我是前朝公主,被囚禁/关在这里已经有三个月了。
三个月。
仿佛一段被拉伸得无限长的日子,又仿佛只是一个眨眼,我就从高高在上的曦月宫,跌落到了这冰冷潮湿的柴房。柴房。我甚至连名字都不知道。只是知道,它被藏在皇宫最阴暗的角落,只有一条狭窄、布满青苔的过道通往外界,而那过道,也早已被厚重的铁链和粗糙的木板封死。
我记不清最后一次见到阳光是什么时候了。这里的窗户,与其说是窗,不如说是一道勉强能透进一丝微光的缝隙,被粗重的栅栏严严实实地挡着。即便如此,那透过缝隙洒下的光,也是浑浊的,带着一股尘土和霉味。我常常会盯着那一点点微光,想象着外面的世界。不知道宫外,那些熟悉的街市是否依旧热闹?不知道母后,是否还在宫中为我担忧?不知道……就连那些平日里最爱打理花草的宫女,此刻又在做什么?
我曾是一位公主。曦月宫,我的名字,也是我曾居住的宫殿。那里有 mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya mya 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My life, once filled with the scent of blooming peonies and the soft rustle of silk robes, was now reduced to the damp chill of this stone cell. Three months. The guard, a hulking brute named Borin with a beard like tangled brambles, would bring me food twice a day. A bowl of watery gruel, sometimes a piece of stale bread. He never spoke. His eyes, when they met mine, were always vacant, as if I were just another piece of furniture in this forgotten corner of the world.
I tried to talk to him at first. Asked him why I was here, who had ordered this. He just grunted, a low rumble in his chest, and left. The silence that followed was always more deafening than any question.
The irony of it all never escaped me. I was born a princess, destined to be a symbol of peace and prosperity for our dynasty. My father, the Emperor, doted on me. My mother, the Empress, taught me the arts of diplomacy and governance. I learned calligraphy, poetry, music. I could ride a horse with the best of them, and my skill with a bow was often praised. I was to be married to a noble prince from a neighboring kingdom, forging an alliance that would secure peace for generations.
And then… the coup. It was swift, brutal. My uncle, the Emperor’s younger brother, a man consumed by ambition and envy, turned on us. The palace guards, once loyal to my father, turned their blades on their own. I remember the chaos, the screams, the scent of blood thick in the air. I was whisked away by my loyal bodyguard, a grizzled veteran named Kael, who swore to protect me with his life. He led me through secret passages, through the bowels of the palace, intending to smuggle me out of the capital.
But somewhere in the predawn gloom, we were ambushed. Kael fought like a lion, but he was outnumbered. I saw him fall, his final breath a ragged gasp. And then, rough hands dragged me away, muffling my cries. When I awoke, I was here.
The days blurred into a monotonous cycle of hunger, cold, and the gnawing ache of loneliness. I traced the patterns of the damp on the stone walls, invented stories for the scurrying mice, and whispered the names of my loved ones to the darkness. My fine silks were long gone, replaced by a coarse, scratchy tunic. My hair, once intricately styled, was now a tangled mess. I looked in the cracked shard of pottery I’d found, a remnant from some forgotten feast, and barely recognized the pale, gaunt face staring back.
But I am still a princess. The blood of kings runs in my veins. I refused to let this place, this despair, extinguish the spark within me. I started to exercise in my small cell. Stretching my stiff limbs, practicing the ancient breathing techniques my mother had taught me for composure. I would replay my lessons in my mind, reciting poetry to myself, composing songs in my head. My voice, though weak, was still mine.
I also began to observe. Borin, despite his gruff exterior, had a telltale limp in his left leg. The other guard, a younger man with shifty eyes, always fiddled with a worn leather pouch. The timing of the food deliveries was surprisingly consistent. Small details, but in this vast emptiness, they were my anchors.
And today, something changed. As Borin placed the meager bowl of gruel on the floor, he dropped a small, crudely carved wooden bird. It landed near my outstretched hand. He didn’t notice. I quickly snatched it up, my heart pounding. It was warm, smooth, and felt impossibly precious.
Later, when the light began to fade, I turned the bird over in my palm. There was a tiny inscription on its underside. Not words, but a symbol. A coiled snake, biting its own tail. An ancient emblem of hope, of rebirth. And beside it, a single, almost invisible scratch.
My breath hitched. I knew that scratch. It was Kael’s mark. He had a habit of marking his most prized possessions with a tiny, almost imperceptible nick. He had given me a similar mark on the hilt of my own dagger, long ago.
It meant he was alive. And he was here.
A tremor of something akin to hope, a feeling I hadn't dared to entertain for months, coursed through me. Three months of darkness, of despair, but perhaps… perhaps this was not the end. Perhaps, the princess of the fallen dynasty was not entirely forgotten. The wooden bird was small, but in my hand, it felt like the key to a future I had almost surrendered. The fight was far from over.