I have lost . My father was the King of Eteria, the richest land in Pangea . He was loved by all. I can't think of anybody who hated him though there are people who could have wanted him dead . I can't think of anywhere where they were so jealous that they wanted to kill him .

However , I have to face the truth that he died by assassination. Mom swears to me that he died with a common natural cause , a disease. To top it , she lies to me saying it's a sacrifice for the greater good of Eteria . You know you've lost your mind when you say all that nonsense obviously I can't believe mother . My mind sadly grabs me back to my memories . It's like a sad hug squeezing my mind everywhere. He always had a smile on his face and a nice compliment to say . He taught me everything I know about the ruling of the kingdom to compassion.He told me to donate my clothes to charity and greeting elders was a must . He called me sea sunshine , a name that will always be engraved in my heart . He was my best friend and my hero. My confidant .

I was my father's gem .My life used to be a dream, with gifts at my fingertips and love surrounding me. Until .. Father died . Dad died . WHY ?I do something crazy . Something stupid . I guess my common sense has taken a trip somewhere or has flown outside my mind. I don't know why . Maybe it's a way of coping with self grief. I lock myself in my room and sit and stare at my window looking at the promised lands my dad promised me to visit .I remember the stories he told me about my favourite, the Dahomey Amazons .His scent wafts in the air, the only thing that I have with him. I glance back at my room staring at where my dad used to sit where he used to talk to me for hours , my favourite part of my day. He told me stories about them but Eteria was always grand than them .Now gone like him. Tears threaten to spill , no matter. How hard I try . My eyes welled up with tears , prickling and trickling. He wouldn't want that if he was there . He never liked seeing me cry.

I inject my fingernails to my skin trying to make the crying stop but that only makes it worse . The palace coated with black resembles my brain right now .My room now a funeral shroud draped in black mirroring my heart that just died . It can't process this information. Questions plague my mind with little to no answers . How did he die ? He seemed all happy and healthy. Did he die of poison or of assanation ? Who wanted him dead ? Could envy lead to his downfall ? Was it a sinister plot or a cruel twist of fate ? No , one wanted him unless I shuddered, pushing the thought out of my mind . I asked mom before but she just seems lost gliding in the palace like a lost soul .

Dad never had enemies. He even told me ." Marina, come back, you can't just leave !!''Mum's voice pierces through my reverie oblivious to the storm raging within me .

" Mother , can't I stay"...

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