Kingdom of Ash

So she told herself the story. The darkness
and the flame deep within her whispered it,
too, and she sang it back to them. Locked in
that coffin hidden on an island within the
heart of a river, the princess recited the story,
over and over, and let them unleash an
eternity of pain upon her body.
Once upon a time, in a land long since
burned to ash, there lived a young princess
who loved her kingdom ...