The Broken Silent Princess

The Ghost Princess

Allora's P.O.V
In a far way kingdom named, Mador, there lived two princesses. One was beautiful beyond compare. The other one was "pretty" in the general sense. Can you guess which one I am? If you guessed that i was the beautiful one, you would be wrong. I am the "pretty" one. The beautiful one is my older sister, Melalia.

Melalia is as vain as she is gorgeous. She was just as cruel. Melalia knew no one could rival her in beauty, and she used that to her advantage. She would constantly remind that I wasn't as pretty as her. Usually in a humiliating and painful way.

It started when I was ten years of age. Melalia was thirteen, and already as cruel as can be. I could never figure out why my sister hated me so. I have never done anything wrong to her. Melalia's behavior left me baffled and insecure. What if it was because I have annoyed her in some way? Maybe it was because she didn't want me as a younger sibling? But why? What was wrong with me?

One day, when I was playing with a squire name John. Unfortunately for me, Melalia fancied John at the time. Not that I knew. How was I to know? Anyway, when John left to finish his chores Melalia appeared. Almost as if she was watching us. She told me that she wanted to show me something. Like the eager and willing sister I was, I followed her.
She led me to the forest near the training grounds. We didn't travel too deep into the forest. Just deep enough that should you scream no one would immediately hear you. Especially with the clanking of the swords and the neighing of the horses.

Melalia led me through the forest silently. Curious, though I was, I didn't ask where we were going. It was the first time since I could remember that Melalia actually initiated contact with me, and i didn't want to ruin it. We stopped in a small clearing. I look around and noticed a pit. It was she wanted to show me, apparently. At the time it didn't strike me as strange that my sister, whom never went anywhere dirty, wanted to show me a hole in the ground.

As i moved closer to look inside, I suddenly found myself falling. I splashed in the water that was in the pit from last night's showers. The pit was shallow, yet deep enough that I couldn't get out on my own. It didn't help that the walls were too soft for me to get a good grip. Also, I landed wrong and injured my ankle.

I cried out for my sister's help. Begging her to get me out, but she just smirked. A chill ran down my spine at the cold look in her eyes. She just turned and left me. I can still remember the cruel sound of her laughter as she left me there cold, wet, and hurt. Not just my ankle was hurt, but so was my heart.

I begged for her to return and help me. But no matter how loud I cried and screamed, she never came back. It was in that moment that I realized that my sister truly hated. It wasn't just disdain, she truly hated me with every fiber of her being.

I was stuck in that cursed pit for hours. By the time Father's guards found me it was well after midnight. I was cold, and had lost my voice from crying and screaming for help. I don't know when I fell unconscious, but I opened my eyes to the sound of my name being called. With the little strength I had left, I made as much noise as I could by slapping my hands on the surface of water.

I was bedridden for eight days after that incident. The first few days, I couldn't stay warm, or stop shaking. My parents were worried that I wouldn't survive. Mother and Father would ask what happened, but Melalia was always present. Staring at me with hard, cold eyes. I was too afraid to say anything. Not that I could even if I wanted to. My throat was slightly damaged . Now that the years have passed, I often wondered if Melalia had dug that pit herself; or if she was just lucky.

When I was finally allowed to leave my bed, I thought that the resentment, or whatever it was my sister felt for me, had past. But I was wrong. Turns out that the pit was just the beginning. Melalia's cruel antics escalated in severity. I wouldn't tell my parents about it though. Eventually, I lost the use of my voice completely.

Mother worried that there was something wrong with my throat, so she called for the royal doctor. But the doctor said that I was perfectly healthy. As he put my throat was fine, but I had "locked away my words."

It took me months of dealing with my sister's "surprises" before I finally figured out that the problem lies with my face. For some reason, my face seemed to provoke Melalia into being hostile. So I tried to hide it. I wore a veil until my hair was long enough to hide behind. After a while and a few bruises, Melalia's antics stopped. I was relieved and grateful that I could finally breathe freely. That was until I became the focus of my parents' attentions once more.

My mother, Queen Auroris , was a beautiful and kind queen, and a worrywart. It was one of the reasons she made such a great queen. Her compassion for others and her children. More than once she tried to coax me into speaking or revealing my face. I always refused. She couldn't see it, but this was the only way to pacify my sister.

My Father, King Florian, was fair king and loving father. He was saddened by my misery, and therefore my mother's sadness. He tried a different method. He tried bribery. The first gift was a small black kitten that had white paws. When that didn't work, he tried using a chocolate gelding. It didn't make a difference.

Unfortunately, Melalia grew jealous of the attention I was receiving. Her harsh antics and cruel names returned once again with a vengeance. I learned that it was best not to draw attention to myself. So, I became secluded from my family and the kingdom. For years, I avoided going out except when absolutely necessary.

I refused to go to balls. The only time I see my family now was at mealtimes. And even then, I sometimes skip. I've become quite skilled in making myself invisible. I can move throughout the castle unseen, unless I want to be. I rarely leave the castle grounds, so those in the village no longer remember what I look like. Rumors about my silence and seclusion spread about the kingdom and beyond. I became known as "The Ghost Princess."