Act 2

“ Make way, Her Royal Highness, has arrived.”

Old faces, new faces, men alikes and women, come varying to the grounds of market. Men of all sizes, ages and of stages in life always come in chances to have luck herein. Beyond immeasurably power and wealth I had, I am nothing but as powerless and a beggar like them. How ironic for a world I live in. I am nothing but a title indeed. As my eyes feasted at the wayward impoverish lifestyle, I frowned at the sight.

    No matter how much wealth a person may succumbed, emptiness always perpetrate his life. So do, I. I have everything but I am nothing but a young monarch and of ages--shall be a successor. Oftentimes I convinced myself that I shall rule rightfully with good judgment and character-fair enough with the wisest decision. All my plans, I somehow know that things changes thru the course of time. It maybe my plausible sense of life but it would be entirely a different one that is, in due time.

    I look around at the people.
    Commoner.
    That is the word I described them. True enough, it was a scoff for them. But believe me, I never intend to slap them that title.  My heart intends to throw the crown and the glory I have, just to embrace them or open the doors, but I couldn’t.
    I just couldn’t. 
    I want to do something but I’m bound to do the other way around. Ironic, isn’t it?
   
    “ Princess!” With cheeks so red and some freckles across her face, a young girl waves toward me. She was rugged, dressed in patches of old clothes. Her hands look rough and untidy. I couldn’t imagine how would an innocent and fragile little child like her would be trapped in a world run by Sheol. I looked back at her. And she smiled like that of a million among the grimaces. Only her had found the way to cheer me up.
    “ Hoooh, Thunder.” I halted my horse and get down on foot. But before a walk was made, a palace guard came in and had barricaded my way.
    “ Princess, it is not wise to stoop down to your level.”
    “ Only wiser men do know how to take down from what they’re afraid of. Carry on. I wanted to take air from the people.”  I held my hand and walked. “ Get up from your knees, citizens of my King’s kingdom. I came in peace and as a woman-worthy to be called as a citizen herein. Come along to your duty. I only wish to walk according to your statutes.” 
    Some faces are in astonishment, others, dismissed the idea and go on with me and some, smiled and satisfied. I walked on the streets with Thunder, holding his reign while both my mind and my eyes wander. And all to soon, I passed them by going to the gates of our kingdom.

    Trumpets sound, alarming each and every one of the palace that I was again, held in captivity. I sighed at the scene. While everyone bows for my return, I am yet again, unhappy.



    “ Do you now defy me , young woman?” Mother entered unannounced inside my room.
    “ I do not defy you, Mother. I simply wanted...” From the bathtub, my voice trailed off to the scenic millieu I had earlier.
    “ Wanted freedom?” She asked still not breaking her eyes on me. “ We do not have those wealth my child. Simply all of us are tied to the bondage of our kingship-serving for the greater glory.”
    “ I knew, Mother. But still, can I just have a little of liberty among it- even for just an atom size?” I looked at her.
    “ You simply had your statutes been corrupted, my dear. You are confide from the palace walls. You go straight from your duties and no horseback riding or lessons. Do not put your family’s name in disdain. The air that we breathe are the same as yours.”
    I stood up, without caring my nudity and faced her. “ You confide yourself at the walls of palace but you never stoop down to care about your subjects. You never bother to see the reality outside. How dare you to say that you care for your own people when you do not even know how the world treats them.”
    “ We do not give a damn if they have nothing and we have everything.”
    “ Hear the words you are speaking, Mother and tell me if you are the right one to stood up for this kingdom.”
    “ You do not question my ways, you still have years to spent by and someday, you’ll definitely say the same things.”
    “ I will never be, Mother. Now please, go.”
    “ We’ll be waiting for you at banquet.” She left without a word.

    The banquet was gracious like it has been. All five of us--King Henry, Queen Vittoria, Duke of Hampton-Prince Phillip, Duchess of Wayward- Princess Alessandra and I, Duchess of Hampshire-Princess Catherine were joined by the noble bloods and aristocrats at the dinner hall.
    “ Catherine, I heard you have just escaped from your ladies.” It was Alice who murmured at me. She was my older sibling. She’s sweet, caring and adorable-as all the men in the land came to sought after her, then only, Prince Peter adored and asked her hand in marriage.
    “ I did, Alice. But believe me, I just needed to confide my thoughts.”
    “ And to whom? To the trees and to the sands.” Her smile faded and looked upon me.
    Alice was the prettiest and I had always been compared to the marred beauty, my sister has. She has been the apple of the eye in the kingdom while, I gained my Father’s only eyes.
    “ That is marvelous, Alice. Thank you.” I said sarcastically and took a nibble of peas.
    “ Do not be sarcastic, Catherine.”  She eyed at me and her gaze went to the spectators. “ I only care about Mother’s condition or even Father. I do not wish them to be so worried while you go and hop around. Can’t you do that while we were away.”
    “ What’s the point, sister? Both you and Phillip chases your dream while you got me stuck under Mother’s nose. And heaven forbids, she is worser than I thought.”
    “ Do not mock Mother like that, Catherine. Remember that she was our mother more than anything else.” Phillip looked at me.
    “ Yes, and you always made me feel to be the villain around.” I drank the wine and stood up.
    “ And where do you think you’re going, Catherine? The banquet hasn’t finished yet.” It was Father who spoke, mild and gentle.
    “ I apologize, Father, but I’m not feeling well and it would be my delight that I may retire now.”
    “ Just for a moment, Catherine. This banquet is for you. Can you just sat for a while? The guest hasn’t arrived yet as we presume he was on his way.” Father held my hand, convincing me like I was a small little girl.
    I nodded and headed on my chair. And just as he said about the guest, I turned to my right and stared at an empty seat. How dare does this person await us for such a time?

    My eyes roamed around from the ball ‘round the people. I stood up from my seat and wander down to the balcony and held myself at the side of it watching the tiny lights beyond the fortress glow in dim.

    “ Ay, me.” I sighed and looked at the chilly night outside. “ Why aren’t there are people who understand the life beyond here than the freedom. Such people do not even know how fathomable the life is.”
    “ It is not wise for a lady to worry about her gregarious contempt for the world.” A voice suddenly crept from my behind.
    It was Alistair, an old teacher who lives at the tower inside the castle but was told to be of vile and austere in many ways. He seems snobbish and held his head at everyone. But though he was described, in a manner not worthy for a creature to stoop down, the king held high respects for his intelligence.
    “ And why are you here, sire?” I asked him without taking my eyes off from the tiny lights just beyond.
    “ Ah!” He exclaimed and went beside me. “ Shouldn’t I be the one asking you the same question?”
    “ I asked first, Sire.” I prompted and looked at him.
    His hair now hang loosely as it became white, probably of age to suit him. He wears his almond spectacles just at the middle of his crooked long nose and his white beard about 5-inches of long. His lips curved a smile, looking beamingly stunned at my statements for him. While his eyes yet deep blue as the midnight sky glared at me.
    “ I presume that my existence makes the air too thick at the hall that I decided to let them breathe a few carbons. And you?”
    “ Whilst everyone found this night interesting, I found it dull instead.”
    “ And what would be your choice of interest? Wander around at the forest or gawking like anybody without putting in mind that she was of noble-blood.”
    “ Oh, so you’ve come to slap on my face that the honor of being a noble be of a crowning glory? How generous of you, Sire. Noble blood or not, it should be a man’s glory to be of natural-be it living his life as it is or live the life, destiny has succumbed unto him.” 
    “ True, true, true enough, young mistress, but living as to what the earth asked you to live by shall always be your shadow. You do not turn your back to the world itself or to your own principles. You always have to weigh everything according to the rights and laws of the world-- the Heavens asked for and to the laws of Mankind. Weigh everything as it should be-not only for yourself but to the generativity of each and everyone.
    True enough that you’re born with bigger responsibilities but your heart tells you to do another thing. And, if you weigh your heart and your mind, which of those weigh the better?”
    “ I... I don’t...” My mind raced back and forth, looking for answers I could never utter. My heart weighs more but the conscience goes together with my mind. I still am a prisoner of my own.
    “ I see,” He butted in. He folded his arms and walked around-maybe trying to be wise again- or supplied words that even made me perplexed. “ I see that your mind and your heart races together to know their own inner strength. Your heart speaks like your conscience but your mind was your alter ego.
    We are bound by the set of rules of this world, prisoners of our past and dreamers of an utopian tomorrow. Nevertheless, each and every one of us forgot the point that we are mere human. We aren’t gods nor demi-gods but humans-mortal ones.”
    “ And your point is?” I asked him.
    “ You are wise enough but you’re judgment has been clouded. For the sake of you, let  your worries go. Be bold enough and be brave to take chances on what you feel like doing. Sometimes, deviation turns the world into its right track. The evil in the eye of others, makes this world perfect in its own volition.” But before he could left me, he turned and said the words, “ Let your wisdom be watered everyday. You know where to find them.”

    What I heard next was the laughter, the merriment inside the castle. All of it held a small world inside. As I look at the innermost utopian world outside, it has its own perfection but in the sense of odd, guile and  evil outside. It took fears of the world to summon the mask to cover the truth. True to the world’s irony was  the sense of having a rotten world.