Once upon a time, there was a man so handsome he could have the love of any maiden he desired. He bestowed his favor upon a girl who thought herself lucky to have earned so much as a glance, and she happily followed him on the path to his home. He had with him a company of knights- to guard against robbers on the road, he said- but when they reached his home, he and his knights set upon his new bride. They ripped her limb from limb and devoured her, for they were not men but brutes and monsters.
That's how the fairy tale usually goes. But in Star's case, she could add a new twist to the story of the Robber Bridegroom.
"Hey, babe. Guess things got a little rough last night. Drink some of this. C'mon, it'll make you feel better."
You see, though they devoured her heart and drank down her blood, there was enough of the bride left for the robber bridegroom to stitch her back together. As she lay on his bed cold as death, he poured between her lips a strong wine, made from the blood of the other girls he'd murdered. It revived her, and when she stumbled to the floor of his lair, feeling sick but not daring to lose a drop of precious blood, she knew that he had been generous. Once again, she was lucky to have earned his favor.
"Good girl, Star. Are you ready to have some fun?"
The robber bridegroom had a talent for making it hard to say no. And to his credit, he did seem to think of her needs, or what he supposed were her needs. When her sickly days and endless nights left her weary and lonely, he brought a child for her to care for, as if he were her own. When she cast her eye on another man (as a hero to rescue her or as prey to be devoured, even she wasn't sure), her bridegroom brought him back to the lair.
"Don't say I never do nothing for you."
That made the new man her responsibility as well, for it was her fault that they'd tricked him into drinking the wine. (At least, that's what she'd been told- if the robber and his knights had received orders from another, they never discussed it with her.) When they left her alone with him, she wondered if she was meant to kill him or the other way around. Perhaps the robber bridegroom simply hoped one of his fledglings would destroy the other, and whoever remained would have become his worthy heir.
"You know what you are, Star. The question is, does he know?"
She could be a perfect bride for him, her teeth and hands stained red, and things would become so much easier. There would be no fear or crying, no moment of regret if she gave in. And she did want her monstrous groom, for even revealed for what he was he remained handsome enough that any girl would be lucky for his favor.
But Star embraced the man who should have been her victim. Even broken apart and stitched back together, she was still much too human- her greatest weakness and her greatest strength.