Her Gilded Cage

~ Prologue ~

Once upon a time, there were two neighboring kingdoms.

One was steadfast and sure, harboring a bright future secured by many noble heirs. The second suffered, a shroud of darkness veiling their once promising reign with uncertainty. Distraught was the country that lost their only beloved heir to the disdainful acts of humanity.

It was a dark and fateful night when the Princess' life was taken early by evil's agenda. The King and Queen of Myra held up a faithful and steady façade, but in secret they grieved, desperate and panicked. Aged as they were, there would be little chance of providing another heir.

However, only months after she died, new life entered the neighboring kingdom, Solren. A beautiful girl was brought into the world, and soon after, baby boy. A prince and a princess, both fair skinned and light haired.

The tale is known that on that night, soon after her birth, the little princess vanished like a wisp of smoke. There, living, breathing, and crying one second, then gone the next. No one knows where she could have gone. Wild, controversial stories began to circulate amongst townspeople.

It seemed everyone had a theory, but no one had an answer.

Time passed, and people forgot about the lost princess. Most assumed her dead. Life moved on to the next greatest, most exciting thing, until she lived only in the hearts of Solren's royal family, who had never stopped searching.

It was a joyous time of celebration when the King and Queen of Myra announced the birth of the 'miracle child', as they called her. It seemed that they had managed at last to stabilize their kingdom's shifting foundation.

The kingdom and all of its neighboring allies rejoiced in their fortune. The mother and father loved their daughter dearly, and swore to keep her protected from the cruel world. The Myrian people understood that they would never see the princess whom they loved, lest the same tragic fate befall her. So, she grew up isolated from the world, locked away in her castle, set apart from everyone else. You would think that a princess in a castle could have everything she'd ever want, but after all, a gilded cage is still a cage.

The little bird yearned to stretch her wings...