There once lived a princess who lived in a castle. This was no ordinary castle, however. This castle stood hundreds of metres high, and looked out onto the land for miles out. You see, the princess was trapped in the top room of her high castle. She waited patiently in her little tower room, looking out at the beauty that stretched out below her.

The princess's room was terribly bare. In her room she had a small makeshift bed constructed by laying layers of scarves on the ground. She also kept a small easel, a paintbrush, a lovely selection of coloured paints, and a supply of canvases which she painted over again and again as the colours began to fade on her old paintings. As well as this, she had an apple tree which gave her nourishment, some CD's to play on her dainty headphones, and a large amount of creativity. These were the only things the princess had in her life.

For hours, our princess would stand at her tower window and look at the beautiful green wilderness that stretched out as far as she could see. She waited patiently to be rescued by a prince - she realized her fate.

Her tower was locked by a most mysterious force, you see. She could vaguely recall, as if in some dream, of a time when she could leave her room. However, a dark force overtook everyone, and left them for dead. She didn't know what it was... only that there was a dreaded choking feeling about it... and that it was all around outside her door, so she couldn't leave.

He came one night as she slept. Buried beneath a cloak, and moving stealthily up the stairs of her lonely castle, he slipped through the darkness into her room, and locked the door behind him. Seeing the sad princess asleep on the bed caused him to fall instantly in love, and he lay on the bed beside her.

When the princess awoke to find her rescuer next to her she filled with delight. She rose at once and cried tears of happiness at the freedom she was to receive. "Lead me through the darkness, my love!", she blissfully wailed.

The prince smiled knowingly, and cooed, "My princess, you need only thick skin through battered torment, and a little stealth, to stride through the darkness. There is no magic - only resilience."

This shocked our heroine, as she came to realize the truth. "Can we escape this tower, fair prince?"

He kissed her feet, and gave his again wise words. "Love, the darkness is everywhere where people exist. I did not seek to lead you from this darkness only to bring you to another. You have a refuge. Let us stay here, and adore the view, let us sink into art, dine on our endless apples. Your skin is far too delicate to endure the outside. You cannot leave here."

Her tower became her haven. They sang to each other in the countless days spent in their castle room. They made love until they were aching and sore.

It is said that the princess and her partner never aged, since they had found true bliss in their castle. Legend tells that they remain there today as a beacon for those who want to leave the darkness, and love only in love. The princess, and the only man she could love. <sii>