Five years later
After years, I never saw the prince again. I never asked about him, nor did anyone mention him. Instead, I focused on working hard to grow healthy and strong, despite the absence of my family, Amy and others were there. times moved in its usual rhythm, days blended into one another, with the seasons shifting and the sun always setting. But strangely, something had changed within me.
One morning, I found myself at the base of the usual old large tree, gazing up at its towering height. Without thinking, I began to climb. I never had any experience with climbing trees, not in either of my lives. Yet, this time, my hands and feet moved instinctively, as if the action was buried deep within me, waiting to be unlocked.
I'm pretty much of a talented kid, indeed!
I held securely on the branches to lift myself up to reach the top. And once I finally reached the top of the tree, I glanced down at the garden below. It was quiet, and the flowers seemed to bloom with vibrancy. the air up here, rustling through the leaves.
As I reached the top of the tree, I glanced down at the garden below. It was quiet, and the flowers seemed to bloom with a vibrancy I hadn't noticed before. The whole world appeared peaceful, even more so than it had in years.
Suddenly I heard rush footsteps nearing me, I glance around and saw Amy running, looking so worried and in much panic.
"Your highness, please come down! Its too dangerous! If you fall, you could get seriously hurt!" Amy's voice echoed from below, filled with worry.
I giggle softly in a carefree tone, "I'm not going to fall, Amy. I can handle myself just fine!!"
Her voice trembled as she shouted again, "we can't risk it! and you can't be so sure you won't fall by accident!"
Amy had always been like this, overprotective, as though she feared oi would break into a million pieces if someone so much as looked at me wrong.
For years, Amy had been by my side, and the other maids too. They adored me endlessly, calling me a genius for writing basic letters at such young age. They never let me forget how exceptional I was, even though I often thought I did not deserve such praise. But sometimes their praise felt hollow, as if it was the only thing, they could do to make me feel special in a world that seemed so indifferent.
"Alright, I'll go down now!" I informed Amy which make her sigh in relief.
As I perched on the thick branch of the tree, I noticed the same butterfly that was with me for years, fluttering around me. It seemed strange, almost unnatural. How could a butterfly live this long? Its wings sparkled in the sunlight, and it danced through the air, always circling around me.
It never left my side…
A sudden shift in the branch beneath me startled me. My hands instinctively gripped the trunk, and I reached for small branch above me, intending to lift myself up so I could start climbing back down so I would not worry Amy more than I already have. But the branch snapped in my hand, and ii found myself falling down so fast, my heart racing in such panic.
"Your highness!!" Amy's voice screamed as she rushed toward me. Her arms were wide prepared to catch me, but I had no time to react.
"Amy!!" I cried out in surprise, feeling the ground rush towards me. The next thing I knew, I landed safely in her arms, and we both tumbled onto the ground, surrounded by a field of daisies. Amy's arms wrapped around me tightly, pulling me against her protect me while I clutched tightly on her uniform.
She pulled back to face me, her eyes wide with concern. "Your highness! I told you it was dangerous! What if I had not been here? You could have been badly hurt!" she said in worry, I could feel her hand trembling as it held my small shoulder. "Where did you even learn to climb in the first place? Did the other maids taught you?!"
I blinked up at her, feeling a pang of guilt. "No! they never taught me anything bad! Are you mad, Amy?" I pouted, trying to soften her heart with my best puppy eyes, the ones I knew she couldn't resist. I saw her hesitated for a moment, then looked away, her face reddening.
"N-no, I was just worried… lets go inside. You need to rest. "Her voice softened, and she carefully helped me to my feet.
"Alright." I nodded, though part of me still longed to stay out in the open air, enjoying the peace of the garden. But I knew it was no use. Amy would not let me out of her sight until she was sure I was safe.
She carried me back inside, her worried expression never leaving her face. Even though my own family did not care about my existence, I could at least say I was privileged to live in such luxury. The servants, the maids, and even the butterfly they all loved me.
When we reached my room, Amy gently laid me down on my bed "here, ill wake you up later, okey?"
I nodded and closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion of the day wash over me. But as soon as I drifted into sleep, the dream came… Or should I even call it a dream?
I found myself in a vast, empty hall, surrounded by cold stone walls. In the center of the room stood a princess, though I could not seem to see her face properly. But I am sure she was crying, her sobs echoing in the emptiness. She reaches her hand out, desperately trying to grasp onto someone, anyone. Her small and trembling fingers barely brushed the ledge of a tall figure before she collapsed to the ground, kneeling.
"Father, please! I am your daughter! I never lied! I swear!" her voice cracked as she cried.
The man, the emperor, stared down at her coldly. His face was unreadable, a mask of ice that reflected none of the emotion she desperately needs from him. "Do you think you can fool me any longer? Your eyes alone are not enough to prove your royalty. A powerful magic could easily replicate such traits." His voice was devoid of any warmth, as though he had already made up his mind about her fate.
The princess' eyes, those eyes, suddenly flashed, and I realized they were identical to mine, the same shade of blue and purple, the same shimmer that reflected sorrow and longing. "No… please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Someone… papa... big brother… please, someone believe me… I do not want to die… I'm scared…"
Before I could comprehend what was happening, the emperor drew his swords, his movements swift and deliberate. His cold gaze never wavered as he raised the blade above her. "If you are a threat to the empire and my children… I will have no choice but to kill you myself."
And with that…
The sword whispered death, and she crumbled like a broken star.
I jolted upright, breath ragged, sweat clinging to my skin. My hand flew to my neck instinctively, as if expecting blood, as if my head had actually been cut off.
"That dream again…" I mumbled to myself.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to calm myself, blinking in the dim light of my room. The soft flutter of wings caught my eye. And there it was, resting delicately on my blanket, its wings glowing faintly in the light sneaking from the gap of the curtains.
The butterfly.
It tilted its wings ever so slightly. My eyes narrowed at it.
"Why do I always have nightmares whenever you're around?" My voice trembled at the edge, threaded with confusion and frustration. I stared at it, heart still pounding, and my brows furrowed. "it's starting to annoy me."
But the truth was, it was not just annoyance, it was fear. I could feel the constant repeated dream of the same princess's death with different causes. It's as if the princess is…
No, no, no! impossible! Of course, it is not me!
The nightmares always revolve around abandonment, betrayal, death. Which I already experience before, causing me to have these kinds of nightmares.
Maybe it was just my trauma from my past life. Maybe I was still too affected by what my father did, how he left me, how he never looked back. I never got a chance to ask him why. I just… vanished from his world, and he… let me.
But something about these dreams felt different. Not just painful, but really feels so real. Too vivid, too precise, and that girl had my eyes.
Like a memory I'm not supposed to have, like I am watching someone else's tragedy… yet it feels like mine.
I shook my head and took a deep breath to clear my thoughts. I glance ta the butterfly who remained still, unmoving. Its presence strangely heavy for something so small.
My fingers curled into the blanket. Scared… I immediately threw off my blanket startling the butterfly. It fluttered into the air and start circling around me as if unsure what I am doing.
My bare feet hit the cold marble floor with a soft thud. I rushed to the corner where my boots lay and shoved them on hastily, no time for socks. My fingers trembled slightly as I tugged the laces tightly.
I needed air. I needed to get out of this suffocating room.
Without thinking, I stomped toward the tall, heavy curtains and yanked them aside, letting the afternoon light spill into the room. I placed my small hands against the window and shoved with all the strength my little arms could muster. The old wooden frame creaked, resisting for a moment, but then -click- it gave way, opening just wide enough for me to squeeze through.
"Good. That's all I needed!" I said to myself, relieved.
Luckily, my room was on the ground floor. If it weren't, I might have died from jumping out a window just to sneak out from the overprotective maids.
Wouldn't that have been dramatic? Dying the same way, I died in my previous life.
I lifted myself up and slip through the narrow opening, landing with a soft thud in the garden outside. The air was cooler out here. I breathed it in deeply, filling my lungs and the butterfly followed me out.
"Come on! Or else Amy will find us!" I said to the butterfly as I darted off into the garden, my boots thudding softly against the grass. "I don't want to stay inside my room, it's way too boring!"
I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me, giggling breathlessly. the castle slowly disappeared behind me, swallowed up the thick curtain of trees. Birdsong filled the air, light and playful, as if the forest itself was humming. The air grew cooler under the shades of the leaves. With each step further from the main grounds, I felt lighter.
Finally, after what felt like forever, I slowed down. My chest rose and fell in deep, ragged breathes, and my legs begged for a break. I stopped between the trees, and my hands on my knees as I panted hard.
That's when I saw it not too far away from where I am standing.
"A pond?"
Tucked quietly between the trees, reflecting the morning sky like a secret mirror, was a small, untouched pond. The surface shimmered faintly, disturbed only by the gentle ripple of wind and the occasional buzz of dragonflies.
I approached it slowly, boots sinking softly into the damp earth at its edge. I knelt down and leaned over, staring into the still water and my reflection stared back at me.
My hair as white as snow, was a little messy from the run, and my cheeks were flushed pink. But what caught my attention, were my eyes.
"It's so peaceful here… unlike in my room," I murmured.
There, everything always felt so heavy and suffocating. No matter how soft the blankets were or how warm it was, it always feels like there is something wrong with it since, I started getting the nightmares.
My gaze fell back to my reflection, and I frowned slightly. These eyes… the ones people always complimented. So rare and beautiful, and says "a mark of royalty" or "the emperor's eyes"
"Your eyes alone are not enough to prove your royalty."
I froze…
The words echoed in my mind like a sudden gust of wind blowing through a silent room. Cold and sharp.
I stared at my reflection again, and for a moment, the pond seemed darker. The eyes looking back at me were not just mine, they were hers. The girl from the dream. The one on her knees, the one who cried and…
The one who got killed…
She's… me…