Theea
"That’s beautiful," I say, absolutely delighted, my face lit like I’m watching fireflies. "Your dad sounds amazing. I love that he collected people’s stories—like gathering stars in a jar. I think I would’ve begged him to tell me everything he knew."
I can’t help grinning as she talks about The Prince Groom, the kind of grin that presses into my cheeks and makes me feel warmer than the lamp-lit street around us. When she turns the question back on me, I nod, suddenly shy and excited all at once. "I do have a favorite. But it’s not written down. It’s spoken."
I glance ahead as we walk, almost like I can see it unfolding again—curled between my parents, drowsy with dreams. "My mom and dad used to tell it to me together when I was little. I’d make them repeat it over and over until I fell asleep, usually with my face squished into someone’s side."
I laugh under my breath at the memory, but it sticks hard against my heart, heavy and full of yearning. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t gone to Frey. That I’d stayed a kid.
"It was about this prophesied prince, after thousands of years of waiting for his power, and his high priestess—this brilliant, stubborn girl who could speak to gods. They were fated to save the world from these terrible tyrant gods who had taken over everything. The priestess could see prophecies from the old gods, the ones who’d been silenced, and together, she and the prince had to find a way to restore them. Bring balance back. Save the world."
I glance at Elizabeth, a little self-conscious but glowing still. "It was dramatic and over the top and probably way too big for a kid’s bedtime story. But I loved it. I still do. I want to write it down someday.”"
I can’t help grinning as she talks about The Prince Groom, the kind of grin that presses into my cheeks and makes me feel warmer than the lamp-lit street around us. When she turns the question back on me, I nod, suddenly shy and excited all at once. "I do have a favorite. But it’s not written down. It’s spoken."
I glance ahead as we walk, almost like I can see it unfolding again—curled between my parents, drowsy with dreams. "My mom and dad used to tell it to me together when I was little. I’d make them repeat it over and over until I fell asleep, usually with my face squished into someone’s side."
I laugh under my breath at the memory, but it sticks hard against my heart, heavy and full of yearning. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t gone to Frey. That I’d stayed a kid.
"It was about this prophesied prince, after thousands of years of waiting for his power, and his high priestess—this brilliant, stubborn girl who could speak to gods. They were fated to save the world from these terrible tyrant gods who had taken over everything. The priestess could see prophecies from the old gods, the ones who’d been silenced, and together, she and the prince had to find a way to restore them. Bring balance back. Save the world."
I glance at Elizabeth, a little self-conscious but glowing still. "It was dramatic and over the top and probably way too big for a kid’s bedtime story. But I loved it. I still do. I want to write it down someday.”"
cause we waited years and years
just to make it worth the tears
to find out that we're not in this alone
so keep your head up high in these hours of the night
so when atlas drops the world on your shoulders, you still won't fall
