“Once upon a time, before the time we know, there was a princess. She was like many other princesses before her, she was pretty and kind and loved by many people. Suitors came to the door daily to ask for her hand in marriage but she turned them all away.
For she had a secret.
Underneath her mask of kindness lay a woman who was enchanted by the darker side of things.
Perhaps that was why her heart had been stolen by the spirit of Decay and she had stolen his in return.
Her father quickly tired of her constant refusal to marry and, without her knowledge, arranged a match between her and the son of a wealthy duke.
When she found out, she ran and hid away in her room, ranting and raving to her equally enraged lover.
Together, they hatched a plan. A plan that they would never be able to pull off.
They were discovered and, chained in a cage like animals, burned. Only the princess died.
But they say that she is reborn once in a hundred years, searching for her lost-”
“Bernice, are you telling her fairy tales again?” the irritated, high-pitched voice of the older woman cut off the much calmer voice of the younger.
“She is a child. You dont get those years back,” Bernice sighed and rose from where she had been sat beside the young girl’s bed. “I’m quite certain that you cannot remember your childhood fondly.”
“That’s besides the point. If you fill her head with tales of princes and princesses, she’ll start to believe the lies.”
With that, the woman turned on her heel and strode out of the dormitory.
Bernice rolled her eyes and looked down at the little girl. Somewhen during that exchange, she’d fallen asleep.
“It would do you well to remember that there is a little truth in every tale,” her eyes flashed gold. “After all, how else would people be warned?”
She blinked and her eyes faded to hazel brown.
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cheshireinunderland 