A story
This is just part one but I wanted to get it out here.
Part 1
There is something magical about little girls. They are capable of anything and each is a princess in their own mind. Each is a beautiful flower of potential and if nurtured and loved grows into a beautiful and loving woman. When they are little they are so fragile and must be treated with care lest they break, and once broken they never go back together in quite the same way.
This story is about one particular little girl who was broken very badly. It is an old story and there are many versions of it but they are all agree on the main points.
The little girls name was Amalia and she was a princess. Her father was a King and her mother a Queen. She was tought to be polite and to have poise and grace and to always, always invite guests to stay for tea.
One day her fathers brother Estayer came to stay with them. He was tall and skinny and his nose hooked a bit like the beak of a bird. He smiled a great deal and was always looking around. Often his eyes rested on Amalia and she knew that this was because she was very pretty and she smiled. Uncle Estayer would chat with her sometimes about her studies and about things around the castle. Sometimes they would chat about her parents. Uncle Estayer had a great many questions about her parents. He was family, her fathers brother in fact, so she answered them and was always polite. For Amalias birthday uncle Estayer got her a little dog. It was white all over and had long soft hair and she loved it. She ran to her uncle Estayer and gave him a big hug, he held her tight and then tighter and then too tight and she cried out. He let her go and smiled and told her to go enjoy her new pet. She was upset that he had squeezed her too tight but she soon forgot as she was trying to think of a name for her new puppy.
She named her puppy belle and she loved it and played with it for 7 days. On the 7th night something scarry slithered into Amalia's room, something long and hungry. It slithered up over her bed and smelling a tasty treat it struck. The violent movement frightend Amalia and she awoke screaming, she ran to her parents bedroom in tears not knowing what had happend only that her room had been invaded by a living shadow. Her father investigated and she was not allowed to go back into her room. He later told her that a snake had come in through her window and it had eaten her puppy. she was heartbroken. Her father had the vines on the castle wall cut down and had her window locked at night. Estayer told her that he had put a spell on her room to keep the snakes out. She thanked him and the next day he gave her a bunny for a new pet. She was very happy but this time she did not hug him remembering his tight grip. She played with the bunny for 7 days and on the 7th night something small crept into her room something black and fuzzy with many little eyes. It sought out her bunny and with tiny fangs it bit deep and left poison and death so that in the morning the bunny was just a cold sad corpse. Amalia looked into its dead eyes and she cried. As she was watching the huge spider crawled out of the cage and ran towards her. Amallia ran to her father and he came in and chased the spider away. Estayer once again warded her room this time against spiders. Then he gave her a kitten. Amalia was very pleased to have a kitten, so much so that she nearly forgot about her other less fortunate pets. She played with her kitten for 7 days and on the 7th night there was a great ball.
Amalia loved balls and she was always allowed to stay up past her bedtime. She got dressed up very prettily and even got a red ribbon for her new kitten. The ball was wonderful and the garden had been lit up with lanterns and candles and there were jesters and noble ladies and knights. Everyone told Amalia how lovely she looked and how cute her new kitten was. She was very pleased by this and was having such a marvelous time that she did not notice her parents had left the garden. She saw a falling star and followe it with her eyes to just the other side of the hill. She had been to the other side of the hill many times in the day and so she decided to go and get the fallen star. She was certian that it would be very pretty and that she could have it made into something she could wear. Once she got on the other side of the hill it was very hard to see. None of the lights from the garden shined this far and there was no moon out. She walked around very carefully looking for the star but she could not find it. Suddenly her kitten hissed into the darkness. Amalia looked but she could only see a large blackness. She squinted her eyes and she could see two yellow eyes staring back at her. Suddenly Amalia was knocked over and a large beast was on top of her. She heard her kitten mew once and then the beast was gone. She got up and ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to the garden. She could not see her parents but she just ran towards the light. Estayer came out of nowhere and enveloped her in his cloak. He held out his hand and it glowed with an orange fire.
"Back beast!" Amalia looked behind her and there the black wolf holding her kitten in its mouth seemed to be held at bay by her uncles hand. It turned and disapeared into the black. Amallia sobbed into Estayers robes, she wanted nothing more than to be held by her mother and comforted. "Amalia, you must be careful, you know what things live in the darkness, I can protect you from them but you must avoid the shadows, not seek them out." Estayer took her back to her mother and she was held and comforted and held untill she fell asleep. For the next 7 nights Amalia had troubble sleeping. She watched the dark corners of her room, she had a lantern brought in but that only caused her to fear the places the light did not reach. On the 7th day after the ball Amalias parents told her they would be staying at the house in the country and that she should behave and that if she neededanything she should go to Estayer, that he would protect her while they were gone. Amalia promissed to be good.
Estayer was especially nice to her that day and gave her treats and even told her a story about a princess who meets a king in disguise and becasue she is nice to him he marrys her and they are happy forever. Estayer gave her a glass of warm milk and sent her off to bed. That night she ha a servant bring in a lantern. That night she fell asleep easily. Amalia woke in the night and looked around her room. The lantern was burning low but she knew that something had woken her. Then she saw them. All across the floor bugs crawled, big bugs, little ones, some with wings flew up on to the bed and buzzed there daring her to even move. There were long ones and fat ones, ones with pincers and ones with a million legs. She screamed and ran, she ran down the hall to where Estayer slept. She rushed into his room. Estayer was up sitting at his desk looking at an ancient tome. He stood up and walked over to her, he asked her what the problem was and she told him about the bugs. He took her hand and walked her back to her room, she was very frightened but he was holding her hand very tightly. Estayer opened the door and the buggs came towards it, some crawling some jumping and some even flying. Estayer held out his hand and it glowed orange again. The bugs recoiled and fled from it. Estayer said a mystic word and the glow intensified clearing the entire room of bugs, they went out the window and the door and cracks in the walls. "I can keep you safe from everything Amalia, you dont have to worry when I am here" She thanked him, but she was still so afraid and she asked him if he would stay so that they would not come back. "Of cource Amalia, I can stay the night with you." Amalia got back into bed and Estayer lay down with her, he even got under the covers with her. Amalia was begining to drift to sleep again when Estayer began to press her up to his body. Amallia tried to move his arms but he just held her tighter. Amalia remembered his too-tight hug and she was scared. She asked him to let go. "But Amalia, I have saved you, and you have invited me to stay the night, just like in the stories. If we are to be married I would know you." Then he hurt her. He hurt her in ways that no little girl should be hurt. He did terrible things to her and she cried and sobbed untill her throat closed up and her eyes dried out.
In the morning Estayer was gone. Amalia was hurt and sick. She could not get out of bed. she just lay there and stared at the ceiling for a very long time. One of the servants came looking for her and found her in this state. She asked Amalia if she was sick and if she was hungry. Amalia could only look at her with her pleading eyes. She did not know what to do. The servant left and brought back food. After Amalia had eaten Estayer came to visit her. When he came in she threw her cup at him and then her spoon and then anything she could find. She tried to scream but her throat would only make a raspy sick sound. "Amalia, that is no way for a princess to behave, now I have saved you from the snakes and from the spiders and from the wolves and from the bugs. You wouldnt want them to come back now would you?" Amalia paused frightened. She did not want these things to come back. She remained silent. "Good, now this is my little friend" A big hairy spider crawled out of his sleve, it could have been the same spider she had seen the morning her bunny died. "He will watch you for me and if you are not a good girl then he will tell me" Estayer placed the spider on the wall and it crept up to the ceiling. where it found a corner and stayed.
Amalia left her room and stayed in one of the sitting rooms for most of the day, she told the servants she was sick and had them bring her treat and hot soup. That night she did not sleep. she stayed up with a lantern burning and stared at the spider. she thought about piling things in front of the door but when she started to do it the spider moved and came towards her. In the morning Amalia left her room and found a hiding spot. She took a blanket with her and there she slept. When she awoke she found a sevant and asked where her parents were and when they would return. They did not know. That night Estayer came to her room. "Amalia, your parents will not be back for a few days, you are to listen to me untill then. Now tonight I will keep you safe and I will sleep here in your room" Amalia said no and she tried to kick and bite him but he hurt her again and she tried not to think of it and instead rememberd her favorite story about a princess who is locked up for a very long time untill she can be rescued. She only wanted to be rescued.
In the morning Estayer was gone again. Amalia could not move very well, she knew that she was hurt badly and should see a doctor but she did not know where to find one. He parents always took care of her and they were not here. One of the servants came looking for her again. She had not cried as much this time and she was able to use her small voice. all she said was "Help" the servant looked her over and noticed that she was hurt. The servant wanted her to stay in bed but Amalia did not want to be in bed, not in her bed, ever again. The servant took her to her own chambers and then left to go get someone. She returned with an old maid. The old maid said comforting things and stroked Amalias hair. She undressed Amalia and looked over her wounds and talked in hushed tones with the other servant. Amalia did not understand everything that was said but she did hear them say how Estayer had bad magic and that her parents would do what he told them. This made her very sad and very afraid. The old maid explained that Amalia would have to go away. Amalia did not want to go away but she knew deep inside herself that there was no other way for her to be safe. She nodded and the old maid took her own necklace off andput it around Amalias neck. It was not very pretty, it had a copper chain and a plain green rock on it. No part of it sparkeld but the rock was smooth like glass and it felt warm on her skin. The old maid explained that it would protect her in the outside world. The old maid summoned her husband who drew an old coach. It was not fancy or pretty like the ones amalia had ridden in before, but the coushins were red and soft and she fell asleep to the easy rocking of the coach. The old man looked in on her once and told her they would ride for another day before he would have to turn back. He had a kind face and soothing voice and amallia liked him, though she shied away from him when he tried to comfort her. She did not know where they were going or where they would be in a day but she was already happy to be going away from the castle.
Part 1
There is something magical about little girls. They are capable of anything and each is a princess in their own mind. Each is a beautiful flower of potential and if nurtured and loved grows into a beautiful and loving woman. When they are little they are so fragile and must be treated with care lest they break, and once broken they never go back together in quite the same way.
This story is about one particular little girl who was broken very badly. It is an old story and there are many versions of it but they are all agree on the main points.
The little girls name was Amalia and she was a princess. Her father was a King and her mother a Queen. She was tought to be polite and to have poise and grace and to always, always invite guests to stay for tea.
One day her fathers brother Estayer came to stay with them. He was tall and skinny and his nose hooked a bit like the beak of a bird. He smiled a great deal and was always looking around. Often his eyes rested on Amalia and she knew that this was because she was very pretty and she smiled. Uncle Estayer would chat with her sometimes about her studies and about things around the castle. Sometimes they would chat about her parents. Uncle Estayer had a great many questions about her parents. He was family, her fathers brother in fact, so she answered them and was always polite. For Amalias birthday uncle Estayer got her a little dog. It was white all over and had long soft hair and she loved it. She ran to her uncle Estayer and gave him a big hug, he held her tight and then tighter and then too tight and she cried out. He let her go and smiled and told her to go enjoy her new pet. She was upset that he had squeezed her too tight but she soon forgot as she was trying to think of a name for her new puppy.
She named her puppy belle and she loved it and played with it for 7 days. On the 7th night something scarry slithered into Amalia's room, something long and hungry. It slithered up over her bed and smelling a tasty treat it struck. The violent movement frightend Amalia and she awoke screaming, she ran to her parents bedroom in tears not knowing what had happend only that her room had been invaded by a living shadow. Her father investigated and she was not allowed to go back into her room. He later told her that a snake had come in through her window and it had eaten her puppy. she was heartbroken. Her father had the vines on the castle wall cut down and had her window locked at night. Estayer told her that he had put a spell on her room to keep the snakes out. She thanked him and the next day he gave her a bunny for a new pet. She was very happy but this time she did not hug him remembering his tight grip. She played with the bunny for 7 days and on the 7th night something small crept into her room something black and fuzzy with many little eyes. It sought out her bunny and with tiny fangs it bit deep and left poison and death so that in the morning the bunny was just a cold sad corpse. Amalia looked into its dead eyes and she cried. As she was watching the huge spider crawled out of the cage and ran towards her. Amallia ran to her father and he came in and chased the spider away. Estayer once again warded her room this time against spiders. Then he gave her a kitten. Amalia was very pleased to have a kitten, so much so that she nearly forgot about her other less fortunate pets. She played with her kitten for 7 days and on the 7th night there was a great ball.
Amalia loved balls and she was always allowed to stay up past her bedtime. She got dressed up very prettily and even got a red ribbon for her new kitten. The ball was wonderful and the garden had been lit up with lanterns and candles and there were jesters and noble ladies and knights. Everyone told Amalia how lovely she looked and how cute her new kitten was. She was very pleased by this and was having such a marvelous time that she did not notice her parents had left the garden. She saw a falling star and followe it with her eyes to just the other side of the hill. She had been to the other side of the hill many times in the day and so she decided to go and get the fallen star. She was certian that it would be very pretty and that she could have it made into something she could wear. Once she got on the other side of the hill it was very hard to see. None of the lights from the garden shined this far and there was no moon out. She walked around very carefully looking for the star but she could not find it. Suddenly her kitten hissed into the darkness. Amalia looked but she could only see a large blackness. She squinted her eyes and she could see two yellow eyes staring back at her. Suddenly Amalia was knocked over and a large beast was on top of her. She heard her kitten mew once and then the beast was gone. She got up and ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to the garden. She could not see her parents but she just ran towards the light. Estayer came out of nowhere and enveloped her in his cloak. He held out his hand and it glowed with an orange fire.
"Back beast!" Amalia looked behind her and there the black wolf holding her kitten in its mouth seemed to be held at bay by her uncles hand. It turned and disapeared into the black. Amallia sobbed into Estayers robes, she wanted nothing more than to be held by her mother and comforted. "Amalia, you must be careful, you know what things live in the darkness, I can protect you from them but you must avoid the shadows, not seek them out." Estayer took her back to her mother and she was held and comforted and held untill she fell asleep. For the next 7 nights Amalia had troubble sleeping. She watched the dark corners of her room, she had a lantern brought in but that only caused her to fear the places the light did not reach. On the 7th day after the ball Amalias parents told her they would be staying at the house in the country and that she should behave and that if she neededanything she should go to Estayer, that he would protect her while they were gone. Amalia promissed to be good.
Estayer was especially nice to her that day and gave her treats and even told her a story about a princess who meets a king in disguise and becasue she is nice to him he marrys her and they are happy forever. Estayer gave her a glass of warm milk and sent her off to bed. That night she ha a servant bring in a lantern. That night she fell asleep easily. Amalia woke in the night and looked around her room. The lantern was burning low but she knew that something had woken her. Then she saw them. All across the floor bugs crawled, big bugs, little ones, some with wings flew up on to the bed and buzzed there daring her to even move. There were long ones and fat ones, ones with pincers and ones with a million legs. She screamed and ran, she ran down the hall to where Estayer slept. She rushed into his room. Estayer was up sitting at his desk looking at an ancient tome. He stood up and walked over to her, he asked her what the problem was and she told him about the bugs. He took her hand and walked her back to her room, she was very frightened but he was holding her hand very tightly. Estayer opened the door and the buggs came towards it, some crawling some jumping and some even flying. Estayer held out his hand and it glowed orange again. The bugs recoiled and fled from it. Estayer said a mystic word and the glow intensified clearing the entire room of bugs, they went out the window and the door and cracks in the walls. "I can keep you safe from everything Amalia, you dont have to worry when I am here" She thanked him, but she was still so afraid and she asked him if he would stay so that they would not come back. "Of cource Amalia, I can stay the night with you." Amalia got back into bed and Estayer lay down with her, he even got under the covers with her. Amalia was begining to drift to sleep again when Estayer began to press her up to his body. Amallia tried to move his arms but he just held her tighter. Amalia remembered his too-tight hug and she was scared. She asked him to let go. "But Amalia, I have saved you, and you have invited me to stay the night, just like in the stories. If we are to be married I would know you." Then he hurt her. He hurt her in ways that no little girl should be hurt. He did terrible things to her and she cried and sobbed untill her throat closed up and her eyes dried out.
In the morning Estayer was gone. Amalia was hurt and sick. She could not get out of bed. she just lay there and stared at the ceiling for a very long time. One of the servants came looking for her and found her in this state. She asked Amalia if she was sick and if she was hungry. Amalia could only look at her with her pleading eyes. She did not know what to do. The servant left and brought back food. After Amalia had eaten Estayer came to visit her. When he came in she threw her cup at him and then her spoon and then anything she could find. She tried to scream but her throat would only make a raspy sick sound. "Amalia, that is no way for a princess to behave, now I have saved you from the snakes and from the spiders and from the wolves and from the bugs. You wouldnt want them to come back now would you?" Amalia paused frightened. She did not want these things to come back. She remained silent. "Good, now this is my little friend" A big hairy spider crawled out of his sleve, it could have been the same spider she had seen the morning her bunny died. "He will watch you for me and if you are not a good girl then he will tell me" Estayer placed the spider on the wall and it crept up to the ceiling. where it found a corner and stayed.
Amalia left her room and stayed in one of the sitting rooms for most of the day, she told the servants she was sick and had them bring her treat and hot soup. That night she did not sleep. she stayed up with a lantern burning and stared at the spider. she thought about piling things in front of the door but when she started to do it the spider moved and came towards her. In the morning Amalia left her room and found a hiding spot. She took a blanket with her and there she slept. When she awoke she found a sevant and asked where her parents were and when they would return. They did not know. That night Estayer came to her room. "Amalia, your parents will not be back for a few days, you are to listen to me untill then. Now tonight I will keep you safe and I will sleep here in your room" Amalia said no and she tried to kick and bite him but he hurt her again and she tried not to think of it and instead rememberd her favorite story about a princess who is locked up for a very long time untill she can be rescued. She only wanted to be rescued.
In the morning Estayer was gone again. Amalia could not move very well, she knew that she was hurt badly and should see a doctor but she did not know where to find one. He parents always took care of her and they were not here. One of the servants came looking for her again. She had not cried as much this time and she was able to use her small voice. all she said was "Help" the servant looked her over and noticed that she was hurt. The servant wanted her to stay in bed but Amalia did not want to be in bed, not in her bed, ever again. The servant took her to her own chambers and then left to go get someone. She returned with an old maid. The old maid said comforting things and stroked Amalias hair. She undressed Amalia and looked over her wounds and talked in hushed tones with the other servant. Amalia did not understand everything that was said but she did hear them say how Estayer had bad magic and that her parents would do what he told them. This made her very sad and very afraid. The old maid explained that Amalia would have to go away. Amalia did not want to go away but she knew deep inside herself that there was no other way for her to be safe. She nodded and the old maid took her own necklace off andput it around Amalias neck. It was not very pretty, it had a copper chain and a plain green rock on it. No part of it sparkeld but the rock was smooth like glass and it felt warm on her skin. The old maid explained that it would protect her in the outside world. The old maid summoned her husband who drew an old coach. It was not fancy or pretty like the ones amalia had ridden in before, but the coushins were red and soft and she fell asleep to the easy rocking of the coach. The old man looked in on her once and told her they would ride for another day before he would have to turn back. He had a kind face and soothing voice and amallia liked him, though she shied away from him when he tried to comfort her. She did not know where they were going or where they would be in a day but she was already happy to be going away from the castle.