Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Elizabeth. She lived in a huge castle in the midst of a lush green forest, and was known all over for her dazzling red hair and beautiful voice. The men were all overwhelmed in admiration of her beauty, and the women jealous of her husband, the handsome Prince Jacob.
Elizabeth and Jacob loved to throw balls at their castle. They would light candles indoors and out and bring in an orchestra that would play well into the morning. People would come from miles away in their gowns and suits to dance under the stars with the beautiful prince and princess.
Elizabeth loved these balls. She glided across the dance floor in wonderful dresses that were made especially for her. She danced with all the men, and sang along in her clear soprano voice. When she sang, most everyone stopped to listen. She could easily bring tears to their eyes with the saddest of ballads.
However, the winter balls were her favourite. She would wear stunning dresses in shades of blue and white, and all would have long sleeves, for Princess Elizabeth had a secret.
The pale white skin of Elizabeth’s arms was covered with thick scars. Although everyone believed that she lived a charmed life, she alone knew that something was missing. Often after a ball, she would sit alone in her bathroom and cry. Even after a night of song and dance and drink, she felt desperately alone. A tightening in the pit of her stomach always accompanied this loneliness and sometimes the only way to rid her of it was to draw the sharp blade of her embroidered letter opener across the skin of her wrists. Dark red blood would spill out, and she would watch it, imagining the loneliness leaking out with the blood. Soon she would wash her arms and join her prince in bed, but she couldn't seem to stop this behaviour. Sometimes, it felt like an invisible force was blocking the door and wouldn't let her out until she made the blood came.
And although the prince loved Elizabeth
Elizabeth and Jacob loved to throw balls at their castle. They would light candles indoors and out and bring in an orchestra that would play well into the morning. People would come from miles away in their gowns and suits to dance under the stars with the beautiful prince and princess.
Elizabeth loved these balls. She glided across the dance floor in wonderful dresses that were made especially for her. She danced with all the men, and sang along in her clear soprano voice. When she sang, most everyone stopped to listen. She could easily bring tears to their eyes with the saddest of ballads.
However, the winter balls were her favourite. She would wear stunning dresses in shades of blue and white, and all would have long sleeves, for Princess Elizabeth had a secret.
The pale white skin of Elizabeth’s arms was covered with thick scars. Although everyone believed that she lived a charmed life, she alone knew that something was missing. Often after a ball, she would sit alone in her bathroom and cry. Even after a night of song and dance and drink, she felt desperately alone. A tightening in the pit of her stomach always accompanied this loneliness and sometimes the only way to rid her of it was to draw the sharp blade of her embroidered letter opener across the skin of her wrists. Dark red blood would spill out, and she would watch it, imagining the loneliness leaking out with the blood. Soon she would wash her arms and join her prince in bed, but she couldn't seem to stop this behaviour. Sometimes, it felt like an invisible force was blocking the door and wouldn't let her out until she made the blood came.
And although the prince loved Elizabeth