Broken Wings, Broken Heart (excerpt)

Short story by Krystal Robinson

I remember it all as if it were yesterday; all the pain, all the despair and sadness, the heartbreak.. You all think you know the story of the lovely Belle and the handsome Beast who turns back into a human after he gains her love. But what do you know of the evil-coniving wench behind it? That’s what you call her, right? That’s what you consider her to be, isn’t it?
How do you know anything about her, though? She’s only referenced once in the story. How could you POSSIBLY know the way that she was feeling?  Could you have ever have guessed that, perhaps, it was truly the Beast who had caused it all? All you hear is, “he was rude and wouldn’t allow her passage into his castle” but it’s much more than that; oh it was so much more than that. I’m willing to tell you the truth, MY story. That is, if you want to listen. Here we go….
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I remember putting on the most lovely gown I could create in the forest and thinking to myself, I had been going to visit the prince for a month now, and I really enjoyed spending time with him. I had fallen in love with him and I thought he had with me as well. (But we all know better than that, don’t we?) I can’t remember quite why I had such a crazy idea, but I do remember deciding that I would take the form of a haggardly old woman, I would make my way to his castle and lie to him, I would say that I had lost my youth. I would see then if he would love me forever.
However, as I knocked on the large doors and prepared to carry out my plan, my whole life crumbled at my feet. He answered the door, took one look at me and his face contorted in disgust.
“My prince, it’s me. Willow. Please, I have aged at the mercy of a horrible curse. But I still love you, please tell me…Tell me you still love me even though I look this way.”
The words he said hurt me more than anything else ever could, “Willow…Look at your hair, look at your FACE. I can’t be with someone who looks like they could be my great grandmother.” He stepped back, obviously preparing to close the door.
“But…don’t you love me for what is on the inside?”
“Of course I do.” He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “What’s that, servant? Oh, yeah, I’ll be right there!” He quickly closed the door and left me standing there, heart broken. I made my way over to his massive window and looked inside as he spoke to his servant. “If you see Willow,” I recall him saying behind the glass. “-tell her I’m dead. I don’t want see her any longer.” I remember the pain in my chest, the regret in my head and the tears in my eyes. It’s strange, but I don’t remember how I managed to, but I recall flying into his chambers at night and cursing him with poison in the place where my love had once been.
He’d said he loved me, but that was a lie. What a fool I was to have ever loved such a hideous beast. Heh, did you miss that? Yes, it was at that moment that I realized my plot for revenge.
Words like vipers,
heart like ice,
Your love the tiger
My love the mice

I curse your soul
‘Til your vileness ceased,
To shape into the form
Of a hideous Beast.

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The darkness is thick tonight, heavy in the air as I gently touch my wing, wrapped in cloth. The blood is thin, light as it dampens the binding. The moon shines down on the castle as I watch the heinous beast twirl with the lovely maiden in the ballroom, moving in rhythm with the soft music. I look down at my hand and smile slightly, noticing how much the corruption had spread. Almost all of my upper arm is black, small pieces of the corruption fluttering off my fingertips in the wind as my pale hair follows the direction in subtle gusts.
The Beast dips her and gazes dreamily into her eyes and I rise up, feet planted firmly on the tree branch as I walk to the underside and hang down, long hair hanging straight down.
“Hmph, good luck breaking the spell. Just wait until she grows old, then you’ll treat her the same way you treated me.” I look up at my broken wing again and sigh softly as I undo the bandages, staring at the nub that formed where the top half was torn by the Beast himself after waking to me cursing him. I snarl lowly and grit my teeth before I feel the pleasurable agony of the corruption spreading up my arm.
“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!”

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It has come to my attention that things may have been confusing you as I have been telling my story. You believe fairies to be sweet innocent creatures, don’t you? Creatures that do the best for plants or humans, or perhaps even grant wishes like some miniature, hopefully flesh-toned genie. Well, while that is true, it isn’t the entire truth of what we do. Yes, we grant wishes from time to time, and care for the wellbeing of other creatures. However, that does not mean a fairy cannot become corrupt.
You see, fairies are very fragile in spirit. They can become corrupt should a strong negative emotion be allowed to consume their usually pure spirit. Negative emotions such as anger, regret, sadness. . .revenge. . .
And once a fairy is corrupted, there is no turning back. They are forever consumed in darkness. Forever damned to being walking vessels of anguish. But that’s okay, you may be thinking that’s horrible. But it’s not! Not entirely. You see, if someone hurts me emotionally, I have no sense of regret and can easily erase them from existence. It’s not horrible at all, just. . .very lonely. Yes, very lonely indeed….