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O nce upon a time, there lived a princess who loved the light and the dark.

Who dreamed in pinks and purples and blacks. Who wished the prince and the villain could be the same person. Because who better to see her light amongst the darkness than someone who mirrored the very things that scared others away?

The princess dreamed the kind of dreams that had her lips curling into a smile. She also had nightmares that tore soundless screams from her. And still, she waited for the one person who would understand, and never run away. Like her father did.

But the young princess soon learned that hiding her darkness meant she could pretend to be only light, so that people stayed. And as she grew up, it lingered in her. A constant companion that soothed her and scared her in equal measure. But still, she hid it away like a treasured secret. Until one day, she was all grown up.

A princess without a prince, who didn’t need saving. A girl who still felt the darkness at every turn, but always fed the light.

She knew two wolves lived within her, and chose to feed one, while still refusing to let go of the other.

And whose darkness drew others to her, who watched from the shadows. Reveling in their own depths. Possessive and wanting her in ways no other had. In one case, like no one ever would after him.

The only question was, which wolf would win.

The little boy never wanted to be a hero. At least, not the kind of hero normal people thought of. Those heroes weren’t real. Not in the way people needed. Because they only did things for the adoration of others. But he never worried about people loving him.

He didn’t want to save a damsel in distress. No, those other ‘heroes’ had that covered.

He knew that one day, he would be the kind of hero that someone would need. And that someone would be his entire world. They wouldn’t need rescuing. They might need protecting. Or they might need someone to remind them how strong they really are, flaws and imperfections and all the things that make them beautiful.