When I was born, I remember first experiencing light. Oh, how it filled my tiny heart with joy. The glowing radiance and warmth, so perfect, no words were needed to describe it. That was the first thing I remember. The second was the shrieks and the gasps. "She is one!" someone shouted. I heard a thud, which I know now meant that someone had fainted. The third thing I remember was all the doctors crowding in, their shocked eyes and flushed faces, almost blocking the light I learned to love. And the fourth thing I remember, and the worst thing I ever will, was the doctor right in the middle pulling out a piece of gauze, wrapping it around my eyes, and taking the light away from me. So is the existence of a Painful Beauty. Most of us don't live past twelve, usually hit by a car, falling into a pit, or being mugged and murdered by those who were jealous they did not possess beauty as well. When I lived past my teen years, that's when they put the handicaps on me. Those were even more torturous, but I must admit they make me feel stronger. I'd love to know how powerful I am now without them, but no....I'm forbidden to ever remove them. My life is a literal hell. People are always saying to me "Oh, you're SO lucky!" "Oh, you're so PRETTY!". Do I care? Partially. I am grateful to be a Beauty, but I've never even seen myself. I've been described to myself, but I could've been lied to. It's hard to trust people in general, even harder when you're a Beauty. But this isn't about my sob story, it's about my shot at power.
I gently trudged through the mountains, which I could recognize by the sloping ground, and boulders that I brushed my foot on to check for blocks in the road. The trail seemed smooth enough, with some loose stones scattered across the path. I could hear owls and wolves in the distance, so I assumed that it should be night. Did I know where I was going? No. I thought that I could possibly raise a small forest nation, and then expand from there, but I did not have a solid plan. However, as I was continuing my seemingly never-ending journey, I felt vibration in the ground. I paused, analyzing the disturbance. It was quite large, which meant it was either very big, or a huge group of smaller things. I then observed that it was scattered, which meant it must've been the latter. The group was large, but not huge, so it was made up of things about my size. After debating the options further, I concluded that it must be a group of people, and my theory was confirmed when moments later I heard the surprised gasps and murmuring of fellow humans. Yet, even if we were the same species, we couldn't have been more different. Everybody knows that Beauties are at the top of any hierarchy, above generals, presidents, kings, and the few celebrities who hadn't been Beauties themselves. Anyway, I turned my head in the direction of the voices.
"Well, I'm sure you know what I am. Why not ask your questions already? Trust me, I've heard them all and I have all the answers prepared: 'Are you magical?' Ever so slightly. 'Are there secrets among you?' Obviously. We-"
"Miss......" I heard an older woman's voice croak, cutting me off. "I'm ever so sorry to cut you off but.....we all just wish to look at you. You are the most gorgeous thing we've ever seen....".
I closed my mouth. Surely, I could make this woman's year, probably even her lifetime. I gently turned in the direction of her voice and gave my most sincere smile. I heard gasps, tears of joy, some even started singing to proclaim their unending jubilee that they had witnessed a Beauty that day. I even heard thumps as if people fainted, which I had no doubt had happened. I took a few steps forward, balancing myself ever so precisely as I approached these people. For, while giving them the gift of gazing upon me, I had come up with a perfect idea.
"Thank you all, I am truly flattered by your kindness to me. In exchange, perhaps I have something to offer you. but first, I must ask a question, perhaps two. May I speak to your head officer, or leader?" I requested. I heard murmurs and hushed conversation, and finally silence. A man's voice spoke up.
"We.....do not have one," he admitted. "We are leaderless, our ruler was a Beauty, a Frightening one, but she was......" he trailed off. There was no need for explanation. The whole world knew what had happened.
"I see. I understand in the fullest, and I empathize with your pain. I was going to offer to you my services as your....ruler. I could help you, guide you, assist you. Bring you joy, teach you what I know. What do you say?". More silence. Empty space.
"We would be honored, to have you rule us," a woman's voice, young, said. "But why would a great power like you wish to rule over such an insignificant, wandering people like us?" I smiled, listening to the sounds of the area around me.
"I've been feeling quite charitable lately. What can I say? Just a Beauty's good heart," I delicately answered. "Now, my legs are weary from travel, do you have a horse or mule to carry me?"
"We do. We wish we could offer you a car or truck, but all of ours were destroyed in the.....The Event," the old woman apologized, as I felt strong arms lift me onto the warm, furry back of a horse. I did not blame her for not witnessing The Event by it's true name, but nobody wished to give that horrible atrocity any more attention than it deserved. Stepping aside from that, we rode for several hours as the people suggested various locations to set up my new empire. I judged which locations were acceptable, ideal, silly, or downright terrible, and as we rode farther, I felt the animal I was perched upon start to struggle, as if the ground was too soft or broken.
"Are we.....in a desert?" I inquired. I got a "yes" from the voice of a young boy. The townspeople told me the story of the oasis they returned to every season. I traced my chin thoughtfully, considering the fact that this society had just casually dropped, and imagined a solitary town, with homes made of strong wood and stone, circled around an abundant pool of water. The perfect place to train, work, and run my soon to grow empire. I stopped the procession with a wave of my hand, and slid off the animal, which I figured out was a horse, and carefully traveled the space. After an hour, I had made my final decision. This space would become the grand capital of my empire.
