Vaapour : captive

The Captive Princess

Chapter 1 (8/27/03)

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who lived with her family in their castle. They were generally happy, they loved one another, and life was good. However, little to there knowledge, there was also a fierce dragon that lived beyond the dark forest. What I mean is, they had heard rumors of the dragon, but they didn't really believe he existed, or didn't think he was so dangerous if he did. But the dragon was real, and he knew about the princess and her family. In fact, this dragon was evil, and desired to capture the princess for himself.

So the dragon sent his men to the castle to get the princess. This was not an easy task, for the princess was protected by her family, and had no desire to leave anyway. So the men attacked her family, and one by one they fell, until the princess was the only one left. Because they were not allowed to harm her directly, they seduced her into coming with them into the forest. The dragon took her, and did as he pleased with her, taking away all she had. The dragon had won, and had killed and destroyed to his pleasure.

However, one day a wind blew in from the east, and aroused the princess. She became aware of what had happened to her, and wanted to go return to the land of family. Now the King of the land was not unaware of what had happened to the princess. He was a good man, and he watched over and protected all those who lived in his kingdom. So he sent one of his sons into the forest in order that he might rescue the princess from the dragon. This would not be easy of course, as the forest was dark, and the dragon powerful. There would definitely be a battle, and it would not be quickly decided.

So, the prince has arrived, and the battle has begun.

"Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus."

Let the one who hears the words of this story understand.

Chapter 2 (11/14/04)

When we left the story, the prince had just arrived on the scene, and started to fight with the dragon's men, in order to free the princess. He fought bravely, and the battle went favorably for a while. The princess seemed at first to be very grateful for his arrival. However, much to the prince's dismay, she started to doubt whether she could actually be rescued or not, and whether she could really live back at her family's castle. The dragon's spell was strong, and continued to affect her mind. Beyond that, there had been other "princes" who had come before. None of them had the character of this prince, however she seemed reluctant to trust him either.

The prince was caught off guard at this and sustained a deep cut in the side. He wasn't about to give up, but he was somewhat dumbfounded as to how to proceed. After a long time of fighting, with neither side gaining substantial ground, he started to be increasingly concerned that he may in the end lose the battle. Words could hard express how his heart would be broken if the princess was lost to the dragon forever (he had lost others). Yet the prince realized his own strength and power were limited--he would not be able to fight indefinitely. He none the less was determined to put up his best fight, the princess was worth it. So the battle rages on.

Chapter 3 (8/4/05)

The prince was strong and fought bravely, but finally collapsed due to the injury he sustained. So he was taken out of the battle and attempted to recover. Eventually he began to regain his strength. So he was assigned some new missions and began to serve the king once again. One day while he was out on one of these assignments, he suddenly found himself in the midst of the battle for the princess once again. The battle drew up all around him, and he could do nothing but join in the fight. There were serious threats which endangered the princess. The prince did all he knew how to hold them back. Then one night there was an unexpected break though. Glory to the King, the spell on the princess was weakening! The princess, though much afraid, said she was ready to attempt the journey to her home land and to her father, the King.

Chapter 4 (10/26/05)

The prince was quite excited and encouraged at the news that the princess was ready to return home. However, the spell on her was powerful, her resolution wavered, and she changed her mind. The princess decided that she was used to living in the forest of the dragon, and as she blocked out her feelings of pain and loss at what had happened to her, she believed that she was comfortable here. Sure, she remembered the castle and her family and the King and his land. She remembered them fondly, but as if in a dream, a place that wasn't quite real and to which she could never return. It was true, the prince knew, that things weren't the same and would never be as they were before. But he knew that there was a castle and a king and a family and they were all real and there was something to return to. However he could not take the princess there if she did not believe.

The princess herself fought against the prince as he attempted to save her. In addition to the dismay and wounds he received in this skirmish, he discovered that she had recently tried to escape with another "prince" who was really no prince at all. Wounded again the prince and his men retreated to a nearby area in the forest which was not occupied by the dragon. Hurt and discouraged, the prince went to seek the council of the king.

"What, oh Father, may be done?"

"So long as the princess wishes to remain in the forest of the dragon, there is no more ye can do my son. But I shall not give up. Continue to camp nearby, so that you will be able to help the princess if and when her mind is changed."

So the prince and his men set up camp there in the forest nearby. There they wait....

Chapter 5: Defeat (11-26-05)

Not long afterwards, the prince went on a scouting mission. What he discovered that day he had long feared. Words could not even describe the emotions which gripped him upon this sight. The poison had completely taken over the princess. The warm, soft, live princess he had known was now cold, hard... lifeless. She still moved but it was merely an animation, the illusion of life from a hollow shell. The battle was over--lost. Defeat is always hard; the prince was deeply sadden, to his innermost being. Now there was only one hope for her, only one possible healer--the only one who had power over death itself. The doorway is death, but it leads to resurrection.

The End... ?

Chapter 6: Darkness (5-24-07)

Receiving no new orders, the prince remained in the forest. Yet he seemed to have no mission nor purpose for being there. Weeks turned into months and the months collected into years, but nothing changed. Or did it?

Little did the prince realize it at the time, but the darkness of the forest was taking its toll. Here in the forest of the dragon, clouds blocked the sun and the air seemed stale. Colors appeared muted, everything was gray. There were no joyful songs of birds heard, nor the laughing of a bubbling brook. The only sounds were the occasional howling wind and the creaking limbs of the trees.

As time drudged on, unceasingly but unchanging too, the prince and his party seemed to become more and more absorbed into the forest. Their faces became long and ashen, and their minds were clouded. It was hard to think clearly, to remember anything outside of the forest. The whole party was lethargic.

It seems now that the prince needs rescued as much as the princess. Is there any hope, or are they lost forever?

Chapter 7: It's a Wrap (10-14-07)

After this final scene slowly fades, the director stands up and calls out, "Cut! O.K. That's was a good take. Congrats, I think that wraps up the production. Good work everyone!" The crew busily begins to take down the set and all of the gear. The actors and actresses disperse to gather their belongings and head out. As one looks across the room at the distance in the lead actress' eyes, one wonders, was this all an illusion? But of course it was. Some, such as the lead actress, will now go home to their families. Others will be more like the lead actor, who will wander home, probably have a beer and watch a bit of television before heading to bed to sleep alone, waiting to be called up for his next role. The end.