The Hermit and The Prince
Prince solemnly surrounded by scrolls and ink splotches, deep in his palace. Unreachable and spiraling. Replacing the musings of their romance with academia. With each step the prince takes to accept his responsibilities, another brick is added to the tower that no longer holds space for his lover. The pressure pushes them apart until the hermit has no place to go except back home.
Hermit walks slowly back into his damp mossy forest where even the trees seem to weep for him. Each familiar creature and stone reminds him that he is back to the beginning and this time there isn’t a promise of love. His robe drags and snags on sticks, breaking him down, the earth wants him back. Who was he to think that he deserved to live in the light of a prince so bright? Has he not learned enough in his solitude? To hope for more than he had. A foolish man.
Is it fate that the fool is left by his lonesome while the prince secludes himself in scholar? To have the false welcome to a kingdom so kind, just to be rejected? There once was a time where all was shared between the two. When the prince opened the hermit’s eyes to the beauty of the world outside of his forest dwelling, pulling him out of his shell. He took him across the seas and over the mountains. Places so close but before seemed so far. The hermit embraced all the adventures the prince took him on. Finding beauty even in himself through the eyes of the prince. He had been so enamored of the just kingdom the prince lived in. How could he go back to the cave that he had outgrown?
Alone in his broken heart, the beating life force of his cave began to dwindle. Until the tear-soaked moss spread across all surfaces. Caressing the hermit's face, moving down his body, providing a melancholy comfort before flourishing up the walls. Covering up the scars of his past love and hopes of leaving his confined enchanted forest.
He still thinks of the prince fondly, for they had a love so expansive and nurturing. The hermit would have never learned that a love could feel so pure even with his heart aching. He regrets no moment spent between them, so he tells the creatures of the forest his stories of how bewitching life was alongside the scholarly prince, and how he would foolishly do it all again.
Written by Jed K.
Jed is a 22 year old lover of the earth and student to the stars, exploring his passion for writing and creating art in any way possible. He finds beauty in the mundane and sharing it with his love of written communication along with working with mixed media. He is known for his collaborations with independent artists. You can find more of his writing on Substack "Ruled by the Stars" or Instagram @itssjustjed