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two lives.

this is your story. you are the hero. you are the dragon. you are the princess.

the hero must take up arms. the dragon must be slain. the princess is trapped in her tower. there is a battle, and when the smoke clears, all parts of you grieve. the dragon was a worthy opponent. there were so many years spent alone, in the tower. and the armor needs to come off so you can go home and till your fields.

the princess becomes real only after she steps down from the tower, no longer an icon or figurehead, she can now be free. the hero doesn’t know what he has been fighting for until he’s permitted to go home to it. the fire-breathing dragon protected its gold until it was finally time to rest. wildflowers have now taken root where blood soaked the ground.

you fight yourself. you rescue yourself. then you can go home. everyone dies in the end. but it takes two lives to truly live.