Paper Shadow : The Thousand Year Door

Ahem! Today... I'm going to tell you the story of the Thousand-Year Door.



An awfully long time ago in a strange and far-off land, a big, bustling town thrived. It was a town where all people lived very happy lives. And it was said that the town was very prosperous. But one day, tragedy befell this blessed place. A great cataclysm struck the town and its people. Darkness filled the skies, and the earth roared and shook. It was as if the very world had come to a violent end. And in but a single night, the town sank into the depths of the earth.



Many moons rose and set... stories of the town passed into the pages of fairy tales. And when the town's site no longer held relics of its past, people gathered at that spot and built a new town. But word soon spread among the people who moved in that an ancient city lay deep underground and that a magnificent treasure rested there.



Indeed... This is the tale of the fabled treasure of Rogueport. Yes, this is where it begins: in the sea town of Rogueport. The tale of the quest for the legendary treasure and the Thousand-Year Door starts here.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >< Princess Peach >< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Crumbling walls and filthy buildings marked the town square of the city of Rogueport. Shady-looking characters stood behind boxes and every nook and cranny reeked of liquor and crime. Sounds of the pier drifted from behind and cries of pain and desperation called from beyond. The simple air of the town seemed oppressive and demanding. This was no place for a princess.



And yet, here she was. Marring its perfection in imperfection, a tall woman moved forward. She drew glances and glares from all about, but didn't seem to notice a thing. She simply smiled to herself and threw her golden hair about, quickly lacing it behind her in a beautiful and elegant braid. "Finally!" She cried aloud to no one in particular in a sweet, laughing voice. "I have a minute without Toadsworth watching over me. He's so paranoid!" She took a breath and calmed herself, glancing around her.



She whooped and twirled a bit in her newfound freedom, and a pink cascade of fabric flew about her. Smoothing her dress and fumbling a bit with her sapphire brooch, she mumbled to herself. "I come all the way here on vacation... just to be stuck with Toadsworth! It's so stifling!" She called the final words, and her sweet, unbroken voice seemed to clash with the dismal sounds of her roguish surroundings. "Once in a while, I'd like the chance to look around on my own and see what I want."



She nodded to herself curtly and sighed, taking a second glance at her surroundings. "But... now that I'm doing it... all I see is that this town has a very... ummm..." She turned towards the sound of retching as a drunken goomba held his sides and emptied his stomach onto the pavement. "Distinct flavor." She groaned in obvious disappointment. She stepped onto the gallows that decorated the middle of the square and lowered her eyes, the excited spark of freedom dying in the abysmal atmosphere.



She had turned, and was about to return to her ship on the pier when... "Oh, Missy. Missy..." A dark, whispered voice cried from the side of the street. Peach turned and saw a hunched figure covered by a brown cloak, hunkered by a blanket covered in... well... junk.



Looking around nervously, she cleared her throat and stepped towards the raspy-voiced peddler. "Do you mean... me?" Her voice squeaked nervously on the last word.



"Yesss...." He hissed slowly. "You, missy." He looked closer at her as she stepped even closer, but his eyes were covered in a veil of shadow. "Won't you buy something?" His voice brightened a small bit... she thought, anyway. He motioned his hand over his carpet of crap. "I have a wide variety of knickknacks and doodads." He cooed in a way that made the princess feel sick to her stomach.



She looked over his wares anyway, unable to simply up and leave. Such rudeness was not the lady-like approach. She hummed softly as she examined his bizarre merchandise. "Oh. Well... umm..." She murmured as she peered closer at a frighteningly yellow crystal and a jar full of... god knows what.



Her eyes brightened as she finally discovered a hidden treasure. "Well!" She exclaimed, pointing excitedly at a small chest. "That's a pretty box. What's inside it?" She smiled happily and innocently watched the shadowy figure lift the small antique.



"It is said..." He rasped, "that this box holds a map that will show where a legendary treasure sleeps." He lowered it and looked back at the princess. (Did he? Damn shadows...) "But the box has a magic lock on it that will only open for a-" He paused to cough and take a shallow breath, causing the pink-clad beauty to wince. "A pure and noble heart.” Still holding it from beneath, he raised his other hand and placed it on top. Even his hand was veiled in shadow and covered with a sleeve. With a grunt, he attempted to pull the box open, but the lid remained firmly in place. “As you can see,” He panted. “It won’t so much as budge if one such as myself touches it.



The woman recoiled visibly as he raised his gaze to meet hers again. He snickered or coughed, it was hard to tell which, and held the box out towards her. “I know.” He cooed again in his sickly rasp. “If the box will open for you, Missy, then you may have whatever is inside.” He took a step forward and sighed, looking closer. “I am sure that whatever is in there would be of no use to someone like me.”



Lifting his head just a little more, he whispered in an almost excited voice, “So, Missy, take the box in your hands and see what happens.” She took the box gingerly and the man fell back behind his carpet to have another coughing fit.



“Oh…. Uh…” She looked nervously at the box and at the man again, before making up her mind. “Alright.” She smiled a little. “What’s the harm?” She turned the box to face her and held a delicate, white-gloved hand upon the lock. “I’ll try to open it.” She pressed upwards tentatively, and felt something give way.



“OH!” She cried out loudly as a blinding white light engulfed both her and the town around her.