Saving Grace
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 which understood the girl wasn’t as invisible as she felt. Nevertheless,
the story 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 worry about).
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 handshake and a slap on the shoulder
were exchanged between the men “Nice you see you again Kai.” and to my surprise
a bow, a You too Les, and nice to finally meet your Princess.” finished with a
kiss on 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 if 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 the 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 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 said “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
finally allowing myself to be seen.”
We all may not have stood hand in hand to
celebrate our differences as those in the movies do but we did look into each
other's eyes as we passed knowing we would survive anything thrown our
way.
My Prince and I may not have made
it to our own happily-ever-after, but the years we had and the people we stood
with will always have a place in my stories.
Okay, fine maybe this Prince just
happened to be a Pauper and the story a grim kind of fairy tale. But a
Fairy-tale all the same.
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