As the sun rose high into the sky she stirred from he bed. Deep within the castle she could feel the breeze on her skin as she stirred. Slowly making her way to the window to slowly look out of her gilded cage. She sighed quietly looking out over her kingdom she smiled sweetly at the peaceful serenity of it all. The soft wind blowing from above and through her room. The long gown of gold she had slept in billowed about her hips as she blew a kiss to the sky above.

Slowly she strolled out of her room and down the hall to the gates of he castle. The warm feeling of the sun above made her smile and gave her the bravery to face a new day in her kingdom. Whispering a magic spell she flew into the sky and hovered above her domain looking about the landscape see all that was hers. Jill was given her kingdom by the gods themselves. They were kind and loved to bless her every day with their love. Providing food and clear skies for Jill to want for nothing, or so she thought.

Like a golden leaf she drifted through the sky and encircled her domain. The soft sands pristinely white shined below her golden dress. The forest with all its mysteries was to the north west waiting to be explored. To the north was the magical waterfall of bubbles constantly floating to the sky in a never ending wall of pleasure. The east was the coast and the derelict wreckage of the mermaids pearl. A ship from an unknown land and dark mysteries that scared her soul. The dark hull full of shadows and secretes. just south of the vessel was the chest of Davy Jones, where he never gave up that what was lost to him. The heavy lock showing no signs of age as the special metal held the secretes of ancient times deep within.

She would fly like a cloud through the air south today to the unending horizon looking across the sea to the magic shimmer that held her captive. For all of Jill's blessings it was also a curse, a gilded cage just for her to dream of life beyond the realm of her gods to something... more. How she secretly longed for those to share in her blessings. To fill the hall of her empty castle with laughter, and love. Sometimes she would lay on the sand and squint at the horizon she could see past the shimmer of the magic that held her to the kingdom shores and glance into another realm full of wonder and sounds to spark her imagination.

Her mouth silently whispering words that the other side of the shimmer would never hear. Prays to her gods as she peeked into their world. Basking on the sandy beach she would daydream for a time until the thought of food filled her mind and she would fly back to the castle for her meal from the gods above.

There on the tallest tower of her kingdom she would find the banquet laid out in perfect fashion for her pleasure. Everything she loved to eat spread across the table a feast for her senses. Like a child she wound dine being alone there was simply no need for decorum or etiquette. Her full lips kissed every morsel as she rolled her eyes in the pleasure. Her gown of gold shimmered noting her excitement and praise to the gods above for their blessings. The long golden cuffs of her gown flitter as she scooped up her sweets to her moist lips. Her brass sequins in her gown glittered like dragon scales as she happily bounced a little while she ate.

Jill was happy as a girl could be Ruler of her domain and loved by her gods, yet after the meal she would retire for a time to her room. Tossing herself on her bed and glancing out her window to the world above wondering if there was more to this life then what she could see and hear. Slowly drifting off to dream, a dream of love and family.

Close to the evening, as the sky was becoming dark she heard a strange sound from the forests to the north west. Stirring from he bed she slowly crept to the bedroom window to gaze out across her domain and specifically to the north. The forest was already covered in dark shadows and the wind turned cool to her skin. There in the dark was something new, something that made her feel its eyes glaring back at her from beneath the canopy. Leaning out of her window she stare and then darted back quickly behind the stone walls and hid as their eyes met. The beast was real!

For within the dark dense forest there rested a pair of eyes red and glowing. The deep growl in the beasts chest to summon the second, a pair of spotted creatures showed their menacing faces to the kingdom for the first time their long whiskered faces peered out from the shadows only to retreat from the light. The pair sat waiting for night to come. The long whiskers squirmed on their faces feeling the air around them as their large mouths yawned silently.

Jill was scared, for the first time there were beast in her land she had never seen. Did this mean there were more from the dark forest? Would they over run her kingdom and ruin the land? Scared and alone she tossed herself on the bed and tired to hide. Why would the gods allow beasts into her kingdom? Had they truly forsaken her now? Had she not praised them enough for all they did to keep her lands safe from harm? Maybe it was a test or some illusion, hesitantly she glanced back out from her bedroom window to see the monsters still staring at her from their forest. She rushed back to the safety of her bed and covered her face with her hands praying for them to go away.

The last of the light faded from the sky as she lay in her bed fearing the night with only the stone walls of her castle to protect her from the beasts. She could hear them move across the beaches over the dunes from their forest home to her lands and getting closer. Their whiskers moving like whips as they tore across the countryside floating mere inches off of the ground they moved growling at the world like demons.

Jill peered out into the night as she watched them scour the land devouring all that crossed their path. the whiskers digging into the sand searching for something lost. Was it the souls of the dead? A lost artifact to release them from their cursed form? Whatever the reason they never stopped searching, not once during the night did their whip like whiskers cease their digging for the item that might offer them peace. Even as she leaned against the window and fell asleep in her castle did she stop hearing the whips cease. It haunted her dreams.

As the sun rose she turned to look out. Indeed as Jill had hoped the two retreated to the dark forest to hide from the lights rays. The girl in the golden dress felt her heart become light once more. Perhaps the gods were protecting her lands at night while she slept keeping the lands safe for her. Whispering her spell she flew from the window and over her kingdom. At times her golden dress would brush the ground as she looked at their works. The land hand changed slightly but nothing so sinister as she had dreaded. Breathing a sigh of relief Jill glanced at the forest and flew far away from the shadowy land.

Finding herself curious, if the forest had produced beasts maybe there was a chance the chest would provide an answer? Cautiously the golden girl flew a circle around the wooden crate. Her eyes examined the box with the large lock never daring to touch it for whatever curses it may hold within terrified her to fly far way back to her safe stone walls of her keep.

@Lu