A pen is placed in the hand of royalty. A blank note teases her from the table. On it, she scribbles:

To whom it may concern,

I once dreamt of paradise. Nay, I once expected paradise. My expectations have been met in ways I could have never fathomed. I now realize I don't require you for happiness; in fact, you were the source of my melancholy. You knew this. You saw this. You felt this as much as I did. I was so cold, my flames no longer sparks, but mere reminders of better days past. I was frostbitten, and you never offered me so much a quilt. You kicked me while I was at my lowest point.

For that, we shall never cross paths again. I have left, never to return, and I will prove the better for it. Whatever parts of your kingdom you designated for me, I hope die a slow and painful death. 'Tis but equality, and that is the best you deserve.

Perhaps one day you will realize what you truly did to me. Make this so, lest you lose everyone. Imagine how others must feel, if you treated your "Queen" in this way. I was never your Queen, never your Princess; I was your puppet. I was second to your desires. You admitted as much to me.

It is almost as if this is what you always wanted. Should that be the case, I congratulate you. You froze me out with great efficiency. You forced me to hate who I am. You gave me no other option than to leave, truthfully, and I have no regrets taking it. Although I must say, it hasn't taken me long to realize how backwards you've been throughout it all.

I am now surrounded by people who love me more than you ever proved capable of doing. Your chilling lack of sympathy reaches me no longer; of your frostbite I am cured. I wish to hear nothing from you, now that I have left, for nothing is all you ever gave me in your presence. Given that, I do not suppose this to be a difficult task.

Ever free,
Blaze

A pen leaves the hand of former royalty. The palm of a pirate replaces the loss. Their shadows bleed into the night.

An explanation of this little ficlet would require more space than the ficlet takes up. It is nothing more than a letter to someone I used to know. I've opened a new chapter in my life thanks to how they treated me.

I've struggled with myself for so long, guys. For the past two years or so, I've beaten myself up over and over again. I've told myself, constantly, how I'm not good enough. How I'm not talented enough. How I don't even have any talents to be "not good" at. How I'm ugly. How I suck at everything I do, and my work sucks because of it. How my writing is worthless. How my art is worthless. The person in question did nothing but drive these feelings deeper into my mind. Their footprints linger, especially on this site, but they are no longer part of my life.

With one change comes another. Without this struggle, I would have never seen the other side of things. I can't promise you guys tons of more fics in the future. All I can promise is that, from now on, I will make content that I like, simply because I want to. This should've been my process all along, yeah, but it's hard to take to that mentality. I want to enjoy my work as it is, because I finally see that it is worth enjoying as it is. Not because anybody told me, but because I deemed it so. For the sake of my own happiness, this is the mentality I will carry with me moving forward.

For those of you who have been there for me during these rough times, thank you.