There are many tragic tales and sorrowful myths spread from the lips of one dreamer to another, but no tale is quite as morose as the story of dear, sweet Cassandra. Cassandra was a beautiful, young princess in the time when there was not one god but many, in the time when Zeus ruled the Heavens and mortals feared the vengeance of the god's distemper.
Cassandra's beauty brought many suitors, but none more powerful or handsome than Apollo, the god of prophecy and light. Apollo saw the fair Cassandra singing by a stream, when he decided he must have her as his own. So, he came to her in her dreams, time and time again, offering her anything she wished. Cassandra, believing these visions to be nothing more than fantasy, asked for a beautiful golden chariot and horses as white as winter snow. The next day when she awoke, there was a chariot of gold led by two alabaster horses. However, Cassandra was no daydreamer, she was practical in everyway, and to believe a god would so woo her, was not what logic told her must be true. So, she ruled it off as coincidence.
That night the god came to her again; asking if she liked the gift, and if so would she marry him. She said the gift was sufficient in itself, but not so much to her liking she would give up herself to him. He asked her again what she would like. Cassandra thought for some time and decided to ask for something she was sure he could not give her. She asked him for the gift of prophecy, saying to him if he were really the god Apollo it should be quite easy for him to give her.
The next morning she woke up and felt no different than the day before. She was sure that these silly fantasies were put to rest. However, later that day she saw something. She saw her dear King and father falling off his horse on his daily ride. She did not know how she saw it, because he was far away but she knew it had happened and sent his men to go check on him. The Trojan King had in fact fallen. Cassandra knew she had been given what she had asked for.
That night she could not sleep, for fear of running into Apollo. Now she knew he was real, she did not want to encounter him again, since she knew her hand been promises to a neighboring land's son, to end a bloody feud between the two and she, therefore, could not say yes to the god, though some part of her did want to.
But no matter how strongly those who fear sleep do not wish to drift off into slumber, no amount of will power can keep them awake forever, and so Cassandra soon fell asleep.
Apollo came to her and asked if she liked his gift. She said yes. He asked if she would marry him. She said no. He was furious at her second rejection, he raged and he fumed and swore at her and her family. Then he grew silent, a smile twisting a cross his face. He had a plan for revenge.
The next day she woke up and she knew for certain some great danger lurked in the very halls of her home, threatening to strike down and bury the inhabitants in misery. But for the moment, besides the shadows lurking her mind, nothing seemed amiss.
It was not until two weeks later, when Apollo's revenge was set in motion. Cassandra had another vision; her mother would fall down the stairs and break her leg. Cassandra ran to her mother to warn her, but the Queen laughed and told her daughter not to worry that she would be fine. Cassandra insisted, but her mother did not believe her. Later that day, her mother fell down the stairs and broke her leg. Coincidence, the queen said later when her daughter confronted her with what had happened.
The next day, Cassandra had a vision her father would be shot in the arm, she warned him. But, he too did not believe her and he too suffered the same way she had predicted.
Weeks passed where Cassandra would predict some great tragedy or event, and no one would believe her and even when it happened it didn't seem to change their opinion. They soon grew to think she was mad.
The King and Queen distressed over what they should do about their daughter's delusional state and eventually decided that they would send her away to a kingdom that they had once aided in war, which was far enough away that no one would recognize her as royalty. They decided that the best thing they could do was send her some where else in hopes she would get better, or at least not worry the people.
But far away from the safety and familiarity of home her state grew worse, as she was starting to descend into actual madness as she saw the horrible things that would become of the people she met, knowing she could not do anything to stop it.
Months passed and poor little Cassandra's mind was a jumbled mess caused by the frustration of feeling helpless in one's own life. She muttered and mumbled to herself or perhaps she was talking to people who weren't there, no one knew. All they knew is that, who she was once, she wasn't anymore.
However, Cassandra, in her own mind, grew to be much at peace. Since, in her mind she had given up hope as to changing the events and now looked upon them as proof she was not in fact dead, and sometimes even let them convince her that she was not as crazy as people believed. She had resolved that she was never going to see her home or her parents again, and no longer did she care much if she did, since their abandonment had led her to her disposition, she did not feel much care towards them. However, her little sister was still innocent, she was still an attachment to the world that Cassandra was not willing to part with, so when she saw her dear sister's death in the future to come, what was left of her mind came to the conclusion, she had to return. Even if no one would believe what she saw, she would have to find some way to save the one person she still held dear.