A/N: Yes, I know, I haven't written anything in forever. And this may be slightly disappointing to some of you. It's only a oneshot, and it's rather strange. I will try to answer any possible questions you may have, but if you have any questions, feel free to message me. I don't bite. Hard. (That's supposed to be a joke. ) :) It is one of my stranger stories, but bear with me, please. Esperanza is the Spanish word for hope and is also a beautiful name. :) This is one of those stories that is made to have a point, and you will only get as much out of it as you want to.
"Hello Esperanza!"
"Esperanza, it's so good to see you!"
"Good morning Esperanza!"
The young girl named Esperanza walked through the town, grinning. Although they did not know where she came from, everyone loved her, and whenever she went on an errand, she almost always wound up talking with someone for hours. Many times she would help them and encourage them any way she could. She was an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. Despite the small size of the village, many people had daily struggles and trials.
However, Esperanza often empathized with them too much. Their troubles weighed her down, and every so often, sadness entered her deep brown eyes. She often felt alone in that while she was the shoulder to cry on, hardly anyone let her come to him or her to cry. Perhaps it was a standard Esperanza placed herself to, keeping her problems to herself. Or perhaps it was simply the way things were meant to be.
On such days when the sadness came, Esperanza would run up to the hill overlooking the town, gaze at the sky, and pray for hours on end. She would sit under the tree, sometimes, and write out her troubled thoughts. When she came down from the hill, she would be twice as joyful as she normally was.
One day, a company of royal travelers came to the town. They stopped for food and drink, as well as a proposition for the town council.
"We would like to buy out this town so we might spread our influence and create more resources for everyone," offered the Prince. His silver eyes glinted with greed.
"It is not up to us to decide," declared the council. "If you wish to do so, you must win over the people." The wicked Prince did not like this at all, yet he knew that they spoke the truth. The royal company stayed in the inn and always interacted with the townspeople so pleasantly. Of course, it was fated that the Prince would soon meet Esperanza.
It was the third day he was there, and she was out buying flowers. The Prince was trying to win over the village and soon spotted her. He was instantly enamored with her beauty and kindness.
"My dear beautiful woman, you must return with me to the castle. Perhaps, in time, you could be my wife," he offered, kneeling down and taking her hand. Esperanza pulled away, for she saw exactly what he was.
"As kind as your offer is, I am afraid I must refuse. My life is here, and these people are my family. I love each and every one of them. I cannot leave. Besides, you are nothing but an ignorant, violent prince who takes pleasure in destruction. It is clearly not my love you desire, but my love is what makes me who I am. I cannot willingly love a man like you," she retorted coldly. Esperanza knew it was a bold move, one that would cost her dearly. Then again, speaking the truth always had consequences with those who did not want to hear it.
The Prince's face grew dark and angry. He leaned into her ear, pretending to be kind and loving.
"You will return with me, and we will turn you into a lady so I may properly court you. And once we are married, you will learn to love me. If you do not, I will bring this town to their knees. It is your choice," he threatened. Esperanza could feel her blood grow cold. He was far more wicked than she had first thought. Although he claimed she had a choice, there was very little choosing to actually be done.
"When shall I announce my departure?" she asked with a heavy heart. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, yet Esperanza contained her emotions. The Prince merely grinned cruelly.
The company left the next day, Esperanza in tow. She did not smile. Her heart was heavy. The Prince had fooled the people into thinking that it was something beautiful, that their precious Esperanza would someday be Queen. Yet Esperanza knew the truth; it was bondage she was going into.
As they traveled back to the castle, the Prince made sure Esperanza stayed in the worst possible places, hoping that her morals would be corrupted and she would willingly begin to love him. But everywhere that Esperanza went, people seemed to grow happier, learning more and more about hope, life, and love. She was harder to corrupt than he had expected.
Upon finally returning to the castle, Esperanza was instantly attended to by many maids and ladies of the court. She was instantly initiated, and the Prince hoped that she would be swayed to learn to live like he did. She was not.
Esperanza was not nearly as miserable as she expected she would be. The ladies were all very kind, and clearly had good intentions. She became friends with most of them, teaching them about what it really meant to love others and to have hope. While she often would disagree with the ways of the castle, she did so in such away that drew people toward her, wanting to live the way she did. The more this happened, the happier Esperanza grew. And the happier she was, the more people began to change. Almost all of the castle residents were changed by Esperanza's actions. Except for the Prince, that is. Instead of being drawn to Esperanza and her spirit full of life, he was enraged at her. He loathed Esperanza.
He soon took her back to her village. Esperanza happily returned to her hometown, and the people welcomed her back. Everything would have been fine, had the Prince not eventually returned.
Esperanza sat atop the hill, ankle deep in snow. She shivered slightly, but it was good to be home. She breathed in the crisp winter air and was thankful for the beauty of the earth. She laughed, twirling around in the snow. She stopped as she saw the Prince standing before her, the lust he once held for her changed to bloodlust. She was instantly afraid. There was madness in his eyes, and a dagger in his hands. Esperanza knew what he was going to do. Oddly, she was entirely at peace.
"Why do you hate me?" Esperanza asked softly.
"You cannot be corrupted. I tried my hardest to change you. You are far too beautiful to be wasting away like this. I cannot escape you! This is the only way to be free from your wicked enchantments!" he cried. Esperanza was no enchantress. She frowned upon such black arts.
There was no stopping the Prince. Esperanza closed her eyes, and she fell to the ground, dead. Her crimson blood fell onto the pure white snow. The Prince fell to his knees, mourning. He dropped the knife. He felt incredible remorse. Why hadn't he changed? In frustration and sadness, he screamed to the heavens.
The snow turned black that day. A grave shadow passed over the town as they eventually found Esperanza's body, still, pale, and perfect. By the time the townspeople reached the girl, the Prince had long escaped into the forest, consumed by madness and guilt.
People mourned for Esperanza, from her village to the castle. Day by day, people came to visit and lay flowers by her side. No one could bear to bury her, so she was simply laid under a glass on a marble table. People wondered about the fate of the Prince.
"He has a choice to make," mentioned one wise townsperson who was quite close to Esperanza. "He will either go mad and destroy himself, or he will become a pure and good prince, the ruler he was always meant to be."
Word of Esperanza's deeds spread across the kingdom, changing everyone who caught wind of the tale. And back in the heart of the small town where it all began, Esperanza's hand began to move. Death could not suppress hope. Could it?
The ending of this story is purposefully ambiguous. It allows the reader to come to his or her own conclusions about the fate of the characters. Does Esperanza truly live? What happens to the Prince? The point of this story is to make you think, and I hope I have accomplished that. Several topics brought up in this story are as follows: loving others, admitting weakness, shining the light of hope in the midst of trials, making the best of bad situations, and I suppose one could even argue that there is a point on political corruption. That one was rather accidental. You learn as much as you want from this story. You may finish this and think it's absolutely terrible. That's fine, as long as you're nice about it if you decide to review and tell me. But if it made you think, and I pray that it does, please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me. (But please, no flames. Be respectful. I do sometimes write when I am tired, so mistakes and confusing sentences can pop up pretty commonly.)