Genre: Fantasy
Plot: A Runaway Ogre Princess
Words to use: demon, damsel, fire, dynasty, hunt, secret, verse, phantom, palace, clay, quest, beast, bird, prison, conceal.
“I come from the greatest ogre dynasty in another realm,” she said, her green skin awash in gold and red light, hair disarrayed, her long skirts caked in mud. “A realm of magic and magical creatures.”
The stranger sat across from her. He stoked the fire with another log before adding it to the pile that blazed between them. “Why did you run away?” he asked without looking at her directly. His hand was still trembling, his voice strained.
“The palace had become a prison. I had to run away,” she replied. “I am sorry if I frighten you.”
“It’s okay,” he replied. “I am not too afraid.”
“I know that we have rumors that are spread to non-ogres of our intentions. None of them are true,” she said, “But, I bet that isn’t much coming from me, is it?”
“I have heard the rumors, but you don’t seem like a demon, even in the firelight.” The stranger gave her a half-smile, taking a deep breath, and trying to relax. “Can I be honest?”
“Of course,” she replied. She shivered from the icy wind that hit her back. He got up and grabbed another blanket and placed it on her shoulders.
“When you first came through the trees, I thought you were a phantom, green and menacing.” She nodded at him.
“I understand.”
“I don’t seem to be as bad as some people say,” he continued, breathing in her musty smell. As he exhaled, a foggy warm mist in the cold air dissipated around him. He sat back down on his thick mat and recovered himself with a few less layers of blanket.
He had given up one of his mats of thick wool and fur for her to rest upon after his initial fearful shock. She now sat and drew pictures with her long green fingernail in the soft red clay in front of her.
“Where are you going? Do you have a plan?” the stranger asked her. She looked up at him. His eyes softened as he gazed into the dull eyes.
“I am going on my own personal quest to find my own life on my own terms. Do you think that is even possible?” she asked him with a tear forming in the corner of her shimmering eye.
All the initial shock had disappeared with the same suddenness as her appearance from the trees. There was something in her gravelly voice he couldn’t quite put his finger on. A depth of emotion he didn’t expect from a beast. He wasn’t necessarily one for rumors and other people’s opinions. He’d rather judge everything on its own merits; make his own judgements. He didn’t just look at the green of her skin, the exaggerated nose, and thickness of her arms. There was something behind the gaze that made him rethink her beast appearance; perhaps it was only skin deep.
“For what do you hunt, dear damsel?” he queried.
She sat in silence, running the edges of the blanket through her fingers.
“For myself,” she quipped after deliberation.
The night grew darker, the stars brighter, sparkling like the faded gems on her bodice did before her mad dash from her world.
The Princess started her story in front of the roaring fire and the small, compact man. She cleared her throat, her gaze circled around her. This stranger waited patiently for her to start…once upon a time, far away from there, her woes of life as a princess, an ogre, and a family secret that she still couldn’t find the strength to reveal – not quite yet. “Please, let me conceal my family’s secret, at least until I find that secret coming out naturally and safely, with only your ears as judgement.”
He agreed without pressing further, but let her unravel all the reasons why she wanted to flee. She was like a trapped bird that needed to break free from her gilded cage and escape the reality of the bars around her soul. Her duty to her family, the demands of her to marry well and to someone she didn’t know. The whispers behind locked doors. The reasons for her to stay close to home. The constant need to live up to her family and their well-maintained reputation within their ogre community. She described the nights from her window, looking out over the garden, dreaming of a world outside their realm – everything her parents feared.
“When did you make your decision to run away?” he asked during a lull in her story. He had watched her, the gentle ogre smiles and momentary angry bursts of dramatic energy, as she told the story of her life. He listened and added more wood to the fire. As he settled down into the comfort of the layers of wool, he listened to her voice, the timber soft along the edges.
“Often, during our long evenings together in an upper floor parlor, we gathered as a family. We would play music and read stories and poems. It was during a poetry verse, a lesson for frightened ogre children, that made my decision final. I found my courage and fled in the night,” she replied, shivering beneath the thick layer of blankets that smelled of acrid smoke and musk. “I am sorry for prattling on about my problems.”
“No need to apologize,” he replied between yawns. He had been listening to every word she said, feeling every emotion. “We’ve both had a long day. Let’s get some rest, sleep in front of this warm fire, and we can talk more in the morning.”
The princess nodded. They both straightened their mats on the soft dirt and grass to lay down. “It has been a long day and the night has deepened. Good night.”
They watched the fire dance happily between them. She fell asleep quickly, but the stranger tossed and turned, gazing up at the stars then down at the slow breath of the ogre princess fast asleep. The fire crackled while the icy wind disturbed the red embers. Eventually, with the contented realization of a decision made, fell into a deep sleep. They didn’t hear the owls hooting intermittently, the tree limbs rustling all around, and a curious fox strolled by as they slumbered beneath the star-filled deep black sky.
When the stranger awoke, he was alone. The princess was gone, her blankets disturbed and piled up on a jumbled mess. He called out to her, but there was no sight or sound of her. The only sign was the deep imprints of what he thought were other ogres finding their prey. His heart sank deep in his chest and became distraught. While he followed the disturbed brush and footprints in the red clay, they suddenly stopped, disappearing but without indication of horses or anything else that could transport her away from him. Tears ran down his cheek. A low murmured escaped his lips, “princess” was all he could say. With the sight of a fox, he jumped but only curiosity would be the fox near and he watched it come closer. With a swift wind, leaves twirled and danced around the fox, and it began to walk on its back legs and was fully clothed in the garb of the gentry, a tie of silk fit snugly against a stiff white collar sticking out from his brocade vest. Velvet pantaloons and tiny black patent leather boots completed his look.
“Who are you?” it said to him in a light fox voice. “And, why do you look so distressed?”
“I am looking for an ogre princess,” the stranger said.
The fox jumped up on a rock to get a better look through the trees.
“I don’t see any ogres here,” he said. “Why would you want to see an ogre anyway? They are horribly ugly and dirty.”
“Not this one,” the stranger replied. “She has a beauty of soul that captured my heart. I was hoping to help her to flee her cage.”
“Are you sure you want to see her again? The other ogres may eat you. I hear they love human flesh.”
The stranger shifted his weight. “I must save her, no matter the cost.”
The fox put his front paws on his hips, his foot outstretched and tapped his patent leathered foot against the rock. “Okay, if you’re sure.” He jumped down on all fours and disturbed the brush. Before him the wave of light opened an invisible curtain that led to another realm. The stranger’s jaw dropped open and his eyes grew wide. The fox pinched his arm. “No, you’re not dreaming. Step through and you will find your princess in that castle in the distance.” The fox pointed straight ahead through the curtain of realities toward the castle, glowing deep orange and purple in the sunset. The stranger stepped through behind the fox. “I will lead you, follow close behind so you don’t get caught by ogres or other creatures that live in this realm. You need to remain safe for your princess. She is waiting for you high up in a turret.”
Without a second thought, the stranger obeyed the fox who ran on all fours in his fancy clothing.
“Time works differently here.We need to hide somewhere until the sun is completely beneath the horizon,” the fox said and dashed behind tall bushes. The strangers dived in and rolled, finding the ground soft as a cloud. A carriage road close by, heading down the dirt road toward the castle. “The night will be soon upon us, and we can creep toward the castle and rescue her. Tell me stranger, why do you seek this princess?”
The stranger rested on his side, leaning his head into the palm of his hand. “I don’t know. As she told me her story, her life and the reason for her wanting to escape, something came over me. I know the stories of ogres, but there was something kind and gentle in her manner that drew me to her. She warmed my heart as the fire warmed my tired body. I need to find her again.”
The fox’s nose wiggled, smelling the leaves and air. “To fall in love with an ogre is unheard of,” it said, curling himself into a ball. “It should be dark soon.”
It wasn’t long before the light began to fade. The stranger watched the change of the landscape. The flowers sparkled, little fairies darted like stars, and magical creatures of all kinds came out from their hiding places, including other foxes in fancy suits and dresses. Rabbits hopped and flew around with tiny glistening wings. A breeze tickled the tree limbs, raining stardust. The stranger emerged in awe. A tiny fairy flew up, welcomed him and flitted away.
“Follow me, stranger,” the fox said, straightening his vest, and ran through tall grass and wildflowers. They passed a pool of water beneath a willow tree. “The side entry will be open to pass freely.”
The stranger followed the fancy fox through the door of blue and white, roses and intertwining vines painted on the edges. The castle was massive, spires reaching the sky. Lights flickered in their lanterns along the walls and columns. His feet traversed over plush carpets covering stone floors. Thick plastered walls were filled with idyllic scenes of dancing and garden parties, but they depicted not green, ugly ogres, but humans.
The fox led him through an empty grand hall and down a broad hallway to the entry to a spire. They followed it up to a room, a single candle flickered on a side table, a dark figure stood at a window, hidden behind sheer curtains, billowing and flapping gently with the wind from the open window.
“Princess, it is I,” he said, walking slowly toward the figure.
“You have found me,” the familiar voice said, not turning around, the darkness enveloped him. The fox disappeared as smoke dissipated from a fire into the atmosphere. “Don’t come any closer.”
She let out a sigh that suffocated him. “Why not?” he asked.
“Why did you come for me? I am trapped forever in my castle, forever to hide from everyone.”
“I came because … I had fallen in love with you during our evening. Your kindness and soft heart overpowered my hard one. We were meant to be.”
“How can you say that? I am an ogre, of ogre kind. You are a human that longs for beauty.”
“You judge me too harshly. I came for you, despite you being an ogre. Your skin may be a pale green, but it reminds me of the fresh moss growing on ancient trees. Your nose is the curve of the wine goblet of my ancestors. It doesn’t matter to my heart. You were my brief solace of grief beneath the starry sky and across the dancing fire light.”
“Explain something to me, before you come closer,” she continued to keep her back to him, the shadows and light playing on the iridescent fabric of her dress.
“Anything, Princess,” he replied.
“Why were you out in the middle of the forest, alone?”
The stranger ran his fingers through his hair and turned around, hiding a tear. “I was running from my own life.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
His face twisted with the pain of memory. “I was off, far away from my land, when I received a message. My love, the one promised to me in marriage, was … sick. I tried so hard to find my way back to her but I wasn’t in time. It has been two years and I still roam. My black heart wanders, seeking peace and solace. I had become numb, but during your story, I found something stirring…love, true and deep.”
“How does a human love an ogre?”
“What does the outward appearance mean to the heart? There is a depth of soul that stirs mine, to love deeper than what I see, but what I have seen beneath the stars and beyond the raging fire became something beautiful in my eyes and filled my empty, black heart with hope for the future.”
With a sudden gust, the princess turned around. All the lights of the castle sprung to life. He saw her face, clear, and serene. Not the ogre he had expected, but beautiful. His jaw dropped.
“Who are you? I recognized the voice, but the face, although similar in some way, has changed … drastically.”
“We are only ugly in our realm. Here we are just like you. It is our curse, the secret I alluded to during our night together in front of the fire.”
He took her hand that she held out to him, her long fingers pressed gently encircling it. They became surrounded by the magical creatures that welcomed him, a soft giggle from a fairy that swirled and darted around them. He followed her to the balcony, he jumped with the sound of fireworks lighting up the night sky. A line of torches flashed into life far beneath them. Cheers were heard in the distance.
“You have been found worthy. Stay with me and be my prince – forever.”
He gazed into her clear eyes seeing the same look as the ogre.
“And if we return to my world?”
“I will be an ogre, just like you first saw me.”
He smiled, “I am okay with that too.”
And they lived happily ever after…
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