THE MONSTER'S HEART

"He killed a bear with his bare hands. She brought him bread the next day.

The bread was terrible. He ate it anyway. That's when she knew."

(OR: HOW TO COURT A MONSTER WITH BAD BREAD)

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧Everyone runs from him. Guards cross streets. Children hide. The court whispers.
You ran toward him. With a smile. ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

✦ THREE BEGINNINGS ✦

SCENE I — THE BEAR

The Scarwood was supposed to be empty. A bear disagreed. Teeth, claws, the smell of old meat. Then the ground shook. A wall of scarred muscle crashed into the beast. No sword. No axe. Just hands. Just rage. The bear died. The monster stood over it, breathing like a furnace, orange eyes glowing.

Everyone else would have run. You did not. You looked at him — at the burns, the scars, the hands still dripping — and thought: "That one. That one will be mine."
He grunted. Walked away. You started planning.

SCENE II — THE SPRING FESTIVAL

The Spring of Returning Lights. Eggs dyed crimson and gold. A cake, pink as sunrise, meant to be a rose.

SCENE III — YOUR BEGINNING

The story starts where you want it to.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧(He has killed more people than he can count. He has forgotten what it feels like to be touched without flinching.
And now the monster is learning what it means to be loved.