1

The marble hall was cold as malice, silent with the despairing gloom of stone. A woman stood by an arching window, her pale, unblinking eyes seeing nothing. The aloof and hissing ray of harsh sunlight scratched at the window, curling about her face like dark smoke. She stood, unflinching, only hearing, only listening, only waiting.

And suddenly, without footsteps or the rustling of cloth to forewarn his coming, the beast slithered into sight. He lowered his terrible, crimson eyes, kneeling before the woman. He was black as the abyss and from his nostrils and lips there came a roll of gray smoke. When he opened his mouth to speak, his tongue slithered from his lips like that of a snake's.

"She has come."

The woman stayed still for a few minutes, her face reflecting no emotions. The beast remained kneeling, waiting for his lady to give him her command. It appeared as if time had frozen for these two, save for the curling smoke that brushed past the beast's terrible face. Even the dust seemed to scurry away from the scene, and the air itself slinked away into the shadows of the marble hall.

Finally, the woman's pale eyes moved away from the harsh sun and rested on the beast's form. The beast shivered slightly, feeling the coldness of his lady's gaze.

"Watch her, keep close, and I will tell you when to bring her to me."

Her voice was the arctic wind, hoarse and soft. It was soothing, yet grated upon the beast's ears like pikes. He touched his forehead to the white floor, leaving an evil mark of black on the cool stone. He had understood – he will obey. The beast backed away slowly, and then disappeared as quickly as he had come. He would come back. Later – years later. But he would surely come back, as his life was his lady's.

The beast ran through the woods, his feet barely touching the soil. Animals scampered away from him, screeching in fright. Even the trees seemed to bend away from his path, rustling their branches with low moans. Indeed, he carried a wind of darkness about him, breathing a scent of evil upon anything that came his way. He bared his gleaming fangs, snarling with ferocity. His red eyes glowed in the darkness of the woods, pupils dilated and shrunken into slits. His nostrils flared; yes, he could smell her. He was close, very close, now. Giving another snarl, he hid himself behind a tree trunk, closing himself within shadows.

Two guards chuckled amongst themselves as they walked through the forest, swinging their swords by their sides. They were oblivious to the glowering pair of crimson eyes, as they seemed totally engrossed in their conversation.

"I heard that she has the darkest eyes the Kingdom has ever seen."

"Huh, that's kinda funny, because His Lordship and Her Royal Highness aren't really dark, aren't they?"

"Thas' why they say she's a special one. I's heard the last royalty with eyes like those is King Abdallicus V. There's been blue and green eyes for at least five generations now."

"Aw, come on now. Thas' an ole' midwife's tale. Abdallicus lived at least five hunnerd years ago."

"Prolly more than that. I'm thinking 'bout thousand!"

"You figure thas' the only thing that's strange about her?"

"I don't know; I's never been near her enough to see for my eyes. But they say that His Majesty is mighty pleased with the wee princess."

Their chatter grew distant, fading into the darkness of the wood. The beast's ear twitched, but he had heard enough. He was indeed correct; he had come to the right place. The soothsayer's prediction was accurate, and the change that he felt in the air was right on the spot. The prophesized princess was born. His lady had waited for five thousand years for this moment. He could not fail her.

The beast's strange, hideous form began to morph, bumps fading away. Soft skin replaced the thick, shiny scales. The beast hissed as he felt the fumes of his mouth curl away, evaporating into the air as if it had never been. He flexed his claws, and they were gone. His crimson eyes blurred into a shade of hazel brown, losing the evil intensity that had once coated them. The beast sighed, trying to subdue the howling power trapped within his new human body. Soon, he promised himself, soon I will be myself once more.

The beast breathed out, knowing that he, in his physical form, could not obey his lady's wishes. To stay by a human in human years would be too difficult for him – he was a demon, after all. Time passed much slowly for him, and he doubted that he could earn the humans' trust in his never changing body. Indeed, thousand years did not put a wrinkle upon his ghastly face, and human years would have no change in him. He needed to think of something else.

Beyond the woods where the beast now began to walk like a man, there lay a vast body of water. It shimmered with the sun's kisses, gentle waves rolling onto each other in a pattern of infinity. It was called Lake Gilavi – the Lake of Mothers, in the Milaen language. The Milaens believed that everything living came from the waters, and everything concerning water was sacred. And hence, this name was properly given, as the beautiful tranquility of the lake reflected the overseeing motherly love that Milaens respected above all else. Beyond this lake was a great stretch of land, dotted with farms, cottages, and small mansions. And right in the heart of the kingdom, there stood a magnificent castle, built of the finest stone and created by the genius of many masters.

Inside the castle, in a room filled with warm sunlight, a mother and father stood over a babe in a crib, their faces reflecting delight. The baby cooed and gurgled in laughter, reaching her fingers at her father's nose with innocent curiosity. A toddler boy hung about cribs with round eyes, his green orbs watching the small bundle with wonder. The King put a warm hand on the boy's shoulder, and the boy smiled at his father, then to his little baby sister.

There was peace in the room. There was a sense of safety and love, and the bond between an adoring child and parent seemed permanent. Nothing could disturb their tranquility, and they were safe. And yet, just as they were smiling amongst each other, a pale lady watched from her marble hall, and a beast with eyes that burned like eternal fire walked toward them with steadfast steps.

Five years later

"Phally, if we go any further, I'm going to tell Nanny."

A little girl panted behind jogging boy, her black braids swinging about her face like small, shiny ropes. The boy scowled, turned around, and beat a bug from his face with frustration.

"Go, if you want. I'm going to see what's beyond there."

His finger pointed to a great oak tree, which marked the entrance to a deep forest. They were forbidden to go into the forest without any attendants; even then, no attendant was dedicated enough to watch over the children in the woods. They told the prince and princess that there were many dangerous things lurking inside its leaves and twigs, and they possibly could not find anything amusing there. The little princess, Eline, was eager enough to stay at least twenty feet from the oak tree; Phalix, the older boy, was motivated to a greater extent by the attendants' words. On a rare occasion, they had been left to their own devices, and Phalix had led her little sister there.

"I'll get lost!"

Her black eyes rimmed with tears, and Phalix hesitated. He was only three years older than his five year old sister, but the burden of being the elder son was heavily upon his shoulders. Phalix desperately wanted to test his princely bravery and see what was in the forest, but it annoyed and bothered him that Eline was in such aggravation over this quest. Phalix crossed his arms.

"If we see or hear anything, we'll go back. I promise."

Eline hesitated, but she knew that she would have to settle for this. She nodded curtly, and began to follow her brother without another word. The oak tree seemed to loom over their small bodies with the disapproving frown of a grandparent, but they pressed on. Their boots brushed past the long, green grass, moving ever forward. The forest seemed closer now, and its leaves were still in the blazing summer sun. Eline swallowed dryly. Her small, childish mind seemed to comprehend something so ancient, so forbidden, and so mysterious within the depths of the woods.

She stopped, her eyes wide with terror. The trees were swaying in an invisible breeze, shaking their branches at her in warning. Do not come near, princess. Stay away, princess. They were whispering amongst themselves, brushing against each other with gentle urgency. Even the grass seemed to tug at her boots, begging her to stop her steps. Do not come near, princess. Stay away, princess. Eline shivered in fear, wondering if she was imagining all of this. A child has great imagination, after all. Wanting to call to Phalix, who was continuing his advances, she raised an arm. As she did so, a small goldfinch landed on her finger briefly, then flew away. As it carried itself in the wind, it warbled a melodious song, and sudden words struck her like an ancient memory that is revived,

In my heart you tarry,

in your hands you carry

the key to world's desires,

a torch to start all fires.

The moon did shine for years,

It did feed mankind's fears,

But in your steps you carry light,

It sears and blinds my every sight.

My spell is broken –

"El! Come here!"

The daze that had created a dull film over the princess's eyes lifted. When she saw the world again, any memory of the trees, the grass, the goldfinch, the words, fleeted from her mind. She was once again a frightened little girl who was following her brother into a forbidden play ground. Phalix waved his arms about like a squid out of water, and pointed to something in between tree branches.

They were still very near the oak tree, and Eline was too seized with a fit of giggles at the sight of her brother's antics that she forgot her fear for a few minutes. Jogging over to Phalix, she demanded what was to be seen. Her gaze followed her brother's fingers.

"Oh."

A small boy, about the age of Eline, lay cuddled in between two large branches. His face was scarred and dripping with blood, his clothes tattered and likewise splattered with crimson. Eline was about to scream, but Phalix covered her mouth with his salty hand. He shook his head with wonder, and was about to poke the boy when the wounded child opened his eyes in a flashing motion.

Eline gasped. A beautiful shade of red, like two ruby gems, stared back at her with fright. The child yelped and jumped from the small nest between the trees, but he was much too wounded to make an efficient flight. He landed squarely on the patch of grass, and moaned with pain. Eline knelt by the boy, no longer afraid.

"Don't be scared. We won't hurt you."

The boy whimpered and growled, as if he was an animal. Phalix, without a word, grabbed the boy and swung him to his back. Although the prince was little, the boy was such a tiny thing that he could support his weight without too much effort. The boy struggled, kicking his legs weakly. Eline petted the boy's bloodstained arm and murmured soothingly,

"It's okay, Phally is kind."

Phalix managed to snort, even in a situation as dire and strange as this. However, he was encouraged by the indirect compliment and squared his shoulders a little more. He had always been taught to be brave in the face of danger, and he couldn't lose his calm now.

"Come on, El, let's take him to father."

The boy whimpered, turning his head feebly to give a long stare back at the forest. The trees shook, their leaves twirling about the air as gracefully as dancers. The afternoon sun was still blazing, but a shade of coldness fell upon one area of the woods as a shadow slithered from between the trees. A pair of crimson eyes watched the three disappear from sight, and slunk back into the darkness once more, his forked tongue hissing from his lips.

Go, my child.