Reflections of a Muse ~ Current Edition

For our fourth piece, the wonderful Buffy aka Beth has graced us with her words.

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By: Buffy

When I was a little girl, I had a special love for fairytales. No, I take that back. That love never left me. I will always love them, even if I live to be 90 years old and can no longer remember my own name.

Even in an age of so-called enlightenment, when women make great strides in the fight to be defined for themselves and secure equality in every aspect of their lives, I secretly seek out stories of the dashing hero, the damsel in distress (or the daring damsel, either one), and the obstacles, magical or otherwise, that stand in the way of their happiness. It’s rare to find the kind of satisfaction I get from this in real life.

Unfortunately, it’s rare in soap operas also. The nature of a serial drama ensures that happily-ever-afters don’t happen, and day-to-day details belie the leaps of faith needed to complete a true fairytale. So imagine my surprise to come across a true fairytale in the making when I watched “General Hospital” in May of 2003 and found Nikolas and Emily.

Our hero is a prince in the truest sense of the word. Our damsel started as a homeless waif who turned herself into a beautiful, daring woman. He has rescued her in numerous ways. He helped clear her of murder charges when she was found with a dead man after a night of partying. He saw her through cancer, meningitis, and beyond. He made sure she was rescued from the Port Charles Hotel fire before thinking of himself. He tries to protect her against every obstacle thrown their way.

But, lest we forget, she has rescued him back in so many ways. She helped nurse him back to health after being shot. She defends him against every negative word said about him. She protected him to the best of her abilities when he had amnesia. Most of all, she protects him from himself - the cold, calculating heartless Cassadine he is so afraid of becoming. She’s the light that he gravitates toward away from the darkness of his heritage.

They know each other better than anyone else in the world. One completes the other. All the burdens of their pasts and their families melts away with the help of each other. They completely relate to each other intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Their passion is palpable, but they don’t have to rely on this to be devoted to each other. The only word I can use to describe them would be soulmates - one that cannot live without the other.

And, as in any true fairytale, there are always the burdens to overcome to achieve true happiness. There are villains (Zander), witches (Mary), sorceresses (Helena), and jesters (the Quartermaines). These people have, in turn, thrown roadblocks at them both real (false arrests, the hotel fire) and imagined (the Curse, the pirate story). Nikolas and Emily fight all of them together, with every weapon at their command. And now, we are on the cusp of receiving a royal wedding, with hopefully all of the trimmings that will complete our fairytale.

It won’t last forever. I know this. Daytime drama won’t allow it, and that’s okay. I’ve resigned myself to it. Let the chips fall where they may when the sun sets on Nikolas and Emily’s story. To quote from the musical of another favorite tale of mine, “for one brief, shining moment,” (Camelot) I had a prince, his princess, and a true fairytale to make me feel like a little girl again.