Torn Lace

Proven Disappointment 

"I can't tolerate this behavior anymore, Ellie. It's time for you to grow up." My father told me, continuously running his hands through his perfectly groomed hair like he always did when he was frustrated. 

"Dad, I didn't mean to. I tripped, it wasn't my fault." I begged.

"That's where you're wrong, it is your fault. Why couldn't you just act like your sisters for one night?" He yelled as he turned to leave the room. He didn't bother saying goodbye, I wasn't even sure I would want him to at this point. He may be angry with me but I was with him as well. Right as he reached the door, he turned to face me. "This was supposed to change things, Ellie. After sixteen years, this was supposed to help you." He said, turning around again and straitening his suit. At that, he left.

You may be wondering what I did that has my father so mad with me. If you look at the big picture, it goes back to the day I was born. It was that day, exactly sixteen years ago, that I caused trouble for my family. There were complications during my birth and my mother died while I lived. The kingdom we live in was in ruins, fighting a war at the time. My father almost lost due to grief. I know what my father thinks of me, i'm not the precious gift that remained alive. I'm the horrible cause of my mother's destruction and the close call for the kingdom's as well. In my father's eyes, that was the first of many mistakes I would make in this family. He was right.

On the night of a princess's sixteen birthday, a tiny party is held. Princes and princesses are invited from different kingdoms to join in and meet the princess and her family. All my other siblings' sixteenth birthdays were beautiful -or I imagine my brother's would have been anyway. Instead the only ones i'm completely sure about party wise would be my sisters', each of them finding the man the would marry on those nights. I wasn't so lucky.

I did meet a prince -Xavier, if i'm remembering correctly, second in line to the throne where he lives- and we talked about random things our families did. I laughed when I knew my father would tell me it was acceptable.

It was going fine, that is, before I tripped. A server was going around the room with tiny pieces of cake, all decorated for the occasion. I had been hungry most of the night, having only taken in the amount of dinner my father would permit. I reasoned that he would be fine if I took one little cake. I walked toward the server, pulling up my blue lace dress as I did. As I reached him, I felt a foot under me, causing me to go forward. I began falling towards the tray of cakes, almost covering my dress in colorful frosting. But my dress had torn down the front instead and everyone, including my father, saw.

I was supposed to be the beautiful princess who found her knight in shining armor. Instead, I became the princess in torn lace.

Now, here I was, my bedroom. My father didn't care to listen to my side of the story, saying it would be ridiculous for anyone to want to trip the princess. But someone did, who, I didn't know.

I went to my window, watching as rain fell and looking out on the kingdom that expected a mature young lady to bloom from her birthday tonight. They were going to be disappointed. My eyes flicked from there to the other end of the kingdom, out towards darkness, trees keeping me from seeing anything but the normal things in that area. The same normal gate sat there, vines growing over it that were still visible through the rain. I've always been curious about the other side. I don't voice this of course, such thoughts could get you killed. And everyone must follow the rules, even the princess.

The gate was put up after the war was over. The side that lost now spend their days on the other side, working for the kingdom by harvesting plants and raising cattle. Once a month, officials go to the gate and collect the supplies. This life was decided for them through my father and our council. Not many people survived the war on the opposite side. Winning that war, our kingdom took over theirs and then placed the surviving warriors in confinement. A harsh winter came, it took the lives of many, including the farmers, and that's when the idea came for the survivors to spend the rest of their lives working. I call it slavery, my father calls it punishment. 

I have never seen any of them up close, being forced to stay away from the gate. I am aware that they have made houses and formed their place into somewhat of their own kingdom. Children are born and lives are lived. My father permits this I suppose, he's never made them stop. I guess he thinks it's fine to allow it, giving us more workers. Still, my father says they're dangerous and to stay away. 

But now my father has made me angry. I need revenge.

I took off my shoes so I could be quieter and I went downstairs, careful not to alert any palace guards of my movement. I made it outside moments later, only to see that it had started to rain harder. Mud was everywhere, only getting worse as the rain kept falling. I made it this far, almost outside the castle walls. I had to keep going. I walked outside, my feet becoming completely covered the second I did. I actually kinda liked the feel of it between my toes, that for once, instead of doing something wrong on accident, I was choosing everything tonight by my own free will.

I ran in the mud, still being a little careful not to fall and have to explain it to my maids later. But my legs still became covered, as did the bottom of my dress, mud dripping from parts of the fabric, not enough to get questioned over at least. This was just me, covered in rain and mud, dancing and never wanting to stop. And I wouldn't, my night had just begun. 

I ran in the direction of our beautiful kingdom's streets. Taking in the soft glow of the street lamps, the distant sound of a few cars going past, and then my eyes were fixed on something else. The gate, green vines going up the side, covering the wire that held it so firmly in place. I walked towards it, knowing just how much trouble I was getting into because I knew that it was against the rules. 

As I walked, I noticed that as you got closer, less houses were inhabited near the gate, seeming to be cracked and beyond repair in places. They just had that uninhabited look to them. Still, I kept walking, getting closer to the very thing I had been curious about for years. I made it there, the rain still falling, running down my face and blurring my vision slightly. It didn't last that long, blinking enough to get it away. I touched the gate, thankful it wasn't electrified normally. I felt along the cold, wet metal, taking in more in that one moment than I had my whole life. I'd never been this close and it was my secret to have, my choice to make.

But suddenly, I wanted more. Not just the feel of a gate, I wanted to know what was beyond it, what the people were like, what was behind that view of trees I always found when I looked from my window. I just wanted more.

I found myself climbing, my brain nagging me to come down, maybe think this through before I did something stupid. I ignored it, making my way to the top of the gate and going over, falling on the ground and getting my dress covered in mud. Looks like I would be getting chewed out by my maids after all, if my dad didn't kill me first. Then, the realization hit me.

I was on the other side. I went over the gate.

I always imagined that at this point a police car would come and arrest the unlucky person who crossed the line between love of kingdom and help the enemy. But nothing came, not a soul to be seen, no one around to hear me scream. That thought frightened me a bit, having knowledge that those who lived here were once warriors, likely to have passed those traits onto children and also keeping up with the hobby themselves. I have been told once before that they were strong enough to win, but lacked the amount of men to do so. Still, I found myself moving forward, reasoning that once my father found out I was as good as dead anyway for breaking the law, why waste my only opportunity at something i've wondered about for years. 

I went through the trees, feeling leaves and mud mix beneath my toes, begging my feet to be quieter so I could at least make it far enough without being caught to find out a tiny bit about this place. Maybe I should have changed clothes first, the blue probably seeking out someone to kill me this very moment. But I was to late, I was here now, no going back.

I heard a noise to my right, turning and hoping to god that it was just the rain hitting a tree to hard. I wasn't so lucky. He came up and grabbed me, putting a hand over my mouth before I could even think about trying to scream.

"What's the princess doing so far from home?" He asked, his breath fanning over me. His grip on my arms was tight, holding me still, appearing to be deciding exactly what to do with me. His anger clearly shown. Even if I couldn't see it at this time of night, it was there, I could feel it. He removed his hand from my mouth.

"Are you going to kill me?" I choked out, waiting for the moment he would release me only to snap my neck. I hope he did it quick, I wasn't much in the mood for suffering. But his response baffled me.

"No." He said, his hold on me lessening. "Go back home, little miss royal. Before someone comes along that will kill you."

"Why won't you?"

"I don't believe in killing unless you've done something to me, if then even. But others believe different." He still had his hands squeezing my arms, probably forming bruises and a horrible soreness I would have to explain if I ever made it out alive.

"But you know i'm a princess. I am hated here, why wouldn't you want to finish me off, belief or no belief of it being wrong."

"I never said it was wrong. Besides," He let me go. "you could have only been a baby when the war happened, a young child like I myself was. If I ever would hurt a royal, it would be one who remembers to pain they put my family through. Taking us from our homes, just because my father was a warrior, forcing us to be slaves, taking the home I lived in, even if all I have to remember it by are the stories told to me. I would take down your father and I would enjoy seeing the life leave his eyes." He paused. "Then, I would probably regret it for the rest of my life." he whispered, me barely catching it. His blue eyes, shining bright in the space between us, even if the night sky was covering every other feature, it wanted me to remember those eyes and every moment that led up to seeing them. He pushed me, pulling me from my gaze. "Go home." Was all he said, before turning around and running in the other direction. 

I ended up following what he said, thanking anything that would listen for giving me another chance at life by not ending it by the hands of a boy I didn't know. Logic finally entering my mind, I went to the gate, climbed back over and started my journey back to the castle, ready for a fight that would obviously happen between me and my father. I needed a cover story, knowing that if I ever told of this night I would be punished in a way the council saw fit.

And who knew what the boy I saw, the boy who spared me my life, would face.

I knew one thing, though. Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided, if it wasn't for a princess in torn lace.

♛♚♛♚

I know, this is totally different compared to a computer programmed torture prison.....

I'm still going to be writing The Test for anyone who is reading this who reads that story. I'm working on the next chapter for The Test right now and it seems that there will be a sequel too. I only needed to write this to clear my mind. I've got alot of ideas up in my brain, good or bad, it will only depend if people like them. Thoughts are jumbling together right now. Anyway, I had this dream last night. It was about some princess who did basically what's happening here. I felt like putting it on for you guys to read and tell me if you like. The name Torn Lace stuck out in my mind and I went with it. I'll still be updating The Test as regularly as I can. This story won't be updated as much, if at all, while i'm still working on The Test. So.........yeah. Bye, everyone. :)