(A few months later)
Sitting in her chair and looking into her vanity mirror, the princess saw a young girl in a soft, long pink dress staring back at her with big blue eyes. The wedding was only a few weeks away. The sun was shining on this early morning, the birds were chirping wonderful songs, and the sound of the waterfall just outside the castle cascaded into the warm water below. Time had changed so much for her. Or, rather, she had changed so much in just a short amount of time.
She was very excited to get married, and had always wanted to. She couldn't ask for anything more in a husband than a true hero; the man who saved her from the Dark Tower. And he was such a gentleman; such a valiant warrior but also so sweet to her. She was the envy of every woman in town and in the castle.
Kidnapped only a few months ago, her life had changed; even who she was had changed. Once a spoiled princess used to having her own way, she was now more grown, more kindly, and even a bit more tamed. Not to say that she didn't have her wild side now and then (after all, she was still a princess!) but her experience had kept her a little reserved. In fact, even her mind and her heart had played tricks on her. Her captor and kidnapper, a man in a dark black outfit, had convinced her that she was in love with him. Not through brainwashing or any magical spells, nor through force, but some how. She was glad that was behind her.
She felt so tormented sometimes with her past feelings and her current feelings. Who knew where her past feelings could have led had the Man in Black entered the room instead of her rescuer, she thought as she took in a deep breath and quickly tried to erase it from her mind, as she had tried since ever she was saved. She didn't want to think about it; she wanted to forget it. She thought she had finally purged it from her mind, but every once in a while, the thought of what could have been would slowly resurface like a slow wiggling snake. Her life was truly better now, she was free, and soon she would be married.
But as she stared back into the mirror, so close to marrying the heroic man of her dreams, she saw the brilliant blue eyes that looked back were heavy. The moment she caught her own perplexing gaze, she stopped brushing her golden locks and put her silver hairbrush down on the dresser. What was wrong? She was so happy, and couldn't ask for anything else in life...could she? She sighed, picked up the brush, and started coming through her hair again. It must be only cold feet, she thought.
She wanted to pout, throw a tantrum, and stomp her feet out of frustration! "If only life were so simple," she thought. The confusion was slowly starting to creep in and overwhelm her.
That night, as she lay down in her bed, her mind kept nagging at her again. Something just didn't feel right. Something was out of place. Normally she would immediately fall asleep deep under the pink covers of her bed. The down feathers ensured great comfort. But tonight it would take her much longer to fall asleep. She heard the ticking of the grandfather clock, something she had never heard before. Impatiently, tossing and turning, she pouted as her mind began to wander. All she could think about was the Dark Tower. Not a fearful feeling, but one of mystery and curiosity and the forbidden. She pictured the door in her head -- the large steel bands that held it together and the black iron handle that locked so easily ensuring her bedroom remained her prison. Her eyelids grew heavy. The door remained close, but she heard a noise behind it. Someone -- something, climbing up the stairs. "Step, step, step..." clicked the boot's heels of the man who climbed up the tower. But in her mind she only saw the door. "Step, step, step..." ...and then her eyes were shut. But the large wooden door remained. "Step, step....step...."