[ It doesn't go anywhere. She just digs the end of it into the grass and takes a deep, long breath before continuing. ]

I need you to understand some things.

[ why she reacted so strongly, mainly. why it hurt her as much as it did. ]

This sort of thing only exists in books nowadays, I've seen. But I do come from a place with magic, and curses, and dragons, and princesses, and the knights that save them from towers.

When I was young, I actually was kidnapped. [ like the stories ] Taken from my bed, in the castle I lived in. I was supposed to act as a bargaining chip, because my home country had kidnapped a princess from their kingdom.

But it...never went through. No one cared. My stepfather...either wanted this princess so bad he couldn't give me up in return, or he didn't care enough about my return that he didn't bother. [ a bit of both, she guesses ] That was the second time I had to live in a land that didn't want me. When I was young, I--

[ ..............

she holds out her hand

help her out here, with your de-cursifying powers ]