The Caged Princess

Sobs and sniffs echoed across the great room. The chamber, decorated with only the most royal and beautiful ornaments, was witness once again of the princess’ tears. The beautiful young woman cried inconsolably in her bed. Next to her, a handsome man caressed her softly; his eyes filled with as much sadness as the princess’ weeping. His strong heart writhed in pain due to his impotence to aid her. She was the person he cared the most in the entire world, yet he could do naught to stop her pain. Thus, he stayed next to her, knowing it was everything he could do.

The cries finally subdued, and the princess sniffed.

“Are you better, my princess?” asked the young man as he wiped away the tears from her face with a handkerchief.

“I’m sorry,” stammered the girl in the middle of more sniffs. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” said he gently. “I am the one who should apologize, for I serve you in no way.”

She stretched her hand towards his face and softly stroked his face. “You do more than you give yourself credit for. For it is your company what makes this captivity more bearable.”

She got out of the bed and walked across the room, followed closely by the man. The princess reached a well-decorated balcony. She stared at the immensity that stretched before her eyes, and sighed. It was an impressive sight. The most perfect paradise lay before her: never-ending forests that painted everything life green; playful rivers that splashed here and there, filling the air with the most relaxing tune; stunning mountains and skies that played with the warm light of the setting sun; everything blended together in a flawless display of Nature’s greatest creation.    

On top of the solitary castle, the princess was forever away from such Eden. No matter how much she wished for it, she would never walk freely through the mountains, nor taste any of the wonderful fruits that hanged all across the forest, nor play in the calm waters of the rivers, nor lie in the meadows watching the endless dome of stars that every night painted the sky in multitude of colours. No, for her those were nothing more than dreams that would never come.

At the thought, tears popped from her eyes again. The man embraced her and took her away from the accursed blessing. He wanted to say something, anything at all. But he knew words would not cheer her up. After all, the princess had been trapped in that castle for as far as she could remember, and nothing would erase her desire for freedom. The man well knew she had tried to live under such restriction, but her desire was strong and her patience weak. It had come to the point where she could not withstand it anymore, and crying, while as well useless, at least relieved her weary heart.

“I’m fine,” said she after a while. She wiped away her tears and stared at the man. “Thank you for being here with me.”

He smiled. “You have nothing to thank me for. You know I’d give the world for you.”

“I know you would. I know,” she smiled, but the expression carried not joy but sadness. Despite her attempts to remain strong, yet another tear fell from her eyes. “If only you were real…” whispered the girl.

The man smiled warmly and disappeared into thin air. As she looked around, the royal chamber slowly faded, leaving behind empty, cold and gray walls. The gorgeous balcony slowly disappeared as well; a small window with metal bars now being the only escape to the paradise. Everything began to darken around the princess, but she did not despair. She held the metal bars, lay on the cold wall and once again stared at the Eden. As slumber slowly took her away, the thought of being free took possession of her mind. She thought of the many things she would do if she was to be free, the endless things she would want to try, and mostly, she thought of her being happy.

The caged princess fell asleep with a smile on her lips and tears on her eyes, knowing that freedom waited for her, if only in her dreams.