"You know, Wolfgang, I never asked you-what's your story?"

Wolfgang studied the shelves in front of him for a few seconds before placing an old book on one and turning to the Golden Queen with a confused look.

"My what?"

The Queen rolled her eyes. "You know, your story. What your life was like before I found you."

"Ah."

The werewolf grabbed another book and stuck it on another shelf. "Well, that's none of your business, is it?"

"Oh, please. How about this-if you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine. That good enough for you?"

There was a short pause as Wolfgang considered her offer.

"Alright, fine. I guess that's fair." He scratched the back of his head and looked at the Queen again. "It's a bit long, though."

"We've got nothing but time, Wolfy."

The library echoed her voice as if to emphasize her statement.

"…Right."

The Queen crossed her arms and leaned against the shelf beside Wolfgang. "Well, go on."

"Yeah, yeah." He huffed and sat down.

"So, I used to be a prince-"

"You, a prince?"

Wolfgang growled in annoyance. "Yes, a prince. Don't interrupt me."

"Fine, fine."

"Anyway. I used to be a prince. But the stuff that came with it never interested me. Instead, it was music that caught my interest. Even as a young child I dreamt of becoming a famous musician. I spent hours upon hours learning different instruments. I learned how to play the bass, the trombone, the banjo, even the piano. I also have my bone harp, but that came much later."

"That's a strange variety."

"It's what I could find."

"Fair enough."

"So, I learned how to play all those. And I composed pieces for each. Every few months I'd play them for my parents and the royal subjects."

He stopped to organize a few books as well as handing a few off to the Queen. "Just because I'm talking doesn't mean you can stop working."

She grunted and took the books.

"So I composed music," Wolfgang continued once she started working again. "At one point I decided to write my very own symphony. I spent years writing it, and when it was finally done I planned to unveil it to Skylands' greatest music aficionados.

"But, things didn't go as planned. They all hated it-in fact, it actually hurt them. Turns out I'd apparently discovered the musical note for pain."

He grumbled and scratched one of his claws along the floor.

"They practically threw me out. I was rejected and shunned by my peers-years of my life were wasted, years that I poured my heart and soul into. It drove me mad, so much so that it turned me into what I am today."

He paused again and the Queen took that opportunity to jump in.

"So you weren't always a werewolf then. What did you look like before?"

"Well, normal, for one. And I was handsome!" he added with an almost proud look. It quickly faded away, however. "But…that's long past. That, and my sanity. The only thing after my failed symphony keeping me from losing myself completely was my beloved-"

"Your 'beloved'? Wolfgang, did you have a wife?"

Her interruption was answered with a short silence, then another scratch of the claw and a quiet voice.

"A wife…my wife." Wolfgang sighed, which caught the Queen off guard. This was all very uncharacteristic of the werewolf.

"No, she wasn't my wife. But she was supposed to be. On our wedding day she expected a handsome prince. What she got instead was me. She declared me a monster and that was that. I was left with a broken mind and a newly broken heart. And that's about it."

"What…what about your parents?" the Queen asked.

"Gone. My parents weren't the youngest and when I hit adulthood they had already grayed. They both passed before I even finished my symphony."

There was no more talking after that. The Golden Queen rubbed her neck and looked at a stack of books. "Well, I have to say that's not quite what I was-"

Sniff.

The noise cut her off and she looked back to Wolfgang. Oh, geez.

Wolfgang had tears in his eyes.

He noticed her gaze and quickly turned away in embarrassment.

The Queen felt a bit guilty now. This was her fault. She shouldn't have been so nosy.

She hesitantly leaned over and patted Wolfgang's shoulder.

"Uh…you know, Wolfgang, if it's worth anything…I don't think you're a monster. You've got some anger issues, sure, but you're not a monster."

Silence.

A soft chuckle.

"Thanks, Queeny."

She took her hand away and grabbed the stack of books she'd been looking at before. "Let's get back to work. We've got a lot to do-I don't want to be in here longer than I have to be."

"Right."