Don't you remember?
Stayne stared at his reflection one late moonlit evening. Standing there in his armor, his raven black hair swept across his pale face before his thin hand drew back his bangs to reveal the ugly horrible scars that now marked him. Gently touching his leather eye patch he suddenly felt that empty aching feeling fill his chest. Shutting his eye, he blocked out anything that surrounded him. The pain was far too great to go on for this long. Standing there he clutched his chest and groaned out loud before looking up and out the stained glass window and at the full moon that shinned down on him.
"Please…make it go away…"
He softly whispered.
A single tear rolled down his face causing the pain to hurt so much more.
"Stayne?"
Freezing, Stayne stood up straight and spun around to see the queen standing in the doorway of his chamber. Her large ugly head looking at him confused and slightly worried. His stomach turned by the sight of her, but he knew he had to my loyal. Forcing the pain away he stared at her and folded his hands together.
"My lady?"
"Is something the matter? I thought I heard you cry out?"
"No of course not my lady, I was just turning in for the night."
Her horrible face grinned.
"Well…if that's the case if you feel restless do come by…I may have trouble sleeping myself."
Stayne forced himself not to look disgusted. Instead, he simply nodded before the queen smiled and wished him a goodnight. Watching her go he waited until she closed the door and he heard her footsteps begin down the hall that he let himself relax. His heart still aching he quickly wiped his face praying he hadn't see his tears. Taking a deep sigh of relief, he silently went over and sat on the edge of his made bed.
What had he become?
He put his head in his hands and sighed deeply.
A monster…
But that wasn't always true. In fact years before the red queen took the kingdom Stayne had been a nobody…just a humble man living in the forest. This was of course long before Underland was turned upside down. This was a much more peaceful time when Stayne lived alone and seemed perfectly happy with the life he was living. This was also when his love affair with the Red Queen's sister almost tore everything apart.
Once upon a time, many years ago…
"Happy birthday Angel."
Mother and father stood side by side smiling as placed the beautiful wrapped present in front of her. The paper was glittering as did the bow. Sitting at the table in the main dining hall, Angel smiled ear to ear before very gently beginning to unwrap it without ripping the paper.
Gina stood back with her arms crossed and her eyes annoyed, her large head even then couldn't hide underneath her mass of red hair.
"How come Angel gets gifts and I got nothing!"
She wined in the background.
Mother and father turned slightly, trying to be as patient as they could with their other and elder daughter.
"Because today is Angel's birthday that's why Gina, just like why you get gifts on yours."
"But it isn't fair! She always get's everything! Look at her trying to be so perfect! It's just wrapping paper, she's acting like it's made of glass!"
"Gina please."
Scolded mother softly. Turning back towards their other daughter, Angel smiled before undoing the bow and looking at the cardboard box. Smiling, she slowly opened it before gasping and looking at her parents with her big doe eyes.
"Oh you shouldn't have!"
Mother and father stood together proudly smiling as Angela lifted the glass snow globe out of the box. Inside the glass globe was a deer standing in the middle of a winter ground with beautiful snow glistened trees around it.
"Turn the key…"
Father said smiling. Turning it over Angela turned the brass key around a few times before gently shaking it. There inside a mixture of glittering snow and blue flowers swirled and danced across the crystal deer. A beautiful song began t play from the globe as Angel's eyes filled with tears.
"Oh it's beautiful…"
Gina rolled her eyes.
Mother and father stood closer and joined hands.
"Well it isn't every day someone turns sixteen."
Later that day…
Angel grew bored of the courtyard and decided to take a walk around the forest before dinner. Taking her snow globe she skipped down the cobble stoned pathway and down the hill where she often played as a child. Today had been perfect, and she had the most perfect gift in the world.
Humming to herself, the sun shinned down on her as she continued to turn the key and shake the globe, watching the tiny sparking bits of flowers and snow dance across the deer.
Tucking a piece of her beautiful white hair behind her ear she looked at the deer and smiled.
He was trapped in his perfect world.
She passed through the trees humming and shaking the globe.
A few minutes later she paused.
Something wasn't right.
Had she gone too far and didn't even know it?
She looked around the forest and heard a bird cry off in the distance. She knew these woods well but she knew she had wandered too far and mother and father would begin to worry. Turning around she planned on heading straight for the castle when…
She heard a growl.
Freezing, her eyes wandered over to the wolf that was standing between two trees. It's back arched and it's diamond like eyes glowing at her. Right away Angel saw it's dripping fangs and gulped.
"H-hello…"
She managed to softly say. Usually she never feared any creatures in the forest, but wolfs were one of the few things that still haunted her dreams. Looking straight at it she knew she was in trouble.
She slowly tried to back away.
The wolf's growl became louder.
"Easy there…"
She softly said, trying not to take her eyes out it.
The wolf growled even louder, causing her heart to pound in her chest.
Just then the wolf began running towards her. Angel's eyes widened and she felt completely frozen. Standing there she clutched her snow globe when…
The sound of a horse came, and a strong firm hand took hers and with one single scoop lifted her up. Angela gasped and found herself on the back of a beautiful gray horse.
"Hold on."
The man riding it said. Angel didn't see the man's face, but she saw he had long black hair and wore dark clothing. Using one hand to clutch onto her beloved snow globe, her other hand tightly held onto the man's waist as she turned her head and watched the wolf try to chase them.
Within seconds it was left in the dust. The horse seemed to fly, quickly speeding past the trees and into fields the wild blew through Angel's hair. Burying her face into the man's back she waited until the horse slowed down a few minutes later. They were far away from the wolf and safe now.
The horse stopped in a beautiful golden field.
Angel took a second before looking around, she knew where they were now. Her castle was just over the hill.
They stayed in silence for a moment before Angel took a second and gently touched the man's shoulder.
"Thank you…"
She softly said.
The man didn't turn.
"You shouldn't have been in these parts alone…"
Angel bit her bottom lip before touching the man's shoulder again.
"What is your name?"
The man slowly turned, as if great effort was put into the action. His long black hair hung and covered most of the left side of his face. The other side showed a slightly older striking man with a lovely gray colored eye.
He stared at her.
"Stayne…"
He managed to say.
Angel smiled, her heart was still pounding but in a different way now. Her stomach felt funny. Still smiling her hand rested on his shoulder.
"You saved me Stayne…"
"We better get you home…"
"I live…"
"Up the hill, you're the princess."
Angel looked stunned.
"You know who I am?"
"Of course I do…everyone does. Your Angel…the white princess, the one with hair like snow."
Angel smiled blushing slightly.
"Is that what they say in the village?"
Stayne slowly shook his head.
"I'm not from the village."
"Then where do you live?"
"Here…"
"The forest?"
He nodded.
"Where is your family?"
"Dead."
Angel lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry…"
"It's all right, let's get you home…"
"You live here all alone?"
"That's right."
He gently kicked the horse's sides and they silently began moving through the field. Angel used one arm to wrap around the man's waist while the other held the snow globe. Sitting there she looked up at the clear blue sky and felt the warm spring breeze blow against her skin.
"How come I've never seen you before?"
She asked, Stayne didn't bother to turn.
"Because…I don't usually leave the forest."
"How long have you lived here?"
"All my life."
Angel kept silent. Instead, she held her snow globe and waited until they rode up to the main gates of the castle. Once the horse stopped Stayne jumped off, offering his hand he helped Angel down.
Here she was able to see his face better, he looked so thin.
His cool feeling hand held her small warm one. Their eyes met and Angel's heart pounded deeper.
Stayne's eyes dropped.
Stepping forward, Angel very gently reached out towards him. Flinching away, Stayne took a step back and looked at the ground, almost ashamed.
"Please don't."
Angel cocked her head to the side and softly smiled before gently cupping the side of his face, her slim fingertips brushed away his hair and she saw what he had been hiding.
Scars, horrible deep ugly scars.
Angel's heart then had a completely different sort of ache towards it. This wasn't the ache of pity, but of pure hurt. She saw that on this man's thin and strange hidden face he was beautiful. Not the typical beauty so many people were blinded with. Not the sort that her parents often commented on about herself or the type her sister was so jealous of.
This was the beauty she saw in the willow trees. The beauty she saw whenever she laid out under the stars or chased the leafs. This was a beauty only few could see.
Stayne looked ashamed but Angel lifted his chin, making him look at her.
"What happened?"
"It was a long time ago when my parents were killed…a monster from the black sea came on the shores, it almost killed me too but I fought it."
"How awful."
"All I remember was waking up the next morning covered in the beast's blood, it had not only taken my mother and father, but my eye as well…
She saw the small leather eye patch covering him as the scars that traveled over his face. Angel's fingertips very gently touched them and Stayne watched her with uncertain eyes.
"You are very brave…and you saved my life, for that I am forever grateful."
Stayne took a step backwards and shook his head, his eyes yet again dropping to the ground.
"I'm not brave, I was just in the right place at the right time."
"True, but you must come up to meet my parents, they will very much want to meet the hero who saved their daughter's life."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"I just can't, forgive me but I must go…"
Angel sighed looking at him.
"I want to see you again."
"What?"
"I don't have many friends…my older sister is very mean to me and my parents, well…they treat me as if I'm still a child even though today I turned sixteen."
Stayne lifted his eyes.
"Today was your birthday?"
"Yes, this was a gift…see."
She shook the snow globe and Stayne's faded gray eye watched the falling snow. Twisting the key, the beautiful tune began softly playing as Stayne's and Angel's eyes locked. Slowly lowering it, she came forward and smiled.
"I hope we'll meet again Stayne, you are a very brave man."
With that she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. Stayne's breath caught as he simply stood there, taking in Angel's lovely scent of flowers. Standing back, she pushed her pure white hair away and smiled before spinning around and running up the cobble stone path towards the gates.
Stayne stood there beside his horse and very gently reached up and touched the side of his face. It had been years since someone had touched him.
At that exact moment Angel burst through the courtyard skipping with her snow globe in her hands. Gina stood by her rose garden and looked over annoyed.
"Why are you in such a good mood?"
Angel smiled as she skipped by her.
"I'm in love Gina! I'm in love!"
Gina watched her younger sister pass by before rolling her eyes once more and returning to her flowers.
"Love…"
She mumbled.
"Love is for fools…"