(This extremely short short is a oneshot that was requested by Nimu on the Action Amino. It is exactly 1000 words long. No more, no less.)
The Princess remembered that there was a time in her youth when she and her childhood friend promised to marry each other. The joke they made that day ended up becoming reality years later when her childhood friend, who was given the title and duty of a Hero, suddenly proposed to her.
The princess reminisced on the balcony of the highest room of her castle. She felt like she was on top of the world as she looked at the tiny people move around from her birds-eye perspective.
"What's wrong?" Asked her husband as he watched her look down from the balcony. The unremovable armour that seemed as ancient as their ancestors contrasted to her looks, which never seemed affected by the passage of time.
"Why do I feel so cold?" The princess suddenly asked as she couldn't feel the warmth of the sun touching her skin.
"It's because the wind carries a chill with its ethereal might. It is to be expected that you're cold since we ARE on the highest floor of the castle after all. My dear wife, can you cook dinner for me? I'm feeling a little peckish today." Her husband casually spoke before changing the subject entirely.
The princess had always felt that something was off about this explanation, but she trusted her husband and didn't ask any further.
The Princess wasn't that much of an outgoing person, so much so that the room they were in was actually her true home. It had everything from a bathroom to a kitchen, plus the things they needed like food and water would always be sent to them by servants.
This was actually her husband's ideas as well. Many years ago, she was poisoned by the Demon Race and lie in bed for couple of months in order to wait for her husband to bring back the cure at the Demon Lord's castle. It was only after finally curing her did he suggest that they live secluded from the outside world, so that history would never repeat and take a turn for worse.
Usually she would always listen to her husband's requests no matter how tedious they may turn out to be, but this time she didn't move to make dinner for them. Instead deciding to turn around and look at her husband closely. She had never been able to see her husband's face after he inherited the Battle Armour of Heroes and even started to wonder if the person inside the metallic suit was still her husband.
There have been too many inconsistencies in the explanations her husband had given her. Like for what purpose did they have to live secluded from society and why she even had to give up meeting her close friends as well. Why did her husband treat her like she was some dangerous beast that needed to be hidden from the world?
There was just so many questions in her head about their current circumstances that it would take days to list, but the biggest question in her mind was how long have they lived?
There were no clocks in this small home of theirs and no one seemed to want to tell her what the current date was. However, although she couldn't properly calculate how many years have past, she intuitively understood that she should've aged over the years.
"I'm going to leave this place." The princess said with conviction as she gazed at her husband's armoured figure with the intent of arguing with him.
She believed that he'd stop her just like he did years ago, but for some odd reason, he didn't move an inch. It was as if he couldn't be bothered doing so anymore. The princess couldn't understand her husband's actions and decided to exit their little home.
She walked up to the door which lead to down to the main hall of her family's castle and pushed forwards with one of her hands, it was only after feeling the wooden door did she realise that it had somehow decayed with time. The door immediately broke apart with a mere push and along with its rusted hinges.
She didn't continue proceeding to go down the steps that were revealed in front of her and instead looked at her husband in shock. Her eyes reddened as she looked back at her husband with with a face filled with confusion.
"I'm sorry, my love... I lied." Her husband didn't move from his seat and instead sat in place weakly. His voice no longer contained the youth it did moments ago and instead held age that he had never revealed in the past.
"I too don't know how long we have been together, but what I do know is that I do not regret one second of it. I wasn't able to protect you that day, nor was I able to save you from imminent death, but I fulfilled my promise to always keep you company... no matter what hardships you faced... I will always stay by your side." Her husband continued with a weak laugh before starting to cough violently, a trail of blood could be seen rolling down the exposed neck of his ancient armour.
Hearing her husband's words, the princess suddenly felt as if the memories locked within her subconscious were returning to her as images of how she died from poison and was buried accordingly after her death appeared in her mind.
"I'm... a ghost...?" She suddenly asked in realisation while wiping away the blood from her husband's neck. She didn't cry nor tear up, only feeling saddened at how their story ends.
"A phantom to be exact." He answered simply as body started to weaken at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Do you regret making those marriage vows that night?" She asked while hugging his cold suit of armour.
"No. Never."
"Thank you." And with those words, it was as if time has stopped. The moon watched as they rested eternally.
