A Thousand Steps

The world was quiet tonight.

Anissa grabbed a handful of her dress, rushing down the stone steps into the vast royal garden, breathing hard, eyebrows narrowed with worry. Up in the dark night sky shone a large full circle, illuminating the pretty flowers growing around her.

It was a full moon.

She had been locked up in her tower for so long that she had almost forgotten how beautiful the night sky was. It had been years. Her father, the King of Drakva had ordered her locked up after he discovered her threatening powers, locking them away in a small necklace which he never spoke of.

But she had managed to find it, of course, stealing it off of her maid's neck and slitting her throat after she put up a fight.

The realm she lived in was a prison and she knew her father would always stand before her and her dreams. But she had finally made her choice.

And her choice would lead her to freedom.

It hadn’t been a hard option to choose. In fact, it had been too easy. Every day, long hours stretched on and on, and sometimes she could no longer take it. She would scream and cry, throw her books around until every inch of her room seemed as if a storm had broken inside. She never had friends nor a companion to speak to. Her maid, one who had lost her tongue in order to serve her was the only one she saw. 

Every morning and every night.

And when she walked back into her room after walking through the very same halls and corridors of the tower, it would be cleaned. Spotless.

Like nothing had happened.

Anissa couldn’t figure out what she hated more. The tower or her father.

She scoffed, eyes looking up into the sky, breathing in the soft smells of the roses and fresh night air, taking in the beautiful scenery before her. It was almost like a fairytale.

She smiled to herself, humming under her breath, wondering how long it would take for the guards to finally wake up from their posts and find her in the garden behind the tall tower, in the center of the banned forest where her father had sent her away. 

“One day, when I am old and gray, I will come back,” she promised, pursing her lips and looking at the dark blue gem in her hand, the swirls of smoke moving around and around within.

Her powers.

Her father had stolen something from her. Something that belonged to her. And he had blamed her for being gifted with such an offering. And offering that she had been born with.

But what truly disappointed her was her father punishing her for something she couldn’t control. Throwing her into a tower and locking her up for eternity or however long she lived.

Anissa sang her favorite melody under her breath, walking down the narrow path of the garden and towards the low arch near the very end, flowers and green vines climbing on top of the wood.

“This should do,” she told herself. “This must do.”

Anissa sighed, brushing her golden hair behind her ear, clasping the necklace onto the back of her neck, fiddling with her fingers.

She brought her palm to the large pendant, closing her eyes as she felt the electric shock carry through her, the magic almost realizing who she was.

She was its owner.

“Come to me,” she murmured. “Come to me.”

Anissa felt the magic stir violently like a storm inside, sending shocks into her skin.

She smiled brightly, “there there.”

She was the storm.

“Princess Anissa!” Someone yelled far above. “Princess Anissa, what are you doing?”

She opened her eyes, blinking, neck craning up to see a guard frantically waving his arms, “I am leaving.” She replied calmly. “Do you need something before I go?”

The guard spluttered, choking in horror, “get back up here! Don’t make me come down!”

“Oh.” She sighed. “Please tell me why you would like me to go up a thousand steps again?”

The guard looked horrified, half dangling down the tall tower, “because your father will have my head! Please come back up!”

“I apologize to you for your inconvenience, good sir! I did not mean any harm!” She cried, heart, beating rapidly in her chest.

She had to go.

She had to go now.

“Please, Princess!” He yelled. “Come back up!”

She looked back at the archway, more determined than she had ever been, “I am sorry. I cannot.”

Anissa closed her eyes once more, feeling the magic stir once more in a mighty storm, fighting as if it was stuck…

And then everything was silent.

“No!” She sobbed, clutching the pendant in her hands. “No!”

The magic had gone eerily quiet, Anissa’s heart climbing up her throat, hands shaking, tears blurring her vision.

“Please,” she whispered. “Please, please.”

She wasn’t so sure who was begging.

“You do seem quite stuck,” a deep voice chuckled from behind her, as if her situation was funny, “what a pity.”

She turned around, wiping at her face as she frowned at a tall lanky man in a clean ironed suit, leaning against the wall of the garden, picking his nails with a dagger.

“And who are you?” She asked, sniffling. “Are you here to torment me further?”

He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly as his dark hair slid down to his forehead from the wind, “though I do enjoy tormenting young women locked up in large mysterious-looking towers….I am here to help.”

“Help?” Anissa huffed, hands forming into angry fists. “How can you help me? In fact, how did you get here?”

“Don’t get your pretty head into a twist,” he smiled. “I can help you get whatever it is out of that horribly large pendant of yours if you give me something in return.”

She took a shaky step back, “and what can I give you?”

“Your heart,” he said dramatically. 

Anissa blinked.

The strange handsome man burst out laughing, as if what he had said was the funniest thing in the world, “oh dear, you should have seen the look on your face!”

Anissa felt tears stinging at the back of her eyes. It was enough that she had been tortured for years in the horrible tower by her father and now this strange man thought he could bully her too!

“Begone,” she whispered, turning around and trying her best not to cry again. “I will do this on my own.”

“Don’t be so sad,” he cleared his throat. “We can still help each other you know.”

“What do you want?” She demanded without turning around, nervously playing with the necklace around her neck. “What do you want from me?”

“Your memories.” He said softly.

She froze.

  “As soon as you take a step out of this realm and into another, I will take your memories. You will be free.”

This time, Anissa did turn around, “why do you want my memories?”

The handsome man brushed away her question, taking a hesitant step towards her, holding out his hand, “do we have a deal, princess?”

“What will you do with my memories?” She asked looking up into his dark ebony eyes.

“I will keep them safe,” he smiled.

“And will I be free?”

“As free as a bird.”

Anissa beamed. What a good deal!

“Here,” he said, stepping closer, eyes twinkling as he unfastened the top of her necklace, whispering something under his breath, “try it now.”

Anissa shot him a grateful look before turning around, cupping the pendant, and closing her eyes.

She felt so powerful.

The magic surged through her, quickly filling her veins, blood surging as she felt her tired bones grow stronger, her mind brightening, and her eyes...oh her eyes. They had never been so clear in her life.

With wide eyes, she looked down, the pendant now empty and useless. She looked towards the archway, raising her arms, palms facing towards the low wooden arch and letting it all out, feeling her hair fly behind her, the garden filled with light and a pit of endless darkness appearing in the middle.

It was her door to everlasting freedom.

She turned happily to the strange man, a faint smile on her lips, “I am very thankful to you! You have given me my most heart's desire.”

“Your wish is my command,” he grinned, bowing deeply.

Her giggle was cut short by the loud footsteps and yelling of the guards as they made their way into the garden.

To drag her back into the tower.

“You must go,” the man whispered. “You must go now.”

She wished to say, I will never forget this, but they both knew she would. Anissa gave him a sad smile, curtsying slightly, “I wish you the very best, kind sir. Do not forget me.”

Without waiting for a reply, she hurried to the archway, turning around until her back faced it, and took one more longing glance at the strange handsome man who stood in the center of the garden, watching her with his black endless eyes.

He was truly beautiful.

And as she let herself fall into the endless darkness, she caught his smile.

And it was the last thing she saw before everything vanished.

And she was in her realm, no longer.