A Girl and Her Fairy Tale

The Finale

The following weeks pass quickly. Kaasni and I build a nest and care for the egg. Perhaps caring for it is why she brought me. She is rather clumsy, having already almost squished the poor thing on several occasions. If that is the reason, I can understand. And, perhaps, I can be grateful to her for teaching me a better happily ever after than the one I always planned.

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Kaasni bolts upright, startling me from my slumber against her. I groan, wiping the sleep from my eyes. Her ears twitch and she looks back at me. A thud sounds in the distance. No, not just one but many. The sound of an army. My heart beats like that of a trapped rabbit. Why would an army travel so close? Kaasni paces, restless. The answer becomes clear. She is their prey.

I rush to grab my sword, calling for her to guard the nest. The thumping stops.

I sprint to the nest, dropping in beside the egg. Kaasni stands guard beside, eyes upward. Bars crisscross every exit. This truly has become a prison.

The gap above that once provided the egg with sun and nourishment now rains fiery rocks. I quickly grab the egg, dropping my sword in my attempt to clamber out of the nest and to safety, but I am slow.

I cover the egg, anticipating the searing pain of the debris. Instead, a warm shadow swallows me. Kaasni. She shoulders the entire attack for me and the tiny egg. She slumps, but does not fall.

After an eternity, the barrage ends. She staggers to the side, collapsing and falling still. The attacker's roar of victory echoes.

Kaasni, the one who brought me a freedom I didn't know I needed, the one who entrusted me with the care of her only child, the one who protected me when others would not. She is dead. The world blurs, I clutch the egg close.

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The army was my father's. He claims he wanted vengeance for the child he thought he had lost, that it had taken him years to track down the beast. Lies. They wanted Kaasni. She was just another thing for him to hunt. He had no idea she was the same who took me.

But I nod along anyway, pretending to understand. Pretending to be the victim they all expect. But I am descended from a line of warriors. I am no princess. This cannot break me. Unknown to anyone, the egg remains in my possession at all times, tucked into my garments.

I have been betrothed to a prince, but I know better now. A prince will not be my happy ending. I could not bear to live such a life, not now that I know there is so much more. So I will bide my time and wait until my chance to escape this fake fairy tale comes.