Sunday, February 17, 2008

And they lived happily ever after..II

The Princess stood by the pond looking at the frogs.. She had woken with a feeling in her heart.. a feeling she could not shake away.. As she turned, she noticed the beautiful horse.. as she neared it, she sensed he was trying to tell her something.. The princess, brave at heart, noble in mind.. and ofcourse, always ready for adventure, climbed up the horse and he charged westwards.. The Princess clung to him tightly, wondering where he was taking her.. Even as she rode she was still thinking about the frogs and how she was taken in believing in her fairy tales.. She suddenly noticed that she was in a part of the country, she hadn’t visited before. She watched as the horse came to a halt before a huge castle.. “a ruin and a shame”, she decided, wrinkling her nose. Should she go in? oh la.. It was her country after all.. She walked into the castle, calling out. The witch was out, and the lovely princess walked about. She had a feeling of sadness, a heaviness in her heart, she didn’t understand. As she reached a stairwell, she heard the sound. The sound of a wounded soul.. an unintentional gasp of pain.. As she called out, the sound stopped. The Princess walked further down and stopped in her tracks, as she came face to face with a man in so much pain. The wounds on his body looked healed.. but the cry of pain , she heard……
The warrior, stood, unsteady on his feet.. It was the face he had dreamed of.. He knew that.. a damsel , alright.. But he was the one in distress.. The Princess looked at him with deep wisdom. The strong demeanor outside.. The deep hurt inside.. Her heart went out to him.. “Come”, she said, giving her his hand.. This was not correct, the warrior thought.. shaking his head. He wondered if the Princess was real.. He wondered if the princess was trying to save him while he was the warrior.. .. He wondered why he heard bells.. He wondered why the angels were singing.. As he walked, he realised he was out of the castle.. His curses did not bind anymore.. As he stumbled out his hand in hers, the witch saw him.. and his precious Princess.. She ran at them, her hair flying. Dagger drawn.. aiming to kill the princess.. for daring to steal her servant.. The warrior smiled lazily.. He could hardly believe, he had been devoted to her for so long.. He drew his sword and drove it into the witch.. with almost a careless flick of his sword.. He took his princess’ hand and walked to his horse.. They climbed on and the Warrior kissed her gently.. washing away years of pain.. years of hurt, anger.. most of all washing away the crushing emptiness.. the kiss they shared, filled them up with happiness.. completed them.. He had tried to believe the witch was his destined one.. he had lived in agony, trusting that one day she’ll turn into a princess. He had atlast learnt the lesson his lovely princess had learnt sometime earlier.. No amount of love was going to change a witch into a princess nor a frog into a prince..
Did the warrior save the princess? Or Did the Princess save him?
Questions and doubts, didn’t have a place anymore.. He had found his true love.. and she had found hers.. that is what mattered.. after everything said and done..
As the horse rode into the evening sunset, the Princess and her Warrior… looked forward to a new beginning.. to a new life together.. and yes, of course.. as every fairytale ends, they lived happily ever after..

And they lived happily ever after

The warrior threw down his sword in disgust. His graceful features bore frustration. His straight, strong back slouched from the lack of challenge. What was the use of a sword when you didn’t have a damsel in distress to save… ? His life felt aimless.. His power useless.. He kicked the sand, swearing appropriately. He sighed. “ One has to go about the world. Maybe I will find her tomorrow”, he thought. He sighed again and whistled for his horse. The ravishing steed thundered to him. As he swung his legs over the horse, the warrior let his imagination loose, once more thinking about the beautiful princess he hoped to find.
“She would be held by a demon and he would rescue her with his bravery and courage. He would love her and she would love him. And they would live happily ever after.. He was no prince. He knew that. Still he knew he could make a princess’ fairytale come true...” He smiled at the image of his princess in his mind..The day dawned in a hue of pink and gold. “Was it not the perfect day to find his princess!”, he thought.. He walked by a lovely stream, his horse by his side. He stopped suddenly , his warrior’s instincts alert and ready for battle. His hand ready on his sword, he walked silently but surely towards the sound he heard. He stopped in his tracks. A woman…, surely right out of battle. She looked like she had a thousand curses on her head. The woman cried out that she was in danger.. cried out to slay her enemies. With his sword out, he looked beyond her. He didn’t see a soul. He looked back at the woman. A damsel in distress? His Princess? It wasn’t at all like he had imagined.. no wonderful bells ringing around, .. no angels singing. Just an eerie silence and an angry woman who he could clearly see was getting ready to go after her enemies. “A warrior is a warrior”, he decided. “ And he has to save the damsel, bells ringing or not.” “ Speak to me , fair maiden. Who are those you fear.”, he asked. The woman smiled for the first time.. “ Go east , my warrior. Find the castle where the demon lives. Slay him and come back to me..”, she said. The warrior rose to do her bidding. He whistled for his horse and charged east.For a woman who was badly hurt, the witch stood with ease, smiling cunningly to herself. She couldn’t believe her luck. She had a warrior at her command. A warrior who clearly thought she was a princess destined for him. “The fool..”, she thought.” I’ll use him to slay my threats..” She walked to her castle. It was in ruins, a place where no princess would reside. “But the warrior could be tricked. He was too trusting for his own good.”, she decided. She sat down in front of a cauldron, slicing up... She smiled at their agony, thinking of the same pain etched in the warriors face. Yes, she liked the sight..The warrior came back to the castle, hurt and injured but victorious. As he lay his victory at the witch’s feet, she kicked the victory away throwing him another challenge instead. Another enemy to slay... The warrior didn’t understand the woman’s intentions. But honor and duty bound, he knew he was destined to save her from all evil. The warrior battled day and night… hoping for the love, he would one day get.. It never came.. More orders.. Crueler by the day.. Seasons rolled by.. He atlast returned to the castle cold in heart from the terrible deeds he had to do.. cold from the empty words he heard from the one he was devoted to.. Cold from the knowledge that.. a warrior gets what he deserves and that’s not the Princess he imagined.. One day atlast… on his return, the witch ordered him to her presence. And she showed herself to him as she was.. as a witch. The horrified warrior staggered back.. trying to get out of the wretched castle.. He could not.. he was trapped by the witch’s curses.. The witch laughed.. “I have you in my power, u fool. U cannot escape. You have killed my enemies, true. I don’t need you anymore.. But I like seeing your pain. It amuses me. Rot in the dungeons. I’ll come see you when u have another task.” The warrior crumbled, his spirit broken. His heart , his devotion , his love used by a witch.. he longed to make her understand his devotion. Longed to show her the limitless love he had in his heart, if only she loved him back..if only she ceased to be a witch..