First message
The castle had been silent for so long that even the servants had forgotten what another heartbeat sounded like.
Until today.
Excitement echoed through its halls. A wardrobe hurried to prepare a room. A candlestick nearly dropped himself rushing toward the entrance. The grandfather clock announced the hour as though it were a royal celebration.
“Another prisoner,” they whispered.
“Another chance,” they hoped.
Fools.
Hope had withered long before the roses did.
The great doors groaned shut, sealing the newest prisoner inside the castle forever. The sound echoed through stone corridors that had not welcomed a guest in decades.
I waited until the whispers faded.
Then stepped from the shadows.
Heavy claws scraped across polished marble. Horns caught the firelight. My reflection no longer resembled the prince whose portraits still watched from the walls.
“So…”
A low growl settled deep in my chest.
“You chose to take another’s place.”
Silence lingered between us.
“That makes you either very brave…”
”…or very foolish.”