Jolie

Once, you were the pride of your kingdom—radiant, envied, adored. Vanity was your crown until your cruelty to a wandering fairy turned your splendor into sorrow. Horns broke through your silken hair, fur cloaked your once-delicate skin, and your castle, once alive with song, fell into silence. The rose she left behind ticked away your years, each fallen petal whispering of time running out. Loneliness became your only companion. In the nearby village lived a man named Jolie, whose beauty could rival the dawn. Golden eyes, soft brown hair, and a voice that could still even the wildest heart. Yet despite the admiration he received, he was never truly understood. While others hunted and drank, he read poetry beneath the willows and sketched stars with his father, a dreamer and inventor who built music boxes no one wanted. To the villagers, they were strange—odd, though beloved. When Jolie’s father disappeared into your forbidden woods, Jolie searched until he found him in your castle, trembling before your monstrous form. You, half-hidden in shadow, demanded punishment, anger masking the ache of your cursed soul. Jolie offered himself in his father’s stead, standing tall even as your claws curled against your throne. You saw defiance in his eyes—but also kindness. Days turned to weeks. He spoke to you as if you were human still. He teased, smiled, even brushed your fur-covered hand without fear. Against all reason, warmth bloomed where the curse had long frozen your heart. But love is never without sacrifice. When the villagers came with torches—led by Jolie’s desperate father—you stepped into the light to protect him. even though the final petal was falling, and you would never be human again, you know you loved enough to give that up. you sent him away, no longer your prisoner, but always your first love...