[ The Unclosed Gate Was Not Opened ] - The Ink Well January fiction contest

Photo was taken by me

Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived within a high castle with a strong fortress in front. She had lived there for ages, and the older she got the thicker she ordered her military to build the fortress. Princess was alone, her existence was tagging along with tons of devilish things hidden behind layers of walls. She had no idea since when they had always been there, but she knew for sure those grotesque were not meant to be grotesque. They were something else, before transforming into those dreadful figures. One day, from the highest glass stared down the princess, she noticed an exhausted knight was passing by her place. He fainted at the obverse of the main gate. She demanded the guards to open the entrance, and she ran down to the unconscious silver-armored knight.

“I can’t fight with you since it’s your own battle, but remember, whenever you need me, I’ll be here. For you.” Her message was sent after a lasting struggle inside her head, and even his being one. “You are safe when you are with me.”

“Thank you.” His reply arrived in a polite manner which she hoped it had not shown up.

But the knight’s wound was so severe that he had to rest beside the princess’s fortress. She could not let him in, because of the unacceptable creatures she had been keeping around her greenish garden. Little princess did not want the newly coming knight to be threatened away. She ran down to him almost every night, as time flew, she realized a strange sentiment had been sown in her heart. Fairly, the knight would give her a sign when he needed her as well.

“Let’s imagine our children. They will inherit your beauty.” He sent. Although he did not know at that time, her fantasy was already a depiction of their lovely brick house amidst a blooming valley, preoccupied by their offspring.

One day, she asked whether she could invite him in, but she was in fear of him being frightened.

“I have so many troubles, I have always been hiding…”

“You can open up to me anytime you want.”

Finally, the princess decided to open the gate and welcome the knight. Yet she had no idea for what reason he had never entered her place on purpose of seeking for her? Despite what he said, she merely left the lock unlocked so that he could come in if he wanted. Nonetheless, he gave her questions neither about her tedious life at the castle nor what had turned into the monsters wandering. He did not come in. The gate had not ever been pushed in by him.

“I want you to be my Christmas gift.”

“I am already, just have to wait for you to open.”

The knight still did not intend to reveal herself on his own. He recommended his princess to come with him on his next journey, as his companion for life. But the princess herself had had a hard time to deal with the darkness roaming over the castle yard, on the rose petals and every morning dew stagnation. She told her knight to spare her a little more time, after that she would join his trip.

“I have found someone else. But I still love you as a friend.” That was the first time he texted her with such a long content in an enterprising mood.

“I wish you all the best things for your life.” Tons of questions conquered her thoughts, even though that was the only thing she could send him in response.

Knight had found his wanted companion, and he left the princess’s fortress in spite of the fact he barely touched the gate or made a little effort to look what was going inside her royal life. Little princess stared down from her room, echoing in her ears were the knight’s voice once he said they would have children together, or the moment he gently explored her physique outside the fortress albeit their later discontinuation.

But what about me?

“If there is anything I could ask you and then be answered, it’d be What about me? But my lord, I know that it doesn’t matter anymore whatever your response would be, since it doesn’t seem to keep you stay. Because of that, please be happy.”

She looked into the nought, whispering to herself.

The princess went to the fortress’s gate to lock it up again.
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I would say I have never written a short story like this until now, forgive me if the timeline might confuse you. However, the photo has spoken up where the princess was living, and also where the girl in the dialogues was.

Have a wonderful life ahead everyone, I hope all of us will not have to close our gates as the princess had done to hers.