Cold Blue Freedom
By:L1V3L1fe
The wind whistled through the trees making the leaves whisper with untold secrets. Through the forest a young deer walked, cautious with every step. He gingerly treaded out of the protection of the forest and surveyed his surroundings. The evening sun shot glorious rays of brilliance over the clear expanse of the lake before him, enhancing the curvature of the rippling waves. Suddenly enlightened by his newfound freedom, he bounded down to the water to drink. He gracefully raised his head, water droplets glistening on his nose as he stared purposefully across the lake, taking in the majestic castle perched atop a hill on the far bank. A lengthy minute passed before he turned and ambled back into the trees.
What the deer didn’t see was a girl emerging from the castle. With her heels in one hand and her skirts hiked up, she sprinted barefoot through the tall grass until she reached the bottom of the looming hill. Her breaths came in short gasps and she made no attempt to wipe her tearstained face. She slowed to walk the familiar beaten path that wound its way toward the water, ending in a simple wooden dock stretching into the lake. She walked slowly across the weather beaten boards to the very end. The shoes in her hand thudded as they dropped carelessly to the wood beneath. Eyes closed, she took deep breaths in attempt to calm her thudding heart.
Her usual argument came flooding into head as if on cue.
What is wrong with me? I have everything girls dream about having. I have a father, many servants, wonderful flowing dresses, a magnificent castle to live in, invitations to all the fanciest balls in town, and yet I am more miserable than the lowest class fighting to put food on the table!
The second voice in her head took over, drowning out her conscience.
I’m trapped! That’s why! Day after day, I wake up and am dressed by servants. I eat what has been chosen for me and am told in every detail what my plans are for the day. I go for tea with other ladies of my stature and listen to them make polite meaningless conversation s they complement each other’s hair. I am a puppet on a string and all my actions are planned out to carefully follow the rules of society.
She looked down at the sleeve of the fancy ballroom gown. The blue-green colours swam harmoniously through the fabric. The layers billowed out in the wind and she lifted her face to meet the welcoming gale mixed with the spray of the waves. The water had always been her lifeline. Time after time, she had escaped to the dock to let the water wash her worries away. Her thoughts drifted to the time she had met a childhood friend on the way to market at the age of ten. They had been the best of friends and played every day while her nanny shopped. She would never forget the devastation she felt when her father announced she could not play with a child so much lower on the social ladder. He scoffed at the words “middle class” as if they were a repugnant, disgusting rodent that should be humiliated by its mere existence. She then thought of the time she spent in the library, so hopeful that one day she could study at a school, learning the wonders of the world. Her plans had come to a screeching halt with a single scoff from her father.
Now tonight.
She had spent two gruelling hours dining with a man her father considered “appropriate” and “of adequate stature”. To her he was just another stiff-backed lord who wanted marriage ties to a wealthy family. How could her father expect her to marry such a boring, tedious man! All dinner she watched food disappear under that thick moustache, for certain that something was going to crawl out of it. However, all that came from that direction was his everlasting, slow, and monotonous lecture on politics.
She paced back and forth on the narrow dock; her bare feet soundless on the boards. The sun had dropped partway beneath the trees while gold and pink bands of colour stretched their arms across the sky. Tucked beside the forest on the other side of the water she could see the light of the town. For the last nineteen years of her life, all decisions but one had been made for her. The nights she spent sneaking out of the castle to swim in the lake filled every sense and corner of her thoughts. She had felt freedom every time she slipped into the chilled water and she would feel it again. One by one, she pulled the pins from her hair, letting the long dark waves cascade down her back. She reached behind her and the gown fell around her ankles. She stood completely still in her small turquoise slip with her toes dangling over the last board. She focused her gaze on the town across the water.
What awaited her there?
Hardship?
Love?
... Freedom?
With one last breath, she raised her hands above her head and dove straight into the existence of her dream.
