Rocks crumbled to the ground, ash and fire burning the air. Scorching white-hot lava lashed through the air, turning whatever it touched into clusters of black ashes.

...

Lily raced through the fields, eyes peeled for her friend, just in case she passed the sleek, agile girl. Lily grinned. She was where she was meant to be, where she was born to be. She ran like the wind, she ran as if nothing around her were real.
And yet she found pleasure in it. She smiled, feeling the wind brush against her face. Her long black hair billowed behind her, her puffy pink dress long abandoned in the corner of the castle courtyard far behind her. She was a wiry, black-eyed, black-haired girl, one that didn't look at all like a princess. But she was: The princess of Lakeville.
Lakeville was the opposite of its name; it was a loud, bustling village that was settled peacefully at the foot of Mount Spitfire, the most fearsome volcano imaginable. Legend had it that it was still active, but Lily's mother, the queen, was a serious, tight woman with a pinched face and a permanent frown, the opposite of her lively daughter. She did not believe in the Legend of Mount Spitfire, or any other legend, for that matter.
Lily hated puffy pink dresses, tea parties, or royal princess nonsense, but it was what the Queen believed in, and so Lily could only wear her practical black outfits out of view of her sturdy, firm mother.
Suddenly, she noticed something rather alarming: Smoke was pouring out of Mount Spitfire! It was clouding the sky, turning everything ash-black. And then everything turned to chaos: Lava flew through the air, burning black marks into the ground. Lily grinned. It was her idea of an adventure. She leaped over the scorching burn marks, dodging the flying lava and chunks of black rock. Smoldering rock was falling from the sky. Far behind her, the well-dressed citizens of Lakeville were stumbling over their long trains and puffed-up pants.
Lily was the only one who was running, jumping, dodging. Ash fell from the sky. Rocks tumbled down. Everything was black, except for the red fire of the lava and the light of fires behind her, burning Lakeville to embers. Before long, Lily was far ahead.
Then she noticed something: A young prince had pulled up beside her and was jogging easily to match her pace, dodging and swerving and jumping exactly like her and smiling at her charmingly the whole time. She smiled back, and the two kept on running.

...

Lily laughed, the prince by her side. They watched the sea quietly, smiling at each other. They had never gone back to Lakeville, but instead had discovered that it was on a tropical island and had decided that they would never go back to Lakeville's ruins.
"Best not remind ourselves of Lakeville, hmm?" chuckled the prince, snuggling Lily against his side. Lily smiled up at him and nodded.
"Ready to start a new life?" she whispered.
"Of course," smiled the prince. "I think we should name this place ‘Hawaii'. What do you think?"
"It's perfect," Lily agreed. And that was the start of a new life together... in paradise.