Standing in the cottage doorway was a grey skinned and dirty-faced creature that bore a mangled red hide, antlers like a stag, and fingernails long enough to be mistaken for claws. Though strangely it stood upright and wore clothes were commonly worn by peasant children.

"I do hope I'm not inconveniencing you madame."

He flashed a smile which revealed his dreadfully crooked teeth. The girls screamed again. Raphael barked at him suspiciously and despite being a puppy, the canine managed to briefly frighten the strange figure.

"Down Raphael!" Dolores commanded to the hound.

"A monster! Shoot it Granny!" Vagatha cried.

"No wait!" He held his hands up in defense. "I mean you no harm. Truly. I just...I can't find my way home in the storm and I don't know if I can go another step. My feet are so sore...And I..."

He trembled so much and he was half covered in snow. His teeth chattered, his lips turned blue, and his eyes were weary. Then he dropped to the floor.

"Oh my!" Dolores gasped. She put down her gun and kneeled to the creature's side. "You poor dear. Can you hear me young man?"

He didn't respond.

"Granny what is that thing?" Vagatha asked.

"It's a boy sweetheart. One who's dangerously close to catching frostbite. We must get him warm at once. Vagatha fetch some blankets, Charlotte boil some water on the fire."

"But are you mad? Look at him! That's not a boy! That's Uh...Well I don't know what that is but it doesn't look anything like a boy!"

"You'll find that a lot of things don't always appear as they are. Now hurry! Do as I say!"

Dolores immediately set to work brushing the snow off the boy's hide. After that she set him down on a cushion by the fireplace and draped the blankets Vagatha brought over him. When Charlotte was finished heating the water, Dolores soaked a cloth into the hot liquid, and used it as a compress to place on his forehead.

"This boy has definitely been through a lot. I can tell." Dolores said.

"Will he be alright?" Charlotte asked.

"He may develop a fever but we won't know for certain til he wakes." Dolores said.

"He's so strange looking."

Charlotte moved to get a closer look at his face. When she first saw him at the doorway she was certain that he wasn't human but now that she had come so near, she noticed that his face did resemble that of a boy's. But she had never seen a boy look as he did. She wondered how someone could have an appearance like his.

"Give him some space Charlotte." Dolores said. "I do not think that he would be pleased to wake up to you staring down at him. It's very rude."

"I'm sorry." She said. "I really don't mean to be rude. I just...I'm a little fascinated by him."

"We best leave him to sleep now. In fact we should all go to bed. It's become very late."

"May I stay with him?" She asked. "In case he wakes in the middle of the night."

"It's very unlikely that will happen. In the state he's in, he'll be out cold til the morning at least."

"Still I think that when he does wake he'll probably be so afraid and confused. I just think someone should be here with him."

"If you insist. I'll make up a little cot for you to sleep on but you better go straight to sleep. No sneaking into Vagatha's room to have a late night chit-chat."

"I won't. I promise."

"Granny I'm not sure if Charlotte should be left alone with this...Thing." Vagatha said. "What if it tries to hurt her?"

"Vagatha stop referring to him as an it. I told you he was a boy." Dolores said. "And I can assure you he won't be able to harm anyone. Not tonight that is."

Vagatha protested a little further but in the end Charlotte ended up sleeping on a cot at the the other side of the room. Before falling alseep, she took one last look at the boy to make sure that he was well.

She watched him shiver. He shivered even in his sleep and looked so uneasy. She noticed that strange scars and scorch marks had been made to on the boy's back, neck, and arms. She wondered where they had come from and how they were made. She was almost tempted to touch one of them but quickly refrained from doing so. Instead she draped another blanket over him and crept over to sleep on the cot Dolores had prepared.

Three hours had passed and despite what Dolores thought, Alastor did wake before morning's light. He first awoke feeling very disoriented, having forgotten what had taken place before he lost consciousness.

"What happened?" He thought.

That's when he heard something move from the other side of the room. Something on the floor, covered by a blanket. His curiosity was peeked and he approached the blanket covered lump with great caution. With one hand he took hold of the blanket and slowly pulled it back. That's when his eyes beheld the loveliest creature he would ever know. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the sleeping girl. How could he? Her skin was fairer than a virgin snowfall, her tiny, pouty lips as pink as apple blossoms, her blonde hair which could rival the sun. She was like a delicate porcelain doll come to life.

Whether this young girl was a human being, a fairy, or an angel, the boy could not decide at the first moment, so fascinated was he by her. He was certain that heaven itself couldn't have designed a more beautiful vision.

"I am dreaming." He whispered in awe. "Because something so beautiful cannot possibly be real."

Yet he dared to hope that she truly existed. He slowly extended a clawed finger to softly brush against her cheek. And when her form did not disappear at his touch, he knew that she was not a figment of his imagination.

"I best not wake her." He thought.

The young man attempted to discreetly return to his spot by the fireplace but he accidentally stepped too close to Eli who had been sleeping by his mistress's side. He became startled, yowled, and pounced which woke Charlotte instantly. However before her vision could clear, the boy pulled the blankets over himself.

"What is it Eli?" She asked while comforting the frightened kitten. "Did you have a bad dream?"

But she was quick to realize what had woken her pet when she saw the blanket covered lump hiding in the corner.

"Oh our guest is awake." She stood up from her cot and walked toward the lump with care so she didn't scare him. "Hello there."

The lump didn't answer.

"I said hello."

Still nothing.

"I know you're not asleep. I can tell that you're sitting up under there and it's awfully rude not to say hello back."

For a moment the lump still said no word but before Charlotte could speak again, it finally replied.

"Hello."

"What's the matter? Why are you hiding?" She asked. "You don't have to afraid. I won't hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Then why won't you come out?"

"I don't want you to see me."

"Why ever not?"

"You're...You're..." She could hear the bashfulness in his voice. "You're so beautiful."

For a second Charlotte blushed and looked away shyly.

"Too beautiful to look at me, who's so ugly. I wouldn't want to make you scream again."

That's when she suddenly became very ashamed and embarrassed with herself. Some princess she was, acting so rude and inconsiderate when he first arrived. Her father would have been most disappointed with such behavior.

"Please forgive me." She said with remorse."I should have not greeted you that way. I'm dreadfully sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's fine. Your reaction was a normal one."

"Please come out I promise not to scream this time."

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

"Stick a needle in my eye."

He sighed.

"Very well."

He took his time with removing the blankets from himself and once he was in full view of the young lady, she smiled at him in her most friendly manner. He returned the smile and she did not flinch or scream.

"I'm Charlotte." She introduced with a proper curtsy.

"Alastor." He introduced with a respectable bow. "Pleasure to be meeting you. Quite a pleasure."