This is a tiny tale of love in a faraway land.
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom surrounded by a deep, dark forest. The forest was a frightening place, filled with beasts and ruled by a powerful witch. Even during the day, the forest could be as dark as the winter night. Because of this, humans rarely ventured inside.
Yet, as terrible as the forest was, a lonely singing voice would always pierce the darkness when the moon shone.
The voice belonged to the Beast, a horrible monster cursed unfairly by her fate. Unlike the other monsters of the forest, the Beast's heart was filled with neither cruelty nor malice, but rather, an aching loneliness that threatened to swallow her whole. But even if her heart may have been pure, the Beast knew that to anyone else, she would be nothing more than a frightening monster. Something to be feared and reviled and hated.
Something that would always remain alone.
So every night atop the ruins of the tower, the Beast would sing toward the moon, hoping that the Goddess would hear her plea.
Goddess have mercy. Speed me to your side, I beg of thee and take away this aching emptiness deep inside my heart. Goddess have mercy.
And every night, the Goddess would remain silent.
These lonely nights continued, even as the seasons changed. On a night like any other, the Beast sang her prayer to the moon and waited with a heavy heart for her prayers to once again, go unanswered.
However, tonight was different.
Instead of silence, there was the sound of applause.
"Wow!" went a loud voice, cutting through the quiet of the night. "What a beautiful song! But so sad too! You're gonna make me cry, I swear!"
The voice badly startled the Beast, and she nearly slipped off the edge of the tower, barely catching herself in time. What? Who was that? Who had been listening in on her prayer? Hesitantly, the Beast peeked over the edge of the tower.
A human girl, eyes aglow and shining in the moonlight, bright pink hair done in high twintails, was standing at the base of the ruins. She was the princess of the kingdom, a cheerful girl who was well-loved by the people, even with her notoriously lazy streak.
That night, the princess had heard the Beast's sad song carried on the wind, and the haunting melody had instantly captivated her. Who could make a song sound so beautiful yet at the same time, so lost? The princess just had to know!
Under the cover of darkness, the princess sneaked out of the castle and into the woods, her brother's warning echoing in her mind.
"Only monsters and the mad witch lie in the woods," the prince had told her. "Not to mention the horrible Beast that kills any who lay eyes on it. Please, sister, stay out of the woods, if you know what's best for you."
But the princess would not be deterred. As delicate as she was, the princess was also strong and uniquely fearless. She would find the mysterious singer, and she would find out why they sounded so very heartbroken.
As the princess continued to clap, her head twisted every which way, searching eagerly for the mysterious voice. "How about an encore, pretty please?" the princess asked to the night sky.
Frightened, the Beast ducked back into the shadows, shaking like a leaf in the wind. "A human! A human!" thought the terrified Beast, curling into herself. The Beast was deathly afraid of humans. They were cruel creatures, maybe even crueler than the monsters of the forest, with their sharp swords and cold steel and love of fire. Terrible, frightening humans who would love nothing more than to see the Beast dead.
"What if she brings more of them? Oh no, no, no!"
Without another thought, the Beast turned tail and fled, dashing down the ruins of the tower and back into the dark forest, away from the human. She ran as fast she could into the darkness, fear giving her legs strength, even as the princess continued to forlornly ask the empty night sky for one more song.
For three days and three nights, the Beast roamed the forest, nervous and afraid. She would jump at any sudden noise, any flash of movement, for fear of a human hunting party. For three days and three nights, the Beast lived in a constant sense of apprehension and misery.
And yet, after three days and three nights and nothing came, the Beast began to wonder.
"The Goddess can't hear my prayers so deep in the forest," the Beast thought miserably. "If I want her to take me to her side, I must ask at the place where I am closest to her."
The thought of returning to the ruined tower filled the Beast with quiet dread. And yet, strangely, the Beast had another thought that gave her some small peace of mind.
"That human... she called my prayers beautiful."
The Beast had never been praised for her singing before, and yet, the odd human had applauded her so innocently and freely. It was a strange feeling, but for some reason, the Beast didn't mind it as much as she thought she would.
"It's been long enough, I suppose," the Beast reasoned to herself, "I doubt the human would be foolish enough to step back in the forest again."
So on the fourth night, the Beast quietly made her way back to the tower beneath the moonlit sky and sang her lonely prayer once again to the Goddess.
And once again, the Goddess was silent.
However...
"You're back!"
The sound of applause broke the silence, badly surprising the Beast yet again. Surprise quickly turned into disbelief.
No, surely not. It couldn't be...?
The Beast peered down.
But it was.
There, standing at the base of the ruins, like she had never left, was the same strange human.
"I'm sorry if I scared you off the first time," apologized the princess, wringing her hands together. The princess had gone back to the ruined tower every night since hearing the haunting melody, and every night, she would reluctantly return back to the castle, disappointed that the mysterious singer seemed to have vanished into the air. The princess knew it was her fault; she had been too pushy, too curious, and that had frightened them off, no doubt.
But now that the voice was back! Back again and this time, the princess wasn't about to let them go, not until she made things right.
"Please don't disappear again. I promise I'll just sit here quietly and listen! Not even a little peep!" said the princess, close to almost begging. "I promise. I just want to be friends!"
The Beast was dumbfounded. Who was this foolish human to come seeking her company of all living things, not once, but twice? And for what, to be...
Friends?
Imagine that, a human being friends with a monster.
Absurd. Absolutely absurd.
"What a foolish human," the Beast muttered to herself, staring down at the ground in disbelief. "What a strange creature. She should waste her time on more worthwhile things. Not a monster like me."
But even as the Beast said those words, she could not help her curiosity from piquing. Strange as the human was, her words sounded genuine and heartfelt. The princess had to be if she was brave enough to venture into the dark forest all by herself, just to listen to the Beast sing, of all things.
And for the first time ever, the strange human's honesty tugged at something deep within the Beast's chest.
Friends... What a strange word.
"Well, if all she want's do is listen... I suppose there's no harm in letting her," the Beast thought reluctantly.
At the top of the tower, a little way from where the Beast stood, grew a small patch of flowers. Liar Lillies, as the humans called them, since they only opened their fickle buds in the midnight moonlight, the time when all honest folk went to bed. With one long claw, the Beast carefully sliced a stalk, sending it drifting down the tower.
The bud landed at the princess's feet. At the sight of the flower, the princess's face broke out in a broad, warm smile that even the Beast could see from high up. The princess picked up the flower, cradling carefully in her hands like a rare treasure.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" the princess looked up, even though all she could see was the large looming shadow of the ruins. But that was fine. Even if she couldn't see the mysterious singer, the princess felt that the warm budding friendship would be more than enough.
"I'll be back again tomorrow, okay? Good night! And sweet dreams!"
And with that promise, the princess took the flower and left, leaving the Beast not as alone as she once was.
What a strange human.
True to her word, the princess showed up the next night. And the night after that and the night after that and the night after that ...
At first, the Beast simply ignored the strange human and continued on with her prayers to the Goddess, which was easy enough to do. The human was a considerate and attentive audience, content to remain silent and listen peacefully to the Beast sing. Sometimes, the Beast even forgot the human was there, if not for the sound of loud, enthusiastic applause afterward.
Several nights passed in this way, and soon, the Beast slowly found herself warming to the strange human. It was an odd feeling, having a receptive audience compliment the Beast in such an honest and eager way. But knowing that even a monster like her could bring such pure joy to another being was... well...
It was... nice too.
...Just a little.
Slowly, the Beast's prayers to the Goddess began to shift ever so slightly. The Beast still prayed fervently for the Goddess to answer her wish, but she also started adding a small prayer for the strange human as well.
"Goddess, if you can hear me, guide her path safely back to the castle."
"Goddess, please, never let the joy fade from her eyes. Let her always be happy and healthy, and may you shield her from sadness."
They were small things. Well wishes and safe travels, little favors that the Beast thought the Goddess would not begrudge granting. But the most important prayer of all for the human was one the Beast hoped the Goddess would always allow until the end of time, no matter what.
Or else this little happiness the Beast had finally found would come to an end.
"Goddess, I beg of thee, please, please, please, never let her see me for the monster that I am."
The princess was dying of curiosity.
For several nights, the mysterious singer on the top of the ruined tower had captured her imagination. The lonely song they sang every night haunted her every waking moment. If not for the Liar Lillies that drifted down from the top of the tower after each passing night, the princess might've thought that the voice belonged to a particularly sad ghost.
"Somebody with such a pretty voice doesn't deserve to sound so sad," thought the princess, resolving herself that night as she stared wistfully out her window. "I've gotta do something about it! They deserve to be happy!"
So the headstrong princess took the Liar Lillies that she had been collecting and set about weaving them into a beautiful little flower crown, one that would make even the fairy and fey folk green with envy. Usually, she would have found a servant to do the work for her, but not tonight. If tonight was to be special, then the princess wanted to make it special all by herself.
Once she was finished and satisfied, the princess happily tucked the crown safely into her pouch and set off into the forest.
Unknowing of the misfortune her little gift would bring.
On a night like any other, the Beast sang her prayer to the moon. It was the same, quiet evening for the Beast, and once she finished, she waited for the usual sound of the princess's applause to come.
However, the princess had other ideas. As soon as the song was finished, the princess stood up and began to climb the crumbling tower, determined to see the mysterious singer with her own two eyes.
"I hope whoever they are, they'll like my gift," thought the princess, her heart full as she slowly made her way upwards toward the voice that haunted her dreams. "I hope they're pretty and wonderful and sweet. And most of all, I hope they'll be my friend!"
Above, the Beast waited and waited, but the usual sound of clapping never came. Confused, the Beast glanced down below.
"What?! Is... is that the human!?" The Beast recoiled in shock. "What is she doing? Is she trying to get up here?"
"Oh no, no no!" the Beast panicked, trembling and shaking as the princess's head began to peek over the edge. "She'll hate me if she sees me! No one should see what I really look like, no, no no!"
Out of fear, the Beast extended a large paw to cover the human's eyes, forgetting at that moment, just how sharp and terrible her claws were.
Slash!
"Ahhhh!"
The princess reeled back in shock and pain as her vision turned pitch black. "M-my eyes!" she cried out, trying desperately to wipe away the inky darkness.
The flower crown fell from her hands, drifting into the darkness below, but the princess was too distracted by fear and agony to notice. Just before her vision turned dark, the princess had caught a glimpse of something large and dark and horrid, looming like a grim shade and frightening her to the very core.
In her agony, the princess stumbled backward, unaware of how close to the edge she was. Her foot slipped on the crumbling parapet, and with a scream, the princess began to fall, plummeting straight for the ground.
"I-if a human falls from this height, they' ll-!"
The Beast surged forward and seized the princess's arm. At the same time, the terrified princess felt the same beastly presence on her arm as the one that had just scratched out her eyes, and her dread increased tenfold.
"L-let me go!" The princess began to yell and struggle, trying desperately to escape the Beast's clutches. The Beast, alarmed by her yells, flinched, accidentally letting the princess's arms slip through her grasp.
There was a moment when time seemed to stand still. At that moment, despite the overwhelming fear and pain, the only thought going through the princess's mind was for the mysterious singer and that they managed to escape from the monster's clutches.
"They deserve to be happy," was the princess's last thought before the darkness overtook her.
"No!" screamed the Beast, watching on in horror as the princess's figure grew smaller and smaller.
Maybe it was a miracle by the Goddess, or perhaps it was the fickle hand of fate, but a sudden gust of wind blew through the forest. The princess's body was shunted to the side, landing roughly in a small cropping of bushes. Bruised, beaten, bloodied...
But alive.
All the strength vanished from the Beast's legs, and she fell to her knees, sobbing as guilt and relief overwhelmed her. Thank the Goddess. Thank the Goddess. The princess was alive. Thank you Goddess.
"Hey, what's all that racket?"
The Beast stiffened as a soldier from the kingdom emerged from the forest, bow and arrow in hand. The soldier had been on patrol nearby, but the sound of screams had drawn his attention.
The soldier stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the princess's motionless form. His eyes traveled up the tower, and he let out a horrified gasp when he saw the hideous form of the Beast, lurking in the shadow of the moon.
"B-Beast! It's the Beast!"
The soldier drew back the bow and let the arrow fly. It narrowly missed the Beast, who was torn between running away and worry for the princess. But as the sounds of more soldiers grew closer and closer, the Beast realized with a sinking heart that there was nothing she could do.
Nothing at all.
So with tears streaming down her face, the Beast turned tail and ran, alone, back into the forest, back into the darkness where she rightfully belonged.