Elopers: Bandit and Princess

Elijah’s country, Elopeth, was one of prosperity. Everything in Elopeth came in abundance. The harvest was full and great each year, the courage of men outweighed their massive shadows, and the girls shone with the blessings of beauty. But none shone more than the princess, Princess Masae.1

Now don’t take Elijah as a fool, he knew himself to be an ignorant farm hand, and Masae to be almost the very symbol of countenance and wealth. Masae’s hair shone with a brilliance that turned the sun green, her eyes were so deep and blue that the ocean itself rocked with despair. These features were only made more stunning by the mound of gold that rose behind her like a second throne. 2

And Elijah, Elijah was simple. His hair a dull brunette that had been bleached by sun exposure, his eyes shallow and brown like the mud he walked through each and every day to get to Masae.3

He had taken it upon himself to be Masae’s valiant rescuer. She had been stolen, in an act of undiluted avarice, by the leader of a band of bandits. Now, this is where Elijah’s simple aspect began to dry up from the sun exposure. Each man in Elopeth shrank into their shadows in the wake of peril, and each man who stepped into that peril was burned- to cinder, and then sent to the fires of an awaiting hell for their idiocy.4

But Elijah did not cower, because he was so poorly traveled he did not know what to expect in other lands, let alone what to fear. And neither would he let himself fail, he had no concept of challenge. And if he were, by the slightest chance, to fail- he would lose only his life. Therefore, he would lose nothing.5

This thought of something, more than something, the chance of everything, kept Elijah going. He spilled the blood of his inevitable obstacles with love, and hiked over each jagged mountain with the smoothness of Masae’s curves in mind. He had carried on this way, endlessly searching villages and going on gut instinct alone, for so long. He had lost his concept of time, his concept of everything, and only the idea of Princess Masae remained. It loomed over him like a monster, black with fatigue and desperation.6

So, when that monster let out the roar of potential triumph, Elijah was almost certain that the danger of insanity had become a reality. But one look at Masae standing there, in all her unharmed glory, knocked him to the ground harder than any blow ever could.
That winding sight soon vanished, to be replaced with that of a man. 7

He looked older than Elijah, and he was beautiful. Not beautiful in the way Masae was, but definitely not unpleasant to look at. If compared to Masae, his hair was luminescent in a way that turned moonlight green, black and spilling over his shoulders like midnight’s water. His eyes were like coals, with the great potential for fire.8

This man was the sinner, the bandit, who had been overcome by greed and stolen Masae. And now, he sheltered her, hiding her with his own body. He had the audacity to act as the protector. Elijah, in all his simplicity, lit up with a remarkable rage.9

And with that fire in his stomach, he lunged at the bandit. After a battle Elijah could not process, a sickening sound filled the air, mingling with Masae’s screams.10

Elijah looked up, eyes hazy with the smoke of aftermath. And that monster that had been threatening him for so long, swallowed him. Insanity was his reality. 11

And as his mind blocked out the sound of Masae’s yearning sobs, and the blood that stained his sword, he saw only a shadow dispersing into the night. 12

With a cry of victory, he scooped up Masae, looking into her eyes through a veil of insanity. And as his mind fabricated a kiss, Masae looked past his shoulder to the corpse that was once her lover.13

Elijah was rewarded handsomely for his return of the princess. The king took to him immediately. He was simple, and therefore he was harmless. Elijah was made heir to the throne, and betrothed to Masae. 14

Elijah never took the time to wonder how a simple bandit could manage access to Masae’s tower.15

And as for Masae, well, the tear shine in her eyes just made her ever the more beautiful.