Well always have

P aris.

I can't stop turning my head this way and that while his men take care of whatever it needs taking care of.

How is it possible for someone as notorious as Dauphin Tueur to live in the City of Lights? I know he also goes by his other name, but still.

How?

It absolutely boggles the mind, but even my shock isn't enough to keep me from gawking and gaping as we're finally cleared to disembark, and my feet touch Parisian soil for the first time ever.

Is this really happening, God?

The idea of ever seeing Paris in person was one of those impossible things I didn't even bother including in my bucket list. And yet here I am now, being escorted to a limousine, and oh, oh, oh!

I finally remember I have my own phone, and you bet I start acting like a tourist on her first trip abroad.

One day at a time, right?

I take as many photos as I can even if all I can see are French street signs and highways. I'm still snap, snap, snapping away when an hour passes, and landmarks I've only dreamed of finally start popping up.

How can this be real, God?

I don't even know what to feel as I take a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in my background.

Is everything this good because it can only last for days?

Just like how people on Death Row get to eat whatever they want for their last meal, could Paris be my version of the Last Supper?

My mind is convinced that's exactly what's happening right now, and so there's absolutely no time to waste. It insists that I stop taking selfies and start planning my escape.

My heart, on the other hand...

Instead of exit strategies and plan Bs, my heart is already in la-la land...and that's how it should be.

Because I promised to trust God, and part of that means taking one day at a time.

So start acting like it, Eden!

I push all worries away and allow myself to savor every moment of my newfound freedom.

Paris, Eden!

You're in Paris!

C'est la vie!

My stint as a tourist only comes to an end when we leave the city behind us, and the lights begin to dim. Darkness reclaims my surroundings, and I settle back in my seat.

One day at a time.

Another half hour passes, but just when I start to feel nervous and wonder if they're about to take me to my personal Golgotha, the views change anew, and I find myself holding my breath.

Is this real, God?

It's just one amazing surprise after another, and I'm back in tourist mode as we drive past landscaped gardens that seem straight out of a fairytale. Up ahead is something I can only describe as a castle, with its multiple turrets and flower-decked balconies. All of its cathedral windows are also ablaze with lights, and massive wooden gates automatically slide open as our limousine rolls into the inner courtyard before cruising to a stop.

How is this possible?

How?

It was only fifteen hours ago when we were under attack, and I had no idea whether I'd live to see tomorrow.

It was only ten hours ago when my father was forced to negotiate a treaty and give me away as a peace offering to his enemy.

And now this.

Only a miracle from God could have changed my life in a proverbial link, and my eyes start to burn as everything starts to really sink in, and I realize that this is truly it.

He's saved me.

Just as promised.

I'm saved.

I'm free.

And even though I have no idea how long this new life of mine will last---

Thank You, thank You, oh God, thank You.

I'm determined to keep trusting Him.

And take it one day at a time.

Because there's nothing to be afraid of.

Psalms 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?