A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS #ONCEUPONNOW

03 | BEFORE THE NIGHT

03| BEFORE THE NIGHT
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MY FATHER IS A STRONG MAN.

He has survived the loss of his two youngest daughters to the hands of a brutal king, helpless to save them. He has survived war and bombings and losing his limbs, helpless as his comrades fall one by one, like dominoes tipping over, knocking into each other. He has survived watching his wife helplessly fall ill and succumb to sickness, only able to watch as the love of his life's own life drained away. 

But it only takes one more thing to break the back of a strong mule. It only take one more thing to break a strong man. 

And I, I am what has broken this strong man. 

"Why, Arista?" He weeps, "You too? He has taken Arica and Allea. Is not two daughters enough, but he must take my third? And my oldest, my only child left to me, will go to the lair of the monster." 

"Papa, even a dragon has its weakness." I said soothingly. 

It broke my heart to see my father like this, but there are duties that must be done. While the tragedies had weighed on my father's heart, my own tragedies had helped grow my set of scales, my armor and defense against dragons and princes. 

King Shaza has worn through the line of virgins in our country. Each of them entered bright eyed and hopeful, believing they could change a monster's scales. Each of them left in a body bag, bodies dead, eyes dulled. 

No one dared to volunteer after this. Thirty maidens slain in one month, one for each night. Alive at dusk, dead the next dawn. 

At first, they announced the first death as accidental, she had simply fallen and hit her head. The second death was a suicide, she was much too homesick. Then, the next was the girl had tried to kill the king and had to be executed. The excuses went on and on.

 When they brought my sister Arica home in a casket claiming she had killed herself, I knew they were wrong. Arica had been happy when she had left home, joyful to be chosen as the king's new bride. Her eyes had been bright with excitement, whispering about how honored she was to be chosen. 

"Arista, I cannot believe I am to be queen!" She had murmured into my ear, dazzled with delight. 

One minute she was alive. The next minute, she was coming home in a casket. 

And then Allea had been the next virgin chosen after Arica. My heart had sunk with that knowledge, but Allea, too, had been excited. How could I lose one sister after another? 

Allea had smiled and told me, "Sister, I will be back before you know it. I will prepare a place for you and papa." 

Allea did return. She returned quicker than I thought, but not in the way I wanted her to. She was dead, her lips pale with death and her skin cold from emptiness. And with Allea's death, my scales formed strongly around my body. 

The killing, it was a never ending cycle that would never, ever stop. 

I believe the Western scientist had a principle. Something along the lines of an object in motion stays in motion unless an outside force acts upon it. 

King Shaza is the object in motion, destroying families and lives. And I, I will be the outside force. 

King Shaza will be stopped. 

I just didn't know it wouldn't be in the way I thought. 

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