Once upon a time...
Dear reader, isn't that how all great stories begin? Once upon a time? One certainly does hope that it would make their tale great. What does make a great story, though? Is it about a princess and a knight? About courtly love? Isn't it about a wicked dragon taking the princess for his own among his glittering hoard in a haunted lair? Don't they all have wicked kings, and princes in disguise that regain the throne?
Most great stories have at least a few of these things, mixed in like a soup, a glorious soup that provides light to the world. For haven't you heard, dear reader? Stories are light. This story, this source of light, however, has all of these things. Now watch the tale unfold with the arrival of a girl.
Yes, a girl. She walked a lonely road every day, traveling for her memories. The girl had traveled for many years, but this had not dampened her spirits. Her heart still shined with light and the light made her beautiful, both inside and out. She had the appearance of the child queen long-forgotten, with her heart-shaped face and oddly-styled hair that shined like the sun and brown eyes that glimmered like the stars in the sky.
The girl was approaching the village of Coruscant in the kingdom of Naboo. Towers waving the blood-red flags loomed over the girl and she couldn't help but stare. So this is the city of legend, the girl said to herself. Instead of being full of bright flowers and beautiful wonders like she'd heard in the village she'd grown up in-Jakku, the lifeless opposite-it was full of people rushing to get home, world-weary and fearful.
The girl wondered what had changed. She still hoped that the city might be able to help her find her past. She'd awoken in Jakku and had been put to work when she was seven years old. She didn't remember anything about her past, however, and was desperate to find out where she was from, who she once was.
She pulled out of her pocket a yellowed piece of parchment that smelled of lilacs and had elegant handwriting that was a work of art to look at upon it. I'll come back for you, sweetheart. I promise.
The girl lifted it to her nose and closed her eyes. The lilacs smelled exactly how she thought her mother smelled like. Not watching her steps, she stumbled into the arms of a dark-skinned man. The parchment tumbled to the ground.
"My paper!" she cried, and she dropped to the ground to pick it up off of the cobblestones. She slipped it into the pocket in her cloak and accepted the man's hand. He helped her up and the two took each other in for a moment.
"Who are you?" He asked. "You don't look like you're from around here."
"I'm not," she admittedly. "My name is Rey."
"Finn," the man said. "I can tell. You look like you've still got hope."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rey asked, for she remembered hearing of the Golden Age, when Amidala, the Child Queen had come into power alongside the other three rulers, when the Queen journeyed with her merry band of Knights. It was supposed to be a happy place.
"Ever since the king came into power," Finn began, but then his dark eyes darted to the towers of the castle. "It's not safe to talk here. The king is always watching."
Rey shuddered at the thought, for she knew that only corrupt rulers kept such a close eye on their subjects. The good kings and queens of the past of four different bloodlines had faith that their subjects were pleased with their reign and didn't oppress their people to suppress rebellion.
"Follow me," Finn said after a quick glance at the towers above. He took her hand and they darted in an out and around things until they were in a small shelter Finn had set up. He sat down on a crate and pulled down the tarp.
"Need anything?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
"Well, things haven't been alright for some time, especially not since the fall of the four kings and queens, Jamilla, Amidala, Revan, and Isolder. First, there was the Dark Emperor that had wreaked destruction on the kingdom of Alderaan-"
"I remember hearing that story, but I didn't think the Dark Emperor was from here," Rey mused.
"He was an advisor for the kings and queens," Finn explained. "Or at least, that's what I've heard. Luke Skywalker was a farmboy that became a knight- apparently he was the brother of the princess- or her sweetheart, I don't quite remember which, and things were happy again. But now, the kingdom's been ruled by King Snoke."
"Why is everyone so afraid of him?" Rey asked. "Besides him watching everybody?"
"He uses magic against the people for his delight," Finn said in an almost-whisper. "There'd be a rebellion if it weren't for the dragon that Snoke claims he's keeping at bay."
"Dragon?" Rey asked.
There was then a roar in the distance. This roar had settled fear into the people. It had long since made widows out of newly-weds, had created orphans and had stolen any gold left that the king hadn't taxed away. Rey, despite not being there for long, knew the roar from her dreams. The roar was the sound of the monster, the monster that had come to get her. She leapt to her feet without another word.
She ran out into the open, Finn behind her to see the dragon swooping down onto them. The black scales shimmered like the stars in the night but were as deadly as the bottom of the sea. Jets of unstable raging fire destroyed the canvas camps in the alleyways and slums. Rey began towards the town square.
In the pavilion she stood, staring up at the monster above.
"Rey!" Finn shouted in despair.
She looked up to see the claws coming as they snatched her up. She screamed as she flew through the air, kicking and pounding at the dragon's claws. What she did not know, reader, was that the dragon did not want her for food or hostage.
You see, a dragon's heart is dark and selfish and his deeds will always reflect this. Because of his dark, wicked heart, he will crave light in the moments that despair overcomes him and he realizes his true nature. Because of his selfish desires, he will take whatever he considers to be beautiful to soothe his hurting heart. This dragon took the maiden because he saw her light in the village square-the light of twin suns, and knew he wanted it for himself.
With the maid Rey's fate uncertain and a story begun, I leave you to wonder what shall come next for our beautiful heroine.