As the sky grew darker, Fiona blended into the background more effectively. She clenched her eyes closed, breathing as steadily as she was able. Laying on the rock hard ground didn't help her situation. The cold was almost torture until it began to take the edge off of her sweating. She knew she couldn't make a sound - only breathe erratically, attempting to count each breath so as to distract her mind. Thankfully, as the sun sank beneath the horizon line the unorthodox pair were distracted by the fire they were re-igniting and couldn't see the way she occasionally contorted her body on the ground to handle the invisible fire that engulfed her body. Pretending to sleep gave her a reason to be still - and hey, it was something to do with the long night ahead. At least until everyone else fell asleep that was.

Every now and again she dared open an eye, to find them, to watch them. She had very quietly and very painfully managed to turn onto her back a small while ago, shifting the torturous ache from her shoulder, arm, and hip, to her lower back and shoulder blades. She didn't want them, or mostly Donkey, creeping up on her. She couldn't believe she'd rather an ogre find her in pain, but an ogre likely wouldn't care at all, and her nosiest companion would probably be curious.

She'd made quite some varied company in her adventures outside of the tower. A barnyard of chickens, a donkey, a gaggle of children, a group of rowdy friends, some very informative women, and an ogre and yet another donkey. Not to mention her plotting prince - his being the worst company of all, she had to admit. There was an odd sense of comfort within her as she shared the space with her new travel companions, especially given the cursed fire that blazed within her. She clearly wasn't doing too great by herself. No one was going to cross her or kidnap her now. Even if she kind of already was kidnapped. Was it kidnapping if they were taking her in the same direction she was already walking? In the tower she would have laughed and responded out loud to her own thoughts. She couldn't speak out loud now, she couldn't even smile as the pain seared through her body.

"So… what'ya doing?" Donkey's voice couldn't remain quiet for long. He looked at Shrek from where they were laying.

The ogre and donkey had been talking, or Donkey had been talking on and off since they returned with the firewood. But a quiet had fallen around them for a small while. They were laying closer to the edge of the cliff, looking out to the vast sky.

"I'm trying t'sleep," was the ogre's short response.

"I could see ya eyes open, Shrek."

There was a sigh. "S'a good view of the stars here." He paused. "Look."

Fiona's eyes sprung open, she tilted her head to look their way, screwing her face up in pain; the ground definitely wasn't as soft as the pillows she had endured before. She breathed out of her mouth, watching where the ogre had pointed. It was a distraction, she welcomed it.

"That's Waximus." The ogre's arm waved in a small motion indicating where the stars illustrated this person.

Fiona couldn't even begin to find the famous figure she'd never heard of - not even crane her head in a certain way. And… curiously, she did want to. She'd read books on stars and constellations. She couldn't see any stars from her tower window, but she'd longed to look at them.

"And there's his impressive wax haul, see? As big as a whole knuckle."

Ah, Fiona suddenly realised why she'd never heard of such an uncouth person. It was an ogre. She could barely hear Donkey's confused hum above her heartbeat loud in her ears - growing even louder still as an elbow grazed the ground as she shifted slightly.

"Oh and that's Throwback. The only ogre to ever spit over three wheatfields."

"Right. Yeah." Donkey's voice indicated he didn't know what Shrek was looking at. Fiona's instinct told her it was because what Shrek looked at didn't exist. Why would any ogre be written in the stars, let alone two? It seemed odd that a beast such as Shrek would have interest in something as complex and pretty as stars.

"Hey, can you tell my future from these stars?"

"Well, the stars don't tell the future, Donkey, they tell stories." Shrek's voice was patient. There was a captivation in his voice, something she hadn't heard from him. It was different from the sarcastic, cold comments he made to her. These were stories he wanted to tell.

"Look!" He pointed again with enthusiasm, catching her attention. "There's Bloodnut, the Flatulent," he sniggered, "you can guess what he's famous for."

Fiona's brow crease deepend, this time in disgust, sending the shooting pain in waves across her facial muscles

"Alright now I know you're making this up." Donkey was finally skeptical.

"No, look!" Shrek insisted, "There he is and there's the group of hunters running away from his stench."

"Man there ain't nothing but a bunch of little dots."

"Y'know Donkey, sometimes things are more than they appear, hm? Forget it." Shrek waved him off.

They fell into silence again. Fiona only wished she could be laying with them, looking to the stars, following the ogre's giant finger tip. She would be a much better investigator than Donkey, she was educated on such things and could question him. She allowed her mind to wander - welcoming the distraction from her physical limitations. Who told this ogre these stories and who would he go on to tell? Well, she supposed she was now a recipient of them. One day when she was free of her curse, she'd surely look to the sky and try to find an ogre with a knuckle-sized wad of ear wax, that would be quite the sight. Except, she probably wouldn't… with her curse broken she would be sharing her stargazing with her true love. Surely he would be gallant and above stories such as those, she couldn't repel someone like him with the insights of a lonely ogre.

She allowed herself to shift in place, sucking in a breath at the invisible needles that clawed into her skin. She clenched her lips closed, not allowing even the tiniest sound to emanate from her. From experience she knew that ogres could hear far more than humans, she could only hope that he wasn't listening to her silent struggles in that very moment. She stared at them once more. They continued to look at the stars; Shrek didn't show any signs of acknowledgement towards her.

Donkey sighed. As always he broke the silence, much to Fiona's delight. "Hey Shrek." He spoke as if he wasn't in conversation but one minute ago. "What're we gonna do when we get our swamp anyway?"

"Our swamp?" Shrek raised his voice, quick to catch onto his stolen property - stolen once by a lord she was about to be married to, and now again by a small grey donkey.

"Y'know, when we're through rescuing the princess and all that stuff."

"We? Donkey, there's no 'we', there's no 'our'. There's only me and my swamp. And the first thing I'm gonna do is build a ten foot wall around ma land."

Fiona's interest was piqued once again, but Shrek had no satisfying answer, still caught up on the unjustified claiming of his land. She warily watched as the change in topic made them rise from their relaxed positions. The ogre forcefully rolled onto his other side, away from Donkey as he muttered his hurt out loud, ears flattening.

If she was able, she would have laughed. She never knew ogres would be so dramatic in their unpleasantness. It shed a light on her younger years… and her years in the tower after that. She let her fingers lightly graze the cold rock beneath her in an attempt to give herself some grounding sensation that wasn't pain, though it didn't work. Instead, it felt like needles one by one being pushed into her fingertips. She grimaced through the torture, watching intently as Donkey stood, ears raising once more.

"You know what I think?" He wandered over to Shrek's head. "I think this whole wall thing is just a way to keep somebody out."

"No, d'ye think?" The biting sarcasm was back. He resisted the conversation Fiona longed to hear, rolling over once again. Donkey only skipped over to face him.

"Are you hiding something?"

"Nevermind, Donkey." Shrek rolled onto his back.

The animal only loomed over him. "Ohhh this is another one of those onion things, isn't it?"

"No, this is one of those drop it and leave it alone things."

"Well why don't you wanna talk about it?"

"Why do you want to talk about it?"

"Well why are you blocking?"

"I'm not blocking."

The pair turned from side to side, the ogre avoiding the donkey and Donkey not allowing him to escape. The hint of a smile finally broke on her face as she watched. Despite her aching, she finally felt the cool against the rough surface of the rock she laid upon.

"Donkey, I'm warning you." Shrek finally propped himself up, coming face to face with Donkey, and also facing her cave.

Fiona squeezed her eyes shut with such force she could feel a trickle of sweat fall down her face. She held her breath, it only made the burning grow.

"Who you tryna keep out, just tell me that, Shrek! Who?"

"EVERYONE okay?" Shrek finally lost it, shouting at him. Fiona dared open an eye, letting go of her breath.

"Well now we're getting somewhere!" Donkey was nothing less than thrilled by the explosion.

"Oh fer the love of Pete!" Shrek stood, turning and walking away. She let her curious gaze follow him.

"Hey, what's your problem, Shrek? What you got against the whole world anyway, huh?" Donkey grilled him. She listened, her interest so captured for just a second she had forgotten about her situation.

Shrek turned back as he sat on the cliff edge. "Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It's the world that has a problem with me. People take one look at me and go 'Ahh! Help! Run! It's a big, stupid, ugly ogre'." He sighed, ears drooping in a way she'd only seen in the mirror. "They judge me before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone."

Silence.

Silence from Donkey's chatter, silence from Fiona's brain. She could barely even hear her deepened heartbeat. She watched intently as Donkey approached Shrek and took a seat beside him on the cliff edge.

"Y'know what? When we met, I didn't think you were just a big, stupid, ugly ogre."

"Yah, I know."

Did she think that? Fiona suddenly became intensely uncomfortable laying on the rock, more so than she already had been. She desperately wanted to shuffle, move, anything to release the strange sense of unease that rushed over her body. But any movement would cause her more pain than she was willing to trade.

"So um… Are there any donkeys up there?" Donkey broke the silence quickly. She desperately tried to cling onto every word he said.

"Well…" Shrek's usual tone was back. "There's um, Gabby, the Small… and Annoying."

"Okay, okay, I see it, I see it now. There, that big shiny one. Right there. That one there?"

"That's the moon."

"Oh…"

She would have smiled again, like before, but the peace had left her. Her attempts to ignore the burning proved less successful. The princess took slow and steady breaths, trying her best to be quiet, blowing her breath out through pursed O shaped lips.

This was better than being an ogre, right?

The question hit her consciousness. Guilt. She identified the emotion coursing through her brain. She had been so terrible to Shrek after finding out he rescued her from those awful human men. She had blamed the ogre part of herself for every bad thing and feeling that ever happened to her, because ogres were bad things… right? Fiona shifted one leg, tensing herself at the pain it caused. Ogres deserved the lives they led because they were detestable. She was hidden away in her room and thrown into a tower for a decade because she was detestable like that… right? Of course. The message was everywhere… Ogres were shameful, their fate was known from the moment they were born. They were hidden away in the dark corners of the world and living alone where no one could see them… even if they were a princess half the time. She moved an arm, fingers caressing the rock wishing for the cool sensation from before; it only burned. Her hands were shaking. But she wasn't a real ogre, she was a beautiful princess who was only a beast half the time.

She focused more intently on the pair sitting on the cliff edge, hoping desperately to quiet her thoughts.

"Maybe donkeys don't see stars the same 'cuz I don't see a hoof anywhere."

"Maybe you'll see 'em better in the morning, Donkey." Shrek ruffled his friend's head.

"Yeh, yeh… maybe - wait, Shrek, the stars don't come out in the morning."

The ogre… he'd had an outburst for a moment but he didn't seem to be having such a terrible time with his own existence, not like she always did. Perhaps living her double life meant she had it worse than real ogres. He seemed comfortable with being out in the world. Coming across people only brought him joy, in a twisted ogre way of course. He just got to be hated on twenty-four-seven by the whole world, while she was protected from it. Hm. She turned her head, looking at the top of the cave, her neck protesting the movement on top of the invisible glass that slashed against her scalp as she shifted. She opened her mouth in a silent cry of pain, sucking in a breath, gulping at air quietly. Well - her brain battled with her still - Shrek and other ogres weren't locked in a tower for half of their lives. That was worse, at least they were free to be hated. She got the worst end of the stick from both species it seemed.

Another thought hit her… she wasn't an ogre anymore to even make a comparison. Instead, she was plagued with horrific pain every single night. Never did she think she'd wish to be an ogre again. But for the first time ever, she did. Except, she didn't want to. The discomfort within her grew. The burning within her grew. She had to shift. She gently planted her forearms in position on the ground and leaned into her elbows and heels to shift her body - she never got the chance to. The ground felt like knives tearing open her skin to the bone. She gasped, dropping what little weight she had managed to lift and let out a squeak, immediately clamping her eyes closed and mouth shut, breathing hard.

"Princess?"

Princess Fiona sighed, her lungs ached as she did so. Her head was pounding as she opened an eye to peek. Both Shrek and Donkey were watching her.

"Y'okay, Princess?" Donkey was concerned for her, of course he was.

"Yes!" She spoke loudly, too loudly. "I'm fine!"

"Well… I ain't no doctor but you don't look fine," he observed, standing from his position on the cliff edge, slowly approaching her.

Fiona acknowledged her body; her elbows still planted on the ground, arms in the air with strangled, strained fingers, her knees askew, propped up at the heel. She gently lowered her limbs to rest on the ground, clenching her teeth at the effort to do so. She wanted to sit up to speak to them and explain, but she couldn't. Instead, she had to pathetically lay there, sweating and trembling in the dark as Donkey approached her.

"Woah… uh- what happened?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

"I-uh…" The dark wasn't enough to cover her. The moon was bright in the sky and the fire cast flickering light through the entrance to the cave, she could only imagine her face would be glistening. "I'm cursed," she spoke quietly, glancing between the animal and the ogre who was still sitting on the cliff edge, watching them.

"Cursed?" Donkey repeated the key word loudly.

"Yes," she confirmed. "To be in pain every night." Her words didn't do the experience justice, no words could.

"Every night?" Donkey wasn't done with the interrogation. "How come you was sleeping so deep last night?"

The ogre stood from his place and slowly approached the fire. He didn't seem to want to get any closer to the conversation. Given her confession, he probably figured out she'd heard his own just a moment earlier. He sat next to the fire, taking a stick and prodding it. As disinterested as he tried to be, his ears were perked up giving him away.

"I had sleeping potions in my bag… and now that's- that's…" She forced herself to stop, tears building in her eyes. "The curse is the pain… Well- it wasn't… but now it is. It was changed." Her mind didn't know where to focus. She tried her best to keep herself from shivering, she couldn't wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Every night from sunset to sunrise I turned into a-" she stopped herself, eyes suddenly meeting the ogre's. He was watching her. She looked away just as quickly. "It doesn't matter… not anymore. A terrible terrible fairy wanted me to marry her son to break the curse. So he rescued me but I didn't love him," she paused to swallow down a sob, "They're trying to force me to fall in love with him, so they changed something in the curse… and now I spend every night like this…" Frustration poured out of her mouth with the words she spoke. "...In so much pain it hurts to move a finger." An involuntary tear fell from her face, she picked up an arm to wipe it away and was reminded yet again of why she couldn't do so. She pressed her lips together, trying to muffle any squeaks or groans that may escape her.

Donkey's face was creased up, watching her with great concern. "You said the one who rescued you wasn't your true love, but you for sure didn't say that he hurt you! And got his momma to do it too. He should be ashamed of himself!"

She would have nodded if she could, but she only stared at him, her own lip threatening to tremble.

"Man, that's some messed up fairy tale." He stood, pacing beside her. "That's…"

"Donkey." Shrek's low warning stopped Donkey's words.

The animal looked between them before he noticed her emotional state. Surprise trickled through the storm that was raging in her brain. She didn't imagine ogres could tell when someone was upset or hurting. She'd always believed that her own compassion was what set her apart from real ogres. Real ogres didn't get upset and hurt and cry; she spent most of her time at night being upset, hurting, and crying. After hearing Shrek's confession she was sure he'd spent plenty of time hurting, if not crying. Perhaps her own ogre had been more genuine than she thought.

It didn't matter now anyway. She took another deep breath, a tear spilling from her eye.

"Aw Princess, now you're gonna make me cry," he sympathised with her, "But hey, it'll all be better in the morning! You said so yourself!" With every haphazard hoofstep he edged backwards, away from the opening of the cave. "Maybe we should leave you alone to get a little shut eye-"

"No!" She halted Donkey's movement. The sudden thought of being alone with her thoughts, in silence, in pain terrified her. "Stay here… and keep talking."

"Until sunrise?" Donkey was shocked by her request.

His question prompted a snigger from the ogre outside. "Y'know, Donkey, maybe a challenge is what ya need, maybe ye'll run out of things t'say and be quiet all day tomorrow."

After a short period of contemplation, Donkey's ears perked up. "Alright, okay! Yah! I can talk…" he spoke enthusiastically. "I'm a talented conversationalist if I do say so myself." He trotted around in a circle finding a place to settle for his night-long endeavour. "So where'd ya want me to start, I've got a lot of stories."

Fiona watched him as he continued to talk. It didn't matter what he said - recollecting the waffles from earlier, long ago farmyard labour, sleeping in the rain, piñatas - it didn't seem like he cared either. She met Shrek's eye once again, he met hers. His expression was almost like the strange endearment he had for Donkey, except not quite. She couldn't place it. They lingered for just longer than a second before she furrowed her brow at a new stabbing sensation in her side and looked away.

. . .

Sorry for the long wait on this one, 2023 has been a YEAR and we're reaching the season finale of it. FFN was also shitting the bed, so there's that. Here's hoping this site doesn't go allll the way down. I will cry. Anyway. New chapter! Thank you for reading!