“She Was…”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

She took a step back. She wasn’t ready for this. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Everyone always told her to be strong, to be brave. They said that she was powerful and a natural leader.

She didn’t feel any of that. She felt weak and powerless and alone. All the time. They saw her as who they thought she was, who they wanted her to be.

She had considered running away before. From all this responsibility, all these expectations. She could barely take care of herself, let alone an entire kingdom.

But here she was, at her own coronation, about to be crowned Queen of the entire Hirida Kingdom. Soon, everyone would look to her for answers, everyone would expect her to save them.

In her heart, she knew that she wasn’t alone. But standing here, about to go out onto the balcony to greet her people, she felt as though she were standing at the edge of a black void.

She risked peeking out at the crowd below. Her people. Her friends. Her family.

Suddenly, she came to a shocking realization.

She wasn’t alone. She wasn’t powerless. She wasn’t weak.

Her people would support her. Yes, she would face many challenges along the way, but she wouldn’t do so alone. She would be subject to the expectations of her people, but she would work hard to rise to those expectations. She would do the best she could for her people, for her friends, and for her family. She wouldn’t let them down.

She took a deep breath. She was strong. She was brave. She was powerful. She was a natural leader.

She was ready.

Final Comments: I feel like the characterization was a bit rocky and that the change in attitude happened too abruptly. But I do love this song…

Overall Rating: 😕