Alive || 86: Eighty-Six [ vers. ENG ]

the princess and the fairy

Once upon a time, there was a faraway kingdom where war had been raging for a hundred years. In this kingdom, the royal family was the strangest. Everyone around knew there were three of them. The king, the queen and the princess. Yet the king was unable to feel his daughter's presence.

Every day, the princess felt an immense sadness. Every day she prayed for the curse to be broken. But because she was so kind, she never complained to anyone. Not even the queen, who loved her more than anything else in the world. So as not to make her sad, she preferred to pretend she was happy and cry in secret.

On her eighth birthday, the whole kingdom got together to celebrate this wonderful day, except for the king. Like every year since she was born, he didn't understand why they should be celebrating a birthday, let alone for whom. And this year again, her father hadn't even left her a present.

That evening, tired of crying in secret, the young girl came to find her father in the throne room. When she entered, she discovered a huge mirror in the centre of the room. Intrigued, she reached out to touch it. When she placed her fingers on it, it began to shine. A voice could be heard on the other side of the mirror. It said to her:

"My poor little princess. Invisible to the king, sadness is your only friend. If you are prepared to accept my conditions, I will tell you how to break the curse."

Shocked by the mirror's words, she replied:

"Mirror, tell me everything! Whatever the price, I'll pay it!"

The mirror laughed.

"Princess. Come and see me every year and I'll give you a chain. The more chains you wear, the more your father will be able to distinguish your existence... In return, you must give me a part of you."

The young girl didn't hesitate for a second.

"I accept!"

The first year, the young girl followed the mirror's advice. She wore a chain around her neck and, as the mirror had predicted, her father began to notice her presence. He was able to see her for ten minutes a week.

In her second year, the gentle princess followed the mirror's advice. She wore a chain on her arm. Her father could see her for an hour a week.

The third year...

Every year, the princess entered her father's office to exchange a piece of her for a chain.

After 10 years, her father was able to distinguish her presence unconditionally. He spent more time with her than with anyone else. He showered her with compliments and gifts. He finally saw her as his rightful successor.

However, there was nothing left of the young girl. From her looks to her personality, the mirror had taken everything from her. All that remained were the ten chains that weighed down her being... Everything else was just a fabrication to please her father.

"Mirror. In exchange for a part of me, you gave me these chains. My father can see me at last. But I wonder: why doesn't my story end with 'and they lived happily ever after?"

The mirror's laughter echoed throughout the room. An image formed on the mirror. It was not the reflection of the young girl, but of what she had been before she met the mirror. A little girl full of life. The sweet girl everyone but the king loved.

"In this world, everything has a price," replied the reflection of herself. "So that the only person who didn't love you would finally look at you, you threw me away, along with all the people who sincerely loved you. Now you'll have to live your life alone under the weight of these chains, which from now on will take the form of this mask."