One Sun

Video

Chapter 1

In a kingdom wreathed by sea and sand,
the queen issues a notice stating that the
princess has lost her smile, and that any man who returns it to her may have her.
Hearing this, suitors gather from far and wide, forming great lines with the palace
courtyard. The princess gazes upon the men with not even the faintest hint of
a smile as she hears them out one by one.
She can tell from their words that they
only see the princess for her station, and as
a prize to be won. As she lets out a sigh,
a sailor boy appears before her and begins
to speak. The princess finds herself enraptured
with the wild tale he spins, but before
long, he is escorted away by the guards.
It is not just the men who do not see the woman for who she is. There is not a
single soul who sees her as more than the role of the demure princess that she
was born into. Unable to bear this curse, she eventually lost the will to smile.
The only places she can find peace are in her private chambers, and in a secret
she keeps close to her chest. The woman stares at herself in the mirror.
Dressed in the guise of a fortune teller,
she slips from the palace and heads for the
nighttime city of danger and vice that lies
beyond its walls in search of amusement.

Chapter 2

The woman is in a dim and dingy alleyway a short
distance from the hustle and bustle of the city.
She awaits customers beneath a small tent,
for she is a fortune teller of great repute, and rumors claim
her words can change even fate itself. Even as a child, the
princess possessed a gift for such fortunes.
A couple appears before her to have their fortunes scried,
and she divines their fates from her crystal ball.
She then imparts words that tear the couple's
relationship apart at the seams, for watching the bonds of seemingly
happy couples disintegrate before her very
eyes eases the melancholy that plagues her.
However, deep in her heart, she knows that whether
she assumes the role of princess
or fortune teller, salvation will never come for her.

As she ponders her current situation,
a familiar boy passes before her tent. It is the young
sailor boy—the same one who captured her attention
with his wild tales of adventure. Perhaps he sees the real me,
she thinks with a faint glimmer of hope as she decides
to test his motives. She says to him,
"Death awaits if you continue to see the princess,"
but the boy just responds with loud, innocent laughter.
As the woman makes her way back
to the palace, she finds her steps to be lighter than usual.

Chapter 3

Despite being warned of his fate, the sailor boy continues to frequent
the palace so he might meet with the princess.
Day after day, he flashes a daring grin as he fabricates tales of adventure.
Though the woman cannot know if his words are true,
she finds herself taken with the desperate
dedication to making her smile. She wonders if he,
and perhaps only he, sees her for who she is.
But no matter how much she wants to believe in this possibility,
she cannot shake her doubts, and decides to test the boy yet again.
"Take me from this place," she whispers into his ear.
Elated, the boy leaves the palace, thinking to have won the princess's heart.
When they next meet, it will be clear if he truly sees her or not.
The princess dresses her lady-in-waiting in her own
clothes and awaits the boy's arrival. If the boy sees through the ruse
and realizes it is the lady-in-waiting wearing the princess's clothes,
perhaps her doubts will finally be laid to rest.
Concealing herself, she waits...and prays. But
after the boy's arrives, the scene that unfolds
before her transforms her prayers into despair
incarnate. Unable to see through the lady-in-waiting's guise,
he takes her from the palace.
Left behind, the princess curses herself for permitting
her heart to feel joy, however short-lived.

Chapter 4

In fortune teller's garb, the princess follows the boy, while also ordering
her guards to kill him on sight. Until just moments ago,
the boy was the one who had set her soul aflame,
and was meant to rescue her from her cage.
If he can no longer play that role, what meaning
has his life anymore? As she reaches the beach,
the sand is darkened with blood. The boy
is putting his life on the line, fighting to protect
her disguised lady-in-waiting. "I will not let
anyone have the princess's smile," he says,
and in the princess's heart of hearts she lets
fly a silent scream, "I am in the princess!"
At the end of a long battle, the sailor boy falls unconscious.
Though the princess finds her will to live fading,
she decides to set to sea with the boy.
Yielding the position of princess to her lady-in-waiting,
she boards a boat and makes for the open sea,
where there are no kingdoms or titles.
When the boy awakens, the princess says to him,
"It all unfolded just as I predicted." Then she pierces the boy
with her spear, and he slashes her with his blade.
Tangled in an ironic embrace, they sink into the sunless depths.
As the boy stares at her with hate in his eyes,
she smiles...for he is finally looking at her, and only her.

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