It was a fairytale, of sorts. An orphan, raised by relatives that despised him. For years he thought he was a worthless boy, a burden to his relatives. Then one day, he was whisked into another world, a hidden world of magic. How happy he was, free at last, from his cruel relatives. He found out he was called the Prince, the Hero, the Saviour of this hidden world... A Hero who had defeated a Monster in this world; the same monster that made him an orphan all those years ago.

In this new, hidden world, the Hero found two good friends, ones that will risk their lives for him. One, a boy, the Knight, who first introduced him to this hidden world. Another, a girl, the Scholar, like him came from his old world. The Knight kept him in good humour, the Scholar kept him grounded.

He was happy in this world. He found friendship. He found a place where he's accepted. He found a home and a family at last. But his happiness shattered one day, when he found that the Monster that he had defeated all those years ago had come back. The Monster wanted to kill him, get revenge, and become the Ruler of this world again. The Monster called out his Beast, and held the Lady, the Knight's sister hostage. The Prince slain the Beast and saved the Lady.

It was a fairytale of sorts.

The Monster had come back. Again the Monster tried to kill the Prince. Again the Prince defeated him, thwarted his plans. Guided by the Old Wise One, the Prince destroyed the Monster's soul, one by one, and turned the Monster into a human once more. The Prince then defeated, nay, killed the Monster at last. And in the end the Prince married the Lady, the Knight married the Scholar, and they all lived happily ever after. As they all say should be.

Then why isn't this a fairytale?

No one knew the Old Wise One had written the Prince's tale, from the beginning to the end. He is the hidden Writer of this tale. The Old Wise One, who knew everything, who hid the Prince from the world of magic. Who kept the Prince living like a pauper, hated by his so-called-family. He kept him in the dark, in ignorance of the hidden world. Then Old Wise One brought the Prince back to the world of magic, to save this world once again, to slay the Evil Monster once again, to die the Hero.

But the Prince was still a boy, not a Hero, not yet. He was given trials, lots of them, to become the Hero, the Saviour once again.

Bravery, wisdom, loyalty, friendship. Betrayal, shun, contempt. Love and Death. Forgiveness. Acceptance. This was the key.

Accept your Fate; Defeat the Evil, o Noble Prince. Save this world from its own stupidity. Your life wasn't your own; your fate is to die saving the hidden world. What is one life compared to hundreds, thousands of others? What is the needs of one compared to the needs of others?

You, o Noble Prince, are One with the Monster. You have to, no, you need to die so the Monster can finally die... That was the written Fate for you, o Noble Prince, said The Old Wise One. No need for the Prince to learn more than what he needed, he was, after all, fated to die. The Prince needed to be able to accept death. He needed to be able to willingly sacrifice himself. Every step in his life was carefully orchestrated by the Old Wise One, so that in the end, the Prince can leave the world and embrace death without worries, without strings attached, like he was fated to do.

The Prince did what he was asked, he did trusted the Old Wise One. By luck, he finally defeated the Monster. But he didn't die. Fate pitied the Prince, and let him live. He got a happy ending, in a way. But he was discontented, he felt like a pawn in a web of manipulation. He didn't deserve to be the Hero, he thought.

In a different fairytale, in a different world;

The Prince might have found happiness. He is still a Hero, as Fate is not that kind to him. He is still One with the Monster. But here, the Old Wise One is not the writer of this fairytale. The Prince is. He takes charge of his own life. The Prince has choices, he has freedom. He can choose not to be the Hero. He learns the Old Wise One is not omniscient. He learns to ask for help. He seeks knowledge. He learns from other Wise Men, other Creatures and Sentient. He learns he does not need to die to defeat the Monster. Here the Prince is his own person. In the end the Prince defeats the Monster not by luck; he defeats him by his own strength, with help from his friends, families, allies. He is a Hero, but not a pawn. He controls his own destinies.