The Girl In The Tower

It was the night of the kingdom's royal masked ball. There was dancing, drinking, merry-making of every kind. Life seemed at ease to anyone within it's walls or boundaries. There was not a single soul to look up, up, up to the window of the hightest tower, nor to see there a tear-stained face surrounded by hair as red as crimson. Even those within who had seen her stricken expression and heard her sentence declared had taken no pity; 'twas evident by the continued sounds of laughter in the grand hall.

This young, beautiful face did not hold her breath for a hero, though. For her and those of her status, there was no such a thing as a "hero". They were only in the stories of royals and maidens of high rank. What knight would debase himself to rescue a damsel that could offer no status or alliance of kingdoms in return? No, there was truly no such thing.

Lilith continued to gaze out into the black night. As high as she was in the tower, everything straight out before her eyes was complete darkness. The only thing that broke it was the torchlight far below, illuminating the far right side of the coutryard, the gates, and the ocean. It was as dark as her heart up here...

She had asked for this; practically begged for it. And as she had looked out this window for some kind of escape, she began both to hate and steel herself.

- (Earlier)

A dress, borrowed from one of the palace seamstresses (a friend that shared her same low-born status and hatred for royalty), her hair twisted into crimson curls, and bright red lipstick had been as far as she'd gotten in her plan. It got her inside the palace gates, which got her a mask to hide her features at the Prince's masked ball. Lilith's whole purpose had been to intrude, not pretend. She knew she didn't belong here, but no one could possibly know it. Everyone that looked at her there, dancing in the ballroom, saw her the same as each other; a woman of high rank. Even the Prince himself asked her to dance. Lilith's heart soared as she sailed past the unknowing Princess Ava, the one who had demeaned her just weeks before, who now glared at her in jealousy.

"Competition!" Lilith had thought as she danced by, "The high-ranking Princess Ava thinks me competition!" That made her smile at the ignorant Prince grow even wider.

That was what began her failure.

The ball was held specifically to find King Cyrus's weak son, Prince Henry, a wife. He had sent out invitations to Princesses and Nobleman's daughters in all of the surrounding kingdoms, the highest of them being Princess Ava. So, naturally, due to her status and the alliance that a marriage to her would provide, her watched out for her comfort the entire evening, trying to ensure that his foolish son would choose her out of them all. Now, he watched as the Princess's eyes filled with rage, his eyes falling upon the same dancing couple that she was glaring at.

King Cyrus would've recognized that hair anywhere, since he had encountered it only a few weeks earlier. In fact, he had been expecting some retaliance of this nature. The miller's daughter, back to laugh in his face, over a little spilt flour and being put in her place. It made the King's smile as wide as the one Lilith wore. This was his palace, his party, his complete kingdom to control.

"How truly ignorant she is, to think she can come here and pretend, expecting no punishment for her brazen attitude." he whispered to himself.

Lilith wasn't expecting her dance to be interrupted. It was with the utmost care that she did not betray her shock when the King turned out to be her new partner.

"Henry, go and tend to Princess Ava. She seems bored." he commanded.

The Prince hurried away at once, leaving Lilith in the arms of King Cyrus.

As they continued to dance, the King did not speak. Instead, he stared at her masked face intensely. She was very beautiful. And it had taken wit, charm, and intelligence to plan all of this and get into the palace unscathed.

"It's such a shame she isn't a royal..." King Cyrus thought. "She would truly be a force to be reckoned with..."

At his brazen stare, Lilith made the assumption that she had fooled the King as well, despite the claims of his insight and wisdom. However, the moment she tried to open her mouth to speak, the King cut her off.

"You think that you, a simple miller's daughter can waltz in here, flaunt yourself like someone of nobility, dance with MY son, and act like everything will be fine? As if no one would notice you, see you for what you are...?" he asked, as if amused by the sheer absurdity of it.

He plucked a single piece of straw from the lower edge of her gown, holding it up to display for her.

"You don't belong here, commoner." he said evenly, meeting her eyes again. "Now leave."

Those words had boiled her blood, but she had nothing of substance to throw back. She didn't belong there, she wasn't of nobility, there was no way in hell she had a chance of marrying the Prince; nothing. So, instead, seeing the piece of straw he held so arrogantly between his fingers, Lilith improvised.

"I can weave straw into gold."

Lilith banged her head against the unforgiving stone wall, recalling the words. She felt a chink in the stone against her skin, felt it slice her. Blood trickled down the side of her nose.

"Seriously Lilith!" she raged at herself, "You could do no better than that! No special spindle at home, or a magic flower or powder of some kind is needed to do the job..."

She sighed and slumped in the window seat, taking up the bottom edge of her dress to wipe the blood. Just as she went to wipe it away, a black hankerchief appeared in her hand.

Lilith half yelled in alarm, dropping the kerchief to the ground. Looking around the tiny tower space, she saw nothing but straw. Shaking her head in wonder, she bent down and picked it up again. It was as she noticed the gold-stitched "R" in it's one corner, surrounded fy a magical filigree, that her comforter spoke up.

"Ah, don't hurt yourself dearie. I hate to see a spunky one like you cry and bleed." the voice said.