https://i.imgur.com/B8Csr9H.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/B8Csr9H.jpg]

They're called laugh-lines for a reason. It's not necessarily a sign of old age, although she was quite old by mortal standards, being alive for thousands of years, but being a creature of immortality, she never technically aged. the lines that are often visible along the sides of the mouth are most prevalent when smiling, which the old woman often did. In fact, she was known for it. The smile on her face was a permanent part of her. It's just who she was. Her crazy and unusual antics were an enduring quality she decided to adopt for her son, who had led an otherwise stressful and demanding life.

That's right! She has a son! And at one time, he was a king over all the realm of Celestia, a divine realm of the gods. He is, by any measure, a natural leader. But after a time, he'd lost heart in the role. He no longer smiled or enjoyed the company of his people, but there was a reason for it, and there was a reason why the throne to his left was empty. He was betrayed by the woman he practically worshiped; a woman who was supposed to be his wife. As soon as he had married her, she had taken so many things for herself, and with them, his spirit. It was like he was dead inside. He no longer smiled, laughed or loved. She just wanted to make him smile. Everything she did was for his smile, but she failed him. And so, naturally, she felt that his curse was her fault. If only she were a better mother.

For countless years, as she was trapped in a body of stone, she relived the same nightmare over and over. It taunted her, made her feel weak and powerless and unable to help her troubled son. She understood that the purpose of it was to break her spirit, and it did for a time. For so long, her nightmare has made her to be helpless while she watched her son being tormented by his newlywed wife and her knights. But now, memories flooded back into her mind, bringing her back to reality and proper understanding of her role in those events. His wife was evil with a hidden agenda that was revealed after their marriage. It had broken him.

Tears fell from the woman's face as she stared with delightful curiosity toward the massive stone king that was her son, and the mysterious young woman that rested upon his lap. A wide smile formed across her face as if it never left. Destiny was brewing, and she could feel it.

She took a step forward, hesitating for a moment with shaky legs. She was awake! She could walk again, free from the tormenting reality that was crafted to hurt her and her family. She took another step, tears still rolled down her face, tracing along the laugh-lines before pattering onto the floor below. This mysterious young woman had broken through a powerful curse, but How?

A sudden thought crossed her mind, and her smile widened as she thought of it. If she was able to free just one person, was she not able to free them all? Her mind raced with excitement, stepping steadily up the stairs as she grew, doubling and tripling in size until she was the same height as the massive king. She stood next to him, her eyes glowing with divine light.

She was filled to the brim with positive, loving emotions. She couldn't contain her tears. It was like she was under a different kind of spell. One that was mending her wounded heart. What had this girl done to her? She could still feel the girl's embrace, could still hear her voice and the words she spoke to her, which penetrated the darkness that held her captive.

"If I were your queen..." She had said. It wasn't just the words, but the intention behind them where the mysterious power came from, she was sure.

The old god bent down and kissed the young woman tenderly on her forehead.

"My dear, sweet savior, This I return to you." She said softly.

The poor girl was worse for wear, being covered completely in dried mud. With her divine sight, she could see that the girl had several fractured bones and a crack in the back of her skull. If she didn't do anything soon, she feared the girl could possibly die. This, of course, would certainly not happen so long as the woman had anything to do with it. Producing a small bottle from within her robes, she uncorked it and poured its contents over the frail, broken woman, it poured out of the bottle like liquid light and covered her with a shimmering glow that washed away the dried, bloody mud, revealing the beautiful woman beneath. Satisfied, she flung the empty bottle over her shoulder, which shattered against a wall on the far side of the hall. With a lazy wave of a hand, the shattered remains disappeared.

The old woman was burning to learn more about the mysterious girl, so she decided to take a peak at her memories. Although she couldn't remember her own name, she did, however, remember that she was the goddess of memories and dreams, being able to view memories and alter dreams at will. With a gentle sweep of her hand, she removed the hair that was obscuring the girls face.

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"Who are you, I wonder? And what kind of person are you?" She asked, although, she had a feeling she already knew. But still, she decided to take a peek. A magical sigil appeared on the old woman's forehead, shinning with green and blue light. Reality twisted, warped, and reshaped as Sonia's memories were being revealed from deep within her mind.

The old woman was now inside a tiny room, bare and void of color. There were no pictures or paintings lining the walls. Just cracking paint and splintered wood. There were only two things in the room. A small dresser and a single bed, where a little girl sat.

Sonia, about ten years old, sat alone on her bed. The woman came to kneel beside her, with a warm and gentle smile.

"Why, hello there, sweet girl." She said. Sonia gave no response. She didn't need to. The woman could see the deep purple bruises that covered the little girls left eye, which was swollen shut. She sat on the bed with her hands on her knees, rocking back and forth while she whimpered in pain and loneliness.

The old goddess had seen enough, with another wave of her hand, the magical sigil appeared once more and again, the room changed. This time, she surmised she was in some kind of classroom, filled with lazy students playing cards, drawing doodles, and some even sleeping.

The old woman grunted. "Typical youngsters."

There was a single desk in the back of the room, tucked away in the corner away from everyone else's. A teenage girl sat there. The woman's eyes went wide from the site of her. She was unnaturally skinny, and her clothes were much too small. She looked ill, terrifyingly so.

The teenage Sonia turned her gaze toward the old goddess and their eyes met.

"Please, don't look at me." She tearfully pleaded. Her hands tightened their grip on her arms as she wrapped them around herself in a desperate self-hug. Upon hearing her voice, some of the other students threw balls of paper and erasers at her, demanding that she go somewhere to do more drugs.

"has it always been like this for you, my dear?" Asked the woman. It was worse than she thought. She waved her hands yet again, over and over. Memory after memory. They were all the same. Not a single good memory could be found. This poor girl had always lived in sorrow. It didn't matter that the old woman and her family had endured hundreds of years of torment, when this poor girl has known only pain. Without any support or love from others, whether friend or family. At least the cursed family has known peace and love for a time.

The old woman dropped to her knees, her smile faded. Any average mortal would have given up, wouldn't they? But here she is, sharing her love with an inanimate stranger. To think that after all that suffering she endured her whole life, how could she have enough love left to give to anyone, let alone, a love that's powerful enough to break a curse. How amazing!

The old goddess had a mind to do something she knew was very foolish. In fact, she really wanted to do it. As far as she could tell from her dreams, she had no friends or family. So why not make her one of them? By imbuing her with the family crest, she would become part of the royal family, being marked by divine magic. But this has never been done to a mortal, and she would be making a great risk by performing the rite. For all she knew, it could destroy her in more ways than one. It would be a decision she would need to make carefully before going through with it. For now, she would wait, and continue to observe the young woman a little longer. Until then, she decided to make something special for when the girl awoke. She eagerly went to the back of the cathedral where the kitchen was, disappearing into the corridors beyond, humming as she went.

“Oh, my broken heart!”

The moment she had entered the kitchen, her eyes widened at the vast disarray the once shiny kitchen had become. Dusty cobwebs were strewn about from ceiling to floor and leaves were blown in from the broken window above the sink, which had rusted over time without use. Cabinet doors hung crooked, and dishes had been thrown around as if an angry child had thrown a tantrum, which was quite possible. She could sense a presence from the floor above her. Not a figure of stone, but one that is living and breathing. For now, she would pay it no mind, choosing to concentrate on the task at hand.

With a wave of her hand, the cobwebs were pushed aside by an unseen force that was magic. Pots and pans were piled up on the ground outside the window. When Gran held out her hand, a single pan leaped up and through the window into her palm. The pan was also in terrible condition.

“Well, it looks like I’ll have to clean before I can cook.” She said. Her smile curled widely.

It’s a lovely day. Isn’t it? Perfect for a day of cleaning. First was my soul, now my kitchen, and why stop there? Ha! I’ll clean the whole building!”

It’s been a while, but…Let’s have some fun.”

She threw her hands up above her head, like a dancer’s pose, and when she did so, Rags, towels, mops, and brooms leaped into the air and waited for their orders. Like a conductor raising their wand, Gran dropped her hands and swung her arms. She twirled and danced around the kitchen, laughing loudly as the rags cleaned the counters and tables. The brooms and mops swept and cleaned the floor, sending clouds of dust glittering through the air.

With a flick of her hand, the tap turned on and filled the sick. The rag wasted no time as it began to scrub the dishes as they hopped from the floor, and the ground outside, into the sink.

She hummed, sang, danced, and laughed as she worked the day away, until the familiar presence of her granddaughter wandered cautiously into the room. The young girl watched as objects floated around the room as Gran directed them.

Gran stopped her dancing, turned and said…

“You silly girl, are you just going to stand there and watch me, or are you going to give your Grandmother a hug?” The girl ran to throw herself into Gran’s arms and for a long while, they wept for one another.