October Story Month #21
Title: A Fairy Tale You've Heard Before
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 626
Story Arc: Unusual Florida
Summary: Once upon a time there lived a princess.
Note: Crossposted to Dreamwidth.
Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a lavish palace by the sea. Her room was in the topmost turret with windows that looked in all directions. To the east were the green, rolling hills of the farmland that fed her and her people. To the south were the thick forests, trees swaying gently in the warm breeze. In the north were the wastelands, with strange creatures and a cold wind. All the views were beautiful in their own way, but the princess's favorite view was the western window, the one that faced the turquoise sea. She spent hours gazing out this window, at the gently crashing waves and the beautiful mermaids who lived near the beach and made necklaces out of seashells.
The princess had a good life. She had everything she desired: friends, a family who loved her, the best toys and gowns. The princess wanted for nothing.
Then it was all taken away from her.
A monster came out of the north; not one that roared and smashed and left everything in ruin behind it. Had it been that kind of monster, her parents' valiant knights could have defeated it. No, this monster was the size of a man, quiet and sneaky. It was not indiscriminate in its destruction, but set its sights on one single goal: the palace.
The monster attacked and destroyed the palace, and in the ensuing confusion the princess was separated from her family. She ran blindly, terrified, not knowing what to do. It seemed everyone had abandoned her. In the smoke and the ash of her burning life, though, she came across a familiar face.
"Father!" she cried, running to him and burying her face in the familiar solidity of his body. But her father didn't respond. He was frozen, turned into a statue by the monster's evil magic, and all she held on to was stone. Backing away in horror, she found her older sister, who was as unmoving as their father, though not because she had been turned to stone. She was only standing, staring in horror at the wreckage of what used to be the palace. The little princess cried her sister's name and tugged on her clothes, looking for any comfort, but comfort was not to be found there. Her sister was too lost in her own shock and grief.
Next the little princess found her older brother, the prince. Like their sister, he stood shocked, but when the princess went to him, he shrugged her off angrily. "This is your fault!" he yelled at her.
The little princess started to cry, for she could think of nothing she had done wrong that would bring the horrible monster to their land. But her brother was relentless, pushing her away, blame flowing out of his mouth like flames, scorching her beyond recognition. Terrified, she ran away from the screaming thing that had taken over her brother.
Of her mother, she could find no sign.
The little princess ran and ran, so far and so fast that she forgot how to get back to her old home, forgot about her wondrous life that had been so harshly taken from her. Her father remained stone, her sister remained silent, and her brother remained angry. The little princess's memories faded so that the horrors of the day only haunted the nightmares that she didn't fully remember in the light of the sun. But there was always a hole in her heart that she couldn't quite identify, a yearning for a life that she barely remembered, even as she settled into a new and happy life.
There were still her dreams, and when she woke up every day, she wondered why she felt so homesick.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 626
Story Arc: Unusual Florida
Summary: Once upon a time there lived a princess.
Note: Crossposted to Dreamwidth.
Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a lavish palace by the sea. Her room was in the topmost turret with windows that looked in all directions. To the east were the green, rolling hills of the farmland that fed her and her people. To the south were the thick forests, trees swaying gently in the warm breeze. In the north were the wastelands, with strange creatures and a cold wind. All the views were beautiful in their own way, but the princess's favorite view was the western window, the one that faced the turquoise sea. She spent hours gazing out this window, at the gently crashing waves and the beautiful mermaids who lived near the beach and made necklaces out of seashells.
The princess had a good life. She had everything she desired: friends, a family who loved her, the best toys and gowns. The princess wanted for nothing.
Then it was all taken away from her.
A monster came out of the north; not one that roared and smashed and left everything in ruin behind it. Had it been that kind of monster, her parents' valiant knights could have defeated it. No, this monster was the size of a man, quiet and sneaky. It was not indiscriminate in its destruction, but set its sights on one single goal: the palace.
The monster attacked and destroyed the palace, and in the ensuing confusion the princess was separated from her family. She ran blindly, terrified, not knowing what to do. It seemed everyone had abandoned her. In the smoke and the ash of her burning life, though, she came across a familiar face.
"Father!" she cried, running to him and burying her face in the familiar solidity of his body. But her father didn't respond. He was frozen, turned into a statue by the monster's evil magic, and all she held on to was stone. Backing away in horror, she found her older sister, who was as unmoving as their father, though not because she had been turned to stone. She was only standing, staring in horror at the wreckage of what used to be the palace. The little princess cried her sister's name and tugged on her clothes, looking for any comfort, but comfort was not to be found there. Her sister was too lost in her own shock and grief.
Next the little princess found her older brother, the prince. Like their sister, he stood shocked, but when the princess went to him, he shrugged her off angrily. "This is your fault!" he yelled at her.
The little princess started to cry, for she could think of nothing she had done wrong that would bring the horrible monster to their land. But her brother was relentless, pushing her away, blame flowing out of his mouth like flames, scorching her beyond recognition. Terrified, she ran away from the screaming thing that had taken over her brother.
Of her mother, she could find no sign.
The little princess ran and ran, so far and so fast that she forgot how to get back to her old home, forgot about her wondrous life that had been so harshly taken from her. Her father remained stone, her sister remained silent, and her brother remained angry. The little princess's memories faded so that the horrors of the day only haunted the nightmares that she didn't fully remember in the light of the sun. But there was always a hole in her heart that she couldn't quite identify, a yearning for a life that she barely remembered, even as she settled into a new and happy life.
There were still her dreams, and when she woke up every day, she wondered why she felt so homesick.