Lou

The little princess lived in a golden cage. She was not locked up for misbehavior - that was the rule: princesses do not walk the streets, do not mix with common people, their world is limited to a garden behind high walls. But at ten years old, this rule seemed unbearable. She wanted freedom, a real life, and not endless lessons and instructions on how to be a "noble lady."

She found a way out. In the evenings, when the castle fell asleep, the girl quietly ran away - away from supervision and stern eyes. On one of these escapes, she met a boy. He was thirteen, an orphan, homeless, thin and exhausted. In order not to die, he stole food, and the world treated him cruelly: no one extended a helping hand.

The princess, not thinking about the rules, began to bring him bread, apples, buns, stolen from the counters or grabbed from the castle. The boy thanked her every time, calling her his savior. They ran around the market, laughed, hid from the merchants, and he always stood up for her when they were caught. These were the happiest evenings of her life.

But the happiness did not last long. Her parents noticed her escapes. How much abuse and punishment she endured! She was cut off from freedom, and the boy never found out who she really was. The princess disappeared from his life without a word, and for many years she was tormented by the thought: is he alive?

Six years passed in melancholy.

And then one day, already sixteen years old, she entered the great hall of the castle. Here her parents decided important matters, gave orders, held court. She stepped inside - and her heart sank.

A young man was kneeling before the throne. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were dirty, his face was drawn. But in those eyes, despite the years, she recognized him. Lou. That same boy.

The executioner stood over him with his sword raised. Another moment and the steel would fall on his neck.