Subject 2 is a female princess who cross-dresses (She is the last of the royal bloodline) in order to hold her place as a king. The era this is set in is probably an era in which female rulers weren't accepted, or looked down upon. Of course no-one knows she is female, that is, other than Subject 1- they had a childhood encounter (This is when she didn't have to cross-dress; the king and queen were still alive and she had a brother). Usually the princess would be confined in the castle because she was protected (her existence was concealed as the king knew that the royal family had many enemies), but there was one time she wandered out. When she wandered out, she met Subject 2. At this point, the princess was still pure-hearted and carefree, and when she saw him they had a small talk, something along the lines of:
S2: //smiled, she has a flower in her hair
(Before meeting the princess, subject 1 had lost the will to live, But after seeing her smile, he decided he would devote his entire life to her, as her smile saved him.)
S1: //asks: who are you?
S2: //she refers to herself as a fairy (she is a child after all)
S1: //reaches out to touch the flower on her head, because it's so pretty.
S2: //mentions that the flower will one day wilt even though it's so pure, but even so, she says the flower will be happy because it can bring smiles to peoples faces.
At that moment her guardians come and force her back to the castle, as she wasn't allowed to interact with the outside world (In case anyone found out anything about her). Subject 1 who had met with her, was now in love with her. Eventually he managed to find out who she was, but upon finding out who she was, it was also the point in which he could not return. (He found out who she was at the coronation when she became king, and saw that she had taken up the role of king. (he recognized her face, her smile)) However he had nothing to his name... so during a long period of years he built up an honest reputation and became a respectable knight. He had resolved himself to finally meet her, but before doing so he searches for the flower that he once saw on her head, and he found out that the flower he was looking for was the Edelweiss. The Edelweiss has been regarded of as a flower of love charms, however it is also a flower that is hard to acclaim. It is located in crags and ledges of high alpine Europe, and in the past, many died just by trying to get the flower; which is why it is more symbolic of courage and bravery, it is also regarded as a 'flower of kings' and a 'medal of honor/pride'. However, since subject 1 is getting this flower for the princess rather than himself, it is a display of humility rather than pride. Upon getting the flower, he solidifies it in resin so it will not 'wilt' (Childhood reference).
The reason why the princess had to acclaim the throne at such a young age is because her family was killed by assassins, though it was disguised as a fire (She saw it all, probably through a door crack or something). Upon taking up the role of king, the princess took her brothers identity (they had the same face) and she resolved herself to never trust anyone, and that she would never indulge in the happiness's of a young girl (she will not love and etc) and that she will build a great country.
Subject 1 (not yet presenting the edelweiss) is then comes to the castle as a knight saying that he wishes to 'serve the king(which is not a lie)'. The king who is very un-trusting doubts this ( a sudden person shows up, of course she is ). She distances herself from all the people that work close to her, in order to ensure she will never fall for things like trust. In order to do this, she gives them a ton of work, and humiliates them so that they know their place. Usually people will resist such mistreatment, but subject 1 does not. So she gives him special bad treatment. Eventually, she is unable to accept that there is someone that she is starting to trust, someone that she predicts will bring about her fall, and she takes it upon herself to kill him, whilst telling him that she is truly grateful; she says she is doing it for the sake of the kingdom. Subject 2 who accepts that hands her the edelweiss solidified in resin and replies to her childhood statement saying that it will not wilt, he then closes his eyes as he dies. She then recalls such memories. A single tear falls from her eyes. She remember how she too once was pure-hearted with innocent goals. She remembers the little boy who she met. She feels sad for not being able to notice his dedication, and she feels sad because she had loved him though she was unaware. She kills herself and the edelweiss falls.
The Edelweiss that will not wilt, the edelweiss that lives forever. It is symbolic of their love, and the things they gave up. Subject 1 who gave up his life and dedicated it to the princess/king. Although Subject 2 was a king she is also a display of humility, she gave up her womanhood, her freedom, for the sake of the country. She did not mistreat those who served her because of pride, but because of humility and how much she cared about the country. She gave up her happiness to ensure the kingdoms well being. In the end, they are both displays of humility. The respect Subject1 has for the kings decision to kill him is also humility. The faithfulness of Subject 1's promise to himself that he will bring her the edelweiss flower and serve her is humility. And the princess' decision to stand up and not fall into despair or fear when her family killed is also a display of humility. The meaning of Edelweià in German is 'Noble White' and it is one of my favorite flowers. It is also a symbol of purity and I felt it greatly represented their pure intentions. I think I wrote this more tragic than I had originally planned.
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![[K] of Honor](/data/medal/1_1406930084l.jpg)
