BURN

Skipping happily over a world stained grey with ash, the no-longer-forgotten princess hummed a familiar tune.

"We burn'd the garden of roses,"

The doors of the ancient castle have fallen to the Revolution, the blood of my ex-captors covering the marble floor as my people fight for our home.

"Hail! The Queen of Corpses,"

I know not to look at the dead as I roam the empty halls, ignoring the memory of a centuries-dead childhood.

"Cheer! The Night of th' Empire!"

I waste no energy thinking of the dead courtiers, burning their corpses just as they did my family. I have no mercy left for these vile people, the people whose kindness is as see-through as the cleanest diamondglass.

"Ash and snow collide..."

"Show th' old chain-holders the pyres as we build."

I ignore the pain in my side, raising my glass with a bright smile and celebrating alongside my soldiers. My armour is scratched, old black iron perfectly hiding the rag that hides the deep stab wound in my abdomen.

"They all fell down..."

Hopefully they don't find my body 'til the morning. I don't want to be saved, to be seen as the princess that let her kingdom be held captive for three centuries.

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Started: March 2022
Last updated: February 2nd, 2024