Warning! this chapter contains graphic gore. If this offends you please do not read past the flashbacks! Thankyou..

Chapter Thirteen ¦ Hearts

-Flashback –

The young prince Leo and his brother sat in the king's bedchambers, the great king sat on the bed as he would every night and tell the tales of the fae creatures, the boys were only young Leo had just celebrated his sixth name day. He was still a pure soul not the evil king that the land will know him to be.

Tonight's story was one of love. This would answer the young boy's questions. How did the fae love? Did they love like humans love or is love in their eyes something completely different. No human could ever explain completely the difference between a fae love and a human love. Only that once a fae loved once they could not love again. Once their hearts were broken they would never love again. This is why Maleficent could never think of finding a mate after King Stephan died. She hated him for his betrayal but her heart had chosen him and it would choose no other.

'When a mermaid falls in love, her soul will split in two, the split half of the mermaid's soul will join with her mates for all of eternity. They have no control over it and it will happen without their knowledge. A mermaid cannot be forced to love and she can, if provoked, choose to relinquish her ability to love completely. She will have to give up her immortal soul and she will walk the earth as a spirit for all eternity with no love.'

'That is so sad papa! Why would they do that?' Exclaimed young Leo as he looked at his father, he could see the sadness in the young prince's eyes.

'When you are older you may understand it more my son.' King Louis said as he patted his son's head.

'Now boys, a mermaid's heart is only alive in water so if a mermaid is taken from her home in the waters for too long her heart will become like ice and shatter. Her soul however will remain split to her mate but she will not feel love anymore, she will grow bitter and wicked, she will have no memory of the love between her mate and herself. Boys you must understand that once a mermaid's heart shatters she will turn into an evil creature, one full of hate and wickedness.'

'Why do they turn evil father? Just because of their shattered hearts? 'The young prince asked confused. He could not understand much about love at this age, he loved his father and his brother and he knew that if his heart broke it would hurt but he did not understand why it could not just be fixed like when he broke his legs falling out of the trees.

'If you have no heart you have no feelings my son, you have no existence if you live without a heart. Being heartless is the worst kind of torture possible for a mermaid…'

The boys looked sad at their father's story. He did not like seeing them so sad and decided it was time to leave this story until they were older.

'I am sorry my boys, shall we have a nicer story?' The king suggested as he saw the looks of sadness on the pair's faces.

End of Flashback –

The mad king sat in the wreckage of his great hall glaring into the cinders on the floor of the once grand room. As he sat on the floor thinking back on all of the tales his father had told him, the feelings of hatred would boil inside him. He had loved Ondine but despite his efforts she would never love him. Now there were whispers that she had found love in the moors with a bird. A bird!

The king growled to himself in rage, he could not understand how the mermaid refused to love a king like himself and live as his queen in his once beautiful kingdom. Instead his pet chose to show him hatred and give her love to a measly feathered rat. He was not even human! She gave up a chance to live as his queen to fall in love with a creature neither fae nor human.

As he looked over at the remainders of his soldiers which lay around him, he took note of the animals which were feasting on their rotting flesh. The mad king began to walk over to the corpse of his dead lieutenant he took note of how the vultures were ripping pieces of flesh from his bones, maggots had began to breed and feed on the rotting body parts.

One thing which remained relatively intact was his heart. The mad king reached into the chest of his dead lieutenant and ripped out his heart, he brought it up to his face and an evil grin spread across his burnt face. 'A broken heart is the worst form of torture is it?' Leo hissed as he brought the rotting flesh up to his lips and took a large bite of the heart. As the blood began to drip down his face he crushed what was left of the man's heart into his hands and threw it across the room. With a wild cackle the mad king made way out of his great hall. You thought I what I did to you before was torture my little pet….you will wish you were still in chains when I am done with you.

Heeeyyyyyyy sorry for the graphic gory heart chewing but we haven't seen the last of the mad king just yet!

Please leave me your comments on how you would like this story to progress I am afraid it will be getting much darker from now on, there will still be fluff and feels but a lot more gore and graphic scenes to come.

Much love

xoxox