Murphy woke up by the thundering sounds of the drones right above her. Awareness came back in a rush, resulting in her constant migraine getting out of control again.

She curled back, trying not to draw attention to herself. She tightened the tattered piece of fabric around herself, failing to bring any warmth to her body. What once was a comfortable blanket, was now scraps held together by grime and dirt. After failed attempts at going back to sleep, she finally sat up and gazed at the North Star above, shining, waiting, expecting. It was the only visible thing other than the gigantic electronic aircrafts, which were full of propaganda idolizing the Empire. 

She wondered if Orion thought about her, and marveled at the disappointment he would feel if he saw her this way. Beaten up, filthy, and crumbling under the hands of the person she swore would never break her.

After her escape, she wandered around with no clear destination in mind, only carrying the clothes on her back, and a guilty conscience. Time held no meaning as she ran. Her sprinting turned into slow pace as her exhaustion finally caught up with her body.

Orion found her while looking for medicine for his daughter, Destiny. When the epidemic broke out, resources were focused on the royals, while the peasants were stuck dying by the millions. With the antidote given only to the wealthy, bandits started taking advantage of the situation, and created copies, which were then sold to the poor and desperate souls of the kingdom's inhabitants, clinging to the hope their families would survive an outbreak which had no real cure.

He offered to take her in despite her suspicious appearance and lack of response towards his questions. To this day, she questions what he saw in her. Maybe he took her in because he recognized the look in her eyes. The one he knew only someone with a very tragic backstory had. Those dead eyes, not fully focused, and awake instead of alive.

With the war coming to an end, and the Empire successfully conquering yet another nation, security had gone up, all soldiers high on the win. Emperor Aeron searched and scouted all his territory personally just to find her, but with Orion’s help, she managed to avoid the raids being held to uncover the crown princess.

She could not bring herself to regret the decision. Leaving Orion and Destiny behind was the only thing which made her not feel terrible about herself. 

After seeing the destruction his father brought to families like Destiny’s in his frantic search for her, Murphy decided to free them and repay them for their kindness by leaving their lives.

She was now sitting at a dumpster in the outskirts of town, waiting for the drones to find her so she could finally rest.

She’s seen the cruelty of their society, and how the world revolves around the rich while the poor clean the scraps they leave behind. She’s experienced first hand the unfairness that comes with being born into such a cruel world. She’s lived to see how a person can go mad under such a strict regimen. And she’s come to the conclusion that no matter what happens, the powerful will keep their status as long as they have the resources to maintain it.

As many others, she caved to despair and sorrow. 

Now, all she has left are the scarce memories of better times, as well as the tranquility that the only people she ever truly loved are safe.

An unexpected memory resurfaced. As she closed her eyes, and waited for her impending doom. She recalled softly spoken words under the watchful eye of  a lonely star.

And when the sirens blared, and the wind whispered, she accepted the gentle embrace of death. Reaching with sympathetic arms, and vanishing her pain all at once.

Recalling the phrase once spoken with love, she went out with the satisfaction of dying on her own accord.

“For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one” 

-Kahlil Gibran