There was a pulsing in her chest that reached her ears and made her concentration waver. It only took a few steps before she was close enough or before she reached a reasonable distance. But there was no case in keeping safety when he couldn't strike, when he was made of stone. Though if she tried hard enough she was sure he was looking straight at her. One might say blinking. But she didn't care even if saying that was contradicting herself- because if she didn't care why did she ever keep a safe distance? What she didn't care was what he would do to her. At this moment everything didn't have a purpose. Despite the pulsing in her chest there was this hollowness that she couldn't shake no matter how distracted or how happy she was. She just couldn't find a reason for it all.

The days just seemed wasted and she was sure there was no medication for it. But standing there she considered there was, for the pain seemed to subside a little. But not whole.

She gulped as she commanded her legs to move forward. When they did, they did it very restrict. There was no one around to witness this. She was afraid of that. Who would stop her if she lost control? If she lost her mind? She was sure all the things running through her mind at that moment held no sanity. For a fact she had no sanity when she had turned him to stone. But if sanity meant doing the right thing than this world was corrupt.

Or were her thoughts corrupt?

She was a thousand years old, she had seen a lot and yet she has seen nothing. She knows nothing. She knew nothing. One thought was clear though. This moment wasn't corrupt, this wasn't insane, she would not lose control, she was not losing her mind. She was not falling.

She had reached the ground.

Heart beats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid

To fall

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt

Suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday

waiting for you

Darlin' don't be afraid

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

Time seemed illogical when she thought of it. No matter how much time she had she wouldn't have the enough time to be with him. To know him well enough. To regret all she'd done. She was sure he felt the same. Everyone felt the same.

Compared to time, her taking one step forward was more illogical. But it felt right just like it felt wrong to move. But she guessed the beauty of time was that she could grow. She could grow into being brave and into learning how to catch her breath because she forgot how to take the air outside to her lungs suffocating by the pressure inside.

He was still on his knees and his arms outstretch. The last thing he did before he turned into stone. If she closed her eyes she could still feel him clinging into her.

But she forgot one thing while she was going this. She was moving while her eyes were shut and when she nearly ran into his stony figure she almost screamed.

She had to double take his features because she might thought he flinched. Either way she would accept it, even if she wasn't stone because if he would turn her into stone and come closer as to almost running her over she would also flinch.

In the meantime she stared at him to see if he was okay under the circumstances he was in, of course. He seemed delicate, as if one blow of air would made him crack. If she wasn't that sour she might have laughed at that weak joke.

She sat on the ground. She tried to picture a happy ending into this. But she couldn't. She had done this, she was the cause of all her problems she was aware of that and there was no turning back. There was no use in being mournful. She had to see the bright side in what seemed to be a world with no sun.

"This is the first time I will ever talk to you without you interrupting," she spoke her thoughts out loud. "Bet you'd be hateful about that."

It was clear he wouldn't answer and she didn't know why but she expected him to do so.

"You deserve it," she whispered slowly. "All of it."

She made her neck look up but he still didn't move, for her to believe that he would was absurd.

"I don't even know why I'm here. No one can go through these parts of the forest. I even told the guards to never come any closer when they left you here. But I guess I'm just mimicking what you did. Coming here with no purpose. But…. You deserve it." And she will repeat it until she believes it herself.

"I've waited a thousand years for this and your visit was of- what? Vengeance. You're a fool. What do you have to say for yourself?" Silence. "Ah, I always forget that you are now made of stone. But if I thought very clearly I would say that I am the fool for actually being here."

She stood, proposing herself that she was about to go. "You don't deserve one visit. Not even mine. You deserve to be on your knees."

In the rush of the moment and the desperation of what seemed to be eternal silence, she casted a spell that undid the stoning around his face.

"You feed yourself lies, my dearest," he quickly replied, his face animated again. "You don't truly believe anything you had say."

She flung her hand ready to strike and he gently closed his eyes awaiting the moment.

It didn't came.

"Why do you think that? Could it be that you want to believe that what I say is a lie when I tell nothing but the truth." She asked, giving him a chance to compensate, whatever reason she had no clue.

"A princess is supposed to be truthful and all you do is break your vows to your commitment." He said more easily now that he knew she wouldn't hit him.

"I haven't broken any. I'm supposed to protect my people from horrendous monsters. I did. In the process I even saved myself." She snapped. "But if you cannot see that I understand. Monsters don't like to see themselves in the mirror. They're afraid that what they'll find is nothing. At all."

His eyes searched for answers and when he opened his mouth and finished his sentence there was a slapping sound echoing the forest. "Do you peer at yourself in the mirror as regularly?"

She was speechless and her hand stung from the force she used to strike him in the face. "How dare you insinuate that of me when you are the one ripping order apart?"

He tried to get back feeling into his jaw as he kept repeating the same movement, his eyes on the ground.

"My apologies, princes. But I was taught to retort back to insane allegation? I didn't mean to insult you."

"Are you supposing that what I'm saying are accusations?"

"I am sorry to say so but yes." This time his eyes lounged to hers.

"You're a pig." She said almost spitting the words.

"Pig," he said very slowly, trying to hide the hurt, "rhymes with princess."

She closed her eyes before they began to sting and took one step closer. She died a little bit today. Her hands move about as she turned him to stone completely.

As quickly as she came close she was turning back.

"You," she said casually, "rhymes with mistake."

I have died everyday

waiting for you

Darlin' don't be afraid

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

Time stands still

beauty in all she is

I will be brave

I will not let anything

Take away

What's standing in front of me

Every breath,

Every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died everyday

Darlin' don't be afraid

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

And all along I believed

I would find you

Time has brought

Your heart to me

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

One step closer

One step closer

I have died everyday

Waiting for you

Darlin' don't be afraid,

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

And all along I believed

I would find you

Time has brought

Your heart to me

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more