The New Year’s Eve ball was swiftly approaching. For generations, we had held it in order to keep the peace between the physical world and the spiritual world. It was an occasion that was both anticipated and feared (but mostly feared), for as part of keeping the peace, a sacrifice had to be given. Envelopes were delivered at random to every home in the kingdom. If you received a letter written in green ink, you were not invited; but if you received a letter written in red ink—you were forced to come. You could not back out of it lest you be found guilty of treason and killed regardless. The king had spies everywhere. Rebellion was futile.

Everyone who received an invitation written in red had to reply with the names of everyone who lived in the home, for the entire household would be attending the ball. On New Year’s Eve, the king would draw a name at random from the names that had been entered. It was a deadly raffle, for the person selected would be the human sacrifice. The cries and wails as a name was called was horrific. It was even worse when a child’s name was chosen as the brokenhearted mother wailed in agony…

For years, I had attended and watched. For years, I wept over the lives lost and wondered what we could possibly have done to displease the spirits so. I was the king’s daughter, which meant I never had to fear for my life. But it broke me as I watched my father mercilessly sentence someone to death.

Why? Why did this have to happen? I had tried asking my father once, but all he said was that it was for the greater good.

I still had questions. And I supposed that the only way to find the answers I sought was to study on my own.

Princesses weren’t taught to read, but I taught myself in secret. I read every book on our kingdom’s history that I could find—but to no avail. None of them ever mentioned how this gruesome tradition had come to be. The ball was swiftly approaching, and I was no closer this year to stopping it than I had been last year.

_As the clock struck midnight, I stood in silence, gazing at the night sky. I could sense Helena’s presence nearby, and I knew the time had finally come to make myself known to her. My spirit feet didn’t make a sound as I walked up to the bench where she sat and rested my hand upon her shoulder. When she turned, she frozen in terror. “Do not fear, Princess Helena,” I said with a bow. “__I am delighted to meet you at long last.” _

_She stammered, “Wh-wh-who, who are you?” _

_With a sweeping gesture, I explained, _“_I am the spirit of your ancestor, the one who cursed this castle so long ago. I have seen your heart. You are different from the other royals in that you truly care for your people and mourn over every life lost. And I think that difference is what can prevent more innocent deaths_.”

_Astonished, Helena sat there with her mouth wide open for about ten seconds before she gasped, “Wh-why did you never come to meet me before?”_

_I smiled grimly, “Because the human sacrifices, keep me at bay, I am unable to enter the castle itself, where you normally are at night.”_

__

_“So, you can only visit at night?”_

__

_“Yes, but there are windows, which is how I’ve been able to watch you. You are a brave girl, and I’m proud of the young woman you’ve become.”_

_Smiling, Helena curtsied and murmured, “Thank you, your majesty.” She met my gaze again and asked, “You said there is a way I can prevent more bloodshed?”_

__

_“Yes, but you may not like it.”_

__

_There were tears in her eyes as she cried, “No matter the cost, I will do whatever it takes to preserve my people!”_

_My heart swelled with pride for this brave child, one who shared my blood. “Hm. I thought you might say that.” I took a seat beside her and began to spin a tale. “Long ago, our first ruler had twin sons, born on the day of the new year. This was a problem for the king, and he didn’t know how to divide the kingdom. Eventually, he decided that the kingship would go to the firstborn alone. This made the younger twin very jealous, and one night, on New Year’s Eve, he slipped a poison into his brother’s drink and killed him.” I met Helena’s astonished gaze as I continued. “I was the twin that was killed in cold blood, and that night, I cursed the royal family. For killing an innocent man in cold blood, they were ordered to pay a human sacrifice yearly to keep my wrath at bay. You know all this, but there was another half of that prophecy that has since been lost to time. It has gone forgotten because of the selfishness of my brother’s descendants. There was always a way to end the sacrifices: if one member of the royal family would willingly sacrifice himself for the good of the kingdom.” I paused, giving her a moment to absorb my words. “I know that this is asking a lot of you, Helena, but would you be willing to do this?”_

_She took a deep breath, and I knew she was mulling it over in her head. Finally, she slowly nodded. “I’ll do it. I’ll give up my life. But… how would I ever convince my father to allow it?”_

__

_“Go talk to him tomorrow. We can meet up that night to discuss what happens.”_

__

_She nodded, turned, and went back inside. As I watched her go, my heart was filled with sorrow. I loved Helena, and yet, it seemed that she had been born into this world for a purpose—to save it._

“Absolutely not!” my father roared, “No daughter of mine is ever going to be sacrificed! The peasants are worthless sheep. Their lives don’t mean anything. That’s why we can afford to kill one off every year.”

“But father—“

“No buts! I will hear nothing more on this matter. Go to your room, now!”

In tears, I raced out of the room, my heart sinking. I would meet with the spirit later that night to come up with a plan, but just what that plan would be—I had no idea how we would overcome my father.

It was finally the night of the ball. My hands were shaking and I felt nauseated, knowing that there were only a few hours left until I would die. Each minute felt like an hour as nine o’clock passed, then ten o’clock. I mingled with the guests, but the dread in the air was tangible as eleven o’clock, the time of the drawing, approached.

Finally, the great grandfather clock struck, and the entire room grew deathly still. My father rose out of the crowd and stepped onto the dais with a great smile. It was sickening how easily he could smile when someone was about to be sentenced to death. “My people, tonight we celebrate the dawn of a new year, and of yet another year of peace between our world and the spiritual realm.” The king’s cupbearer approached the king with a bowl that held hundreds of tiny slips of paper. “Normally, I select the name in our drawing, but tonight, I invite my sixteen-year-old daughter, Princess Helena, to draw the name tonight. As our future queen, and my only child, it is important to become accustomed with the traditions of our kingdom.”

The crowd cleared a pathway for me, and I was visibly shaking now as I approached my father. This was not something my ancestor and I had planned upon, but it would work out. I knew what I would say. Oh, I prayed to the spirits for strength! As I met my father’s gaze, I saw no love. I understood in that moment as our eyes locked why he had called me up to the dais. He was forcing me to accept this. He was attempting to punish me for speaking up.

But my father would not intimidate me, nor would he keep me from my purpose. Instead of reaching for the bowl of names, I turned to face my people—their precious faces. I was trembling as I boldly declared, “I invoke the law of representation. I take this person’s penalty as my own.” Reaching out, I picked a name and read it. “Roselynn Harrison,” I looked back up and reiterated, “I have invoked an irrevocable law that lies within our kingdom’s commandments. I shall die in your place tonight.”

There were intermittent gasps and murmurs as the room stood dumbstruck. “No!” my father roared as he grabbed my wrists. “Helena, I forbid you to do this.”

“Your majesty,” my father’s advisor’s nasally voice cut in, “she is correct in that the Law of Representation, once declared, cannot be withdrawn, not even you, my liege, have that power.”

Disgusted, my father released me, flinging me toward the edge of the dais. He glared as he pointed at me and declared, “You stubborn little fool! You have condemned our kingdom to ruin! I will have no part in this.” And with that, he stormed out of the room.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by hands that reached for me and embraced me. The room was flooded with tears of gratitude as my people overwhelmed me. I was kissed tenderly by mothers and grandmothers who held my face in their hands and told me how proud they were of me. I began to weep, but not in sorrow—I wept tears of joy, knowing that I was doing the right thing and that my people valued my act of sacrificial love for them.

The time had come. I was led onto the platform where the gallows waited. As the executioner tightened the noose around my neck, I realized that my body had stopped trembling. I was filled with an overwhelming calm as the clock struck midnight and the trapdoor fell.

_Thunder clapped at the same instant Helena fell, heralding my arrival. The crowd gasped and fell to their knees in fear. “People of Asha-Ra, I come to you in peace. The sacrifice your princess has made today—choosing to willingly die in the place of another—has satisfied my demands. No longer will I require a human sacrifice from year to year. The princess’s blood has paid the price, and you may all go free.” _

_The king entered the room at that moment as the people cheered. I scoffed at the coward as he attempted to hide behind his personal guard. “And as for your king, his reign of terror ends today.” I snapped my fingers together, and the king fell to the ground, dead. I turned to the crowd again and said, “Never forget your princess and the great thing she has done for you.” _

_With that, I melted away, returning to the spiritual realm forever, to live in eternal peace. And what better way to be greeted into eternity than by my Helena’s sweet embrace!_

_“Welcome home, Uncle.”_