Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Dec 9, 2007 21:48:35 GMT
And they all lived happily ever after…
All the old fairytales ended like this. When Prince Charming had found Cinderella, he’d married her, and they’d lived happily ever after in their married bliss. Snow White and her prince had lived happily ever after, once she rode off on the back of his horse. The Sleeping Beauty had woken up from her coma and had gotten her happily ever after with her handsome prince.
Madeleine had heard these stories in various camps as a child, but she was never a girl that would sigh and dream of her handsome prince.
But like most children, she anticipated the happily ever after part. The peaceful part. The happy part.
The water rushed over Madeleine’s submerged head, washing away the tears that had dried onto her cheeks in the hospital wing. The water soothed her red, sore eyes.
But it couldn’t wash away her emotions; couldn’t soothe her thoughts.
Fairytales lied. She'd known this for years, but part of her didn't ever rule out the happy ending. There would always have to be a happy ending, right?
What if those people didn't live entirely happily ever after? What if Cinderella's prince had been stolen from her after they'd married? What if Snow White's prince had gone away?
And what if... what if the Sleeping Beauty had woken from her coma, and been blissfully happy for a while... and then her prince had lost his memory - and didn't know who she was?
In the bathwater, completely submerged under this warm water, Madeleine couldn't hear the sounds of her dormmates moving about on the other side of the locked door. She couldn't hear the noises outside the school, through the window. Only her pulse, echoing in the water.
Only her pulse and her thoughts.
Sleeping Beauty would never have ended like that. It was a crap ending. Parents would be outraged. Fairytales were supposed to be cute - they were supposed to have a happy ending.
But life didn't have a happy ending. In life, you didn't live blissfully for ever with your handsome prince.
The other thing that Madeleine could hear - well, that would be the curses she was thinking about those fairytale princesses, and how lucky they were, with their fictional worlds.
Their fictional happy endings.
She never thought that she would be jealous of a made-up princess, but she was.
Because her happy ending had been stolen.
When she met Lee, she hadn't ever thought that he'd be her happily ever after. That came later. They had been in love, they had been happy - why had it been stolen?
Fairytales had told Madeleine that true love conquers all.
Fairytales had given her - given them all - lies and false hope.
Fairytales sucked.
She should have known - when Shaun died, Cecelia had sunk into herself. It was horrific to watch - but she'd ended it, and now she was with Shaun, right? It was a happy ending.
But Madeleine didn't see how this could end happily.
Lee couldn't remember her... he could look into her eyes, and tell her that he didn't know her. He didn't love her anymore.
Every inch of Madeleine hurt. Because she'd found someone that she loved, and he'd been cruelly taken from her.
They'd been through so much already, and it should have been better. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair.
He didn't deserve it.
She was already chastising herself for being so selfish as to break down - how could she? She was the strong one here, and anyway, her pain would be nothing compared to Lee's. It was Lee who had forgotten everything, not her.
And besides, what effect would her tears have on everyone? She'd already had to cancel yesterday's training session, but it wasn't her Warriors she was worried about. After all, she could cope with that.
It was the effect on her closest family and friends that she didn't like to worry about. When she'd called her mum, still crying... she didn't remember a time when her mum sounded so scared, and worried. Madeleine's tears were so alien to everyone.
So alien to her.
But she hurt.
It was like...
It was ridiculous how cheesy this would sound, but it really, really, did feel like her heart had been torn apart. Not just torn - shredded, viciously, stabbed and ripped into a million different pieces - each piece screaming with the horrible, horrible pain of it all.
Her soul felt lost - searching deperately for something that she'd had before, and losing herself on the way. What had happened?
And her mind... well, there was nothing there at all.
Just the memory of how his eyes looked when they'd stared at her, not recognising her.
The water was cooling now; she'd been in there for far too long. But here, there was no one to look at her in an almost afraid way, no one to worry about her, no one to ask her if she was okay...
Of course she wasn't okay. How could she be? Her world had stopped turning less than twenty-four hours ago, and she couldn't see how to get it started again. She couldn't see where the light was going to be.
There was a knock on the bathroom door, and the vibration reverberated through the sides of the bath and through the water into her eyes, making her rise up out of the water with a jump.
Glancing at the watch lying on the edge of the sink, she realised that she had to lead a Battle Training session in 5 minutes, and her heart sank.
Time to leave your thoughts behind, Maddie.
Time to face up to losing your happily ever after...
She knew it was time... but she didn't know if she could do it or not.
All the old fairytales ended like this. When Prince Charming had found Cinderella, he’d married her, and they’d lived happily ever after in their married bliss. Snow White and her prince had lived happily ever after, once she rode off on the back of his horse. The Sleeping Beauty had woken up from her coma and had gotten her happily ever after with her handsome prince.
Madeleine had heard these stories in various camps as a child, but she was never a girl that would sigh and dream of her handsome prince.
But like most children, she anticipated the happily ever after part. The peaceful part. The happy part.
The water rushed over Madeleine’s submerged head, washing away the tears that had dried onto her cheeks in the hospital wing. The water soothed her red, sore eyes.
But it couldn’t wash away her emotions; couldn’t soothe her thoughts.
Fairytales lied. She'd known this for years, but part of her didn't ever rule out the happy ending. There would always have to be a happy ending, right?
What if those people didn't live entirely happily ever after? What if Cinderella's prince had been stolen from her after they'd married? What if Snow White's prince had gone away?
And what if... what if the Sleeping Beauty had woken from her coma, and been blissfully happy for a while... and then her prince had lost his memory - and didn't know who she was?
In the bathwater, completely submerged under this warm water, Madeleine couldn't hear the sounds of her dormmates moving about on the other side of the locked door. She couldn't hear the noises outside the school, through the window. Only her pulse, echoing in the water.
Only her pulse and her thoughts.
Sleeping Beauty would never have ended like that. It was a crap ending. Parents would be outraged. Fairytales were supposed to be cute - they were supposed to have a happy ending.
But life didn't have a happy ending. In life, you didn't live blissfully for ever with your handsome prince.
The other thing that Madeleine could hear - well, that would be the curses she was thinking about those fairytale princesses, and how lucky they were, with their fictional worlds.
Their fictional happy endings.
She never thought that she would be jealous of a made-up princess, but she was.
Because her happy ending had been stolen.
When she met Lee, she hadn't ever thought that he'd be her happily ever after. That came later. They had been in love, they had been happy - why had it been stolen?
Fairytales had told Madeleine that true love conquers all.
Fairytales had given her - given them all - lies and false hope.
Fairytales sucked.
She should have known - when Shaun died, Cecelia had sunk into herself. It was horrific to watch - but she'd ended it, and now she was with Shaun, right? It was a happy ending.
But Madeleine didn't see how this could end happily.
Lee couldn't remember her... he could look into her eyes, and tell her that he didn't know her. He didn't love her anymore.
Every inch of Madeleine hurt. Because she'd found someone that she loved, and he'd been cruelly taken from her.
They'd been through so much already, and it should have been better. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair.
He didn't deserve it.
She was already chastising herself for being so selfish as to break down - how could she? She was the strong one here, and anyway, her pain would be nothing compared to Lee's. It was Lee who had forgotten everything, not her.
And besides, what effect would her tears have on everyone? She'd already had to cancel yesterday's training session, but it wasn't her Warriors she was worried about. After all, she could cope with that.
It was the effect on her closest family and friends that she didn't like to worry about. When she'd called her mum, still crying... she didn't remember a time when her mum sounded so scared, and worried. Madeleine's tears were so alien to everyone.
So alien to her.
But she hurt.
It was like...
It was ridiculous how cheesy this would sound, but it really, really, did feel like her heart had been torn apart. Not just torn - shredded, viciously, stabbed and ripped into a million different pieces - each piece screaming with the horrible, horrible pain of it all.
Her soul felt lost - searching deperately for something that she'd had before, and losing herself on the way. What had happened?
And her mind... well, there was nothing there at all.
Just the memory of how his eyes looked when they'd stared at her, not recognising her.
The water was cooling now; she'd been in there for far too long. But here, there was no one to look at her in an almost afraid way, no one to worry about her, no one to ask her if she was okay...
Of course she wasn't okay. How could she be? Her world had stopped turning less than twenty-four hours ago, and she couldn't see how to get it started again. She couldn't see where the light was going to be.
There was a knock on the bathroom door, and the vibration reverberated through the sides of the bath and through the water into her eyes, making her rise up out of the water with a jump.
Glancing at the watch lying on the edge of the sink, she realised that she had to lead a Battle Training session in 5 minutes, and her heart sank.
Time to leave your thoughts behind, Maddie.
Time to face up to losing your happily ever after...
She knew it was time... but she didn't know if she could do it or not.
