Cynosure

I Beg of You, Stay

I miss my friend. It's been almost a week since I last saw Eden and I am anxious to talk to someone about it. Lucian is all I can think about these days. I miss our discussions about everything and anything, ranging from small talk about books to heated debates about politics. I miss the wide smile he never fails to give me, the only genuine smile I see. I miss his eyes, full of untamed emotion that he can't seem to hide. I miss his laugh. How it's loud and obnoxious and sometimes too loud that I'm afraid someone will find him in the royal study.

But I miss his understanding nature most of all. He'd understand what I'm feeling right now. About the throne, about Eden, about Mother. He would listen to my words idly and not look at me as if I was out of my mind. He would not look down on me and my thoughts. I would be treated equal.

Each day, I would go to the study and pick out that same book and read over the last letter sent to me. Today was no different.

I pull the end of my dress up ever so slightly so it's not longer dragging on the floor and walk around the room.

I've always loved this place. Walls painted at my childish request to imitate the story of creation. This was before my childlike innocence no longer wavered Mother's heart. When her heart still held love for me.

The creation story always fascinated me. It was a story of temptation. Our creator loved its children but there was one rule no one should disobey: do not be influenced by the darkness of our minds. It's children did not know what this meant. The darkness of our minds? We do not understand they would say.

But soon it's children learned of the darkness within them. Disputes broke out, fights started and eventually a death occurred.

"Tell me. What did you do?"Our creator asked one of its children.

"I caused the death of another"

"Why?" It asked calmly.

"Why? Because he-" it's child started.

"Because you listened to the darkness in your mind. You were selfish. You broke my one rule." Our creator's voice boomed and came in from all directions, which made the man's head pound.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry is not enough. I will take something away from you." It decided. "Your leg perhaps? Maybe your arm. Or eyes."

"No please. I need my legs to support myself and my family. I need my arms to create and guide. I need my eyes to see the faces of my loved ones." The man pleaded, kneeling by his creators feet, forehead touching the ground.

And no matter how large of a wrong it's children committed, our creator would still feel it's heart clench.

"I will take your navel. So that your body will no longer be complete and perfect but still usable. So that you will be able to use your body, but will forever be marked."

And so, the man thanked his creator with a kiss on the foot. His creator reached a hand out and with a swift motion, tugged their hand towards themself, as if ripping it out of the man's body.

The appearance of said mark began to increase as well, until almost all of the people had it, and it was rare to see a child of the creator with a perfect and whole body.

Our creator could no longer stand it. The pain of watching it's children inflict harm against others, using trickery to manipulate, was too much. So our creator went and visited his first child. One of the only children with a full and perfect body.

"You will make this right again. You will rule my children the right and just way, make it so that the darkness of your minds are never reached." The eldest child accepted, and from there formed the royal family.