"Once, long ago, there was a princess of love and light, with golden hair that shined in the sun as she danced and twirled. None could help but love her, as her beauty shone from within and showered her kingdom in warmth and happiness.

"She filled everyone that met her with love and was loved in return; but some, some loved too much, and that love turned to obsession. Obsession then led to madness, and madness the world became."

"Flow-er Bloom-ing in the sun

Pet-als kissed by the light of love"

Surrounded by walls a garden grew fertile and vibrant, with trees of fruit and flowering buds. In this garden a young woman danced, singing to the flowers that heard her song.

"May your roots grow deep and strong

So you may weather any storm

And may your petals shine bright

To protect you in the night"

The young woman started to hum as her dancing slowed and her eyes closed. She remembered a time when more than her flowers heard her song. She remembered before when she used to have an audience every time she'd dance. But that was before her home became her prison.

"And may you grow

Wild and free

So you may never know

What it's like

To be me"

With a sad sigh the young woman stopped dancing and humming in favor of sitting by her delphiniums to delicately pet their purple petals as she thought.

The day things went wrong had started out so normal. The sun had shone brightly in the sky; flowers grew with bright, rich colors and light, lovely scents. That day she had danced in the center of the town for all her people, and she sung her song with all her heart. She remembered the smiles of the men that watched her, but she was oblivious to the lust and desire that they watched her with.

Even the married men had taken to watching her with some perversion, causing much jealousy amongst the wives. But she was none the wiser as she danced and sung, she never noticed the male's longing, nor the women's envy. She never noticed anything was wrong until the night.

She had had a lovely day and had fallen asleep to lovely dreams, only to awaken as a hand clasped itself over her mouth. She tried to scream, but the sound was muffled, and all she accomplished was getting a coppery taste in her mouth.

She looked up at the face of her captor and recognized him as one of the town's men. But he looked different, he looked crazed. His eyes held lust and madness, desire driven off the edge. Not only that, but he had a sticky liquid splashed all over him, though in the dark she couldn't tell what it was.

She learned though. Once she was rescued she'd learned what he'd done, and that the liquid had once been the blood of his deceased wife.

She'd tasted the blood of the dead that night, as well as so much more.

"Princess RenJii, it's time to come inside." Looking up the princess saw one of her guards. She stood and smiled a broken smile and allowed herself to be led back to her room in the castle; back to her prison cell.

"Once there was a princess, locked away from the world for her own protection. The loving people of her land gone mad by her beauty and kindness had wanted to keep her all to themselves, even if it meant killing everyone else and destroying that which they desired most."

In a once beautiful kingdom with the loveliest princess there was chaos. Where once flowers grew bodies were buried, where dances were had and songs were sun now only blood was spilt. No songs filled the air, only screams, smoke, and the smell of burning, rotting flesh.

The town's men had gone mad with desire as the women had given into envy. Fights broke out. Brother against brother, husbands against wives, and children caught in the middle only to meet frighteningly short ends.

And the princess was nowhere to be found.

"In a town of the mad a princess once disappeared, kidnapped by the cruel and merciless king of hatred and jealousy. But none even noticed as they torn into the flesh of their loved ones in a vain and vile attempt of having their princess all to themselves. In the end not a soul survived and none were left to save their poor princess from the hands of her kidnapper.

"Flower of the night

I know it seems hopeless now

To cling to a life

With no light in sight"

Sitting at a vanity in a dark room a young woman sang to herself as she brushed her hair, lost in thoughts of her old home. Where she'd been born had been bright, colorful, and once very lovely. But that place was gone now, and would eventually be lost to time, as would she.

The place she now lived was an eternal night. There were no growing flowers, the sun never came. Even the moon seemed not to want to shine its light on this forbidden land. Looking at her reflection she could see how she'd changed over the few short years she'd lived in this much darker world.

Once the princess of love and light, with short blond hair, sun kissed skin, and bright loving eyes, now sat the reluctant queen to the king of hatred. Her hair was longer, waist length, and much darker now. Her skin had not been touched by the sun for ages and had gone pale.

But her eyes were the biggest change. They were dull and dark. No more love shown in them, for all her love had been stolen from her, and all she had left was emptiness.

"My Queen," looking up she saw the face of her king.

"Yes my king?" she asked in a meek voice.

"What have I told you about singing?" his voice rose slightly with obvious annoyance as he glared down at her. His eyes held no love for her, not that they ever did.

Her eyes grew wide and fearful as she gained the slightest tremble. "That I am not to, that singing is not allowed here."

The next second found her on the floor, hand to a bruising check and eyes glossing over. A hand grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet. "You know this and yet you still defy me?" his grip tightened in her hair as she whimpered broken apologies before he sneered and threw her against a wall.

"If you were anyone else besides my queen you'd be dead by now. Be thankful for what small kindnesses you get." And with that he left her along once again to cry, because she knew she was unloved, she knew that she was merely a prize that he no longer cared to keep but would never give up willingly. She cried because no one would save her.

She'd lost her freedom long ago, and was fast losing her will to live.

"Once there was a war against the king of hatred and jealousy and all his land. The war was started by him, but ended by the king of greed. The king of hatred and jealousy fell, and his queen became the spoils of war."

A young woman, once a princess turned queen turned serving wench, stood over a sink filled with dishes that was steadily growing smaller. She had made and served the food that had dirtied the dishes, and once she finished washing and putting them away she would start on her other chores.

Her day was filled with manual labor, but she didn't mind it much. The king of greed wasn't as bad as some might think. Here she wasn't used for her body nor was she abused. She had a lot of work to do, but all the time to do it in. And, she could sing while she did it to.

"Little flower, stomped down

Grew back up from the ground

It's not so dark now

The sun's returned"

"Why, hello, and who might you be?" She turned to see a young man with slightly pale skin and snow white hair standing behind her. He was tall and handsome, but it was his eyes that she loved the most, because in those eye she could see love shining back at her.

"There was once a serving wench turned queen. A prince of cold and death had fallen love struck with her voice and paid handsomely for her. He then took her away, to a land of snow and ice and they lived happily.

"Lovely little snow drop

Blooming in the snow

Though it's cold out

You'll make it through the dark to see the dawn"