I can count the times he complimented me on my hands. I starved for a kind word from him and received mainly criticism, no matter how hard I tried.
These two are the same age I was, but I get the feeling they don't have my hang-ups. Of course, they were naïve idiots for thinking they could stop a war between the two feuding kingdoms without anyone getting hurt. Sometimes, situations can seem harmless, like letting Jason control how I felt about myself, but escalate quickly and lead to disastrous results.
These two are totally giving off a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and I realize how far I've come from the naïve, enamored nineteen-year-old who thought her world revolved around someone like Jason. What did I find appealing about being constantly criticized? And why was I sad, as opposed to relieved, about not being married to him?
It's hard to think poorly of the couple before me for trying to be happy and ensure everyone else was, too. They erred out of good intentions.
In doing so, they condemned the world to the curse. What would I have done, especially if I didn't fully understand the impact of my actions? Would I have similarly betrayed the ruler of a kingdom for Jason and possibly destroyed the entire realm?
Yes, says a little voice inside my head.
But not now. Not ever again.
"I mean this gently, but I think you might've destroyed the world," I say finally. Oddly enough, I'm not angry about it. If anything, I sympathize with them for wanting to be loved so much, they forsook everything else.
Westley says nothing. The princess's eyes widen.
I share with her what I was told by the warrior queen about the curse - and the only way to end it.
She says nothing when I finish. For a long moment, she stares at me, frozen in horror, before she turns and flees.
"Are you certain?" Westley asks me once more.
"Yes."
"What we have done cannot be undone. There is no time for his armies to march here, no way to dissuade my father. He smells victory and he will pounce."
I wait, almost able to hear him thinking. With no real idea of the scale of war we're talking about, I have nothing to contribute.
"The only thing we can do is return you to him," Westley says quietly. "And hope you can use your magic to defend the kingdom."
Tapping the medallion, I fight back the tiny voice that's telling me I have a hand in destroying this world because I can't be one hundred percent certain that the magic will work for me the way it should.