"Do you know a film genre that I absolutely love? Period dramas. There are so many excellent ones— the clothes, the political wars, the romance, the art, the elegance, the manners, and all the drama. It's like pure poetry in motion; you cry, you get frustrated, and you mix emotions in a way never seen before. High society was like a celestial palace, above the clouds where beautiful angels walked back and forth. So much purity, so much decorum. There are no words to describe that heavenly view of the people.

Wait, don't you agree with me? Poor you, you haven't had your eyes opened yet. I know, let me tell you about someone who would agree with me: Ygritte. This young lady would tell you if I am right. After all, she was born into a very noble family, a pure maiden in blood, body, soul, and mind.

She was an only child; unfortunately, her mother died in childbirth, leaving only her father, a man in his nearly sixty years of age. But she had friends, her cousins, who frequently came to spend the nights at her house. All were ladies of respect. But Ygritte, being the youngest of the trio, was the most dreamy of them all.

"My father is planning a marriage between me and Xavier. Can you imagine? Me? Marrying a duke," the girl said, sharing the news with her cousins.

"Urgh, having to marry for position is so bad, Ygritte," commented Louis, the second oldest and most rebellious. She had always made it clear that she had no intention of letting others dictate her life, something Ygritte admired but didn't feel with the same intensity. "Not to mention you're only 15; marriage shouldn't be such a big worry."

"It doesn't matter what you think, Louis," commented Jane, the oldest of the cousins at nearly twenty, being the most reserved and calm of them all, whose viewpoint was extremely conflicting with that of her younger sister. "We don't make the rules; the world we live in is like that, and fighting against the system won't change it, no matter how loudly you shout. You should just learn to live within it."

"Oh, here we go again," Ygritte said, putting a pillow over her face. There was always a debate between the two sisters. Jane would explain why it was more promising to follow what was expected of them, while Louis defended the idea of doing what she felt like. Ygritte admired and agreed with Louis, but her goals were more in line with Jane's; it was more honorable and well-regarded to be a maiden, as it would make it easier to find a prince, to have good provision, and to enjoy that little piece of paradise more.

"Jane, how can you say such things? The system will never change if we bow our heads," Ygritte said. Going against the current... people use this expression as if the fish swimming in the opposite direction are rebellious, but when you stop to think about it, that's not the case. The fish going against the current never collide with those going with it.

They live in harmony, each going in the direction their instincts say is best. There are predators at both ends, so it's not like there's a right answer. Each one lives the best life they can by following what they believe. Imagine two dogs, one domestic and the other wild; each thinks the other is foolish, one for having to fight for its life, and the other for being a slave to humans. But if both dogs like the environment they live in, does it really matter for the other dog to judge?

"Oh Louis, you'll live stressed like that."

"Exactly, I'll live." A few months passed, and Jane had received a marriage proposal and accepted it, while Louis refused to marry any of the men her parents chose. She found herself in a life of drinks, revolutions, and fun. From the outside, Ygritte saw the lives of the two, and both seemed happy. The older one lived among the heavens: pregnant, with a loving husband, lands, riches, and servants, peace and order. While the younger one lived on Earth: having fun, doing what she wanted, fighting and becoming independent. But both, whether following the current or confronting it, seemed happy. Ygritte's conclusion was: No matter which path I take, I will be happy.

Between the two paths, the first one she chose was Jane's.

One day, the young woman was at a masquerade ball, dancing and floating at the level of birds, with the best food on the table, listening to the sound of harps and laughter in the background. She was fine, smiling, and everything was wonderful until she spotted a young man at the door staring at her with a different smile. Drawn by the beauty and mystery of the young man, Ygritte approached:

"Good evening, monsieur, may I ask why you are observing me so intently?"

"Milady, I apologize if I have disturbed you. It is just that among so many flowers in this garden, you are the most beautiful." Charming, a perfect example of a charming prince. Quickly, the young man made Ygritte feel special. The two talked for hours and hours during the ball. The young man commented on the noise all the people around were making and invited the maiden for a private conversation, which she quickly accepted.

A flower needs a calm and peaceful environment to develop, showered with compliments, nourished by rays of affection, the flower blooms. And soon after, it dies, as the wind of abandonment blows, tearing off its petals, a consequence of blooming in a dangerous area.

Ygritte's wedding was canceled. Xavier wanted nothing more to do with her, especially taking care of a child that wasn't his. After all, she had become pregnant. Carrying the bastard of a masked man who vanished into the shadows, and cast aside by the prince charming who had been promised to her, as well as abandoned by the baby who, after a few months, had suffered a miscarriage. And her father began to despise her, telling her to her face how she was a failure, foolish, and miserable.

Whispers and murmurs dance through the mouths of paradise, gossip and rumors greet and dance to the melody of the young woman's weeping. Her confidence in love shattered, her fascination with the celestial of the rich no longer existed, and her good name was tarnished as a wife, madame, and mother. Men now frightened her, for three had been the pillars of her downfall: one took her purity, another took her future, and the last, her father, took her status. For he preferred to have no children rather than have a poorly regarded daughter, thus she was disinherited and forced to live among the commoners. Gravity had grown and cast her from the sky to the Earth.

But that's okay, there was no reason to be afraid. Jade's path wasn't hers; it was better to live like Louis then. If she could be happy, so could Ygritte. Ygritte had lost her privileges, but still had a good amount of money to sustain herself. She began to frequent bars and parties with her cousin. Most events were with just women, so she didn't have to worry about any scheming, selfish, or proud men wanting to use her.

But it was much better than when she was an heiress. She felt freer and happier, laughed and had fun all the time. She had made more friends than she ever thought she would. There were no gossips, masquerade balls, or cynicism; they were all genuine, straightforward, quarrelsome, and fighters. Now that gravity had brought her down among the people, she had become one of them, joining every circle she could, even bringing some of them to her home.

A friendship so quickly formed. She got along so well with many, sharing her secrets with them, sharing her story. Surely she could trust them. It's not like, right after they arrived at her home, they would attack her, steal all her money, and leave her lying on the ground to die... right?

So why did gravity pull her even deeper? If Louis was happy, why did Ygritte fail to live on Earth? And now she was cast into the abyss, without money, without a home. Without protection, she would die. Why? Why could Jade live in the sky and Louis on Earth while Ygritte was denied happiness in both?

The two were opposites, with opposite lives. So why were both happy? More importantly, men had betrayed her, women had betrayed her; who could she trust?

It's not a matter of trust. It doesn't matter the species of an animal, whether the animal travels in a group or alone, whether it follows the tumult or not, whether it's male or female, whether it's domestic or wild. On land, in the sky, and in the sea, all animals recognize that there is danger everywhere.

To the rich, to the poor, to men, to women, to rebels, to followers, to the elegant, and to the wild. Danger and evil can hide among all. There is no holy race, 100% guilty or 100% victimized among humans on Earth, no matter how much you fantasize about it or deny the truth.

How were her cousins happy with opposite lives, and unlike you, managed to live? For both were prudent. Jade chose to live within the system but recognized its rules and that she should be careful not to break them, and that within it, the bad intentions of people came in a gentle manner. Louis chose to live outside the system but recognized that even her rebellious friends could be dangerous, and that just because they shared the same vision that would mean that all of them care for her.

What separated the youngest of her cousins was not life itself, but the care in how to live it. They were not malicious, nor were they innocent; they were prudent. They did not generalize a group, much less divide anyone into good or bad, they simply saw everyone as they were: Human.

Ygritte had now fallen as low as she could; all her money was gone, and she could no longer afford a house, so she lived in the underground of society, the place where the dead reside and snake nests multiply. Being a woman made her life much more dangerous and painful. She had no respect, no security, no innocence left, and was too ashamed to turn to any of her cousins.

Driven by despair, Ygritte began to pass as a man, trying to change her demeanor and wearing clothes that helped her hide her feminine traits. It was hilarious: Before, Ygritte wanted to have an army at her disposal for protection; now she had to become a soldier to survive, she had to learn to protect herself.

Her hair had become infested with lice, and she had to constantly monitor how much of her body was visible to keep her secret. But even while avoiding contact with so many people, many drunks tried to pick fights with her, and the soldier fought and fled from anyone who approached.

In the depths of the pit, if you relax, you drown, but no matter how much you fight, you won't be able to climb the walls; gravity won't allow it. And you get involved in so many fights—over food, rest, pleasure, security—you are constantly stabbed and hurt. There isn't a day you don't see your blood; you are, therefore, dying more and more each day, with one more scar, one more pain, one more tear. Living in the deep abyss because you couldn't take care of yourself in paradise.

"Hey, hey..." A voice calls you from the darkness. Amid the shadows in your house, while you tend to a fresh wound on your chest, a girl appears. She is beautiful, and you see yourself when you look at her.

You remember your cousins and how you used to have fun when you were younger. You remember that now each one is in a different place, and you have become the most miserable of the three. Back then, you fantasized about gossiping with them while your children played. Back then, you dreamed of so many things, and then reality came, and you realized they were all illusions of the mind of a foolish, irresponsible person.

Honestly, you don't even care that a child has appeared out of nowhere in your home. You are crying too much to question it, and the child looks at you with disgust and judgment. Staring directly at your soul, looking at your past, and comparing it to your present. Until she smiles, a brief and light smile. She then asked:

"How did you get here?"

Ygritte also wanted to know, child. She had analyzed and reanalyzed her life in every detail, regretting so much, losing everything, and now living in this trash. How she wanted to change the past, how she wanted to change so many things that had happened.

"I was an idiot, that's how I ended up here. I... I... I was just stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." She said, hitting her head more and more. She couldn't reach any of those who had hurt her, except herself.

"How were you stupid?"

"I... I threw everything away. I knew my responsibilities... I knew how the life I wanted worked, and yet I did what I wanted... I was stupid because I was an idiot."

"......" The girl said nothing, just continued to stare at her for a few minutes, a few long minutes.

"You must be thinking it's easy, isn't it? Living life... oh you idiot, it's not. You'll probably end up here too when you grow up. The world isn't just unicorns; there are wild horses. It's not just princes; there are barbarians. It's not just friends; there are enemies."

"......."

"You probably don't see it because you're young. When you're young, you create a whole world in your mind... you expect things to go one way, but they don't. You believe your skin will remain soft and fluffy, when in reality it becomes hard, full of scars and bruises. That's the most painful part, the broken expectation. The thought that everything will be alright, and it's not."

"......."

"Just thinking about how many people go through this, when I look at you, I just want to cry..." The woman said, drowning in her tears. "I don't want you to go through this, my little one. It's too painful. Honestly, I feel like a monster for saying this, but it was for the best that my child died. I wouldn't have to keep feeding his false hope, and I wouldn't have to tell him the truth. I'm so grateful he won't have to experience all this. I'm so grateful, so grateful."

"......... But that's common in life. Having difficulties. I believe you're mistaken about something very important."

".... How so?"

"Well, first of all, being grateful for your child's death is horrible, just like trying to assume that my future is as bad as yours. Just because you were stupid doesn't mean everyone will be stupid with their own lives. Stop making all this melodramatic fuss. You don't represent all of that. Honestly, just look at your cousins."

Ygritte was left speechless. The girl had just insulted her out of nowhere, like a moral kick. The woman was struggling hard to try to overcome this; the girl had simply obstructed her work.

"So what you mean is that I'm mistaken? That not everyone suffers as I suffered?"

"There's more to it, actually. You're somewhat slow, so I believe I need to explain in detail. You see, life can be happy; the problem isn't where you live, but in you."

"In... me?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. The thing is, when people are young, they are idiots, and that's why they suffer so much. They either see themselves as more than they really are, or less. It's such a drag if you ask me. So I wouldn't say that suffering lives on Earth, but in man. The younger you are, the less experience you have, the less learning, and therefore the chance of making a mistake is huge. To put it simply: Your life is this way now due to your youth."

"So why didn't my cousins go through the same thing? They... they... they..."

"Because unlike you, you slow one, the two of them had already mentally matured, they were already responsible, and knew to be careful. While you didn't. That's the most interesting thing about youth, you know? Some remain young forever, some were never young, some vary. Youth is so complex, isn't it? Too complex for the young to know how to live it. In my opinion, many problems would be solved if everyone were born with a more mature and wise mindset. But I'm just a child, what do I know about the world?"

"Who are you? Actually, how old are you?"

"Hihihihi, that's the question, isn't it? Do you want to know my biological age? Mental? Emotional? Social? There are so many that it's hard to locate oneself among them. No, no, what matters now is: You are Ygritte, you messed up your own life because you are foolish, and I can help you turn the world into a place of peace. You know, there's a way to make all people be born old; you just need to destroy youth."

"...." Ygritte was skeptical of the idea, but she was so desperate and tired that it was worth a try. At least this... girl (?) offered an escape.

"Ygritte, I haven't thought of a title yet... let me see, let me see... The Idiot? The Fool? Oh, I know, The Warrior. Too late, but you started fighting for your life after you messed up. Your desperation was your recklessness, but don't worry because now I'll be your hope, the hope of destroying the virtue of youth. Come, be one of my generals and then you'll grasp your hope."

"You tell me to go, but where to?" The child approached the woman and poked her in the stomach, causing her to scream and fall to the ground. "What was that?"

"Very simple, you weren't even prudent with the treatment of your own wounds, maybe a consequence of being spoiled. You have cut organs, muscle pain, infections. You got into so many fights that now you will pay the price. You will die, Ygritte, in an extremely painful way, alone, filthy, lice-ridden. It's one of the worst ways I've ever seen. And it's your fault. Look at yourself." The girl was so impartial with her, as if she neither wanted nor cared about the woman before her. The impression was that she only called her because she had no other choice. "By the way, I didn't tell you my name, did I? I'm Lily."