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xxxxxxxxxxOnce upon a time, there was kingdom that seemed blessed in every way. Every day, it was always bright and sunny and there was peace all across the kingdom. When it was announced the queen had given birth to a prince, the entire kingdom celebrated his birth. Every one in the kingdom traveled to the sparkling white castle to lay eyes upon the princeling. He was truly a sight to behold his gloden hair to rival the sun and eyes brighter and clearer than the sky.

xxxxxxxxxxFor eighteen years, he lived a peaceful and priviledged life. The prince only knew love for everyone loved him. Unaware was the prince of the wicked being living in the dark forest that loomed to the west of the kingdom. This wicked being was as ugly and twisted as its heart. This being was a wizard that had used his dark arts to prolong his life. He was hated and feared by all and no one ever set foot in his dark forest.

xxxxxxxxxxThis wicked man truly envied the prince his place in the light and so, in the dark of the night, stole into the kingdom and slipped into the castle. Using his twisted magic, the wizard stole the form of the prince and banished the prince into the dark and the shadows. The prince was cursed, unable to step into the light, almost a shadow himself. The wizard lived his life as the prince, only those close to the prince suspecting anything. The wizard continued living in the kingdom, shifting forms to keep his place as ruler of the kingdom.

xxxxxxxxxxThe prince was stuck forever in the shadows, alone, unable to bring the wizard to justice. As the years passed, the prince became more and more bitter and angry, his heart and soul twisting with his hatred of the wizard and of the dark he had been imprisoned in. The prince still wanders the forest of the wizard, only able to set foot in the kingdom after the sun sets.

Marco wandered the castle of his childhood with no direction. He kept to the shadows, even evading the light of the moon. Marco could no longer stand the light and it had been hundreds of years since last he stepped into the light of the sun. The curse he suffered from did not allow him to step into the light. It also did not allow him to die. For the rest of eternity, it seemed, Marco had to watch his kingdom in darkness. It used to pain him that he could no longer lounge in the sun. Now, he could no longer remember playing in the sun, laughing as he played outside. He did not mourn the loss of those memories. No, he did not mourn his life in the sun. He did not miss the castle in the day, the white stone sparkling, giving life a magical feel.

Marco stilled when someone entered the hallway he had been creeping along. It was pitch black but Marco could see perfectly clear. His sight had long ago adjusted to the constant darkness he lived in.

It was a girl and she seemed on the verge of womanhood. She did not seem to be of this kingdom, Marco noted. Due to her dress, he figured her to be a bride of the man who had stolen his life and his throne. He watched her, his body melting to shadow. She did not seem afraid of this darkness and it peaked his interest.

Marco couldn't suppress a small, dark chuckled when he heard the girl tell herself she was alone. How wrong she was but Marco would not reveal himself. He had to admit, the girl was beautiful but beauty meant nothing to him anymore. In fact, Marco turned from her, not wanting to view her beauty anymore. He was cursed and ugly. Beauty only reminded him of what he had lost.

As he went to leave, he carelessly brushed against a vase. It only rocked back and forth a few times before settling but it was enough to alert anyone of his presence.

Marco was about to leave the hallway in which he had been lurking. Despite the girl being foreign to him, her beauty held no interest for him. But what she said stopped him. It was true, magic in general was hated and feared in this kingdom. That was why the wizard who had stolen his place in the light had been banished to the forest in which Prince Marco now resided. It was surprising to find that this girl also had magic.

Marco decided to follow her. If the wizard had any ideas about this girl being a witch, Marco wanted to know. He highly doubted it but if the wizard was unaware of her ability to use magic then maybe, just maybe, she could help him. It was a stretch. This girl could hate him and fear him for his current appearance.

It was far from difficult to follow the girl to her chambers. He lurked in the corner of the room, where the shadows were the darkest. When she spoke to him, he was a bit startled but quickly calmed. He still did not know if he could trust her but he was impressed with her for sensing his presence. The shadow prince didn't come forward and was hesitant to respond to the girl. He let a long moment pass before he decided to answer her.

"Is that so?" Prince Marco responded in turn with a cynical question, his voice raspy for lack of use. It had been years since the last time he had spoken to a living being.

Prince Marco stayed in the shadows, unwilling to show himself. Since his curse, the prince hated his appearance and those that chanced to see him had run screaming. Tales of a monster lurking the forest popped up more frequently since the rumors of the wizard in the forest had died down. Prince Marco believed himself too ugly to let her view him.

"No," he rasped, a hint of sadness tinging his tone.

Prince Marco did not want to be ordered around. He did not know this girl's rank but through all the years, he had not lost his pride as a prince. Though gentle was his upbringing, Prince Marco was still a prince and so was accustomed to giving orders not taking them.

"I don't want to be seen like this," he insisted in a tone mixed between an animalistic growl and a wail of pain. It had been so long since he had willingly allowed anyone human to look at him.