There is a fair maiden who is unaware of her new surroundings. She has emerged from a gloomy forest where the trees stand decrepit, their branches too thick for light to seep through. Unknown creatures had threatened to drag her into the darkness, keep her in their grasp and rid her of hope forever. Despite these troubles, she had pushed through the menacing fauna and outwitted them, her long and treacherous journey concluding as she finally looked out into the light.
What she saw was still faint and murky, as though it was floating above the clouds. Nonetheless, this image was real, a sight she observed with awe. Before her eyes was an unknown land; a gorgeous kingdom that radiated as brightly as The Sun. Whilst her dreams of uncovering this beautiful realm had come true, she was intimidated by her roaming thoughts of what may be inside. She wondered if people would notice her intrusion, if those she’d encounter would accept her, if she would feel at home. She had nowhere else to go; she could not return to her old domain. She had fought through those lands with hopes that now lay in her hands – she refused to let them sift through her fingers. So, with her chin held high, she began her final trek towards her desired destination.
As she stepped closer, she began to hear the kingdom’s bustling life: laughter, quarrels, chanting – a symphony unlike any other. It was music she’d always fantasised about, a melody that haunted her dreams, trying to escape her old home, that barren wasteland. It was a distant memory that reminded her she was still far from belonging; uncertain she would be fulfilled despite her years of longing. As she began to see signs of life within the kingdom, she forced the images of her old home aside, prepared for her fantasies to come alive and dance around her in a kaleidoscopic trance as if she were dreaming all along.
She entered through the gateway to find all kinds of life before her. Whilst roaming near cottages and workshops, she observed the commoners around her. If it weren’t for her dirty robes, she wouldn’t have appeared so much like a vagabond within this realm. Though her rations weren’t enough for new bright materials, and she’d noticed her exhaustion and hunger were what ruled her intellect most. A tavern was found during her exploration, and she decided it would be her first stop.
The dim lighting inside hid her away from the others as she found an abandoned table and hoped any form of food would cure her raging stomach. However, before she could indulge, she noticed a figure seated not far from her, appearing just as hungry as she was. She would have gone completely unnoticed if not for the obvious stains on her robes that were so similar to the young maiden’s. She knew she was also not from here, peering anxiously at her surroundings as if hoping no one noticed her. But the young maiden did, felt a tinge of warmth at the realisation she was not in complete solitude, that her journey may not be as lonesome as she first thought. Whilst the young damsel wished to remain unseen, the young maiden was transfixed by her. She illuminated the whole room by simply existing. Yet, no one noticed her except for the fair maiden, and soon she moved over to her.
In conversation, the damsel admitted she’d wished to do the same. A faint glow of relief appeared in her water-coloured eyes. There was an allure to them that felt familiar to the young maiden, as though she had seen those eyes before, perhaps in an old unknown land.
They soon discover their journeys have been similar. Despite coming from different soil, they had similar views of the world; both struggled to believe they belonged in this new domain. Yet, this vulnerability made them feel they did belong, the guiding light embedded within their eyes.
These conversations continued as days went by. They grew accustomed to their surroundings, embarked on separate journeys and debriefed when The Sun would begin its descent towards slumber. The young maiden noticed the damsel’s struggles, despite her moments of defence. At first she was hesitant, was short and blunt with the young girl who remained patient with every word. Eventually, however, the fair maiden was rewarded with her stories, her intelligence, her passion. She was a bruised peach: markings on the skin but still rather sweet. A glass of red wine that burned the back of one’s throat, sending them back to life, the thrill of it all as exhilarating as her laugh. Her persona slowly came undone, and she adored who she now was most close to.
The two interacted with the kingdom’s homeowners who were supposed to be similar to themselves, provide them the assistance they’d been searching for, make them feel they had chosen the correct destination to pursue their dreams. However, during these interactions, they always found themselves thinking about each other, and their gratitude grew as they realised they’d both found something they’d never thought would be in this enchanted world. It was as though they had created their own kingdom, spending their evenings away from civilisation, their company warmer than any fire that burned nearby.
The exchanges they had in the dead of night were quiet, yet their laughter travelled with the wind, blew through the grass and ascended into the trees, back into the cursed forest where the critters of the night listened in. The young girls didn’t notice their peering eyes from within the branches, never realised they were unsafe outside the four walls of the kingdom. Their naivety caused these nightly critters to whisper amongst themselves, and their noise travelled into the ears of creatures that these young maidens had always feared.
By day, they appeared as normal beings, adored these girls and made their pursuits. They provided a company similar to their friendship, replicating the conversations they eavesdropped on underneath the stars. It is a trick these maidens separately fell for, and they were both whisked away into the darkest corners of the kingdom, alone with those who were discovered to be nothing more than strangers, revealing themselves slowly, only causing great confusion within the girls. In their fleeting moments of loneliness, they still found each other, shared their misfortunes and understood their unfulfilled connections. Eventually their hearts would break, forcing them back into each other’s arms, the cycle repeating for many years.
However, these influential days cannot last an eternity; one of them must eventually leave this heaven. Both of them knew their adventures here would not be forever. They were never supposed to stay, they only did so because they were around. Yet the young damsel knew her time had already passed, even if the fair maiden still wasn’t ready to leave this residency. Their journeys to this land may have been similar, but their paths were always destined to diverge, even if that meant they would always look back to see if the other person was following.
Her eventual exit is melancholic and tragic, the kingdom now rather quiet without the echoes of her laughter. It brought an isolation the young maiden had not felt before, one that didn’t break her but still left her longing for the beginning again.
The young maiden feared what may occur if another being tried to harm her, her friend no longer around to save her. However, deep inside her soul lies a part of this young maiden, her guidance, her wit, her intelligence. Maybe it had always existed, but now it was greater than ever before, and she knew she would always be around, even if only from within. So, whilst she eventually pursued her next journey, the fair maiden now knew where her home truly resided. This grand place was never what she had needed. For so long she believed there was nothing else for her, that her fulfillment only lay within the fantasies of an unreachable land. Yet, now in her grasp, it would never be what she had always wanted. This contentment was instead found through those water-coloured eyes, that bruised peach, that taste of red wine. It was these small things, personified in her, that had made this place worth suffering in for so long.
