Once upon a time there was a girl consumed by Fog, who lived in a dusty attic surrounded by stinging creatures and hoarders of food. These creatures understood the girl wasn't as invisible as she thought she was. Nevertheless, her version of a Cinderella story which was playing in her mind told her differently. That was enough for those creatures to allow her too just be. This girl dressed not in rags but in crumpled clothes never knowing she was destined to live her own happily-ever-after. The day came when a Prince showed up to her attic room and held out his hand offering her a life outside those cobwebbed, unfinished four walls. With a quick look back at the room she would be walking away from, she took the prince's hand and walked away forever.
The days were filled with adventures, most nights filled with a little love. Where gunslingers and street rats were a common fare. What surrounded us outside our four faded walls were a mix of colors, some planted among the ground others sprayed over clay bricks which hid the dealers from those who drove by. Hidden messages exposed to the elements with codes mixed between marked territory for those who wandered in trying to claim new ground in which to spy. These moments were filled with stories to be told, between lessons taught and others soon learned.
You may be saying to yourself this doesn't sound like a fairy-tale. But trust me it truly was. Not one where the Prince takes a poor maiden and makes her see how the powerful live. This story is of a Prince from a lower class, rescuing a maiden from her own Fogged over world and bringing her to the forefront of a life unlike the one she has ever seen. One she was meant to learn from.
The people intermingling within our lives saw the Prince, who for once in the years they had known him, finally claimed himself a Princess. One that saw what was, yet she didn't run. What they were thinking behind their questioning eyes I will never know, for this Prince was not one they wanted to throw fists. To answer your question, No. This wasn't a situation in which they feared him, it was more of a choice of keeping the peace among those others who would soon claim the crown for their own piece of this fair East or if invoked would turn around and steal the title from another by starting a war. Nevertheless, not everyone was familiar with the peacekeeping prince, nor did they agree that the territory in which he stayed wasn't up for grabs. With the moon half hidden by shadow and the stars shining bright, there were shouts of cover as a long-ringing sound echoed between the buildings and parked cars just a block down.
But this isn't a story of red tears running free, this is a story of what was never believed.
Those who gathered once the light hit, inventoried the damage left behind, preparing for a secret war that would soar under the radar from those in blue without sacrificing the safety of innocent minds, by seeing with their eyes how the world could truly be, as they moved on with their day to day lives acting like it never happened. If your thoughts were, "Did she run?" My answer to you would have to be, No. It could have been because of the Fog, or it could have been because unlike those who passed believing we all deserved what we got, was me standing in the crossfire of both worlds, allowing them to see some of us still realize what truly was hidden beneath as we stood strong. A community that lived and loved as a family. The days that followed were erred on the side of caution with covered weapons of defense, dimmed lights and low volume noises waiting to see when the next round would begin. While trying to believe the strike was not a call to war, but a game for others that were just bored. Hey, we even had a jester who lived through the next door.
Flags flew in the wind as they came in the night creeping through the street looking for someone to give fair warning to those who slept, for when morning came the streets would be painted in greed and their fair prince would no longer be crowned. Let's just say when the sun came up, we saw their message clear as day, but we weren't giving in that easily. Unbeknownst to those who thought our kingdom was fair game had another thing coming, we as a family already had plans in place for just an occasion as this and none of them included giving up the crown.
This was the moment I as Princess would help lessen this war by ending it before it truly had a chance to start. I stood between both worlds, newly blessed into a world unlike the one I came from, needing to take those plans our family came up with and putting them into action and I wasn't one to back down. But my first step was to speak to our prince, for he alone would be able to grant me an audience with the Prince of the South East. That's right, our Peacekeeping Prince knew all those who held a crown nearest our kingdom walls, for how else would he be able to keep the peace for so long?
The plan was simple, send notice to the Prince of the Southeast requesting an audience from the Prince of the East. To gather updates or news on what the other kingdoms around us were up to and of course meet the East's new Princess (while secretly trying to detect if there truly was any distrust to cause a fret).
We were to dress in our colors yet leave our crowns behind to show respect to the South East while stating we were still holding strong. Walking into their kingdom was no easy task though, knowing they were readying the strike was heart pounding work. But the Fog slowly cloaked me, and my heart rate slowed down allowing the fear to dissipate and the confidence to surface. I wasn't walking away from this without an order of ceasefire agreed upon. We entered the Southeast kingdom and upon arrival were greeted by the Prince himself. A nod and a slap on the shoulder were exchanged between the men "Nice to see you again Kai." You, too Les, and nice to finally meet your Princess." Kai, finishing with a kiss placed upon my hand. The atmosphere was anything but hostile. It was as if they were old friends. I stood there smiling thinking it doesn't seem like he would start a war with us, or he is really good with his poker face.
Drinks were ordered, seats were given, and a request for us to stay for lunch led us to a round of laughter and joking before we got down to business. "So, Les. It seems we need to discuss an issue from what I gathered by the message I received?" There it was the start to understanding what soldiers of the Southeast were doing sending calls to war to our fair East. With his hands held up, a smile on his face, as to say "Not me" he looked my way telling Kai it was me who needed the audience not him. So, I jumped in "Spotted in the East painting greed within our walls, came four soldiers with a call to war." I had captured his attention, so I continued "These soldiers were surprisingly wearing the colors of the South..." I saw the confusion first then the look of she wasn't implying "...east." I looked Kai right in the eyes and said, "I thought you may have wanted to know." I held our eye contact waiting for him to break it and give me the hint I needed to confirm that he already knew. But instead, he held our eye contact and said, "I can guarantee you Princess, I sent no such order to the East." and in a more serious tone "Princess you have my word I will look into this and deal with it myself." We stood up, shook hands and as we walked out the doors of the Southeast kingdom, Kai call out, "Les, one last thing." with a smirk on his face and a wag of his finger "You got a good one here. Don't screw it up."
As we walked through the streets of the Southeast, the Prince drew my hand and with it placed his own kiss, "So Princess, how does it feel?"
Placing my other hand upon his forearm, looking up toward his smiling face, "Why what ever do you speak off, sir."
"You my dear, have come a long way since that day I found you locked away in that dusty attic."
"I have, haven't I. I guess it isn't too bad, allowing myself to finally be seen."
I admit, I found a small tear in this story and at this point I find it getting bigger as the days go on. I didn't mention to our prince, but my suspicions were all but settled. My mind running as I lay beside my prince, unable to sleep. Seeking answers to the questions I have yet to ask. After the meeting with Kai, I felt as if I was missing a piece of the bigger picture. Sure, there were the obvious signs: the random night shooting, and the graffiti warning. So, what was I missing? Think Grace... The shooting, covered by darkness they came, but each aim was true, not a soul was in danger of forever falling asleep. The flash of colors drawn from the Southeast, who happened to be our biggest ally. The strength I felt after I slept each night as I heard the faint calls to me as my mind finally cleared, which brought thoughts of an old friend who happens to know who I truly am.
This felt like a setup, leading the clues which pointed toward those told to be innocent, as the guilty ones drew near.
Breaking me away from my thoughts as the sky showed signs of light, I heard it outside, close to our home. The car from before, the one I heard that night the warnings started. I wanted to wake the prince, warn him that we were under attack once again, as I reached over to wake him, I paused,
"Grace No! It's Daniel. He came to rescue you."
The sun was rising, Les started to stir I was frozen, my heart telling me to go after him, my head wanting me to stay hidden within this story.
"NOW GRACE! They aren't far behind him!"
It was my last chance, once the sun rose, Daniel would be gone, the Fog would be back, and this story would continue. I feared if I stayed it would not end well for our fair East.
I wrote my goodbyes and ran toward the door, listening to a voice from my past whom I silenced out of guilt thinking she needed better than me. To the first person that ever rescued me from Neesrof, which haunted me as the sun went down each day. To think, I was sacrificing my story for an ending that might turn out to be a trap, from those who wanted to lead my story down a whole new path.
I leapt out of my fairytale, to be met with a war against the shadows. All I saw were flashing lights of written words striking down the darkness, as the shadows blocked them and struck back with fear, scattering what remained as they crashed to the ground in ink filled puddles. I was back fighting the story book character from my childhood, the ones that struck as I slept, trying to pull me into their world. "Grace, catch!" I threw out my hand, in instinct, toward the flying stick and folded my fingers tightly around a wooden sword, as the feeling of freedom came flooding back to me. That is when I saw them, the lights turned into familiar faces, splattered in what was left of their fallen soldiers. No other than my dark knights and the Yin to my long-lost Yang. I fought away the darkened words, that made it around their front line, toward the ones that would give me the strength, once we connected our minds, to weave these characters out of existence once again.
The sun was rising higher, causing my friends to fade and the shadows to gain strength.
As if I shouted out loud to fall back, my voiceless calls were answered by a book thrust into my open hand. "Write it out, allow it to be true." I flipped open the book, as my sword turned into a pen. I skimmed the pages of my written words laid by my hand, for a blank space as I filled my head with truth.
With the shadows closing in and the fog obscuring my past from view, I started setting my words to paper and hopefully a seamless future...