Prolouge
The soft rustle of fabric echoed loudly in the otherwise quiet boutique. My frustration and quiet shame grew with each new dress that refused to mold to my shape. The soft shimmering of each new outfit seemed to mock me, as if saying, “Look at her. Can’t even fit a size 14. What a fatty.” Of course, I knew it was all in my head. Still, though, I wished every stupid dress I tried didn’t mock me with its size. I have never been what people would expect a princess to look like. I don’t have flawless skin, nor is my hair silky smooth. My eyes don’t sparkle in the light, nor is my voice as soft as a bell. In fact, I have to be one of the most doe-eyed princesses in the history of princesses. My Auburn curls are tangled and frizzy, my honey-toned hands are dry and cracked, and my oval-shaped face is decorated with a smattering of freckles. Really, my only saving grace, in my opinion, is my striking midnight blue eyes.
As for my weight, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m fat, but I’m not thin either. I am a unicorn, in between sizes. My doctors have all said I am very healthy for my age, and my natural chubbiness has just to do with my genetics. Lucky me.
“Sasha!” Replacing yet another dress onto the rack I was just browsing through, I turned toward the hyperactive voice heading my way.
“Sasha, you’ve got to see this!” I gasped as a bundle of barely restrained joy barreled into me, nearly knocking me off balance as she ran my way. A white dress was halfway over my head before I could blink.
“You are going to love this. It’s the prettiest little thing,” Kelly squealed, fighting to get the dress over my head. Either she is oblivious to, or completely ignoring, the harsh glare being sent our way from the sales associate. My guess is the first. Kelly is way too much of a delicate flower to blatantly ignore such rude behavior. She is the very picture of stereotypical beauty standards, with her golden blond perfectly styled hair, emerald green eyes that sparkled like jewels in the light, soft vanilla flawless skin, a thin, healthy body, and a voice like an angel. It’s no wonder when we first started high school together, our classmates assumed she was the princess. Even after they realized the truth, she was treated more like royalty than me.
I was often the girl that couldn’t go two minutes without someone trying to trip me or laughing behind my back. I assumed she would be like the bullies when I first met her, but she not only squashed those beliefs, she annihilated them. Although super oblivious and happy-go-lucky, she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met.
“Kelly, cool it, would you. The girl can hardly see the dress if you keep shoving it over her head like that,” an exasperated voice stated before Kelly and the dress were all but dragged away from me, revealing my cinnamon-skinned friend, her curly black hair pulled up in a ponytail away from her puppy brown eyes.
“Aww, but Ruby,” Kelly pouted, jutting out her bottom lip, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the woman holding her like a misbehaving kitten.
“Here, Sasha,” completely ignoring the pouting cheerleader, Ruby handed me the pure white dress Kelly was attempting to suffocate me with. Smiling in gratitude, I gently took the gown offered to me, turning my gaze to the fabric now in my hands. I gasped at the shimmering beauty before me, a simple yet refreshingly beautiful off-the-shoulder, white floor-length ball gown with silver ruffle detailing along the neckline and hem.
I had to try it on. So, without another word to my now bickering friends, I hurried on swift feet to the changing rooms, rushing into the first empty stall I saw. I quickly latched the door behind me before turning to face the full-length mirrors surrounding the room. I grimaced in disdain at the young woman staring back at me from all directions. I hate looking at myself in the mirror. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help but compare myself to my two beautiful friends waiting outside. From my weight to the scars secretly concealed on my legs. Not that they are aware of the scars. Though by the looks Ruby occasionally sends my way from time to time, I am almost certain she suspects.
Removing the black butterfly T-shirt and dark blue ripped jeans, I tossed them carelessly behind me before grabbing the dress I hung on the door. Lifting it over my head, I began the slow process of squirming it on. I huffed in aggravation, my auburn hair swaying from side to side as the zipper refused to close. I felt like an elephant as I hopped, wiggled, and squirmed, trying my hardest to get into this beautiful medium-sized dress that refused to cooperate. I could practically hear the dress laughing at me as I struggled.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to force the zipper up. I could feel my lungs howling in protest as they were refused air. Ignoring my body’s protests, I forced my legs to move against the lack of blood flow, slowly making my way back to my friends who were sitting a short distance away on a metal bench, still bickering as usual.
“Ruby, Kelly, what do you think?” I prompted, my smile wavering slightly as they failed to respond. After what felt like an eternity (though it really was only a few minutes), Kelly hesitantly replied, her eyes wary and full of pain.
“Um… Well, it is beautiful, but…” She trailed off, sharing a glance with Ruby.
“You see, Sasha, um…” Once again, she failed to finish, biting her bottom lip, her eyes once more darting to Ruby, as if pleading with her to take over. Much to her relief, Ruby did, but not before shooting Kelly a glare that could freeze a heart solid.
“I’m just going to be blunt. It makes you look like you’re pregnant.”
“RUBY!” Kelly gasped, scandalized.
“Oh, don’t even start. You were thinking it too,” Ruby snapped, narrowing her brown eyes at a scowling Kelly. I deflated at this, numbness flowing through my heart as I resigned myself yet again to another gown that did not fit.
I was just returning to the changing room when I felt a hand on my shoulder, stopping my movement.
“Sasha, don’t be too discouraged. We should see if there is one in a bigger size,” Ruby offered, already heading toward the rack Kelly appeared from with the dress earlier. Turning back around, I numbly watched as Ruby flicked through the numerous dresses for sale, settling on one she pulled from the rack. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the tag before returning it to the rack and resuming her search. Finally, with a sigh of defeat, she returned empty-handed, an apologetic frown on her face.
“Sorry, Sasha. I guess they expect every girl to be the same size.” Nodding in resignation, I slowly headed back to the room I used previously, all while balling my hands into fists as I clenched my teeth in frustration.
I hated how the world expects women to be perfect in every way, not allowing any room for error. This was the 10th dress I had tried on with the same result. Even when they do make plus-size outfits, they oftentimes aren’t as cute as their counterparts, whether it be not adding as many jewels, limiting the colors, or even making it appear more plain. All while preaching how inclusive they are when really, standards of beauty have not changed. There are some outfits, like the dress I was just wearing, that you either can’t find in a bigger size, or it doesn’t look the same as the smaller-sized outfits.
Latching the door shut behind me, I numbly pulled the zipper down my back and gasped as air came rushing back into my lungs once again. It was such a shock that I ended up having to grab the doorknob just to steady myself while my body got used to being able to breathe again. After a moment, I was able to let go of the doorknob and finish getting my old clothes back on and head back to my friends, my arms crossed self-consciously over my chest, my heart squirming in discomfort at the looks of pity from my friends and disgust from the associate.
“Let’s just head home,” I sighed, avoiding eye contact like the plague.
“Sure, we can always try again later,” Kelly soothed, throwing her arm around my shoulders and leading me from the shop, once again completely oblivious to the associate’s hatred or the glare Ruby sent the associate, making her cower and quickly pretend to be busy.
“Why not just have your dad hire a tailor to hand-make a dress for you?” I squirmed at this, once more avoiding eye contact.
“I don’t think it’s right to use taxpayer money for such frivolous expenses when I can find a perfectly good one in town. If it’s good enough for the commoners, then it’s good enough for me,” I stated. However, in reality, I didn’t feel I deserved something so precious as a handmade dress tailored specifically to me. The scars on my legs began to twinge with phantom pain at that, my hands itching to reopen them. Shaking away those thoughts, I forcefully reminded myself of the promise I made to Conner.
“Hey, Ruby, I want to be alone right now. I think I am going to just walk home,” I stated, forcing a smile as I attempted to ignore my self-destructive thoughts.
They skidded to a halt at this, twin looks of disbelief on their faces. Ruby was the one to snap out of her shock and respond first.
“Are you nuts? Have you forgotten you are the second-born of the king? The only princess of Celestial City. Are you trying to get kidnapped?” She snapped, glaring at me, hands on her hips.
“What, no, of course not. I only live a mile down the road. I will be fine. I will even take the shortcut through the Old abandoned Diamond Hill Road,” I replied, tilting my head in confusion.
“Sasha, I say this with the utmost respect, but… ARE YOU INSANE!” Kelly shouted, flailing her arms around in agitation. I reared back at this, shocked that Kelly of all people was yelling.
“You want to not only walk home alone, after we purposefully ditched your guards at the mall, but now you are suggesting taking the road rumored to be haunted?” I rolled my eyes at this, now understanding why she’s so worked up.
“Haunted?” Ruby asked, turning her attention to the hyperactive bunny girl.
“It is said that on the night of the biggest storm of the year, a young man in his early 30s who was being abused by his wife finally had enough and ran out here to escape. It is said he had tried to seek help before this point, but as it was a woman abusing a man, nobody believed him. Didn’t help that she was said to be a tiny delicate little thing while he was this huge muscled man. So instead of helping, he was called crazy. Some even accused him of abusing her when in reality he treated her like a queen. While she not only abused him verbally, she made it so he had no one but her, spreading rumors about him to the point everyone turned against him. Well, on this night, he finally had enough. So with nothing but the clothes on his back, he is said to have fled into the storm where he slipped on a puddle on the rickety old bridge in his haste and fell headfirst into the river, where he was swept away. He was later found miles away down the river dead. They say that since then he can be found haunting that bridge, attacking anyone who dares to cross. Some have even claimed that they felt someone trying to push them off the bridge when they would cross. That is why the bridge is abandoned,” Kelly claimed mysteriously.
“Come on, Kelly, don’t tell me you believe those old stories. It was abandoned because Sapphire Road was created which completely bypasses that one. Not to mention, no one likes having to drive over a bridge overlooking a fast-moving river. No one died there. As for that man, he did exist, but he didn’t go running off into the middle of the night. He was killed by his wife that night. She apparently escalated her violence and during one of their arguments, she just snapped and grabbed a knife and stabbed him,” I stated, waving away her claims.
“What happened to the wife?” Ruby asked, now invested in the story.
“She was arrested after someone reported seeing her dragging a large bag out of her house after the husband had been missing for a few days. The police investigated and found him buried a short way from the house. She was arrested and sentenced to death,” I answered.
“Still…” Kelly pouted, refusing to admit the legend to be false.
“I will be fine. I will text you guys as soon as I am home. Promise.”
“Fine, but the moment you get home,” Ruby stressed, glaring me down.
“Please be careful.”
“I will. Promise,” I laughed as Kelly launched herself at me, hugging me in a death grip. For such a tiny girl, she is certainly strong. With one last unhappy frown my way, Kelly finally releases me and gets into Ruby’s red sedan. Ruby followed a moment later.
Watching them drive off until I could no longer see the car’s red outline, I turned and headed down the road, heading toward the old rickety sign that you could barely read anything on anymore. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I allowed my thoughts to drift as I ambled my way down the old forgotten dirt road. I was a few feet from the bridge when I felt a soft wet kiss of white snow on my face, pulling a groan of despair from my lips.
Of freaking course, it’s snowing. Why ever not? For a moment, I swayed on the spot, debating whether or not to bite the bullet and call Aaron for a ride, thereby alerting my dad to my location and being thrown into a volcano, or grit my teeth and keep going. Yeah, obvious choice.
So, gritting my teeth and wrapping my thin jean jacket coat around me, I kept trudging forward, forcing myself to ignore the howling of the wind, the rapidly dropping temperature, and the snow which quickly turned from a gentle dance to an all-out war. I was just reaching the edge of the bridge when I froze at the soft pitter-patter of feet behind me.
Slowly turning around, I braced myself, expecting to see someone standing right behind me breathing down my neck. Yet, as I gazed around my surroundings, squinting through the haze of the flurry obscuring my vision, I was met with a seemingly empty area. Frowning in confusion but assuming I mistook the wind for footsteps, I continued forward toward home. Stepping onto the creaky suspension bridge, that looked one harsh word away from tumbling into the rushing waves below, I slowly made my way across.
I was halfway across when a loud snap behind me made me jump. Whipping around, I stared in horrified shock at the black figure sawing away at the ropes, one of the four ropes hanging uselessly in the air where it had been cut. Spinning back around, I raced for the other side. I was inches from the end of the bridge when the last rope snapped, plummeting half of the bridge into the fast-paced river below. Leaping toward the edge, I scrambled at the dirt with my hands, desperately searching for a handhold as I slowly began to slide backward.
I was inches from falling into the river when a hand shot out of the darkness, clamping around my wrist and pulling me forcefully over the edge. I groaned as I landed roughly on the other side, my body aching from the unauthorized activity.
“Sasha, are you okay?” Tiredly, I looked up at the concerned male leaning over me.
“Aaron? What are you doing here?” He rolled his eyes at my question, a scowl on his lips.
“Your friends, unlike you, were smart enough not to let a princess walk home alone without alerting anyone. Let me tell you, I was not happy when Ruby informed me of your plans to not only walk home but to take a shortcut that hasn’t been used in years. Even worse when I get here, what do I see? My fiancée hanging precariously over a fast-moving bridge because the bridge had been cut,” he growled, pulling me to my feet, his lips still pulled into a scowl.
“…” He sighed in exasperation at my lack of an answer.
“Honestly, Sasha. What if I hadn’t made it in time? What if your friends hadn’t gone behind your back and called me? You would have fallen in and…”
“Oh, there was a man. He cut the ropes,” I gasped, remembering how I ended up in this situation in the first place, spinning around to look out across the now-destroyed bridge. I frowned in disappointment to see he had already run away. I was just about to turn back to Aaron to insist there was someone there when Aaron’s words from before finally caught up to me.
“Aaron, how did you know the ropes had been cut before I told you?” I asked, turning toward him, a confused frown on my face. He rolled his eyes at me as if the answer was obvious.
“I saw the guy running away when I arrived here, so I assumed as he was running away rather than helping the obviously distressed woman that he had cut it,” he huffed.
“Anyway, your dad is currently tearing up the castle in a tizzy. He was not happy to see you had ditched your guards at the mall,” Aaron sighed, leading me away from the bridge toward his car parked a short way down the dirt road.
“Next time, Sasha, how about not risking your life like that?” We were inches from the car where a guard was just opening the door for me when an arrow flew past my head, embedding itself inches from the car in the dirt. The guards immediately flew into action, racing to search the area, while Aaron attempted to push me into the car where he no doubt assumed I would be safe.
“Wait, Aaron, there’s a note attached to the arrow,” I huffed, batting away his hands and approaching the arrow. Untying the black ribbon, I unfolded the note, reading aloud the words as Aaron loomed over my shoulder.
“If I can’t have you. No one can.”
