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.