There was once a princess, beautiful as a sunrise, with golden hair, and eyes blue as the summer sky. Her life was planned for her, since the day of her birth, to the day she would die. She was to marry a prince, and bear him children, and endure whatever her husband would see fit to do. So she was prepared by countless nannys and teachers. Rarely has she seen her parents. Thus time passed, and the girl grew more and more beautiful with each day. The older she became the more she yearned to see the world, as others do, often would she don a serving girls garments, and snuck out to the city. On one of her escapades, she found herself in a part of the city she has never been to before. She walked throught the streets, trying to find anything, that could help her find her way back, but to no avail. She walked and she walked util sun started to set, and shadows filled the many alleys. She started to panic, almost running, she clashed with someone.
- Watch where yer goin'! - She heard, as she murmured her apologies, trying to get out of the man's way. Catching a glimpse of her face, he smiled a crooked smile and grabed her arm. - Ye better apologise and proper! - He said, lifting her chin up with the other hand. Terrified, the princess yanked her arm out of his grip, and backed away, only to be stopped by a wall. The man laughed unpleasanty as he approached her slowly. The look on his face told her to run, but she was frozen in place with fear. This was the very thing she was warned about, noone knew she was here, if this man saw fit to slaughter here here and now, she would die alone, and noone would be to blame but her. Tears filled her eyes, so she closed them. She didn't want that man to see her crying. Braving herself for whatever was to come, she pressed her back against the wall and bit her lower lip.
- What do you think you're doing? - A calm voice spoke form her left. Her eyes flung open and she saw a knight, clad in silver armor, leading his horse behing him. Her eyes drifted to the man, she clashed with. His face, a mask of anger, he spit on the ground beside him and walked away, mumbling under his breath. The princess, unable to believe her luck, was left speechless, until the knight turned to her.
- Are you okay? - He asked her, smiling softly as he did. She noded.
- You shouldn't be here alone, and after dawn at that. Allow me to take you home. - He offered, so she noded again, still in shock. He helped her get on his horse, took the reins and led her to safety. When he asked her where she lives, she said only to leave her around the inn, she knew was the closest to the palace. Once there, he helped her off the horse, kissed the top of her hand and turned to leave, when she stoped him.
- Thank you – She whispered, as she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, she then run off to the alley behind the inn. From there she watched him, as he disapeared in the crowd, before going back to the palace.
From this day onwards, every minute she spent in the town, she spent with him. Then one day, she was informed by her father, of her upcoming engagement to a prince of an allied coutry. Felt like she's been stabbed in the heart, she ran to her room, donned her disguise once more and fled to the city, to the man she fell for. Instantly he knew, something wasn't right with her. He took her away from people and asked what's been bothering her so. Sobbing, she told him of who she was and how she was sneaking out of the castle, assuring him, that her feeling for him were true. At the end she told him how she was to marry another, against her will. The knight, then kneeled before her, and asked for her hand in marriage. He promised to take her away, where her father would never find them. He couldn't promise her quite the riches she had now, she only shaked her head and fell ito his arms, happily accepting. But before they could dissapear, she had one more thing to do in the palace. Thus they went back in the city, he left her in the usual place, where she bade him wait for her, and alone snuk back in to the palace. Once inside, she went for her room, but was found by her father, furious he grabed her arm and shook her.
- What is this?! Look at you, how am I supposed to present you like this?! Go change immediatly, your future husband is here! Do not embarass me, girl! - He yelled, shoving her in the direction of her room. She quickly ran inside and closed the door. She then took a parchment and a quill, and started writing a letter, not wanting to leave without saying goodbye to her teachers and mother. She then changed in a silvery dress, put a ragged coat on top of it and made her way out of the castle. Not more than few meter away from freedom, she was stopped by a man he had never seen before. Handsome in his own way, he could be described as a gentleman, was it not for his eyes, for in them she saw cruelty. She quickly bowed and prayed to be taken for one of the servants. The man passed her without so much as a word. Oh, how relieved she was, not for long however, as she heard her father approching, loudly greeting the one she just passed, as none other but the prince, her would be husband. As he complained about the servants, she knew she made a mistake. She turned to face the two men and saw fury in her father's eyes. In an instant he was by her side, she looked up at him, expecting a reprimand, but instead he smacked her face with his open hand. Shocked, the princess lifted her eyes, brimmig with tears, to see her the man she was to marry, smirking at her. She felt nothing but hate towards him, for the first time she was beyond angry. She stood up tall, looked the man straight in the eyes and proclaimed.
- You came to claim me as your own, it's a shame I belong to another. - and so she was imprisoned. Accused of treason, tainting her family name, and obscenities, all of that was her father's doing. She had but one worry, her love could not show his face in the castle, for he would be executed on sight. As she awaited her trial, imprisoned in the castle tower, she had one servant girl bring her meals. She begged her to deliver a note to a particular inn in town. The girl felt sorry for the princess, so she listened. Thus the knight, who heard of the princesses trial, received a letter from his loved one. He left a response, but it was never picked up.
On the day of her trial, she wore the same dress, she tried to escape in. She braced herself, as she was about to leave the palace, and walk through the city, to the council hall. She knew what will happen, she heard the stories the cityfolk told about her. She knew there would be guards, watching over the crowd, but they wouldn't protect her from whatever the folk would bring to throw at her. The bigger was her surprise, when someone from the crowd came out to serve as her protector. A knight, clad in a silver armour and a red cape. Although he wore a helmet, she knew who he was. With a heavy heart, she let him raise his shield and his cape to offer cover from all kinds of vegetables flying towards them. She held her dresses' skirt with one hand, the other she placed on his arm, holding the shield, as little comfort as it offered. Thus they arrived at the council hall, where she was to be convicted.
When they entered, and the trial begun, he stood beside her. She feared the worst, and she was right to do so. As the judge read her accusations, the knight stepped out, took of his helmet and proclaimed her innocent, and offered to defend her in a trial by combat. The king had a different view of things, however. Instead of allowing a trial, he had him executed then and there, and forcced his daughter to watch her love be butchered. She screamed, begging him to stop this madness, but he wouldn't listen. He had guards hold her in place, while the knight was beheaded. He then had her dragged from the hall to the city gates, behind a horse. There she was banished, never to return. Broken and battered, she cast curses on her parents and their country, before disapearing in the woods.
There she found and abandoned house, and decided to make it her own. At first she thought about taking her own life, but she couldn't force herself to throw away what her knight gave his life to save. Heartbroken she lived in the woods, learning to be on her own. Born and raised in a palace, she knew nothing of finding food, let alone hunting. She observed the animals, and ate the same fruits they ate. She lost a lot of weight, her hair lost most of it's shine, her former beauty faded day by day. The only thing unchanged, were her eyes, blue as a summer sky. That, and her kind heart, were the instruments of her salvation, for she would surely die, alone in the woods.
One day, as she was looking for food, she found a man, badly wounded by bandits, and left to die. Not sparing as much as a thought, she came to his aid, as this was one of the things she was taught in the palace. She tore her dress and cleaned the imrovised bandages in the nearby stream, she then cleaned and dressed his wounds. Staying watch over him, she hasn't slept the whole night. At dusk, he finaly came to his senses. Seeing her, skin and bones, a shadow of a woman she used to be, he offered to repay her kindness, and so she left the house in the woods, and went with the man, whose life she saved. He was a lumberjack, sturdy and hard, but kind. She stayed with him, and later became his wife, bearing him three children. Thus she lived to the end of her days, never have she forgot the one she lost.
Lisiane took a long sip of honeyed tea, as she finished speaking. Long silence filled the room, as expected. Finally one of the listeners asked, where did she knew the story from.
- Oh, I've heard it one day, as I got lost. - She responded, a light smile on her lips. She then finished her tea, and put her purple hat on. Bidding everyone goodnigh, she left into the night.
