“Faust, do you think he will ever come back?” Her pale gray glazed eyes stared aimlessly over the water.
I shook my head, “I don’t know, but I fear for the worst.”
Princess Fianna let out a solemn sigh. She turned and held out her hand. “A little more to your left.” I said “There we go.” I took her hand and we began to slowly make our way through the meadow and back to the castle.
“Faust. I’m not giving up hope.” She proclaimed, slowly hobbling along. Her long blonde hair dangling down all the way to her ankles. “Kydell…he’s out there somewhere. I know it.” Princess Fianna could not see. Nevertheless she persisted. She was a kind hearted, yet fierce and stubborn woman.
“Miss Fianna. If Prince Kydell was to return wouldn’t he have done so by now?”
“He will return. I will wait by the Lake of Longing for the rest of my life if I have to.”
“Princess forgive me but, it has already been three years. We go to the lake every day. I just worry about you.” I paused and contemplated if I really wanted to say what came out next. “Don’t spend your life living for something you’re longing for. Live it for something you already have. Your kingdom…your people.”
She fell silent for a moment. In part she knew what I said was a valid point. Still, she fought back tears. “Faust. He is the one person who ever managed to make me see anything other than darkness. He saved me -no- he saved the entire kingdom from my evil sister’s reign of tyranny. Without him…the war would still be raging and I’d still be caged in the cellar.”
“I understand that but you must find a different reason, don’t let your purpose in life be to wait around for him when we don’t even know if he’s alive. You have a duty to your people.”
“Faust!” She screamed, tears filling her eyes. I had seen the princess beaten down and broken many times. But this, was entirely different.
For three years I had been racked with guilt over one terrible fact. Prince Kydell was undeniably dead. I knew this to be true as it was my last order under the previous ruler, Fianna’s evil sister Iris. The Princess’ lover’s blood was on my hands.
She wiped the tears. “I need to hold on to the belief he is alive. Let me have this. Without it I would feel no different than I did as a prisoner.”
Though her eyes could not see, I felt as if they saw right through me at that moment. Seeing me for all I was. A broken man with a blood stained conscience. “Very well.” I said with a heavy heart. “Very well.”
Edit: This is a sort of spin-off of a story I’m working on called The Garden of Fianna. A young knight is making rounds at the castle he finds a blind girl in the garden. After a lovely talk she tells him to hide. She is then promptly taken back inside the castle. Kydell returns the next day, and daily from then on, to meet in secrecy with this prisoner. He soon discovers she is the true heir to the throne. Princess Fianna! Her power hungry sister Iris was furious to discover their parents wanted Fianna, a blind and weak girl to rule the kingdom so she conspired to fake Fianna’s death and hold her captive in the cellar of the castle.
bluebirdmg t1_j00empw wrote
Reply to [WP] Legend has it, the princess waits for her beloved prince who never returned from war. The princess is seen waiting every day where they used to meet secretly, a lake now known as the Lake of Longing, with only her attendant at her side. As her attendant though, you know the story differently. by salmontail
“Come, Princess Fianna. Let us return home.”
“Faust, do you think he will ever come back?” Her pale gray glazed eyes stared aimlessly over the water.
I shook my head, “I don’t know, but I fear for the worst.”
Princess Fianna let out a solemn sigh. She turned and held out her hand. “A little more to your left.” I said “There we go.” I took her hand and we began to slowly make our way through the meadow and back to the castle.
“Faust. I’m not giving up hope.” She proclaimed, slowly hobbling along. Her long blonde hair dangling down all the way to her ankles. “Kydell…he’s out there somewhere. I know it.” Princess Fianna could not see. Nevertheless she persisted. She was a kind hearted, yet fierce and stubborn woman.
“Miss Fianna. If Prince Kydell was to return wouldn’t he have done so by now?”
“He will return. I will wait by the Lake of Longing for the rest of my life if I have to.”
“Princess forgive me but, it has already been three years. We go to the lake every day. I just worry about you.” I paused and contemplated if I really wanted to say what came out next. “Don’t spend your life living for something you’re longing for. Live it for something you already have. Your kingdom…your people.”
She fell silent for a moment. In part she knew what I said was a valid point. Still, she fought back tears. “Faust. He is the one person who ever managed to make me see anything other than darkness. He saved me -no- he saved the entire kingdom from my evil sister’s reign of tyranny. Without him…the war would still be raging and I’d still be caged in the cellar.”
“I understand that but you must find a different reason, don’t let your purpose in life be to wait around for him when we don’t even know if he’s alive. You have a duty to your people.”
“Faust!” She screamed, tears filling her eyes. I had seen the princess beaten down and broken many times. But this, was entirely different.
For three years I had been racked with guilt over one terrible fact. Prince Kydell was undeniably dead. I knew this to be true as it was my last order under the previous ruler, Fianna’s evil sister Iris. The Princess’ lover’s blood was on my hands.
She wiped the tears. “I need to hold on to the belief he is alive. Let me have this. Without it I would feel no different than I did as a prisoner.”
Though her eyes could not see, I felt as if they saw right through me at that moment. Seeing me for all I was. A broken man with a blood stained conscience. “Very well.” I said with a heavy heart. “Very well.”
Edit: This is a sort of spin-off of a story I’m working on called The Garden of Fianna. A young knight is making rounds at the castle he finds a blind girl in the garden. After a lovely talk she tells him to hide. She is then promptly taken back inside the castle. Kydell returns the next day, and daily from then on, to meet in secrecy with this prisoner. He soon discovers she is the true heir to the throne. Princess Fianna! Her power hungry sister Iris was furious to discover their parents wanted Fianna, a blind and weak girl to rule the kingdom so she conspired to fake Fianna’s death and hold her captive in the cellar of the castle.
That’s the first part, at least.