Okay, so this is a kind of Rent-Fantasy story. Kind of a fairy tale. Make of it what you will. It's definitely not my best piece, but it was more the concept that I was going for rather than the writing style. Anyways, I don't think it's too awful. I hope you enjoy.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. She had eyes the colour of chocolate and hair that held the moonlight. Men came from far and wide to see her beauty for themselves. They offered her money, hoping to impress her and claim her for their own, but the princess simply took their money and flaunted her beauty, entertaining the men, but never giving herself away.

The princess lived among her people, far away from the riches and finery that other royals enjoyed. Several years before, she had been cursed with a dark magic that affected many of the townspeople. The royal family had cast her out to live among others suffering from the black curse that was slowly melting her away.

On one particular day after her banishment, the princess was walking through the village when she met a disguised wizard wrapped in a cloak. He whispered to her, and his voice strung words together in a rhythmic way until he had hypnotized the princess. He cast a spell on her with a magic powder. The spell made her believe that the powder was the only thing that kept her alive. She went back every day to visit the wizard, who gave her the powder with a cruel smile. He knew the powder seemed to pretty to the princess, but it would eventually kill her, like it had so many others, if the spell wasn't broken.

On an evening cold and bleak, the princess wondered the dark streets of the quiet village, guided only by the flame of the small candle she held out before her. The harsh winter wind that had descended upon the village blew suddenly, extinguishing her small light.

In the dark streets, the princess felt dread creep over her. Without the candle, she had no hope of finding her way home.

A small flickering from the side of the road caught her eye, and the princess walked towards it until she reached what she saw was a small house, a candle dancing inside. The soft murmur of music slipped out of the cracks in the wall. Slowly, she knocked at the door, hoping whoever lived in the tiny hut would be willing to help a young woman in distress.

The door was pulled back and a young man stood in the frame. He was tall and slender, but his shoulders hunched slightly with an invisible weight. Something in his eyes spoke of sadness in his life, and his face was guarded. His expression changed as he took in the beauty of the princess.

She held out the candle's blackened wick.

"Please, could you spare a match?"

The man nodded silently and led her into the house. They spoke quietly for a few minutes as he lit her candle. The princess was drawn to the man. Since she had stepped over the threshold, his features had brightened. She could still feel the blanket of sadness he kept wrapped around himself, but her presence seemed to thin it. The complete stranger had caught her attention and she wanted nothing more than to befriend the sad creature.

As the princess thanked him and left his house, the man spotted something lying on the floor. It was a small bag holding the magic powder the princess relied on. The man knew what it was for he too had once been under the spell of the wizard and his cruel powder. Quickly, he tucked away the bag and extinguished his own candle for the night.

*

The next day, the princess came looking; for her powder and for the man who had interested her so. She knocked on his door and stood quietly, waiting for the door to open as it had the night before. There was no answer.

Curious, the princess peaked in the window by the doorway. She could see the man hunched over, slowly plucking the strings of the guitar in his lap. She tapped on the window, but he did not move. He sat, entranced by his music. The princess, determined to meet with him again, slid the window up and gracefully pulled herself through.

He didn't see her until she was standing before him. Angrily, he threw down his guitar.

"You!" he cried. "You have to go. You're a trick. You're dangerous."

The poor princess was distraught. Was this the same kind man who had aided her in the night?

"Please. If not your company, I request my medicine. A small bag of powder. I know I left it her at out meeting last night.

"No! I will have none of you black magic here! It's gone, and soon you will follow. I do not need more darkness in my life."

But as he spoke, the man saw the fear and confusion in the princess's eyes.

"You…you do not know."

She stared at him and the man suddenly realized his fault. Slowly, he took her hand and set her into a chair. He explained to her the spell that had been cast upon her. He too, he said, had once been caught in the wizard's net, but with the support and love of his oldest friend, the spell had been broken at last. Still, he had lost someone dear to him through the blackness of the wizard's spell.

"It is the most powerful of magic," he explained to her. "There is no stronger force on Earth."

"You're mistaken," she replied. He shook his head, for he didn't believe her. She could not know.

He felt her soft hand on his again. The princess looked at him.

"Love," she whispered.

If anyone is confused by this, review and ask your question. If you're not confused…review anyways? I'm not sure I want to continue this piece, but if I get a fair amount of support, I will.