A little girl sits on her balcony. Her elbows rest on the railing and act as the pillow for her head as she gazes over the city below her.
From the tallest tower in the castle, that sits proudly in the center of the valley, she can see the expanse of the neighborhoods and markets.
She squints to see the bustling port and the busy docks as sailors prepare to set sail into the setting sun. The sky is painted in deep pinks and oranges, That fade into purples the higher she looks up.
The world is swathed in the suns paint palette and as she watches it retreat beneath the horizon, she misses already the beautiful colors it brings.
The moon fights its way into the sky and brings with it an army of stars. Quickly they cloak the city in darkness and the shops and homes flicker alive with light.
Soon there is a constellation of bright windows below to match the ones above. The little girl wishes she could visit one of those little windows, one of those shops. She hopes so badly to buy bread from the baker or herd children inside for dinner.
Most of all she wished for a friend. She wished for someone who did not know her at all, who she was meant to be or where she was born.
Soon the little girls maid is calling for her inside, but she steals herself only a moment more.
She thinks about how the night and the day must hate each other, stuck in a constant battle. One bold and blazing and wonderfully bright. Another sneaky and dangerously beautiful.
The little girl clutches the railing and stares at the horizon and the fleeing colors of the setting sun. She does not want to be the night or day, she would like to be the sunset, a beautiful middle ground.
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Us of chosen fates
FantasyIn this repunzel-esk retelling, Amaria is the eldest daughter of a powerful king and queen. Sheltered in the palace walls her future seems out of control. But when a stranger visits her she has a chance to escape her chosen fate but at a price. Will...
