Moon giggled, using her wand to blast her up to the chandelier. It creaked under her weight, but held, swaying precariously. She crouched, looking over the side. Her brother dashed down the hall, pausing, his lips tugged up in a smile. His hair was the same blue as hers, except his eyes were a vibrant green.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," he sing-songed.

Moon bit her lip to keep from laughing. Lunar whipped aside the curtains, opened the wardrobes, checked the three rooms in the hallway. After a second or two, he scratched his head in confusion.

"Moon? The hallway's a dead-end... I know you're here!"

She twirled her wand between her fingers triumphantly. She'd just gotten it last week, and she loved it! All the spells she used against monsters... the different ways she disobeyed Queen Stella. As if conjured by her thoughts, Stella appeared around the corner, followed by a young but healthy goat.

"I'm very sorry to hear of Chancellor Growan's passing... as with tradition, Moon will bless the body with her wand. She's studying right now. I'll fetch her."

The goat bayed gratefully.

"Moon!" Stella called.

The queen stopped, just noticing Lunar for the first time.

"Lunar? What are you doing out here?"

Her brother flushed, stumbling with his words. Stella's eyes flashed.

"Moon's not studying, is she?"

Lunar stiffened. Stella's face reddened with rage.

"Moon!" She snarled.

Moon flinched, her mind torn. A part of her wanted to stay on the chandelier forever... and yet... with a sigh, she hopped onto the ground. Legmet bleated in surprise and Stella scoffed in disgust.

"Look at you! A princess hanging on a chandelier! What kind of a disappointment are you?! After the ceremony, you're going to study... and you're not coming out until your coronation!"

Moon stared at her ceiling. Two guards were stationed just outside her door. The sun was dipping into the horizon, casting her room in shadows. Glossaryck had given up trying to teach her for the day, realizing she wouldn't cooperate. For just a second, she wished Stella had never given her the wand. Now her parents expected some kind of perfection... she rolled onto her side and stared out the window. The Forest of Certain Death loomed in the distance, its dark trees stretching up. Moon blinked, feeling her stomach roil. Without even realizing what she was doing, she'd made a rope from her bed sheets and was lowering herself to the ground. Without missing a beat, she raced down the path, hopping from shadow to shadow. The castle slowly disappeared behind her, leaving her alone in the woods. By now, it was almost completely dark. An owl watched her from the side, hooting in protest of the stranger.

She stopped abruptly, gulping in large breaths of air. Her heart thundered against her chest, making her lean against a tree for support. A giddy sound escaped her mouth, an uncontrollable laughter erupting from her.

"Everything sucks," she squeaked, doubling over.

A tear streamed down her face. Another... and another... before she got the chance to completely break down, there was a rumble in the darkness. Moon froze, instinctively reaching for her wand. Her ears perked up, trying to catch every sound the forest made. A vine wrapped around her ankle.

Damian was trying to catch the last rays of sun. He crawled higher onto the rock, closing his eyes against the wind. He didn't know how long he stayed in that position. He was never this warm! A scream rang through the forest. His eyes snapped open, and he leaped to his feet.

"Help!" A girl screeched.

Damian scurried away from the rock, slinking towards the cries. His eyes widened. The girl was wound tightly in a vine, the culprit slowly dragging her into a carnivorous plant's mouth. She struggled to try and throw the vine off, but everything she did made the vine tighten. Damian growled, pouncing on the plant's head. It bucked, trying to throw the reptile off. He dug his teeth into the soft petals, greeted by a pained howl. Sap shot out of the wound, showering Damian. He slipped back and hit the ground with a thud. Moon struggled out of the vine and scampered to the side, watching as the plant writhed in pain. It fell to the ground with a shudder, its long purple tongue lolling out of its mouth.

A monster had just saved her? Her fingers hovered over her wand, expecting some sort of trick. Damian forced himself to his feet, pain shooting up his leg. He winced in pain, falling back down with a grunt. Moon hesitated, but opted for helping him up. She gently propped him on a tree, feeling his golden eyes bore into her.

"Why did you save me?" she whispered.

"So I could be better than your species," he laughed dryly.

Moon rose an eyebrow.

"How are monsters better than Mewmans?"

"Well for one, our royal family doesn't try to change history. We tell it like it is."

He puffed his chest out, but somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice hissed "liar".

"Oh, ok, if my species is so horrible, I guess I'll just have to leave you out here!"

"Maybe you should! No Mewman is worth my health!"

"No monster is worth my time!"

"Go back to your cushioned life!"

Moon seethed, starting to stalk away.

"Maybe I will!"

"Great! If I ever see your face again, it'll be too soon!"

Moon stopped about about a yard away. She looked back, and Damian realized he couldn't hold his indifferent face. A smile cracked his lips, and he reached into a pocket, taking out two pieces of candy.

"Toffee?"

The princess tilted her head to the side, making her way back to the monster. She took the toffee and inspected it quizzically.

"Do you always keep toffee in your pockets?"

"What else could a pocket possibly hold?"

She unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth.

"How do I know it's not poisoned?" she teased.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me."

"Yeah, right. Do you need any help with that bone?"

Damian looked at his leg, which was bent at an odd angle. He waved it off without a second glance.

"It'll be fully regenerated by tomorrow."

"Wow. Impressive. I guess I should be thanking you."

"I guess you should. The name's Damian, by the way."

Moon wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"Nah, you don't look like a Damian... more a Toffee."

"That's just cruel!"

"Hey, I call it as I see it!"

"Ok, what's your brilliant and inspired name?"

"Moon."

Toffee faltered, almost choking.

"Princess Moon?"

"Wha- oh, yeah... probably should have mentioned that."

"I've never met a Royal before. I thought you'd be a lot more... intimidating."

She scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"And I thought a monster would be more vicious."

"Hm. Touche."

Moon wasn't sure how long she stayed with him. They talked and laughed, comparing their lives and their likes and dislikes. The sun was starting to come up when Moon realized she should start going back. By then, Toffee's leg was completely healed. He pushed himself off the tree and bowed dramatically.

"This was fun, Princess. I-I look forward to seeing you again."

He took her hand and kissed it, mindfully maneuvering his teeth. Moon's cheeks burned.

"Thanks... Toffee."

The next night, she snuck out again. Toffee seemed to have the same idea. He was waiting patiently at the forest's edge, throwing a rock up in the air and catching it.

"Hey, Moon! Check it out! I found this in the river!"

He tossed the rock to her. She caught it easily and gasped. It was a jewel the size of her hand. It glittered brilliantly, even in the reduced light. She yelped happily and hugged him, almost knocking him over. Toffee held out his hand, mocking a gentleman.

"Care to hunt, m'lady?"

"Hunt?"

"How else do you expect me to feed my parents? My siblings?"

"Oh, so the lizard has siblings?"

"Too many to count."

She took his hand, and he pulled her along, hopping from the path and into the dark brush. Moon leaped and stumbled, her hair snagging on branches and scratching her skin. Toffee stopped so suddenly that Moon almost crashed into him.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered.

Moon held her breath. She could hear it... a quiet rustling up ahead. Toffee flexed his claws, a dangerous gleam appearing in his eye.

"Stay here," he rumbled.

It only took a second, she didn't even hear the creature cry. Toffee came back with a rabbit slung over his shoulder. His eyes were bright and full of excitement.

"Come on, we need about three more."

Moon was slumped in her seat, staring Glossaryck. The little man was trying to explain a cloning spell, yet Moon felt herself falling asleep. After a while, Glossaryck gave a tired sigh.

"Moon, you can't keep sneaking out. When was the last time you slept?"

"Three days ago," she yawned, "I'm fine. I just- I want to see Toffee tonight."

"Yeah, but you can't keep going on like this! It's not healthy, and if this Toffee really cared, he'd see that."

"But he's... my... friend," she fell asleep.

Glossaryck inhaled, floating over to her.

"Very well," he conceded, disappearing with a bright flash.