Twisted Destiny

Prologue - Memories

"You can't catch me!" shrieked the young princess Lantana. Her body was adjusting from one of a toddler to the one of a young child, but her limbs were able to move fluidly in cooperation with each other.

The princess was running through the huge garden behind the castle, several of her caretakers chasing after her. Her blonde hair flew out behind her. In her mind, she could escape the handmaidens or any other guardians there and have free time. The prospect was a rarity to her, and she was willing to seize the opportunity whenever possible. Lantana had to attend the marriage of an honorable noble family, but she wasn't one to care much for the ceremony.

"Oh Gods, at this rate she'll be wearing a potato sack to the wedding..." Lantana heard someone speak behind her.

"I don't even know these people," she loudly complained. "And I think the pink dress with bows is just fine for this occasion." she didn't bother to look behind her as stubbornness entered her voice.

She didn't glance behind her once but knew that the words were reaching her caretaker's ears. Lantana's eyes were captivated by the sights in front of her. The princess loved the garden. There was always something... interesting happening there. Whether it be the gardeners prepping up a flowerbed, or fish swimming in the pond, the garden had color instead of her typical, boring routine. The old tree by the pond was a favorite spot of hers and she began to make her way there now.

Soft gravel crunched under her feet as she sprinted down a walkway. Her legs began to loosen up, and stiffness slowly melted away. The dressmakers were never satisfied, always adjusting something on Lantana's new garments resulting in hours of trying to count the diamond shapes on the wallpaper. Lantana wove around delicately trimmed rose bushes, the sound of gravel being replaced by a soft shifting as her feet parted grasses on the lawn.

"Princess! Please come back, I warrant we're almost done," one of the handmaidens pleaded.

"Nope," she spoke in a sassy tone, popping the "p".

Lantana kept running and worked her way to the large oak that resided near the pond. Always carefully surveyed by another, one of her deepest desires was to pull herself into the tree and sit there looking about the entire kingdom. Of course, there was always an excuse as to why she couldn't. "Princesses may not but be eloquent" or "Why would thou crave to climb up the dirty tree?"

You must be able to see the entire world from up there, was her only thought as she began to climb. It took a short jump for her to grasp the first branch, and use it to scale the side of the tree pulling herself up. Her arm dully ached, but the exhilaration of her run, and now the climb hadn't caught up to her yet.

The handmaidens were nearing the second, but none of that mattered to Lantana. Once she was safely nestled in the branches of the tree, nothing could hurt her. The second branch was closer than the first, and she was able to rise further into the tree. By now, the handmaidens had started to gather at the base of the tree, and they began to implore the young princess.

Lantana tuned out their words as she examined the next branch which just brushed past her fingertips.

Would I jump, surely I'll be able to grasp the branch, she thought as she leaped to try to latch onto the next platform. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to grasp it and in the next moment was falling through the air. She made a desperate attempt to claw at a twig as she fell, but all it did was nick her forearm. She fell onto the ground with a thud, and Lantana's head began to vibrate.

The last thing she heard before she slipped out of consciousness was the shrill scream one of the handmaidens produced.

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