Once upon a time, there was a young woman.
The woman was very beautiful, considered to be the most lovely of women in all of her village. Everywhere she walked, women would look at her with envy, while men would look at her with lust. In her village there were either those who wanted her, or those who wanted to be her.
It was her beauty that would lead her to develop the vanity that would change her bloodline forever.
Though many men had sought after the beautiful woman, her father had struck a deal with a farmer that she would be wed to him. The farmer made the deal, not because of her appearance, but because of the many quirks and interests the beautiful woman held. Her father, thinking that his daughter would prefer a man that truly loved her for who she was, instead of what she looked like, agreed to the deal. Though they were poor, the farmer and the beautiful woman were not struggling by any means, and made enough to live comfortably.
But it was not enough for the beautiful woman.
Even though her husband loved her unconditionally, praising her flaws just as much as he would praise her strengths, she did not love him back solely because he could not provide her the life of riches she desired. With her beauty, and the many eyes still on her, she felt that she deserved clothes, food, and wealth that were to the standards of her beauty. She refused to accept any less, and, as such, refused to love her husband.
One day, news had spread to their tiny village that a very wealthy man would be making his way through town in a few days time. The beautiful woman saw this as her chance to finally live the life she always wanted. But, there was still the matter of the farmer.
Her vanity and greed led her to do something she never thought she would. During the night, she brought a knife to the farmer's throat and ended his life. She spent the rest of the night hiding the evidence, disposing the farmer's body-as well as several of his things-and forging a note to look like it was from him. By late afternoon of the next day, everyone in the village gossiped about the poor woman who was abandoned by her husband in favor of a younger woman.
The beautiful woman played the part of the abandoned wife being comforted by her devastated family very well. The only time she almost broke character was when she nearly smirked at how profusely her father apologized for setting her up with someone so unfaithful.
Soon the day had arrived when the wealthy man had come through town. When he laid eyes on the beautiful woman, he was instantly taken by her beauty, just as she was taken by his money. She was whisked away by the wealthy man and, within a few days time, they were married. The beautiful woman could do nothing but smile as she finally had the life she desired. Every day she was dressed in the finest, and most expensive of fabrics. Eating the most exotic of foods while the wealthy man gave her any kind of jewelry she desired.
Everything was bliss for the beautiful woman. Unfortunately, that all came to a halt one day when the wealthy man had demanded a daughter from the beautiful woman.
Sadly, the beautiful woman had learned months ago that she wouldn't be able to bear any children. Such a concern had not been a problem for the farmer, who had loved her even with this news, but the wealthy man would have no less. He had married the beautiful woman because he aspired to have a daughter that he could proudly display as his own.
Knowing that the man would reject her if she could not conceive, she knew that she had to act quickly.
She remembered, from the time in her tiny village, that there was a rumor that if one prayed by the river where a single cherry blossom tree bloomed a spirit would appear. Desperate, the beautiful woman searched and searched until she eventually found said tree.
As the sun began to set, and the cherry blossoms danced across the moving waters of the river, the beautiful woman got down on her knees and prayed.
She prayed, and prayed, and prayed, until a spirit rose up from the river.
The spirit stood before the beautiful woman, demanding to know what her business was. The beautiful woman pleaded to the spirit, begging to be able to bear the wealthy man a child. Though the beautiful woman sobbed, and yelled, and begged, the spirit looked through the tear filled eyes and saw nothing but greed.
The spirit looked upon the beautiful woman with no sympathy as it spoke,
"You sacrificed true love for material items.
You do not love this man, you only seek his wealth.
You feel nothing for him."
The spirit paused, looking for even the slightest hint of sadness and remorse in the beautiful woman's eyes. But when those eyes held no regret in them, the spirit could only sigh and continue.
"I will allow you to bear him a daughter.
But, the daughter, and all who come after her, will feel nothing.
She will never know any emotion.
She will never love you, her father, or anyone else.
She will only feel emptiness until she is with the one who she truly belongs with.
Whomever they may be."
The beautiful woman ignored the faint warning within the spirit's words. None of it mattered as long as she could continue to live the life of luxury she felt she deserved. Without any hesitation, the beautiful woman accepted the spirit's terms.
The spirit bent down and plucked a cherry blossom petal from the river, telling the beautiful woman that eating it will allow her to conceive only one child, the daughter she so desperately sought after. The beautiful woman eagerly snatched the pedal from the spirit and swallowed in an instant. Without any thanks, the beautiful woman ran back toward her home. The spirit simply watched her go, despite the thankless response for the generosity.
"Foolish woman. What you may see as a blessing, will soon reveal itself for the curse that it is."
Nine months later, a beautiful baby girl was born, and both the beautiful woman and the wealthy man were happy.
However, it was quickly noticed that there seemed to be something wrong with the little girl. Unlike her mother, who had eyes like the sky above, and her father, with eyes that shined with the gold of his wealth, the daughter's eyes were a dull grey. No matter where she was, at any time of day, it seemed like no light could even reflect off the girl's eyes.
What was worse was that the daughter never showed any emotions. She never cried, got angry, or ever even smiled. She was like an animated doll.
Neither the wealthy man or the beautiful woman cared much about this, though. The girl was obedient, which was enough for the wealthy man as he paraded her around like a trophy. And the beautiful woman was too busy flaunting her beauty and wealth to really care about what could be wrong with her own daughter.
That all changed when the daughter fell in love with a poor young boy. There was nothing special about the young boy. He was average height, of an average build, and had an average appearance of shaggy black hair and grey eyes. The only thing that made him stand out was that he was the son of a poor farmer, who made just enough to get by.
But, still, when the young girl first laid eyes upon the young boy, as the wealthy man paraded her through the streets of the small village, something changed within her. Her eyes finally shone with life when she looked at him. It was like the world finally had color, after being a grey and drab land for so long. She could feel warmth burning inside her after what felt like a long winter of cold.
Looking at him made her smile for the first time in her life.
But, the visit was over as quickly as it had begun, and the young girl soon found herself thrown back into the cold, colorless world. Within the minutes of being without the young boy's presence, the young girl had already made up her mind about what she was going to do next.
That night, during dinner, the young girl had made the request to the wealthy man and beautiful woman to be married off to the young boy. The beautiful woman laughed in the young girl's face as the wealthy man screamed at her. Such a young woman of her status could never marry a boy so average, and with practically nothing to his name. The night had ended with the young girl being sent off to bed, told that she would be married off to a rich son by the end of the week.
The young girl couldn't sleep that night, her dull eyes staring lifelessly at her ceiling as she thought of the young boy.
She refused to go back to her life without that young boy. All she wanted was to be around him again. To feel the warmth of his presence, and to see the color he brought to her sad life. So long had she lived with this empty void in her chest, even she had thought of herself as a doll. But the rapid beating of her heart when she was around him made her feel more alive than she ever thought she could be. No one could replicate that feeling. And, as such, no one deserved to have her other than the young boy.
She belonged to the young boy, just as he belonged to her.
It was by the stroke of midnight that the young girl had made up her mind. Sneaking into her parents' room, she held the knife to their throats and swiftly ended their lives. Their blood splattered onto her creamy skin, but there was no remorse in her eyes. She could care nothing for them, especially as they tried to keep her from her beloved.
Taking as much money as she could, the young girl fled back to the village where the young boy lived. The young girl new that her relatives would likely search every inch of the land for her, seeing as how she was the heir to her father's legacy, so she disguised herself. She abandoned her expensive clothing for the most common rags of the village, tied her silky long black hair into a messy ponytail, tarnished her creamy white skin with dirt, and took an apprenticeship with a seamstress for cover. It had worked, as even when the servants of the wealthy man's family came and tore the village to shreds looking for her, they weren't able to find her in the end.
While her father's legacy crumbled, the young girl set out to win the heart of the young boy. She didn't mind the lower lifestyle she had to live now. To her, riches meant nothing without love. The young boy was flattered that such a beautiful girl would be so interested in him. But, because of his lack of wealth, he felt that he didn't deserve someone like her. The young girl was quick to refute the young boy's statement, yelling to the sun about how she would love him faithfully, no matter what, until the day she died. So moved by her words, the young boy asked the young girl to marry him.
When it came to asking the father of the young boy for his blessing, the father was skeptical of the orphaned young girl. Especially with the riches she had presented him in exchange for the young boy's hand. But the young girl, all too clever, spun a story about how her father had saved up the money before his passing. Telling the young girl, while he was on his deathbed, to use it as his way of him giving his blessing when it was her time to be married. The father of the young boy bought the lie, and allowed the two to be wed.
The wedding wasn't anything extravagant, and the lifestyle from there after was only made slightly better because of the young girl's remaining riches, but the two lovers didn't care. Their love for each other got them through each hardship, no matter how big it was. They had remained as faithful, and as loving to one another, as they had been when the young girl had proclaimed her love to the young boy.
Their union was made all the more stronger as, nine months later, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl into their world.
A baby girl with dull, lifeless grey eyes.