Lady of Pierced Hearts
A curse for her, a lifeline for others.
Elaine, to save you from yourself, we sentenced you to a half life.
You knew, to be safe, you must never leave.
Never leave your home that towered the frozen rivers that encircled your island.
Never gaze too long out your only window.
But Elaine, why live like this?
Snow falls all around you,
Your birth initiated the endless winter in Astolat.
Only your death can make spring return.
Elain, you have been curious all your life,
Why you? Why do you have to be cursed?
You know one day this wonder of yours will win,
One day the curse will kill you, and it will all be your fault.
That day came sooner than you thought.
The snow rained down heavier that morning.
You opened your window,
Telling yourself it didn’t matter, you weren’t leaving the tower.
But as a snowflake landed on your palm,
As your skin felt the winter breeze for the first time,
A melody could be faintly heard,
A familiar one, for it was named after you.
It came from beyond the rivers,
From that land with the terracotta mountains
That you have been observing for your whole life.
A soft song, telling the story of a cursed girl, trapped in her tower forever.
The song grows louder as it furthers tells your story,
From the forest surrounding the river, its singer emerges.
A white spirit, with amber eyes and wisteria hair,
They sing to you until they reach your tower.
And then they stop, waiting.
The song has told you your whole life until now.
Do you stay, and keep living your half life?
Or do you venture out and risk it all?
You don’t know what you’re doing,
Climbing down the tower, holding onto the ivy.
You have left everything behind,
Your mirror, your tapestry, your life.
The moment you land onto the frozen grass, it melts.
Spring is returning, the spirit tells you.
You are sure you are where you belong,
So you follow them to the river.
You reach the riverbank,
A mahogany canoe, with pillows and blankets,
With a lantern to guide you during the night.
Do you trust me?
You say you do.
Will you leave with me?
You say you will.
They help you get into the canoe.
Across the river you glide,
Hoping for a new start, a real life this time.
You lean into the river, to look at your reflection,
You have forgotten about your curse.
You lean in, you see yourself on your canoe,
You see it has your name carved onto its side,
But that Elaine is different,
Her hair is duller, her skin paler, her lips are blue.
She is dying.
She is weak, and laying in the spirit’s arms,
Who has began singing once again,
About the beautiful Lady Elaine, Gone too soon.
You scream, stop the canoe!
Turn it around,
This is all wrong,
You must return home.
We didn’t lock you up so you wouldn’t leave,
Elaine, we did it to stop you from meeting them,
But it is too late,
They found you, and tricked you.
As you lay dying,
You curse the spirit,
‘May you have a daughter who will suffer the same fate as me.’
The curse lives on.
Elaine, this is how it started,
A dream and three thousand stars ago,
With a lover cursing the other, and the next generation,
Who will carry on this cycle of perpetual life.
You don’t care,
If you don’t deserve true life,
If you don’t deserve love,
Then no one does
May her heart be pierced by love as well.