ONCEUPONATIME - 4 As she was wont to these recent days, the princess treks incognito to the nearby mountains for many hours and many miles, sometimes even days, (leaving her chamber locked from within and slipping out through the window so that those around her believed her to be in unswerving meditation or contemplation as is expected of those wielding exceptional talent or power), so as to completely exhaust herself bodily to the extent her mind is sedate and her wildly beating heart is momentarily numb to the swirling chaos within. Today, trudging through the mountain ridge, slavishly pushing her body beyond endurance, Princess MaJun reaches a summit of perilous precipices and crevasses. She is suddenly aware of her surroundings. How often has the breathtaking beauty of nature calmed her .. not any more. She removes her disguise, the rough peasant garments encasing her regal robe, and lets the chill breeze prickle her delicate skin. She watches the birds dive off the cliff and glide in large circles. If only she could fly above her own personal turbulence. For a moment she is goaded by the desire to mimic the birds.. fly off the cliff with arms out stretched.. Now provoked by a strange impulse, her feet inches toward the sheer rock-drop.. tobecont.