Fractured Fairy Tales

by Catherine Stovall

  My mother’s words haunted me. “Iron fist, Katia. Take any pain that life throws at you and lock it up, for only the strong survive.”

  That’s exactly what I have done up until now, and I refuse to cry, no matter how much the death of them hurts. I will lock it up and never again think about this day.

  After a long silent journey we make our way to a small cottage. Hawk points to it. “This is mine.”

  He points again, over to a pond. “You’re more than welcome to bathe in there. You can’t come inside until you get all that mud off of you. I will get you some clean clothes. I don’t have any dresses, so you will have to wear my clothes. If that’s okay.”

  I nod.

  “Just stay here. I won’t take long.” Hawk scurries off.

  I stand by the pond, looking around for deadly animals. The sun has almost set, and the forest is becoming scarier by the minute. Hawk comes out, places the clothes on a rock, and starts to walk away and back up to the house.

  “Wait. Aren’t you going to keep watch for hungry wolves?”

  “No. Not while you’re naked.” Hawk raises an eyebrow.

  I almost feel offended by how fast he said that. I have always considered myself a beautiful girl, but looking like this, I can understand how no one would even look twice at me. Terragon had damaged me and he was right, no man would want me. He didn’t even need to put an iron to my face. Those years with him did enough.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll feel safer knowing you’re here. Just turn around.” I demand.

  Once his back is to me, I strip off the hideous dress. I stand naked by the pond and dip my big toe into the cold water. I quickly run in and scrub the dry, hard mud from my body and face with my nails. I try to wash the mud out of my hair, but the tangles are so bad I have rat’s nests in several places. I can’t remember the last night I brushed my hair.

  “So Katia, what does a Cager do with a princess when he has her?” Hawk asks with his back still facing me.

  “He marries her first. Then he chains her up, rapes, and beats her. He humiliates her for his own enjoyment, and when the sun rises each morning, he does it again.”

  Hawk turns around with importance and looks at me as if it pains him to hear those things. My arms quickly cross over to hide my breast, and he looks down when he remembers I am naked.

  “I think we should go inside now. It’s getting dark.” Hawk turns around again.

  I step out of the water and slip on his clothes. His shirt is big, and hangs down to my knees, but it will work for now. Anything is better than that damn dress. I try to put on his pants, but they refuse to stay up, so I take them off.

  “I’m done. The pants don’t fit.”

  Hawk turns to me and looks me up and down. His eyes soften for a quick second. I think I hear a gasp escape his lips.

  “We should…um….” he pauses. He begins to look uncomfortable.

  My big brown eyes wait patiently for him to finish.

  “We should get inside now,” Hawk finally spits out.

  I let him lead the way as I trail behind.

  As soon as we both stepped inside he spins around to face me. “Look. I don’t normally have company. I don’t like things moved around, and I don’t like being bothered,” Hawk’s tone is now sharp.

  “I won’t cause any trouble, and I won’t be here long.” I think I surprise him, because he opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it.

  “Well, you can have that bed there. I sleep in the other room. If you are hungry the food is over there, just call if you need anything else.” He turns and walks away.

  Even though he is being very dry with me, he is a hell of a lot nicer then Terragon ever was.

  I waited until Hawk leaves to respond to the noises that my stomach is making. Terragon barely fed me, and sadly, I have become accustom to hunger pains. I slowly make my way over to where the food is, finding an apple and some bread. I crunch into the apple as I hear footsteps behind me.

  I turn around and bump into Hawk. He is holding a blanket. We are so close; our noses touch for a quick second. I have a chance to look into his beautiful blue eyes again and take in the muscles that peak out from his shirt. I swallow the lump in my throat.

  “Earlier, you said you did not want to stay outside with me because I was naked. Do you not find me attractive?” I place the apple down and wait for a response.

  He gulps, places the blanket in my hands, and walks away without an answer. I close my eyes and question why I would even ask that of a stranger.

  I decide to forget about eating and lay my head to rest. I am here with a man I have just met, but I have never felt safer. I just have to get the idea that he is my prince charming out of my head. Maybe praying for him and having him show up is just a coincidence, or is it indeed fate?

  In the morning, I awake with him standing over me. “You can’t stay here Katia.”

  “I’m sorry.” I respond.

  “You have to go. I will take you to town where you belong.” Hawk has both hands on his hips.

  “Why are you being like this?”

  “Because.”

  “Because?” I place my hands up.

  “Because you’re beautiful, and I can’t…do this.”

  “You are kicking me out because I am beautiful?” I don’t know whether to be offended or say thank you.

  “I’ll take you safely to town, and you can stay with people I know. They will help you.”

  “No. No need. I can do it myself.” I reply and jump out of bed.

  “Katia, wait.” He grabs me by the shoulders.

  It is really the first time I have felt his touch, except when he had briefly touched my hand back by the mud stocks. I stare at him. Say something, I think. Anything.

  He looks at me in silence.

  “Nothing to say? I think we are done here then. Just point me in the right direction, and I will be gone.”

  “Damn it, woman. You are lucky that Cager didn’t kill you with the mouth you have on you.” He suddenly realizes that what he say is wrong.

  “I would have rather died, because what he did to me was worse than death.” I storm out of the cottage with no sense of direction, no shoes and no pants.

  “Katia, stop.”

  I hear Hawk yelling from behind me, footsteps running and then I feel hands on my shoulders—spinning me around. I am suddenly squeezed into his chest and his lips are planted on mine. It is passionate, and I feel wanted by him, but when he pulls away, he looks angry.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Hawk responds. “You. You’re so fucking stubborn. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “So you thought kissing me…would do what?”

  “Stop you, or shut you up.”

  “I don’t get you. You want me to go one second, and then you want me to stay the next. Let me tell you something, Hawk. I have spent the last two years locked up in a place where I didn’t want to be at. I don’t need to stay in a place where I am not wanted.”

  Hawk grabs me by my waist and kisses me again. I push his chest away, not because I don’t like it. I like it a lot, but Prince Charming is not at all what I expected. He is hot and cold. He is indecisive, and I don’t understand him at all.

  “What the hell am I doing? You’re beautiful, Katia.”

  “You keep saying that. What does that even mean?”

  Hawk turns away in silence. I shake my head in frustration. I decide I needed to get the hell out of here. I turn to leave and take two steps.

  “Do you not find me attractive?” He asks.

  He is now using my question to him from last night. I stop in my tracks. I laugh at this situation, because not twenty four hours ago, I was chained up in a house serving someone I dreamed about killing every night. Now, I stand half naked in front of somebody I barely know, arguing over whether I should stay or go. I swing around to face him. He no longer holds anger in his eyes.

  “Hawk.
You don’t know this, but I prayed for you. I asked for Prince Charming to rescue me, and you came to save me. Almost sent from the gods. I think if Terragon would have taken me back to that house, and let me live, I would have killed myself at the very first chance I could. Yes. I find you attractive in so many ways, but the most difficult thing for me, is the fact I barely know you.”

  “You prayed for me?” he tilted his head.

  “All of my life.”

  He ran his hand through his hair and released a few curse words.

  “You’re royalty. You’re beautiful, and you’re better than me, but I found you yesterday looking like a peasant. My heart stopped beating when I saw what that Cager was doing to you. Yesterday, you told me your name, and everything fell into place. The girl I have been searching for, the long lost princess was standing before me, injured and shattered. I wanted to wrap you in my arms and make the pain go away, but you are right. We barely know each other, so how can I feel so strong for you. Maybe it is the painting of you that you’re parents gave me. I stared at it every night until every curve and line of your face stayed in my memory. Katia, you deserve to spend your time getting to know a real prince. I’m poor. I am a tracker, and I kill men. I am not your prince charming.

  “My family is dead. The castle is burned, and I am poor now. I am broken, and I am shattered, just like you said. I am not a princess anymore. I’m just a woman looking at a man who saved her from a lifetime of torture. You are my prince charming.”

  He steps forward and places his arm around my waist. “We have a lifetime, Katia”

  “A lifetime to what?”

  “We have a lifetime to get to know each other, princess.” Hawk leans down and kisses me.

  There is no big castle and no servants. No roses bloom as I walked by, and no people bow to me, but I feel as if I am a queen in his arms, and that’s all that matters in this moment.

  Bloody Red

  *This story contains sexual content. Ages 18+ suggested*

  Jade Heart

  Thick, gray clouds blocked the sun from the mid-afternoon sky as I slipped my cape on and pulled the hood over my head. Storms were expected today, but I couldn’t let them deter me. I was running low on the magic that protected me, and the only thing that could restore it was the crystals my grandmother kept locked away in her cabin on the far side of the Dark Woods. Getting them from her wouldn’t be easy, because she was a stingy old bitch who thought about nothing but herself. Even when my parents passed years ago, she had refused to take me in. Instead, she had left me at the mercy of Hallow’s End.

  God, she would be forever cursed for that decision.

  I took a deep breath as I opened the door to the condemned inn and stepped outside, smoothing my skirt over my thighs. Focusing on the muddy ground at my feet, I moved as swiftly as I could through the street—but it wasn’t quick enough.

  Words like “whore”, “bitch”, and “spawn of the devil” soon found me. The women of Hallow’s End were like a plague, brutal and deadly. Their words were harsh and stung with every breath. They were angry because all the men in town came to me to satisfy their needs, even if it was against my will. The men were just as bad. Rough and demanding, some of them nearly killing me to get what they wanted.

  I ran into the woods, knowing they would refuse to follow me in. The townspeople were only frightened by one thing—the wolf. A creature they swore existed, but to me, it was a myth made up by the town elders to keep everyone confined to their stupid town.

  Hot tears stung my eyes as I continued to curse the town under my breath.

  Rushing deeper into the forest to gain some distance, I struggled through the briars and heavy brush until my bare legs had become shaky and weak. Leaning against a tree, I collapsed to the ground, weeping.

  “Are you okay?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

  I glanced up, and through my wall of tears, I connected with a pair of greenish-yellow eyes. Eyes, so deep and mysterious, that they instantly drew me in. I was speechless as I continued to gaze at the man in front of me.

  “Do you need help?” He crouched down to my level, his muscular arm stretching out to me. When his hand landed on my shoulder, his touch caused me to shudder with excitement.

  I swallowed hard as a tingling sensation erupted deep inside me. “Who are you?”

  “The name is Larrick.” He withdrew his hand, but remained at my level.

  “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

  Larrick’s eyes seemed to glow. “I guess because you’ve never looked hard enough.” The edges of his lips curved into a smile. “I’ve seen you plenty of times. The name is Red, right?”

  “Actually,” I glanced away from him, “it depends on who you ask.” I hoped he wouldn’t ask me to explain.

  Larrick shifted his body closer to mine. “I know the names they call you, Red,” he whispered, his warm breath caressing my skin. “And I don’t like how they treat you. In fact, just the thought of how you are treated makes it hard to contain the beast inside of me.”

  “Beast?” I gazed up into his greenish-yellow eyes. The anger swirling inside them was undeniable. How could this guy, who I’d never meant, seem to care so deeply about me? It didn’t make any sense. Nobody had ever cared for me.

  Larrick lifted his arms, pushing the hood down and releasing my dark brown hair. He slid his hands down, holding onto the sides of my face, as he peered intensely into my eyes. “I’ve waited a very long time for this.”

  Suddenly, he pulled my face to his, kissing me on the lips. Unable to refuse him, I gave in. Our lips parted, and he traced his warm tongue around the inside of my mouth, igniting a fire deep within me that caused parts of my body to yearn for more.

  I brought my arms up, raking my fingers through Larrick’s short, dark hair, as his hands slipped down the sides of my neck to my breasts. He held them gently through my shirt, rubbing his thumb over my hardened nipples.

  Strange things began happening inside my body, things that I’d never experienced before. Men had taken advantage of me, but this encounter with Larrick, it was much different. I felt things. Throbbing and pulsating in parts of my body that were screaming to be touched.

  A low growl rumbled from inside his throat as he broke away from the kiss and traced his lips down my neck, causing my body to tremble.

  I slid my hand away from his hair and explored his body, the tips of my fingers gliding over the pulsating muscle concealed by his jeans. As it hardened even more, a wave of electricity shot through my own sweetness, causing a low moan to escape through my lips.

  Larrick bit down on my neck, hard, and squeezed my breasts as he shifted his weight, spilling us both to the ground.

  I closed my eyes to savor his touch as his hands continued to explore me.

  “You’re mine now, Red,” Larrick growled into my ear. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

    

  I slowly opened my eyes to find myself alone in the woods. I sat up, frantically searching for Larrick, but he was nowhere in sight. At first, I thought I had only dreamed about him, but after I noticed all my clothes sitting in a pile next to a tree, I knew he was real.

  But how could he just leave me like that? I thought he cared?

  Anger boiled under my skin as I dressed. I pulled my hood up as the thunder began to rumble in the distance and started toward my grandmother’s house. I needed those crystals more than ever. Apparently, I couldn’t count on Larrick for protection; even though he had said he’d never let anyone hurt me again. It was probably just some ploy so I’d sleep with him. Not that he needed it. I had been instantly drawn to him, so I would have probably done it anyway.

  The woods began to clear out, and soon, I saw my grandmother’s house in the distance. How I dreaded coming to my grandmother’s, but I had no other choice. I needed the crystals.

  I walked up to the tiny shack and knocked on her door.

  The door opened with a creak and my grandmother po
ked her head out. “Red, what are you doing here?” My grandmother narrowed her gaze.

  Drops of rain began falling as thunder clapped above me. “Nice to see you, too, Grandmother,” I grumbled. “Are you going to invite me in, or should I just stand out here in the rain?”

  “No,” she snapped, holding the door steady. “I know what you’re here for, and I’m not giving them to you. You don’t deserve to be protected by the crystals.”

  The heat swirled around inside me. She was not going to deny me the protection I needed. “Why do you hate me so much?” I glared at her. “You’ve despised me ever since I can remember.”

  “Because you are the spawn of the devil. You deserve everything that town gives you. You are just like your father.”

  I pushed hard on the door, but she held it steady. “My father? Is that what this is about?”

  “Yes, Red.” She tightened her lips. “Your father took your mother away from me. Took her into that filthy town. Now, you have to live with his decision.”

  “That’s unfair!” I shook my head and balled my hands into fists. “You blame me because my mother and father were in love?”

  “Go away, Red.” She glared at me. “I won’t hesitate to rid the world of you myself. You should have never been born.”

  Hot tears stung my eyes. How can my own flesh and blood treat me like this? I turned away from the door and started down the steps. “My father wasn’t the devil,” I shouted over my shoulder, “you are! And you will burn in hell for your sins!”

  The door slammed behind me as I continued to walk away. As I stepped back into the trees, loud screaming came from my grandmother’s house. I quickly turned and raced back out of the woods toward her house. When I got to her door, it was ripped from its hinges and thrown on the porch.

  “What could have done this,” I whispered, peering into the eerily silent house. A chill came over me, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. Something was clearly wrong.