The morning was beautiful, magical—the kind of morning that made the princess feel alive. She was no longer a trapped soul hiding her pain, no longer suffering alone. She had someone who stole her sorrows and set her free.
The princess woke up tired, but her face glowed like the rising sun.
The joker was already waiting in the garden, pretending as though nothing had happened. He mocked her for oversleeping like true royalty, and he laughed.
And just like that, days passed, and they grew closer.
She began to skip her classes, abandoning her royal duties, just to spend more time with him. The people of the castle whispered about them, but they didn't care. They weren't afraid of the king, nor of the castle, nor of life itself. For the first time, she wasn't merely surviving—she was truly living.
They spent their evenings flying kites, sketching portraits of each other, playing, planting roses, doing absolutely anything. At night, they would sneak food, stay awake till dawn, laugh under the stars, and slip away into the shadows of the castle.
Life had found its beauty again. The world had found its color.
Nothing could stop them now—not the walls, not the guards, not even the rain. When storms came, instead of retreating, they played in the downpour—dancing, laughing, splashing in the mud. The same princess who once feared even sitting on grass was now unbothered by dirt on her hands.
They knew freedom wouldn't last forever. The future would change, as it always does. But the past couldn't be undone, and the future couldn't be controlled. All they had was the present, and for the first time, she had learned how to live in it.
At the end of the day, they sat together on the balcony's edge. They weren't afraid of falling. If fate willed it, they would survive even the highest leap; if not, even the careful would stumble.
Hand in hand, they gazed at the stars.
"The king returns tomorrow," she whispered. "I guess our reign is over."
The joker laughed softly and scribbled on a scrap of parchment:
I need a little more time. Then we can fly away—to somewhere far, where it's just you and I, and no one else to disturb us.
They shared a smile.
Her eyes shone brighter than the stars above.
"I wish I had three lives," she said, "to be born in three different worlds, to explore them all… and in every single one, I know I would fall in love with you."
The joker smiled, pulling her into his arms. At this point, words were no longer necessary. They read each other's hearts before their lips could form a single thought.
He wrote one final line:
Tomorrow, the morning will be dark—so dark, tonight will seem like light. But don't worry. I'll be with you at every step. If I must, I'll burn myself to guide your way.
They parted for their rooms, but neither their conversation nor their problems were finished.
Even the night wept, knowing what was to come.
Even the moon broke apart, mourning the future.