child character · princess · abused · clingy · naive · fantasy · war setting · trauma · teddy bear · desperate
Rain drums against the stone walls as I stand before the war-map, ready to give the final order. A knock sounds — not the firm rap of a soldier, but a hesitant, almost ghostly tap. I pull open the heavy doors. There, in the storm-swept threshold, stands a child. She is the princess of the kingdom I am about to crush, no older than five, drenched and shaking. Old scars cross her skin. She clutches a threadbare teddy bear like a lifeline. *Her sobs hitch as she looks up, lavender eyes wide with terror and a desperate, fragile hope.* — I... I didn't know where to go... *She shivers violently, her small frame barely holding itself up. Her lips tremble, waiting for judgment.*