Tie It With a Ribbon

The war has been raging for longer than anyone can remember, and the reasoning behind it is just as lost with time. We will continue to kill each other until one of us no longer exists... Or that was what I had thought. My mother and my guard think it would be suicide to take Zanzibar Giovanni as my king, as our ancestors, the Gryphes, suggested, and I thought so, too, at first.

He is a charming fool, and he is more free than I could ever hope to be. As the next Aquilan Queen, I am never allowed to be alone or without watching, because so many of my brothers have been killed by the Leonians. Zanzibar manages to get past the hundreds of watchful hawk eyes, but he does not scare me anymore. He has more than I could dream of, and I often find myself wishing that I had been a Leonian, for I have never been normal.

I cannot mask my emotions as well as my kind, and I feel so free around the Leonian prince, like a celestial mishap occured, causing me to be born to Aquilan parents. I thank the skies for the air beneath my wings every morning, but I cannot help but wish I had been born to sing of the lion's roar.

The Next Queen of the Dead,
Alena Nicola

*Inspired by Hawksong (Amelia-Atwater Rhodes), an excellent read from an excellent series.
  1. It's Just a Pretty Story
    The colorful story of how the two races came into existence.
  2. More Death
    Mercy no longer exists.
  3. Nightmares
    Sometimes the mind is one's own personal purgatory.
  4. Wings of Feather and Gold
    Phantom memories can outlast all bruises.
  5. Against the Flock
    Wishing for peace was not always considered dangerous.
  6. Roaming Eyes
    Leonians aren't known as the prudest group of people.
  7. Midnight Conversations
    Impossibilities can have some potential.
  8. It's Considered Suicide
    There is no such thing as a smooth transition from anger to forgiveness.
  9. More Late Night Visits
    Some only appear when they can hide in the shadows of night.
  10. It's a Lonely Number
    It takes two to tango, but he seems to think one could do it alone.
  11. Decoy
    Lying is not becoming of a queen, but desperate times mean desperate measures.
  12. Circumstances
    Freedom does not come easily.
  13. I'm Venting
    Only the crazy dare to attempt love.
  14. Second Thoughts
    Lying to one's self is much worse than lying to others.
  15. A Second Home
    Two very different places are seldom similar in many ways.
  16. Unorthodox is the New Conventional
    Rational thoughts are for serious people.
  17. You Don't Love Me
    Sadness is expressed by tears; indifference is expressed by a lack thereof.
  18. Hastiness as a Virtue
    It's built for two.
  19. Traitors in High Places
    Trust is a leap of faith off of a cliff, and betrayal is the ground.
  20. Our Predicament
    Going against the flock or herd, whichever it may be.
  21. They are Capable of Lies
    Treasoning does not require much reason, only hatred.
  22. Friends Speaking of Enemies
    Maligning is acceptable when one doesn't speak of blasphemy.
  23. Monica
    Kittens are not the only curious ones.
  24. A Four Letter Shock
    For one who enjoys security, falling in love is not for them.
  25. Wishful Thinking
    Wishing upon a star works only for dreamers.
  26. Convict
    Indecision is the enemy of control.
  27. Speeches for Closed Minds
    Simple trifles cannot compete with well-formed words.
  28. Thereapeutic
    When words are hurled without a thought and anger becomes an escape.
  29. The Silence is Suffocating
    In the face of death, composure is not the first goal.
  30. I Killed Her
    An eye for an eye, and the world is blind.
  31. Compare and Contrast
    A problem that is never acknowledged will always remain a problem.
  32. Treading on Ice
    Thieves and strangers hide in the shadows, not wives and loved ones.
  33. Filling in the Pieces
    Some can leave a puzzle unfinished, but others see to the end.
  34. A Hidden Army of Enemies
    Two halves make a whole, but what if one half does not wish to join together?
  35. When Words Sink In
    Embarrassment is like a health condition: you can work your way around it.
  36. Thinking of Yesterday
    We must not live in the past, yet we must allow the past to be remembered for the future.
  37. Love Notes
    We must always consider the present and contemplate if we shall regret the past in the future.
  38. A Bed of Nails
    It is public scandal that offends; to sin in secret is no sin at all.
  39. My Mother's Child
    Eyes can be deceiving, but the tongue will often betray the hidden lies.
  40. The Sound of Dragging Feet
    Those who wish to live happily make safe choices. One who desires a full life takes risks.
  41. Loves Knows No Fear
    A heart with room for doubt has no room for complete devotion.
  42. Faltering Glances
    To find the light at the end of the tunnel, one must first accept the darkness.
  43. Vague Pronouns
    Double meanings did not kill Macbeth; his failure to interpret them did.
  44. Closure
    Mirrors reflect only one's outward appearance, unless one is willing to search deeper.
  45. The Silence in Suffering
    Where life ends, remembrance can begin.
  46. The Shadows of Daylight
    Without light, there can be no shadows; yet, without shadows, there can be no light.
  47. The Sadist
    When the soul begins to tremble, the body cannot help but quiver.
  48. He Knows not what He Does
    The creation of a personal idealism results in the destruction of a collective reality.
  49. Desecration for Irreverence
    A kind act is remembered even in the darkest of hearts; a foul deed is vowed upon.
  50. When "Holding On" becomes "Suffocating"
    If you love something, set it free; it will come back if meant to be.
  51. Another Broken Promise
    Even the lowliest of people can weasel their way into the noblest of places.
  52. One Last Goodbye
    A mother knows an unbreakable love, but a daughter knows the pain of the broken bond.
  53. These Unclean Hands
    A knife to the back is much prefered to a wound suffered by the front.
  54. Reminders of Mortality
    Death and grief can seem almost beautiful to the man who is not looking it in the eyes.
  55. So Haunted
    When day becomes night, the shadows come out to play.
  56. Another Poorly Written Epitaph
    A wise man would rather have a blank tombstone than have his name sullied with their words.
  57. Safe Return
    Resisting temptation makes one yearn, much as anxiety will cause more concern.
  58. Dinner Plans
    When footsteps echo in such a lonely hall, even the quietest of whispers are heard.
  59. Insanity Revisited
    The eyes are the portal to one's soul, which is something that cannot be un-seen.
  60. Swallow your Tongue
    Oftentimes answers beget new questions to which the answers are not yet known.
  61. Late Night Happenings
    Sometimes honest words can mean the world to a lost soul.
  62. Always Racing
    When one is running late, every minute wasted seems like lost hours.
  63. Such Lingering Remembrance
    Even after the body has stopped, the soul continues on.
  64. To Cheat Death
    Obstacles force one to work harder and further appreciate his accomplishments, if he succeeds.
  65. Our Planned Deathbeds
    To accept death, one must understand life.
  66. Simple Words and Complex Stories
    To truly understand, one must see the general picture without overlooking the details.
  67. A Second Chance
    Losing a loved one is never easy, but it is even harder when they are lost prematurely.
  68. Love thy Mother
    Something written in stone is not always as absolute as one might think.
  69. Fears Revisited
    If we allow our fears to control us, they will consume us as well.
  70. Sleepwalkers
    Those who do not notice their surroundings are free to believe they are anywhere in the world.
  71. Sacrifices Lost
    It goes without saying that there is safety in numbers, but eventually everyone fades.
  72. Normality
    Though it is important to be an individual, it is sometimes nice to blend in.
  73. Arrival
    It is easier to accept something when one has little time to think about it.
  74. Family Reunions
    When one has eyes full of such blind hatred, it is impossible to see the love in his heart.
  75. The Stage of Denial
    When acceptance is the farthest from reach, excuses are already captured.
  76. Commotion
    A loss of purpose for living is sometimes a gain of reason for dying.
  77. Beyond the Grave
    The sensation of "being watched" can not always be shaken by checking one's surroundings.
  78. Such Malice on their Breath
    It is hard to break horrible news to someone without also breaking their heart.
  79. Spilling Lies in a Repetive Fashion
    The most brilliant of liars can lie to themselves without suspecting a thing.
  80. Guilty until Proven Innocent
    A negative impression is hard to escape, and it can easily catch up with you.
  81. M.I.A.
    Some think clearly with their head; others listen copiously to their heart.