The Tarot Princess

"Let's see what fate has in store for us both, shall we?"

Eun-Ae placed her hand on Raiden's with a wide grin. Then, hiding in their secret spot in the Royal Garden, she flipped the five cards before them. "Each card represents the four directions of life, and the last will represent us, our beings, our souls."
As the young woman pulled the cards and pulled the last one, Eun-Ae quickly pulled her hand away from him as it went to cover her mouth. She gasped aloud as she stared at the cards, her eyes wide. Raiden could instantly tell the pain and panic written all over her face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Eun-Ae's lip trembled as she placed a finger out to him. Her eyes were glassed with tears, though they never fell as she held her graceful composure. "This isn't what I had wanted.."

"The north represents intuition, the three swords reversed." She took a shaky breath, her skin looking pale. "He cries out to the heavens in his distress. His mind is a playing field for chaos, his composure rapidly disappearing. He suffers extreme anguish from the mental and emotional stress." Her hand hesitates as it holds onto his with a strange, uncharacteristically firm grip. As though he would disappear in front of her if she let go.

"The east represents thought, Queen of Swords reversed." She bites down on her painted lip, her grip losing suddenly—a look of defeat all over her face. "She is troubled by the conflicts inside her mind, experiencing misery in profound form, a feeling she will never shake. A sense of gripping anguish repeatedly plays in her lonely mindscape." A single tear rolls down her face, and she wipes it away. Raiden wanted to help but knew better than to interrupt her readings.

"The south represents emotion, the hanged man reversed. He is caught in a trap and left to hang before the hunters. He is displayed for the world, and his luck has run out. He is an example—a victim of someone else's plan." She pauses, mumbling to herself. Raiden strains to try and hear her, but it is useless as she continues.

"The west represents feelings, the hermit reversed. His lantern has grown dull, the light fading and unable to lead the way. So he runs away from everything. He turns away from life. He must retreat for his good." She tries her best to finish her reading, but the tears don't stop falling from her face.

"The center represents the soul, represents us. It is t-t-the Em-Empress in reverse." She spoke between cracks in her voice and choked tears. "She is lost in the w-wil-wilderness of despair. T-the joys of...the joys of life have e-escaped her. She runs away from love and...and hides in the mountains. The r-rock face of loneliness. Others of g-great power are in control. She is a p-puppet in play, and she has no say."

The silence stretches between them as she quietly sobs. Her visions, her cards, they were never wrong before. Raiden reaches out, but she quickly stands and moves away from him. Her rejection stung, but he felt she would only run away if he continued after her. He exhales loudly, shutting his eyes to reflect on her words. Her name being called quickly brought their attention to the guards, whose voices only grew louder. Raiden knew not to waste time hurrying away into the garden's maze. His eyes linger on the princess, who gave the saddest smile he had ever seen to him. With regret, he mutters curses and fled.