Am I Alone?
Just as dawn was beginning to break over the horizon of a quiet little town, a silhouette is seen coming over the hill leading towards the town walking with a slow but steady pace. As the sun begins to come over the mountains in the back round the shadow stops, her face barely distinguishable from underneath the cloak that goes down to the ground and covers her whole body. She looks up towards the sun her cheeks stained with lines from the tears of which she has been crying all night long because of the sorrow that she wishes to forget but that forever comes back and haunts her again and again.
She has come to this town because it is where her unfortunate story began and where her life first began. The young girl takes off the hood from her head revealing beautiful long golden hair that falls slowly down to just past her shoulders and brilliantly bright hazel eyes that reflect the early rays of the sun causing them to sparkle and dance with both sorrow and joy at seeing the place off her birth. On top of her head is a beautiful tiara with a mix of diamonds and crystals the purest of nature mined just for the purpose of making this beautiful tiara. The rest of cloak remains tied around her neck by a beautiful green emblem. As she stares into the sun and watches the sun rise over the mountains shedding its first rays across the town and watching as the villagers begin to rise and stir going about their morning business shopping and getting the necessary supplies for the day. She continues to walk towards the town in her same slow and graceful pace. As she walks another silhouette approaches her and began to pull something out of his coat. The man than addresses the young girl by her true name Lusheeta Toel Ul Laputa, and continues to walk towards her, but Sheeta as she preferred to be called turned away from the man and began to run with a faster pace but still just as graceful as is possible for a run. The man also began to run and caught her around her waist. No matter how hard Sheeta struggled she was unable to break free of the man's grip. The man dragged her away from the town where her mother and father ruled and were waiting anxiously for her return from her journey to a foreign kingdom. He than took her to the man who had made the orders for her to be captured. Than the two men combined escorted her into a vehicle and took her towards the airport where a private plane was awaiting them, so as to take them away to a place unknown to Sheeta. Just before boarding the plane Sheeta's hands were untied but the second man continued to keep a firm grip on her arm until she was safely in the plane and seated so that she was unable to escape from them.
Although it was only a few hours on the plane it felt like a decade to Sheeta. Until they changed to a more public plane where people were dressed elegantly in beautiful gowns and dresses and the men dressed in well-pressed suits of the best quality of cloth. While they all enjoyed themselves, Sheeta was striped of all her beautiful clothing and of the crown that she wore on her head, and was put into a simple dress of the lightest violet, but they allowed her to continue to wear the cloak of which they had captured her in but they took off the emblem the helped to tie it around her neck and instead made it so that it attached at the collar of the dress but still covered her whole body. They gave her the orders to, "Keep your face hidden if you go out of this room so as to make certain that no one will recognize you for who you are." Although she was free to move about the plane she decided to remain in the room under her captors' watchful eye. How slowly those hours seemed to pass for Sheeta.
At last night fell, but Sheeta refused to eat anything at all so as her captors ate she stared out the window looking at the kingdom of which her family ruled over. All of the sudden she heard a buzzing from a far as she looked she saw a group of pirates coming towards the plane. As they passed her window the leader looked straight at her, and sneered at her captures and then flew off towards the cockpit and shot gas through the window making all in the cockpit pass out. They than entered the ship rushing to get to the cabin where Sheeta was hidden away. Her captors all drew their guns and tried to hold the group of pirates off so that the leader could send a code to an unknown person of what was happening. As the man, Erik, re-entered the cabin closing the door behind him he told Sheeta to, "Stay out of the way and you won't get hurt." Sheeta then reached quietly for an empty wine bottle and hit Erik over the head with it so hard that he lost consciousness. Sheeta than reached inside his coat pocket for the emblem that he had taken from her. The emblem could also be used as a necklace she than put it quickly around her neck. She opened the window quickly as she heard the pirates outside the cabin trying to break down the door. As she left the cabin through the window she tried to put her feet on the little ridges that went all the way around the plane. Her feet slipped and she almost fell but she luckily had her hands still on the windowsill. The pirates broke down the door and found Erik still unconscious on the floor. One of the captain's sons looked out of the window, which was still open and thought that at first Sheeta wasn't there but than he spotted her slowly walking towards another window.
Sheeta screamed, "No!" as the man tried to get her by reaching out the window, but nearly fell in his attempt and would have if his mother had not caught him around the waist.
One of the captain's other sons went over to the next room and yelled at Sheeta to, "Come her!" Sheeta's girp then slipped off of the plane and she went falling down, down, down towards the Earth. As she fell her emblem began to glow slowing her descent towards the Earth.
At last she landed softly in a meadow and lay there until the morning came around and the sun slowly came up and shone upon the young girl's face. When she was still lying there a man came walking up to her and picked her up. He carried her to his house where she than woke up under the care of him and his wife. For many days she stayed with them and began to gain strength, but because she did not want to put there lives at risk because she knew that the men who had captured her would still be looking for her and also the gang of pirates would be looking for her as well. For these reasons she decided that she had to leave. The couple was sad to see her go but they knew that Sheeta was doing this for their safety. As she was trying to find her way back to the village to which she belonged, the men who first captured her once again found her and took her again as their prisoner.
No matter how she begged and entreated Erik to let her go for she must get back to her kingdom so that she could take over the rule since her parents were soon going to die because of their age. He just laughed cruelly and said to her, "You shall never again see the place where you were born for now you are a prisoner of a neighboring kingdom who is a enemy of your kingdom. From now on you shall address my as your highness or my lord. Do you hear me?" She was than taken away from his cabin and taken to another one where she was to stay and wait for them to land in the kingdom of which Erik ruled with his family. Once they landed in his kingdom Sheeta was taken to the slaves quarters where she was put into slaves clothing and was told that she was to be presented to the royal family and that it was her job to impress them and get the best position possible for one in her position.
At first Sheeta thought that this was just a bad joke until she saw Erik dressed in the royal clothing of the kingdom and saw all the others who were dressed as she was bow down before him and address him as, "Your majesty" she knew than and there that this was no joke and that if she was ever to be free she must win the favor of Prince Erik. Sheeta was than taken up to where the others were taken and a man announced her as, "A new girl who is very excited to serve his majesty."
Without thinking and without wanting to her knees bent and she bowed down before the man who had captured her. Prince Erik than smiled down at Sheeta and snapped his fingers signaling her to rise. Sheeta did so without thinking about it. He once again smiled down at her with crystal clear blue eyes. They gave Sheeta a shiver that ran all the way down her spine especially when he looked her straight in the eyes and told her to, "Step over to the side and wait until all the others are placed into the categories of a servant for one person or another." At last, all the slaves were sorted out and Prince Erik rose and walked over towards his group of slaves and one by one told them what their duty was so as to please him. He at last turned to Sheeta and said," You girl what is your name?"
With as strong of a voice she could muster she answered, "Sheeta your majesty", and bowed slightly to him.
He once again smiled and said to her that, "Your job is to be my personal servant, and to always follow me and satisfy my every little whim and need." She nodded not saying anything more. He than ordered her to, "Come and follow me to my next event that I must attend as the prince of this palace." She bowed and proceeded to follow him. Sheeta always tried her hardest to please Erik so that sooner or later her efforts would pay off.
After many years of having to obey Prince Erik's every whim she at last knew that she had won his favor and was confident enough to ask him to be let free. The problem is that over these many years she had begun to fall in love with him, which she knew was against all principals since she was his slave. When she next went to serve him breakfast in his room early in the morning, she asked as she was leaning over him quietly so that no one else could hear, "Your majesty may I speak to you alone for a few minutes?" Erik looked at her with a slightly concerned face and she added hurriedly, "It is no emergency your majesty just want to talk about something." He nodded and sent his other servants away with a wave of his hand.
He than turned towards Sheeta and asked, "What is it that you wish to talk to me about Sheeta?"
Sheeta than said, "I have worked for you for many years now my lord…"
Prince Erik interrupted and said, "Yes of course, and for these many years you have worked harder than anyone in this palace, but what is it that you want to talk to me about?"
She took a deep breath and said with as much strength as she could muster, "If it pleases you my lord I would like to ask for my freedom."
There was a long pause after these words and then Erik replied, "If you are freed than I want to come with you Princess Lusheeta for I do not wish to rule this kingdom when my parents die I just want to be free." She gasped as Prince Erik said her true name for she herself had almost forgotten it. In reply he smiled and said, "I remember you from when I captured you and am just now realizing that you are the same person from so many years ago."
Sheeta than said, "But your parents my lord will they not be furious at you if you run away with me?"
At this comment Erik burst out laughing and said in answer to Sheeta's confused look, "Are you kidding my parents have my younger brother whom you never have seen. They will rejoice at having him take over the throne instead of me. I grant you your freedom on the agreement that I accompany you wherever you go."
Sheeta replied, "But of course my lord you may do that for I do not wish to return to my home kingdom either for by now my younger sister has probably taken over the rule in my absence. For my parents must think that I am dead."
Erik rose quickly and said in the gayest of tones that Sheeta had ever heard from him, "Than let us leave at once! Go and get what you have and meet me at the front gates in five minutes. Make sure that your face is hidden so that they think you are just going out to the market." Sheeta quickly went to her room and grabbed her meager belongings and rushed towards the front gate. The two met at the gate. Erik was holding a horse, which they both were to ride. She quickly got on and rode off with him into the night.
Many days later, Sheeta and Erik ran into a gang of outcasts who drew their knives and ordered Erik to, "Give up the girl." Erik politely declined and spurred the horse into a gallop, but suddenly out of nowhere an arrow hissed through the air and hit the horse right in the heart. It felt to Sheeta as if time had stopped as the horse fell but time came back again as she hit the ground with Erik. They quickly rose and started to run away from the gang leaving the horse there so that the gang could do whatever they pleased with it. Slowly, they started to reach their destination together, but night was creeping up on them. They had to stop and build a fire quickly so that they could make food for themselves and keep the gang away from them so that they could not do them any further harm. At last they fell asleep, but Sheeta couldn't because she knew that she was safe and that she could finally confess her love towards Erik to him without the fear of having a punishment for saying such things.
Slowly, she moved over towards him and woke him up saying, "Erik, there is something I must tell you. Something that I have held in for many years." Erik slowly began to wake up and than rolled over so that he could see her face as she began to tell him a secret that was hard to convey. She started by saying, "For the many years that I have known you I have gotten a feeling that at first I thought was just a little shiver of nerves, but soon it began to get stronger and stronger. At last I realized something…"
Here she paused and during the time in which she took a breath Erik asked, " What was it that you realized?"
Slowly she continued, "The thing that I realized was that I loved you, and no matter how hard I tried to not love you I could not help but love you." When she finished this sentence she broke into tears and no matter how hard she tried to stifle them she could not succeed.
Erik than slowly sat up and put his arms around her and spoke to her in a whisper, "The reason I choose you to be my personal servant was not because I just wanted a girl to bow down before me at my every command but because I knew that I also had a secret. The minute my men and I came and took you away I felt the same thing you did. As time went on I figured out that I too loved you and that I never wanted to ever let you out of my sight and I always wanted to be with you. Let us as soon as day breaks promise each other to always tell the truth no matter what happens." Sheeta nodded quietly as she continued to cry, and Erik sat with her until her tears at last came to an end. They than slept together until the dawn of a new day began to break. They than rose, gathered up their belongings, made breakfast, and than set off on their way towards a far away place where they could forever share their happiness with each other.
As they were walking away from the place where at last they were able to share their secrets to each other. Sheeta thought to herself, "All my life I have thought myself alone. Now I realize that I was never alone but just waiting for the right person to pass my way along the side of the road, and I have found him. I shall never feel alone again until death do us part." Erik turned for he did not feel Sheeta at his side and saw that she was looking back the way they had come together.
He than said to her gently, "Come my dear, let us begin our lives together until death do us part. For now neither one of us is alone, for we have each other to lean on when times get rough." Sheeta turned around and slowly and gracefully the two young ones walked off into the dawn of the new morning. Together they became smaller and smaller, and eventually became silhouettes in the distance, but just before they were lost from sight forever they turned towards each other and were seen kissing as the sun rose waking the earth to a new day. Then they went over the hill and were lost from sight forever, and went to a land where they could share their happiness together without having to worry about war or approval for their happiness from anyone.