The Monster King

Once upon a time in a faraway land, a prince lived in a shining castle. What’s that? You thought the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind? Boy, do you have it wrong! This prince was humble, generous, and compassionate, and his kind nature nearly became his downfall.

The King, the Queen, and their only son, Prince Leo, were gathered in the library one stormy June evening. The King and Queen sat on the settee, watching with rapt attention as Prince Leo acted out a ghost story. The booming thunder and rain pattering against the stained glass windows underscored the atmosphere. Suddenly, a flash of lightning ripped apart the sky, but the sound that followed wasn’t a crash of thunder. It was a knock at the door.

The captain of the guard burst in, looking flustered. “Your Majesties, there’s a young lady at the door. She asks for shelter from the storm.”

“Then she shall have it,” Prince Leo replied.

The King and Queen exchanged a worried look. “Do you think that’s wise?” The Queen asked.

“We have no idea who this woman is!” The King added.

“We must help her!” said Prince Leo. “It’s what any of us would want if we were in her place.”

Prince Leo followed the captain downstairs to the entrance hall; the King and Queen trailed close behind. There stood a young woman with a petite figure and pale skin. Her hair was the color of rich earth and her eyes the color of violets. Even in her wet, bedraggled state, her beauty took their breath away. “Please, give me shelter from the storm! I have nowhere to go,” she pleaded.

Prince Leo’s heart skipped a beat as the girl lifted her big, purple eyes to meet his. “Of course, you are welcome here,” he replied when he found his voice. He took her hand, pressing it to his lips. “What’s your name, my dear?”

“I’m Ivy,” she said with a giggle.

Prince Leo beckoned the nearest servant. “A room for our guest, please!”

He took off his coat, draping it around Ivy’s shoulders as he escorted her upstairs. “The castle is your home for as long as you like.”

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As the days passed, Ivy endeared herself to the royal family and staff alike. She spent her time playing chess with the King, painting with the Queen, and taking long walks through the royal gardens with Prince Leo. Soon she was no longer satisfied with their time and esteem. She longed for more material pleasures!

Every day, she would beg for some new trifle: luxurious gowns, glittering jewels, exotic pets, sumptuous feasts, and exclusive parties with only the most beautiful and influential people in attendance. If anyone refused her demands, she would tilt her head to one side and pout, looking up with those big violet eyes. Her lip would tremble, and a lone tear would cascade down her porcelain cheek,

Powerless to resist such beauty, the royal family had no choice but to acquiesce her every request. As Ivy’s desires grew, the royal treasury shrank, leaving the King and Queen with no choice but to increase taxes on the kingdom’s already struggling citizens. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time, either!

It had been five months since Ivy arrived on the castle doorstep. Autumn’s crisp cool air gave way to winter’s bleak icy chill, and with the change in seasons, a terrible sickness swept through the kingdom. The King and Queen organized aid for the citizens. Every morning, they left the castle to help distribute food, blankets, and medicine to the people in need. Prince Leo longed to go with them, but Ivy wouldn’t allow it.

One day, Prince Leo followed his parents to the gate to see them off, just like he did every morning. He helped the servants load blankets and crates of food into the wagon. “I wish I could go with you,” he said, hugging his parents goodbye.

“Why can’t you?” The Queen asked.

“You know how Ivy is, Mother. She gets bored when she’s left alone. She needs me.”

The King scoffed. “Balderdash! She has plenty of servants and pets to keep her company. Your people need you more.”

Prince Leo stood lost in thought. After a moment, his expression changed. His mind was made up. As he started to climb into the royal carriage, a tiny pale arm wound around his like a snake squeezing its prey. “Where are you going?” a whiny voice demanded.

He turned to meet Ivy’s violet eyes. Those eyes were already filling with tears as he explained he was going to deliver aid. Ivy sniffled, her lip trembling. “But you promised to spend the day with me!”

She looked up at him with those pleading eyes, her grip on his arm tightening. Prince Leo hesitated, enraptured by that beautiful face, but this time his love for his kingdom was stronger than the hold that beautiful face held on him. “Don’t fret, my dear,” he said, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. “We’ll have plenty of days to spend together when this is over.”

With that, he wrenched his arm out of Ivy’s grasp and climbed into the carriage. As he gave one last longing glance at Ivy, he thought he saw a flicker of anger in those violet eyes, but it was gone so fast, he was sure he’d just imagined it.

The winter skies darkened as the royal carriage stopped in a nearby village, one among the hardest hit by the sickness. A small group of villagers gathered around. Some were flushed with fever; others were coughing. Even the able-bodied among them looked tired and sickly. A gentle snow began to fall as Prince Leo joined the King and Queen in handing out provisions.

By the time they were halfway done, the snow was falling in driving sheets. Prince Leo shivered, wrapping his cloak tighter against the biting wind. He heard a quiet cough, and his head turned in the direction of the sound just in time to see the Queen stumble. “Mother!” he cried, rushing to her side to steady her.

“Get her into the ca-a-a- AH CHOO!” The King ordered, but his voice was cut off by a loud sneeze.

Prince Leo helped the King and Queen back into the carriage. Before climbing in himself, he turned to one of the servants who had come with them. “Stay with the wagon and hand out the rest of the provisions!”

“Back to the castle, and hurry!” He ordered the driver, shutting the carriage door behind him.

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The doctors did all they could for the King and Queen, but they were no match for the sickness. The King went first, with the Queen following him to the grave six days later. Prince Leo kept a heartbroken vigil by his mother’s bedside, holding her hand as she spoke her last words.

“My son, I know you’ll be a great king, Just remember, appearances can be deceiving…”

Prince Leo - now King Leo - wept as his mother’s hand went limp and cold in his own. He sat paralyzed by grief for a long time. When he finally got up the will to move, he wandered aimlessly about the castle, searching for the only companion he had left. Perhaps Ivy could offer him some comfort?

He found the violet-eyed beauty in the throne room. She was sitting upon the queen’s throne, wearing the crown jewels and scepter that now belonged to him. “What are you doing? Put those back now!”

Ivy giggled, flipping her hair. “Oh, but they look so beautiful, I hate to give them up!” A thought struck her, and she cast her pleading eyes on him. “I wouldn’t have to… if you let me rule as your queen. Just think of it, the two of us together…”

King Leo did think of it, and Ivy was right. It did paint a beautiful picture, but something about Ivy as queen felt wrong. He’d been preparing to rule his entire life! He couldn’t hand that responsibility off to just anyone! “No! This is my birthright, my responsibility…”

Ivy’s eyes flashed, and her expression hardened. When she spoke again, her voice was like ice. “I won’t ask you again. Make me your queen or suffer my wrath!”

The Queen’s final words rang in King Leo’s mind, and he saw the truth too late. Ivy was not some innocent lost peasant girl; she was a wicked enchantress! Purple light shot from Ivy’s fingertips. A chilling wind rippled through the room, blowing out all of the candles in the chandelier, and the throne room doors closed with an ominous bang

King Leo trembled, his eyes widening in horror, but he stood his ground. “You will never be my queen!”

He looked at the doors and shouted, “GUARDS!”

A furious expression marred Ivy’s usually beautiful face as a swarm of guards barged in and seized her. “You’ll regret this, King Leo! I place you under a curse. For the rest of your life, you will be only as beautiful as people perceive you. If they love you, you’ll remain young and beautiful. But if they hate you, you will turn into a hideous monster to match their thoughts!”

A could of purple smoke engulfed the throne room, and in a flash, Ivy was gone. In the place where she last stood was a black mirror inlaid with violet crystals, a mirror which showed King Leo not as he was but as the world perceived him.