The Warrior Princess

The Warrior Princess

By: Adele Pena (Little Wren Writes)

The first man in her life betrayed her. "I wanted a son," he said.

The second man toyed with her heart, letting others in the sheets of their bed.

The third man rode in like Prince Charming, a hero for the damsel in distress.

But he never bothered to check her corset, where her daggers hid near her breasts.

For this woman was raised as a warrior from the moment she left the womb.

And tenderness a foreign thing, something she couldn't consume.

The Prince could not end her battlefront, those dragons of her past in hot pursuit.

The charming hero felt defeated as if all his actions were mute.

For the battles of this woman weren't his to fight.

She was never looking for a Hero. She hoped for a lookout through the dark night.

But the charming Prince couldn't see this and when the morning came,

he just kept wielding his sword as if day and night were the same.

As the battle dragged on, with each new dawn, the woman became exhausted.

Her nightmares now stretched into her days. And she couldn't keep up with the raze.

The dragons consumed her in a blaze.

And she was finally ready to put down her daggers.

But the Prince was now in grand battle endeavor.

Would she be struggling with these monsters of her past forever?

The battle to slay her dragons dragged on for years. She couldn't lay down her fears.

She had staved them a few times in the past, but the rest didn't last,

as the Prince's provoking kept them returning.

For they were fed by her tears of sorrow and yearning. And this was their favorite meal.

So, the warrior princess receded into one of the castle towers.

She remained there defeated, feeding those dragons her tears for hours.

Eventually, they became big and strong, more powerful than ever before.

And it was at this time she realized, she didn't need to feed them anymore.

So the princess opened the window and took a breath of fresh air.

She reigned in some more courage and threw back her hair.

She pulled out her daggers and jabbed one into each of their hearts.

But the dragons just flew off towards the Sun, as if she had given them a new start.

They were gone, but not dead, once again. And she was exhausted, so she rested.

When she woke, adrenaline still filled her veins,

And she knew it was time to put an end to all the pain.

She couldn't just hide in the tower for those two dragons to return.

Something inside of her was beginning to burn... And it said, "Run!"

So, she unbolted her chamber doors and raced down the stairs.

She ran right past the occupied Prince, with battle his only care.

She ran beyond the castle walls. She ran beyond the city.

She ran beyond the fields of farms, and beyond all that was pretty.

The woman ran and did not stop until she reached her destination.

It was a tombstone for the man who caused her first frustration.

She went to pull her daggers, stabbing at the earth would give some relief,

but recalled their permanent placement, and began to cry in grief.

Alone, again, on a dark night, with the same old fears to overcome.

She sat and wept about her life and what it had become.

As the tears fell to the ground, a gentle wind began to blow.

And along came those two dragons, wouldn't you know.

The dragons came back to eat her tears, but this experience was new.

They were now helpful and comforting, like pets, with no more nightmares to renew.

And the woman fed them gladly, dropping every last tear she had.

And the three of them flourished after that without her feeling sad.

Now, I know you all are wondering, Did she ever go back to the Prince?

Well, she couldn't just leave him like that, in a state of continual defense.

The princess returned to the castle, with her pet dragons at her side in flight,

excited to share news with the Prince that there was no more battle to fight.

But when she arrived at the castle, it didn't take long to discover,

the Prince was still wielding his sword, to fight the dragons of his lover.

Standing in the division, wielding her own power of voice,

She explained to her lover, "We do have a choice."

"We can fight these dragons forever, or we can tame them.

What we can't continue to do is sit here and blame them."

So the two of them walked and talked, a good long time too,

with both of them deciding it was time to try something new.

Both of them were tired of fighting.

The dragons might have helped a little too in making the decision,

for the Prince knew well of their hunting precision,

and he could clearly see they were no longer a threat to his Princess.

There could be benefits to having a Princess with two pet dragons you know.

'Happily Ever After' seems to be their ending. ...

It was really just their start.

But this is where my story ends and this is where we part.