To Fly Where I Please

         In a palace by the ocean, there lived a beautiful princess. Her name was Feya Eve. She longed to travel the world and see the sights, but being royalty, found herself busy far too often for her liking.  As a child, she once went to her father and asked to go out and explore. He chuckled and picked her up and set her on his lap. “My dear, if something were to happen to you, what would we do? You mean more to us than anything we could ask for. No, it is best that you stay here.”
         That night, as her mother tucked her into bed, she asked if her mother might go and change her father's mind. Her mother only laughed and said, “It would be easier to try to stop the tide. But I agree with him. Stay here with us.”
         This only made Feya more determined and she looked at her and said, “but perhaps some magic might help!!” The queen looked at her daughter with a sorrowful smile, before replying, “If only magic were real.” The disappointment that Feya felt was worse than anything.
         So it began that on clear, calm evenings, Feya would sneak out of her room and head to the tower by the sea. Gazing out across the vast expanse, she would dream of a ship sailing towards the castle docks, just to come take her out to see the world. Her vision of the ship changed, but never the dream.
         Nineteen years passed this way, and nothing changed. Then one evening, as she was silently dreaming, a little birdie flew up and landed on the balcony beside her. His plumage was handsome, and as he sat there, he began to sing a song. Feya listened and felt it tug at her heart, for it made her imagine a far away place, where the music was the music of birds and bees, and the beauty was the trees and flowers and the clouds in the sky. And at this, a silent tear rolled down her eye.
         “Oh little birdie, how I wish I could be like you, and fly where I please and make music for any and all. Oh how joyous that seems!”
         As if in response, the birdie sang harder and sweeter, and she closed her eyes and hummed along. Finally, when he was done, she bent down and whispered “Thank you. I don't know if you will, but I would be grateful if you came back tomorrow night.” The birdie gave a slight nod, as if to say, “Why of course. I would be delighted” and then took off, and the princess watched until long after he was gone, wishing all the while that she could leave with him.
         Finally, when she could stand it no longer, Feya turned and returned to her room. All the next day she thought about the birdie, and looked forward to the moment that she could return to the tower and the little birdie.
         At long last night fell and the princess slipped out of her room to return to the tower. There, already waiting for her, was the little birdie. Delight spread through her.
         “You came back! I did not really expect you to be here. Why would you want to come see boring old me anyway? You must be a silly little bird to come here when you could fly anywhere that you wanted.”
         All the same, Feya smiled and held out a finger, to which the little birdie promptly flew and began to sing his sweet song. Her smile lasted through the night. So the ocean princess began going nightly to hear the little birdie's song, which he sang just for her.
         For weeks on end, she would go and listen to him sing night after night. Sometimes the song was new, and sometimes he sang one that he knew she liked. Each song brought forth a surge of emotions and an image of some far off place. Sometimes it was a great bazaar in a desert city bustling with vendors and shoppers, other times it would be a dense, lively jungle, with an ancient ruin settled in it's midst, and once it was the isolation and beauty of a high mountain. No matter the song or the place, she found solace in it.
         However, as all good things tend to do, it couldn't last. One night, as she sat and listened to the sweet song and imagined a green, grassy place filled with flowers, the door burst open. Feya found herself so startled that she screamed, and the little birdie flew off like a lightning bolt. Her mother came out onto the balcony and looked around rather like a great offense had taken place.
         “What in the world are you doing up here? It's the middle of the night! And we have important guests tomorrow! Go to your room at once!!!”
         Feya left without a word and went to her room. When she got there, she slammed the door and ran to her bed and wept. If she could not hear the little birdie's song and dream her dreams, what was there for her?
         Morning came as it always does, to a tired and solemn Feya Eve. She was awoken early by a servant with breakfast, and rushed off to bathe and dress. Everyone seemed tense and she especially felt strained. Finally, around midday, she, along with the king, queen, and the rest of the Court, went into the Emissary Hall and waited. An older man and woman walked in, followed by a young man about her age with a rather bored look about him. Then came their entourage, a sour faced bunch of soldiers.
         “We present to you the King and Queen of the Kilgore Marshlands and their son, Prince Tucker.”
         All necessary pleasantries were exchanged and finally the King of Kilgore spoke, “Your Highness, King of the Ocean Lands, I would offer my son as a potential suitor to your daughter. He is highly educated in history, arithmetic, music, and rhetoric. His accomplishments on the field of battle are numerous and he is of a strong build. If it is acceptable, I would wish for you to consider him.”
         The King and Queen looked at each other for a moment, and then the King answered, “Indeed, she draws closer to her twentieth birthday, and the time for her to choose a suitor draws near. We can't answer in place of our daughter, but we invite you to stay with us for awhile, so that they may get to know each other. A royal feast will be prepared for tonight, and if you are hungry for lunch, I'm told a most excellent stew and many loaves of bread have been made. Please sup with us.”
         Everyone withdrew to the dining hall and lunch was served. The two monarchs sat across from each other and spoke, while the queens sat across from each other and glared. The princess and the prince were left to sit together.
         “What sort of lunch is this? You have peasant food for your midday meal? How revolting!”, complained the prince, “When I am king, stew will banned from lunch for all time. Disgusting!” The King of Kilgore seemed to not hear nor care. He ate four bowls.
         The families stayed together that day and there was entertainment, merriment, and story telling. It was not the prince who found fault with this, but the princess. It all paled in comparison to her little birdie and his songs, and the dreams of adventures in far off places. Dinner came and went, a sumptuous feast, but hardly something to distract Feya from the dread she felt. The whole day had been spent in the presence of her parents and the King, Queen, and Prince of the Kilgore Stinking Marshlands, and nothing said by any of them gave her any feeling of hope for the future. It was the most miserable she had felt in sometime.
         At long last, everything winded down and she was free to go to bed. She waited for a time and then crept off to the tower once again. When she got there, though, all that Feya found was disappointment. The little birdie was no were to be seen. She sat and silently cried, and did not notice when the door opened behind her. She gave a small start when a hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see her mother standing over her.
         “Don't be alarmed. I'm sorry if I got mad at you last night.”
         “It's ok” was all that she could manage.
         The queen sighed and sat down next to her daughter on the bench and looked out over the sea.
         “I hated it here when I first married your father. I used to come out here every night and cry and pray to the stars that by magic I could be taken away. It never did happen.”
         Feya looked at her mother with suprise. Never once had she ever expressed dissatisfaction with their castle by the ocean.
         “What changed that?”
         Her mother smiled and looked at her, “Why having you. Once you were here, it was like a little piece of the puzzle that had been missing had finally found it's place. We were happier as parents than as rulers, and it changed us for the better. You were that little spark of joy we never could quite find.”
         “Thank you,” said Feya, and she rested her head against her mother and they stared at the sea for some time in silence, listening to waves break on the shore. Finally the queen moved her and said, “I know that today didn't go spectacularly for you, but I want you to spend more time with them, and really get to know them. You should at least give them a chance. It's only fair.”
         Feya sighed, knowing that her mother spoke with wisdom, and agreed, but with silent reservation. Could Tucker be any good? Only time would tell. It would not be time spent holding her breath.
         They eventually returned to their rooms, and Feya hoped beyond hope that maybe what little magic there was in the world could help her to find love for the prince. She slept an uneasy sleep that night, and when morning came, her fears and doubts only seemed more pronounced, as though her mind had perfected arguments in her sleep for why this could only spell disaster. But she was a princess of the Ocean Lands, and she knew that she could not look herself in the mirror until she at least tried.
         So she got up wearily and began the day. Feya met her parents and their guests for breakfasts, and the kings talked of outlying lands, and plans to go out for the day. She wished that they would take her and the prince, but they only suggested that she show him around the palace.
         As they walked, she took him first to the library, which was rather large and had a number of fine volumes from across the sea. Tucker took a look around and scoffed. “I may be learned in letters, but that doesn't mean it's a skill I enjoy. Take me to the armory.”
         And so they left, finding the door blocked by the royal mutt, whom it was said was the Thane of the Blue Islands reincarnated – all he ever did was sleep and eat and lounge around. But he was a loving and lovable dog, and any who were around him adored him. Indeed, his only respite from his hobbies was to go seek out someone to pet on him, which many were all too happy to do.
         On this occasion, he had fallen asleep, fat and sassy back to the door. Due to his immense size, he made it impossible to open the door until he moved. Prince Tucker's only response was to shout at him and kick him. He moved with a pained yelp, and looked back at them with hurt in his eyes. No one ever treated him so poorly.
         “You shouldn't have done that. He's a sweet friend.”
         “He should learn his place,” retorted Tucker, “which is anywhere out of my way.”
         Feya felt offended and hurt on behalf of the dog. This Tucker was obnoxious and cruel. They made it to the armory and Tucker left her with a, “You stay here. This isn't a woman's place.” She should have felt insulted (she was well trained in combat) but was relieved instead. He was a monstrous boy.
         Two weeks passed with her putting up with the presence of their guests, and each night she would go to the tower, and each night find it barren of singing. Her little birdie had left for good it seemed. How it saddened her, and she felt as though all her hopes and dreams had left with him.
         One day, as she walked the halls with the prince, he turned to her. “You truly are a beauty, your highness. And you don't talk much. I find this admirable.” Indeed, she normally talked quite a bit, but had found that she just didn't have much to say to Tucker.
         “I think that... maybe you should give me a kiss.”
         At this Feya was repulsed. Each passing day around him and his atrocious behavior had diminished any attractiveness that he might once have had. She backed away a little, leaning against a window.
         “I think I'm not in the mood for that.”
         The prince looked at her with a bit of a sneer, and said, “give it a taste, maybe you'll like the flavor.”
         “No, I don't think that I will.” And she tried to turn and walk away, but he grabbed her, slapped her, thrust her against the window and began to kiss and grope her wildly. She tried to get away but found no good way to do so.
         Suddenly he was forcibly separated from her and her father the King stood over Tucker. He held his sword to the boy's throat and yelled, “No one handles my daughter in such a way! I'm insulted and infuriated!!!”
         Suddenly the King of Kilgore Marshlands came running around the corner. “What is the meaning of this?!?!”
         Tucker was the first to respond, “They're all mad! They threatened to hurt me if I don't betray you to an assassin!”
         “Why you little liar!!” shouted Feya's father, and slapped the boy back to the ground as he struggled to pull himself up. “Your filthy son manhandled my daughter!!!”
         The King of Kilgore puffed himself up and shouted back, “Where's your honor? Holding a sword to my son's throat you liar!!!”          At this her father exploded.
         “Liar!?!? LIAR!?!? You come into my house with your wretched boy, asking for my daughter's hand, and INSULT OUR HONOR AND OUR HOSPITALITY!!!! THAT BOY ISN'T FIT TO MARRY A RABID WOLF! GET OUT BEFORE I HAVE MY GUARDS SLAUGHTER YOU ALL WHERE YOU STAND!!!”
         The Royal House of Kilgore Marshlands found themselves scurrying out quickly. Feya drooped to the floor and cried, and the king held his daughter tight.
         “My dear, I'm so sorry. So so sorry. I never thought that they would be such miserable people. Please forgive me.”
         Feya didn't know what to do or say. The rest of the day was spent in a glum stupor for all in the castle. Only the dog seemed happier. She went to her room and stayed there until she fell asleep some hours later.
         The next week passed quietly for all, chores and tasks being done without much fuss or vocalization. She didn't try to return to the tower. Somehow it had all faded. And then one night, she found herself being woken frantically by a servant. The lady was crying.
         “Oh dear, poor girl, you poor dear. You must hurry!”
         Feya felt dread settle over her. “Why, what's happened?”
         The servant was wringing her hands and kept looking back at the door urgently.
         “Get dressed and get to the stables quickly. I just overheard and I went and looked for myself... oh I can hardly bear to be the one to tell you!”
         Her dread was replaced with fear and panic. “What is it? I command you to tell me now.”
         She took a deep breath, then said in a hushed, frantic tone, “The Magistrate Caldwell... he allowed a man in tonight. We did not know it, but I overheard another servant loyal to him.... he made a deal with the King of Kilgore. He allowed an assassin in and your parents have been murdered in their sleep!! I didn't want to believe but I went to check and.. oh you must hurry and leave straight away!”
         The fear was overwhelming now. Feya took several deep breaths before trying to think. “Are they coming to kill me too?” she whispered quietly.
         “No dear. The Magistrate plans to marry you to the prince. He has been promised land as reward. You weren't to be disturbed until he could come tell you in the morning. He was going to make it sound like they had killed each other!”
         Feya didn't know what to do. Finally, she looked at the servant and said, “Thank you. Here, take my necklace. Sell it for no less than 600 strates and be off by morning. No one else can know. I will be fine.”
         The lady looked at her and stammered, “Are.. are you sure your majesty?”
         “Yes. I intend to leave this place at once. Do not worry for me. You have done your part. Go and protect yourself. And do so knowing that you have saved me from a terrible fate. Go now.”
         And she left with a trembling lip.
         Feya sat for a moment. It became clear what she must do. She quietly walked out and made her way to the tower. No one passed her. It was as though the world had emptied tonight. She slid out the door to the balcony silently and then looked out across the ocean, glimmering under a sea of stars.
         She slid the bench up against the ledge, and prepared to climb up and fly for one brief glorious second. Then she heard a chirp behind her and turned. There was the little birdie, come just for her. When she saw him, she collapsed and wept.
         “Oh little birdie! Thank you for being here for me on this night. The night when I needed a friend the most. I can't do it. I just can't do it. But please... just one more song? For me.”
         What a song it was!! Perhaps the best he had sung so far. But it was not sweet like the other songs. It was mournful and quiet. A fitting epitaph. Feya held the little birdie in her hands the whole time. Tears clinging to her face.
         When he finished his song, she held him close and gave him a kiss on top of his head. As she did, her last tear rolled down her cheek and landed with the kiss. And the little bit of magic left in the world was there that night, with the ocean princess and the little birdie. In a burst of color and stars, there was suddenly no longer a princess, but two birdies. And they flew off together into the night, singing the sweetest song.