A Death Too Wonderful

Bubbles.

As if floating, these delicate, transparent creatures arose to the surface of the emerald-blue waters.

They giggled with excitement.

"The Princess is coming!"

"She's coming our way!"

"Make way!"

Their little voices never ceased to amuse the Princess, and so her heart always paid attention to them. Her round dress, which was weaved with rolling waves, swept across the bubbles, tickling them in a light-hearted way.

"The Princess!"

"The Princess!"

"The Princess!"

The chorus of jittery voices watched as the Princess began to step onto the land and leave behind the sea.

Mournfully, the bubbles died into the rest of the vast mysteries of the water.

"Princess!"

"Don't leave me!"

"Princess!"

"Princess!"

The flower-crowned woman stepped onto the beach, the sand parting swiftly as soon as her feet touched the particles. In its place, patches of verdant grasses and flowers sprung to life, grinning softly at the aureate-haired Princess. Her dress bristly adjusted itself to the new environment; from the moving waves of her gown to the flowery, life-infused ball dress.

The crows, the most murderous of the birds, stopped catching their prey to announce to the other living things of the Princess's arrival. 

"The Princess is here!"

"The Princess!"

"She has arrived!"

"How blessed we are!"

The Princess gave a small smile after hearing the excitement seeping through the black bird's voice. She started to progress forward as she made her way to the mountain. 

As soon as her feet left the patch of life she had previously created, from a shimmering green, the color decreased to a bland, charcoal palette before diminishing into dust speckles and getting whisked away into the air by the breeze.

The black, ruby-eyed crow tried peering over the tree's branches, but the Princess was gone. She had continued her way past the woods, walking elegantly towards the mountain up ahead.

The crow frowned and continued pecking at its freshly caught prey. The Princess, the only one capable of making the murderous crow feel afloat, had up and left.

The Princess walked slowly, with no worry in mind as she thought of her only goal.

Once, she was brought here by a strong young man with a blinding amount of motivation and happiness. He was gentle and gracious, the one that she fell in love with at first glance.

The lad was full of adventure and was the first that had shown her to this gem of a location. Upon that cliff, the man and the Princess had watched the stars.

"I would like to die a human and be reborn as a star."

He had told her, sighing a little as a blue star blinked at them with its shimmering light.

The Princess was puzzled.

Why a star?

The Princess had made it to the mountain, but because of her slow nature, the sunny day had dusked, and the small, sparkling particles in the heavens had started to debut.

Seeing that the Princess was in sight, the pebbles hopped around excitedly.

Worried that time would run out, the Princess began to pick up her speed, hopping along with each of the smoothed pebbles, careful not to step on them.

"The Princess!"

"The Princess is here!"

The Princess smiled, almost letting out a laugh, and skipped ahead to the foot of the mountain.

The pebbles dropped to the floor, voices taken away, lifeless like they were before.

The golden-haired Princess began elegantly waving her hands as if she were dancing to some unhearable tune. The ground rumbled, and vines and long-stemmed flowers carried her up through the air and onto the mountain.

Gently thanking the plants, the Princess turned away from the edge of the cliff as she lied herself down onto the cold stone.

This mountain was known as Dead Man's Cliff.

No one has safely descended from this cliff before.

There was also no vegetation or life to be seen on the top of this mountain. 

It was thoroughly dead.

But the Princess was pleased. Staring up at the almost ink-blue sky with millions of small stage lights shining back at her, she felt most welcomed and most guilt-free.

The Princess was the Princess of Life. Everything she touched was brought back to life. Her name brought lovely, festive memories to people that have not even set their eyes on her before.

Never was she spoken of as a bad person.

However, she had murdered so many things before.

Once the Princess cut off physical contact with something she had touched, it died. Once her fingertips left, it dispersed into a million, uncollectable pieces. 

It dies when she leaves it.

It was the same for her lover.

With those chocolate eyes and milky brown hair, the boy with no sins and the boy with a humble life. She had left him for good- the Kingdom authorities were spoiling him and his kindness was slowly disintegrating.

Greed was on the edge of overtaking the poor man.

Reluctantly, the man had been sent off by the Princess. Days later, the boy had died, the last descriptions of him being ghastly, lackluster, and grey.

The Princess of Life thought for it to be best if she never came in contact with another living thing again. And so, she had locked herself up on this island, never to be seen by a mortal again.

As the Princess looked up at the sky, she felt the cold, dead stone under her, move. 

Suddenly, it groaned in a slow voice, happiness melting through.

"The Princess..."

"The Princess...!"

The Princess of Life was taken aback. The mountain was supposed to be cursed- everything should be dead.

Why was the cliff alive?

The Princess had brought the dull cliff to life.

Out of fear, the Princess cried and cried, tears pouring out of her cerulean eyes as she stepped on her dress and tripped.

As if falling through sheets of silk, she felt at ease as her body fell to the ground. As her eyes began to fixate on those stars stretching above her, she wondered if her past lover was among them, watching her every movement.

How wonderful it would be to be a star, watching over everything.

That was the Princess's last thought before she went to an everlasting sleep, her smile never erasing from her porcelain face.