b l a n k

In a distant land, there lived a beautiful princess. She was sweet, funny, and kind, and loved by all her people. Her parents, the king and queen, were very controlling of her. They choose what friends she could and could not have, and were even more specific about who she dated. The princess longed for freedom, for she felt like she was always wearing a mask, never truly being herself. One day she snuck out, bumping into a boy. This boy was a thief, an outcast, thrown from his own home and left to steal to survive. He immediately connected with the princess, surprised yet happy that she was willing to talk to him and didn't push him away. The two of them talked for the rest of the day, learning everything about the other that they could. The thief learned of the princess's controlling parents, and the princess learned of all of the struggles the thief had to live through. When they parted that night, both had already began to fall for each other. The princess felt like she could be herself around him, and the thief felt like he finally had a reason to live. The two found holes in the castle walls where they'd meet every day, the thief showing up every morning in hopes of seeing her even just a little. As the days went on, the pair fell more and more in love with each other. Despite only a few weeks having passed, the boy wanted to spend his life with the princess. He wanted to give her freedom, the life he felt she deserved. He was no prince, he was the heir to no throne, and he had no royal blood, but he'd move mountains if that was what she wanted and he'd do anything to give her the world if she asked for it. Then, one day, when the thief went to the hole in the castle wall where they usual met, she wasn't there. He waited all day, though she never appeared. Thinking she was simply too busy with her royal duties that day, he didn't think much of it. The next day was the same, and the thief began to grow worried. When he returned the next day, he found that the hole in the wall was sealed up. Panicked, he went to find the other hole, only to find it was blocked too. It was then he noticed that there were no guards outside, and the castle grounds were completely silent. Feeling himself tearing up, he sat against the wall for support. A million thoughts of what may have happened crossed his mind, but one in particular stood out; her parents found out they had been talking. It was the only logical explanation, or, rather, the only one he was willing to believe. That night, he went up to a abandoned tower that faced the castle that now stood silent against the night sky. He set up a small camp there, where he laid waiting. He waited and waited, hoping and praying to whatever God there was that his beloved princess would come back to him again. He had promised her he'd spend his life with her, and though she promised the same, he could only hope that she took promises as seriously as he did. She was his reason to live, and if he had to wait a million years for her to find him again then he would. To this day the thief can still be found in the tower, his gaze directed longingly at the castle while he waited for his princess to return.