The Princess.

Everything dissolves, voices disappear. She feels light on her feet, light in the head. She turns around in circles for no reason at all, her dupatta draping her body like some magnificent cloak. Her hair hanging loose, her sudden impulse to embrace everything around her - and she dances. She is a princess. Her joy is her kingdom and her smile is her throne.

Her eyes shine brightly as she stops all movement. She rests her head against the wall and thinks of that one ray of light that dangles through the ceiling. That is all that she'd needed to rule this kingdom and all that she will need - hope.

Imprisoned in a room that once echoed her resounding choking sobs. But she's seen that one ray of light that somehow managed to enter the blinding darkness. And she thinks of that moment when she feels all fears inside of her washed out completely. That moment when she'd smiled.

All the adornments she's ever known are stained, smeared and old. This tiny room is her abode. She goes to sleep on stiff, wooden floors - but all she knows is this: she's a princess. Hope is her King, Love is her Prince and she - the princess.