One of the main reasons why I took me so damn long to continue this was that I debated to myself how I would end this. I finally decided how......
Anyway, I changed my writing style a little. I found myself to be better writing like this. Not much of a departure, more of an improvement. Enjoy! ^_^
----------------------
"That name..... I've heard that name before...."
Mint thought of the young man as she happily skipped up into her room after the carnival. It was night already, the moon was out and the stars littered across the sky. The castle guards couldn't help but stare at her when she entered the castle with a huge grin on her face, but she didn't even notice them at all. She was too engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice a dozen foreign delegates trying to greet her. She went back to her room, ecstatic and nearly oblivious to the entire world around her. She plopped down on her bed like a rock and squeezed the life out of her pillow. She started rolling around her bed until she nearly fell off. Her laughter could even be heard when she put the pillow on her face.
*Lesse.... lesseee... what should we do tomorrow?....*
She began thinking out loud, much to the bewilderment of the guards outside. She lay there wondering about the days ahead. Of course, an active mind can't keep a tired body on the go. In just a few short moments she had fallen asleep, exhausted but happy. On her face was a smile. She breathed lightly, her chest slolwy rising and falling with every breath. Her cheeks were a slight red. Her hair in a somewhat messy state. She slept peacefully, as if without a care in her heart. In her heart she wished dreams of a better future, but her mind had other plans for her that night. A dream, she wanted to dream.
****************
The winds seemed to howl like the wolves that night. In their evening hunt the biting nails of the cold winds bit into the bare skin of a young lady, standing near the edge of what would look like a steep cliff. The young lady wore a silk nightgown, so light and soft it looked to be blown away by the southern winds. Her eyes seemed so distant, so cold and lacked the fire of life. She waived her gaze between the splendor of the star-lit sky and the subliminal darkness of the ravine below. When she looked up into the sky, she imagined the infinite vastness of the universe, how so many possible things can exist at the same time. And yet, how so many things too could end at the same time. When she looked down into darkness of the mystery below her, she saw an end into what could seem to be an eternity. She envied those who chose to end it all, finding that final escape in something that seemed so unending. She stood there, for so long, just looking at the sky and cliff. Pondering. Thinking. Choosing.
She looked behind. Three figures, so distant from her, yet she knew who they were even from that distance.
Two young men, so identical in body and soul. Two young men so loving that they'd do anything for those they loved.
A young lady. She didn't show it, but she loved her very much. The young lady too loved her so much, but also never showed it.
They ran towards her, in panick and shock of what she was about to do. She looked at them. She smiled at them. She turned her back at them. They continued running. She turned around to face them again. Still they approached. She finally decided. It was time. Time for her to go.
She opened her arms, like a bird ready for flight. She closed her eyes, and slowly let the winds of time take her away....
****************
"Princess Mint? Your father issues a summon. We believe he has an announcement to make. Err.... my lady?"
Mint woke up in surprise. She got up and looked towards the window. The sun is almost all the way up. It was almost lunchtime. She recognized the voice. It was a member of the kingdom's royal court.
"Huh? Oh yeah! Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes." *What a weird dream!*
Noticing that she had slept in her street clothes, she hurried to her dresser to change into something more formal. All the while, though, thinking about her dream. She saw it, but she could not remember it in it's totality, but she could still definitely feel it. It puzzled her somewhat, but she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want it to spoil her day. Getting dressed, she immediately went out of her room to meet with the official.
"Princess, your father wishes to speak to you this afternoon. Please be back in time."
Taking his leave, the official went back to his duties, leaving Mint who had her head up in the clouds. She did hear the part about coming home early. She didn't put much importance on what her father had to say later, thinking it wouldn't affect her. She walked down into the lower hall, which was filled with hundreds of servants preparing for what seemed to be a grand party of some sort. They had white streams of cloth literaly hanging everywhere, side to side, corner to corner. Hundred's of tables and chairs were scattered about, able to feet almost a thousand guests. In the middle of it all stood a long table, covered in white, with a podium in the center. Her imagination went off even more, trying to think what was happening later that day that would be the cause of such grand preparations. She decided to ask one of the servants.
"Hey! May I ask what all this' about. Is there, like, some big event later I don't know about?"
"Oh, your highness! To be honest we don't know. I think the king will announce why later..."
"I see. Thanks."
A lot of things were happening today that she didn't know about, but she still tried not to think about them. She decided to let what will come, come. She decided to head into town, to see if Ruenis would be there like he said. She moved out of the castle to see even more decorations outside. The castle gates were completely covered in roses and other flowers. The guards were eagerly putting up so many decorations that one couldn't recognize it as the residence of the monarch. It was absolutely stunning. Yet, like before, Mint tried not to think about them. She continued on down to town.
It was quite busy that day. For the townspeople, it was the day after the carnival and also market day. The town market was full of the hustle and bustle of vendor's peddling the wares and buyers haggling for the best prices. Like yesterday, people were everywhere. The streets were full of people. Mint tried to get by them, squeezing in and out of the crowds getting to the park. Of course, she didn't want to call attention to herself by trying to clear the crowds by telling everyone who she was. She wanted to be low-profile as much as possible. It took her almost half an hour to get where she wanted to go, and getting there she sat by the bench near the fountain. She sat there, thinking where Ruenis could be.
Hours passed by. She was already falling asleep from waiting. She knew he was going to pass by this way, but he still didn't show himself. The crowd in the area was getting bigger, and she wanted as little people around as could be. She dozed of for a little while, and waking up again when the crowd was getting noisy. She finally decided to go into the inn where he was staying hoping to find him there.
She slowly got up and, as if by some cosmic chance that teased by its unpredictability, she passed by two couples that were all too familiar to her. She passed between them, and at that exact moment, time seemed to slow down as the heartbeats of five individuals beat in a quick unison. Time seemed to compress. Their hair softly blown by the gust of wind as their steps seemed to stop. The colors of the world looked to stretch and blur between the lines of reality and time. Men and women moved as if they were in the water the slowed their every movement.
To Mint's right, a young lady with dark hair bunched up into the back. She wore a black dress that complemented her beautiful face and figure. With her a young man, his face pale as snow with a slight sparkle that seemed to resonate on his forehead. He wore a hat and clothes of colorful green and red among other colors. They passed by her a little, then looked back.
To Mint's left, a young man also as pale as snow. He wore a blue and white hat quite similar to the one worn by the other man. He too wore clothes of the same color. With him, a young lady with auburn-orange hair, much like the hair Mint had. She wore a dress of blue, in the design worn by the royal family. Mint's family. They passed by her a little, then looked back.
Mint stopped a few paces away from them, turned her head back, her eyes trailing the world as she turned to face them. She looked at them in fear. Both couples held hands, with surprised expressions on their faces. She immediately recognized who they were. She knew them, of course. Her life would be forever intertwined with theirs.
"M-Mint?"
Both men and women nearly said the same exact same thing. They tried to approach her to greet her, but she backed away with ever step they took. She began to back off faster, so much that she fell on her back. The couples tried to help her up, but she, almost violently, slapped their hands away. They were visibly shocked at her action. They stepped back as she rose up.
She rose up, and faced them. A visible ocean lined her entire face as her blurried mind and vision tried to comprehend what had just happened. She staggered to her feet, her legs becoming ever weak with each passing moment. Her hands shook intensely, her body hyperventilating. Her eyes stared halfway to the ground, halfway to the ones before her. The ocean that dripped upon her face formed pools by her feet. The young couples could see that no amount of words, deeds or thoughts could help to ease the intense pain she was starting to feel.
She calmly walked passed them again, this time back to the castle. The two young men tried to reach for both her arms, but could not reach her as she started to run. She began to run as fast as she could, not giving a damn anymore who or what was in her way. As far as she knew, the world breezed by her as she ran back to the security of her home. Before she realized it, she was on her bed, crying like a child who had losy her toy. She realized what she saw wasn't a figment of her cruel imagination. It was real. He was with another woman. A woman she.... thought she could show her love to again, unlike years ago. But.... nowm seeing him in her arms, she knew she could never see them in the same light again.
*What.... what am I!! What the hell am I?!*
She screamed inside her head, trying to figure out what was happening with her life. She wanted to erase the moments just passed. If she couldn't, then just to pass them off as a mere nightamre. But she knew she couldn't. It was all too true. It was real, and she coudln't deny it from herself.
"Your highness! Your father has gathered everyone into the hall!"
That big announcement. But for her, somehow she had a feeling what that announcement would be, but she wasn't too sure if it were true. She tried to gather her composure. Calming herself as much as she could, she went out of her room and proceeded to the audience hall. There, stood in a great assembly, was the royal court and congress seated en masse. There too, she could see, were her relatives anxiously waiting for the news to come. The other corner surprised her the most. There sat Klaus and his family, along with Rod. She walked into the hall, all eyes on her. She looked straight and tried not to make eye contact with anyone, if only for them not see on her face what had just happened. She went to her seat, and beside her.... were the two couples she saw that afternoon. She saw between them. The couples looked at her with uneasyness, but decided not too talk to her. In time, the king arrived to make his speech. Everyone rose with his arrival. He approached the podium, and spoke.
"Greetings, everyone! Today truly is a day of rejoicing! I am very proud to announce it all to you!"
The people in hall began to speak to each other, wondering what he was about to say.
"I am proud to announce that.... we will be having two weddings tonight!"
The people began to get even louder. The king paused again, then spoke.
"Today sees the wedding of my dear daughter, Princess Maya, to the one known as Ruenis. Also, the hero who saved us from the Aeon Valen's insanity, Sir Rue, will be wed to his dear Claire."
Upon that end the entire room erupted in applause and cheers, except for one. One young, lonely individual. Her greatest fear had been realized in such a short time. Slowly, she rose as the crowd approached the couples, and slowly slipped out of the room. Back to her room. Back to her lonely self.
----------------------
Yeah.... quite anticlimactic I admit. I used foreshadowing to hint a later event. I wonder who can guess....
Anyway R&R again! I'll try to finish the next and last chap as quick as I can!
Anyway, I changed my writing style a little. I found myself to be better writing like this. Not much of a departure, more of an improvement. Enjoy! ^_^
----------------------
"That name..... I've heard that name before...."
Mint thought of the young man as she happily skipped up into her room after the carnival. It was night already, the moon was out and the stars littered across the sky. The castle guards couldn't help but stare at her when she entered the castle with a huge grin on her face, but she didn't even notice them at all. She was too engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice a dozen foreign delegates trying to greet her. She went back to her room, ecstatic and nearly oblivious to the entire world around her. She plopped down on her bed like a rock and squeezed the life out of her pillow. She started rolling around her bed until she nearly fell off. Her laughter could even be heard when she put the pillow on her face.
*Lesse.... lesseee... what should we do tomorrow?....*
She began thinking out loud, much to the bewilderment of the guards outside. She lay there wondering about the days ahead. Of course, an active mind can't keep a tired body on the go. In just a few short moments she had fallen asleep, exhausted but happy. On her face was a smile. She breathed lightly, her chest slolwy rising and falling with every breath. Her cheeks were a slight red. Her hair in a somewhat messy state. She slept peacefully, as if without a care in her heart. In her heart she wished dreams of a better future, but her mind had other plans for her that night. A dream, she wanted to dream.
****************
The winds seemed to howl like the wolves that night. In their evening hunt the biting nails of the cold winds bit into the bare skin of a young lady, standing near the edge of what would look like a steep cliff. The young lady wore a silk nightgown, so light and soft it looked to be blown away by the southern winds. Her eyes seemed so distant, so cold and lacked the fire of life. She waived her gaze between the splendor of the star-lit sky and the subliminal darkness of the ravine below. When she looked up into the sky, she imagined the infinite vastness of the universe, how so many possible things can exist at the same time. And yet, how so many things too could end at the same time. When she looked down into darkness of the mystery below her, she saw an end into what could seem to be an eternity. She envied those who chose to end it all, finding that final escape in something that seemed so unending. She stood there, for so long, just looking at the sky and cliff. Pondering. Thinking. Choosing.
She looked behind. Three figures, so distant from her, yet she knew who they were even from that distance.
Two young men, so identical in body and soul. Two young men so loving that they'd do anything for those they loved.
A young lady. She didn't show it, but she loved her very much. The young lady too loved her so much, but also never showed it.
They ran towards her, in panick and shock of what she was about to do. She looked at them. She smiled at them. She turned her back at them. They continued running. She turned around to face them again. Still they approached. She finally decided. It was time. Time for her to go.
She opened her arms, like a bird ready for flight. She closed her eyes, and slowly let the winds of time take her away....
****************
"Princess Mint? Your father issues a summon. We believe he has an announcement to make. Err.... my lady?"
Mint woke up in surprise. She got up and looked towards the window. The sun is almost all the way up. It was almost lunchtime. She recognized the voice. It was a member of the kingdom's royal court.
"Huh? Oh yeah! Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes." *What a weird dream!*
Noticing that she had slept in her street clothes, she hurried to her dresser to change into something more formal. All the while, though, thinking about her dream. She saw it, but she could not remember it in it's totality, but she could still definitely feel it. It puzzled her somewhat, but she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want it to spoil her day. Getting dressed, she immediately went out of her room to meet with the official.
"Princess, your father wishes to speak to you this afternoon. Please be back in time."
Taking his leave, the official went back to his duties, leaving Mint who had her head up in the clouds. She did hear the part about coming home early. She didn't put much importance on what her father had to say later, thinking it wouldn't affect her. She walked down into the lower hall, which was filled with hundreds of servants preparing for what seemed to be a grand party of some sort. They had white streams of cloth literaly hanging everywhere, side to side, corner to corner. Hundred's of tables and chairs were scattered about, able to feet almost a thousand guests. In the middle of it all stood a long table, covered in white, with a podium in the center. Her imagination went off even more, trying to think what was happening later that day that would be the cause of such grand preparations. She decided to ask one of the servants.
"Hey! May I ask what all this' about. Is there, like, some big event later I don't know about?"
"Oh, your highness! To be honest we don't know. I think the king will announce why later..."
"I see. Thanks."
A lot of things were happening today that she didn't know about, but she still tried not to think about them. She decided to let what will come, come. She decided to head into town, to see if Ruenis would be there like he said. She moved out of the castle to see even more decorations outside. The castle gates were completely covered in roses and other flowers. The guards were eagerly putting up so many decorations that one couldn't recognize it as the residence of the monarch. It was absolutely stunning. Yet, like before, Mint tried not to think about them. She continued on down to town.
It was quite busy that day. For the townspeople, it was the day after the carnival and also market day. The town market was full of the hustle and bustle of vendor's peddling the wares and buyers haggling for the best prices. Like yesterday, people were everywhere. The streets were full of people. Mint tried to get by them, squeezing in and out of the crowds getting to the park. Of course, she didn't want to call attention to herself by trying to clear the crowds by telling everyone who she was. She wanted to be low-profile as much as possible. It took her almost half an hour to get where she wanted to go, and getting there she sat by the bench near the fountain. She sat there, thinking where Ruenis could be.
Hours passed by. She was already falling asleep from waiting. She knew he was going to pass by this way, but he still didn't show himself. The crowd in the area was getting bigger, and she wanted as little people around as could be. She dozed of for a little while, and waking up again when the crowd was getting noisy. She finally decided to go into the inn where he was staying hoping to find him there.
She slowly got up and, as if by some cosmic chance that teased by its unpredictability, she passed by two couples that were all too familiar to her. She passed between them, and at that exact moment, time seemed to slow down as the heartbeats of five individuals beat in a quick unison. Time seemed to compress. Their hair softly blown by the gust of wind as their steps seemed to stop. The colors of the world looked to stretch and blur between the lines of reality and time. Men and women moved as if they were in the water the slowed their every movement.
To Mint's right, a young lady with dark hair bunched up into the back. She wore a black dress that complemented her beautiful face and figure. With her a young man, his face pale as snow with a slight sparkle that seemed to resonate on his forehead. He wore a hat and clothes of colorful green and red among other colors. They passed by her a little, then looked back.
To Mint's left, a young man also as pale as snow. He wore a blue and white hat quite similar to the one worn by the other man. He too wore clothes of the same color. With him, a young lady with auburn-orange hair, much like the hair Mint had. She wore a dress of blue, in the design worn by the royal family. Mint's family. They passed by her a little, then looked back.
Mint stopped a few paces away from them, turned her head back, her eyes trailing the world as she turned to face them. She looked at them in fear. Both couples held hands, with surprised expressions on their faces. She immediately recognized who they were. She knew them, of course. Her life would be forever intertwined with theirs.
"M-Mint?"
Both men and women nearly said the same exact same thing. They tried to approach her to greet her, but she backed away with ever step they took. She began to back off faster, so much that she fell on her back. The couples tried to help her up, but she, almost violently, slapped their hands away. They were visibly shocked at her action. They stepped back as she rose up.
She rose up, and faced them. A visible ocean lined her entire face as her blurried mind and vision tried to comprehend what had just happened. She staggered to her feet, her legs becoming ever weak with each passing moment. Her hands shook intensely, her body hyperventilating. Her eyes stared halfway to the ground, halfway to the ones before her. The ocean that dripped upon her face formed pools by her feet. The young couples could see that no amount of words, deeds or thoughts could help to ease the intense pain she was starting to feel.
She calmly walked passed them again, this time back to the castle. The two young men tried to reach for both her arms, but could not reach her as she started to run. She began to run as fast as she could, not giving a damn anymore who or what was in her way. As far as she knew, the world breezed by her as she ran back to the security of her home. Before she realized it, she was on her bed, crying like a child who had losy her toy. She realized what she saw wasn't a figment of her cruel imagination. It was real. He was with another woman. A woman she.... thought she could show her love to again, unlike years ago. But.... nowm seeing him in her arms, she knew she could never see them in the same light again.
*What.... what am I!! What the hell am I?!*
She screamed inside her head, trying to figure out what was happening with her life. She wanted to erase the moments just passed. If she couldn't, then just to pass them off as a mere nightamre. But she knew she couldn't. It was all too true. It was real, and she coudln't deny it from herself.
"Your highness! Your father has gathered everyone into the hall!"
That big announcement. But for her, somehow she had a feeling what that announcement would be, but she wasn't too sure if it were true. She tried to gather her composure. Calming herself as much as she could, she went out of her room and proceeded to the audience hall. There, stood in a great assembly, was the royal court and congress seated en masse. There too, she could see, were her relatives anxiously waiting for the news to come. The other corner surprised her the most. There sat Klaus and his family, along with Rod. She walked into the hall, all eyes on her. She looked straight and tried not to make eye contact with anyone, if only for them not see on her face what had just happened. She went to her seat, and beside her.... were the two couples she saw that afternoon. She saw between them. The couples looked at her with uneasyness, but decided not too talk to her. In time, the king arrived to make his speech. Everyone rose with his arrival. He approached the podium, and spoke.
"Greetings, everyone! Today truly is a day of rejoicing! I am very proud to announce it all to you!"
The people in hall began to speak to each other, wondering what he was about to say.
"I am proud to announce that.... we will be having two weddings tonight!"
The people began to get even louder. The king paused again, then spoke.
"Today sees the wedding of my dear daughter, Princess Maya, to the one known as Ruenis. Also, the hero who saved us from the Aeon Valen's insanity, Sir Rue, will be wed to his dear Claire."
Upon that end the entire room erupted in applause and cheers, except for one. One young, lonely individual. Her greatest fear had been realized in such a short time. Slowly, she rose as the crowd approached the couples, and slowly slipped out of the room. Back to her room. Back to her lonely self.
----------------------
Yeah.... quite anticlimactic I admit. I used foreshadowing to hint a later event. I wonder who can guess....
Anyway R&R again! I'll try to finish the next and last chap as quick as I can!