HOME | DD

Description
Once upon a time a Princess wandered, although she walked as if she knew where she were going, in a deepening snow. Coming upon a cabin, she knocked.

[Princess runs away after over-hearing wicked step mother's evil plan to... Steal her youth (maybe)...
The Princess is caught in a snowstorm and comes upon a cabin,]

Her knocks were met with silence, she knocked again; to her horror an inhuman scream to "GO AWAY!" met them, but the gathering storm was still more frightening than any demon she could imagine possessed such a voice, which almost seemed sad.

(& she couldn't imagine much of a demon, after all she was a sheltered princess)

She pleaded to be let in and received the response, "Come then, if you fear death so... but stay by the door! in case you change your mind...".

The Princess entered reticently in spite of the inviting warmth & glow of Candles filling the room on book shelves lighting the walls, and a roaring fire. Shutting the door she stood by it still feeling somewhat cut off from the warmth.

(The entry way was icy & dusted with snow)

At first she thought the voice must have belonged to a ghost for she saw no one, but then, hidden beneath a heap of rags she saw a pair of eyes peering out at a single candle on a table far from the fire, & too near to her.

"Could I trouble you for a candle? For warmth?"

"If you are too afraid to go to the fire, choose any candle-FROM THE SHELVES-you like, but don't wonder away with it."

The--Man?-- said all of this while remaining still & staring transfixed by his candle, speaking in a strict tone diminished but close still, to the banshee's wail she'd heard through the door. She took the nearest candle and held it close, staring at the flames dancing in his eyes... Pulling herself from the trance she asked "why don't you read a book? You have so many, and.... its just, all this light seems, seems a bit of a waste!" in a voice tinged with fear.

"A WASTE TO WARM YOUR BONES, MAYBE!" In a calmer tone, "I have read every book here..." Stiffly, "Many twice." Calmer still, tired even, "Read what you like, just take care, girl." His tepid eyes not matching his voice, peaked out from beneath hood and rags wrapped round his face, far from glazed over, refocused, back on the flame with a frightening intensity that made the princess blanch; she hesitated for a bit watching his consciousness engulfed by that tiny flame. She did not notice that it did not flicker as it burned like the others, nor did the wax melt.

Seeing he would not stir at her slight motion, she grew bolder as time went on until, staying by the candle strewn shelves, she made her way around the room to the Fire Place. Where she sat after placing her candle on the brick.

The princess's presence, looking a bit sad & wet from the storm, began to break his fevered attention on the candle, and hold it to her, but with a calmer enchanting wakefulness!... soon he came over to sit with the dozing princess. But As he sat down, there was a scare over the candle, as the princess sighed, he set it under a stool off to the side and let her fall asleep leaning against him. After a while he Wrapped half his musty cloak about her, She soon sneezed awake, to find him sitting with her, hand on her shoulder, she sat up beginning to smack him, he calmed down when he realized her aim was the cloak, to beat the dust off, and she leaned back against him placing his hand back on her shoulder and hers atop it.

He awoke to her face under the stool,

"Don't BREATHE!"

"it doesn't seem to melt at all!"

she clammed up as he frantically gestured as her breath tickled the flame, withdrawing her head from beneath the stool.

"I thought you'd changed it during the night, but I've been watching it".

He removed the stool and carefully slowly, carried it to the table.

"Is it magic?"

"yes, it must never go out"

"why not?",

"...I, I... can't remember".

"I'm sorry."

He looked at her, and back at the candle feeling it as he began to lose himself in it again.

"Do you have anything for breakfast?"

Snapping out of it, his mind awake more than it had been... in years, eyes bright

"I, only eat an apple off the tree, when hunger overwhelms..."

he said trailing off at the thought of what occupied his mind so long, its purpose forgotten, yet its significance remembered to exclusion.

"but its, its winter..."

"oh, well its fish then" he said glancing out the window with narrow eyes, at bare branches rustling, and then at her, softening his gaze.

"I.. I..."

"yes?",

Mustering courage not at the question, he asked "are you hungry"

"yessir"

Removing a box from beneath the table he opened it and unwrapped a four sided glass box, carefully placing it over the candle, moving to the center of the room he flipped up the carpet and opened a trap door slowly, as a breeze wisped past him he cringed turning back to check the flame which still burned.
they went down to an absolute hoard of flour & salted meat.

"Why would you let yourself starve if you're so well stocked!?"

"I don't leave the cabin on windy days" he said sadly, haunted.

She put her hand on his arm, "lets get some provisions & have some breakfast."

Jovially she cooked, while he read to her from one of his favorite books, taking care that the pages were turned slowly even with the book on the other side of the table from the candle.. until she placed a plate of food in front of him smiling... joy flying from her face at his eyes filled with tears

"what's wrong?"

she pleaded, "I must weep, or die! I am cursed! If I show my face you will be horror-stricken, you would flee or try and kill me." her hands about her face,

"but Why? Why?"

"I am no longer a man, but a creature"

"have, have you not the gentleness I have seen? Was I bewitched, did I imagine it?"

"no"

"Are you transformed at the moon, a lunatic? And its daytime.."

"no, no, it is only my face, its, its not human, not human at all" he confessed with a sorrowful moan

"& I should hate you, kill you, for a face, however strange, attached to those eyes, those same eyes I have seen, that I know well deserve better?" With consternation she took to his hood and uncovered with eyes a little wide, horns drooping down, and at removal of the scarf and adjusting of the shirt, Tusks, in what seemed but for its attachment to a man's tortured eyes, a horse's mouth. looking him over..

"well no, that doesn't look right at all.. now eat, and maybe you'd like to read to me from your book, after, we were having such a nice time."

She went back to the fire to get her own plate, when she came back he'd eaten all and excused himself back to the fire, throwing his hood up, "I.. don't feel much like reading, but the place is marked." She did not see him pull his shirt up over his face or wrap the scarf about it, only he seemed to be holding the scarf folded, to his eyes. She noted his voice had been clear, and his breathing was steady and loud.

After she finished eating she closed the book and found him as before, but asleep. She carefully opened a side of the cloak and leaned against him reaching up to rest her hand on his shoulder, he did not stir, and they slept.

Description
Once upon a time a Princess wandered, although she walked as if she knew where she were going, in a deepening snow. Coming upon a cabin, she knocked.

[Princess runs away after over-hearing wicked step mother's evil plan to... Steal her youth (maybe)...
The Princess is caught in a snowstorm and comes upon a cabin,]

Her knocks were met with silence, she knocked again; to her horror an inhuman scream to "GO AWAY!" met them, but the gathering storm was still more frightening than any demon she could imagine possessed such a voice, which almost seemed sad.

(& she couldn't imagine much of a demon, after all she was a sheltered princess)

She pleaded to be let in and received the response, "Come then, if you fear death so... but stay by the door! in case you change your mind...".

The Princess entered reticently in spite of the inviting warmth & glow of Candles filling the room on book shelves lighting the walls, and a roaring fire. Shutting the door she stood by it still feeling somewhat cut off from the warmth.

(The entry way was icy & dusted with snow)

At first she thought the voice must have belonged to a ghost for she saw no one, but then, hidden beneath a heap of rags she saw a pair of eyes peering out at a single candle on a table far from the fire, & too near to her.

"Could I trouble you for a candle? For warmth?"

"If you are too afraid to go to the fire, choose any candle-FROM THE SHELVES-you like, but don't wonder away with it."

The--Man?-- said all of this while remaining still & staring transfixed by his candle, speaking in a strict tone diminished but close still, to the banshee's wail she'd heard through the door. She took the nearest candle and held it close, staring at the flames dancing in his eyes... Pulling herself from the trance she asked "why don't you read a book? You have so many, and.... its just, all this light seems, seems a bit of a waste!" in a voice tinged with fear.

"A WASTE TO WARM YOUR BONES, MAYBE!" In a calmer tone, "I have read every book here..." Stiffly, "Many twice." Calmer still, tired even, "Read what you like, just take care, girl." His tepid eyes not matching his voice, peaked out from beneath hood and rags wrapped round his face, far from glazed over, refocused, back on the flame with a frightening intensity that made the princess blanch; she hesitated for a bit watching his consciousness engulfed by that tiny flame. She did not notice that it did not flicker as it burned like the others, nor did the wax melt.

Seeing he would not stir at her slight motion, she grew bolder as time went on until, staying by the candle strewn shelves, she made her way around the room to the Fire Place. Where she sat after placing her candle on the brick.

The princess's presence, looking a bit sad & wet from the storm, began to break his fevered attention on the candle, and hold it to her, but with a calmer enchanting wakefulness!... soon he came over to sit with the dozing princess. But As he sat down, there was a scare over the candle, as the princess sighed, he set it under a stool off to the side and let her fall asleep leaning against him. After a while he Wrapped half his musty cloak about her, She soon sneezed awake, to find him sitting with her, hand on her shoulder, she sat up beginning to smack him, he calmed down when he realized her aim was the cloak, to beat the dust off, and she leaned back against him placing his hand back on her shoulder and hers atop it.

He awoke to her face under the stool,

"Don't BREATHE!"

"it doesn't seem to melt at all!"

she clammed up as he frantically gestured as her breath tickled the flame, withdrawing her head from beneath the stool.

"I thought you'd changed it during the night, but I've been watching it".

He removed the stool and carefully slowly, carried it to the table.

"Is it magic?"

"yes, it must never go out"

"why not?",

"...I, I... can't remember".

"I'm sorry."

He looked at her, and back at the candle feeling it as he began to lose himself in it again.

"Do you have anything for breakfast?"

Snapping out of it, his mind awake more than it had been... in years, eyes bright

"I, only eat an apple off the tree, when hunger overwhelms..."

he said trailing off at the thought of what occupied his mind so long, its purpose forgotten, yet its significance remembered to exclusion.

"but its, its winter..."

"oh, well its fish then" he said glancing out the window with narrow eyes, at bare branches rustling, and then at her, softening his gaze.

"I.. I..."

"yes?",

Mustering courage not at the question, he asked "are you hungry"

"yessir"

Removing a box from beneath the table he opened it and unwrapped a four sided glass box, carefully placing it over the candle, moving to the center of the room he flipped up the carpet and opened a trap door slowly, as a breeze wisped past him he cringed turning back to check the flame which still burned.
they went down to an absolute hoard of flour & salted meat.

"Why would you let yourself starve if you're so well stocked!?"

"I don't leave the cabin on windy days" he said sadly, haunted.

She put her hand on his arm, "lets get some provisions & have some breakfast."

Jovially she cooked, while he read to her from one of his favorite books, taking care that the pages were turned slowly even with the book on the other side of the table from the candle.. until she placed a plate of food in front of him smiling... joy flying from her face at his eyes filled with tears

"what's wrong?"

she pleaded, "I must weep, or die! I am cursed! If I show my face you will be horror-stricken, you would flee or try and kill me." her hands about her face,

"but Why? Why?"

"I am no longer a man, but a creature"

"have, have you not the gentleness I have seen? Was I bewitched, did I imagine it?"

"no"

"Are you transformed at the moon, a lunatic? And its daytime.."

"no, no, it is only my face, its, its not human, not human at all" he confessed with a sorrowful moan

"& I should hate you, kill you, for a face, however strange, attached to those eyes, those same eyes I have seen, that I know well deserve better?" With consternation she took to his hood and uncovered with eyes a little wide, horns drooping down, and at removal of the scarf and adjusting of the shirt, Tusks, in what seemed but for its attachment to a man's tortured eyes, a horse's mouth. looking him over..

"well no, that doesn't look right at all.. now eat, and maybe you'd like to read to me from your book, after, we were having such a nice time."

She went back to the fire to get her own plate, when she came back he'd eaten all and excused himself back to the fire, throwing his hood up, "I.. don't feel much like reading, but the place is marked." She did not see him pull his shirt up over his face or wrap the scarf about it, only he seemed to be holding the scarf folded, to his eyes. She noted his voice had been clear, and his breathing was steady and loud.

After she finished eating she closed the book and found him as before, but asleep. She carefully opened a side of the cloak and leaned against him reaching up to rest her hand on his shoulder, he did not stir, and they slept.