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Chapter 20 - A Captain Like No Other (Part 2)

"Alright now... Comfortable?" Chris asked, tucking Sera under the sheets of his cabin bed, the small fox resting on her back with a nod as her paws held the sheets. "You've been such a good girl... Haven't caused a bit of trouble, have you?" he grinned warmly, rubbing her on the head and getting a chipper bark in response. "You know... Good girls deserve a nice bedtime story, don't you think?" he offered, making Sera's eyes light up with an eager nod, making him laugh. "Alright... Let your Papa think of a good one..." he winked before sitting on a chair by the bed and thinking over the tales he'd learned through the years. "Ah... By the way, I brought some of these for the trip..." he added, taking a small twig from his pocket. "Here ya' go." he offered, making Sera drool slightly before taking the treat and gnawing on it like a bone. About to sit back, Chris caught a glimpse of Brionne peeking in from the door nearby, making him pause as she jolt and pulled her head back. "Hmm..." he quietly uttered before showing a smirk. "I think I know just the story..." he nodded, sitting back while focusing back on Sera, rubbing her on the head. "I think tonight, I'll tell you the story of... The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince..." he offered, the mention of a Prince and Princess making the fox's ears perk up. "Hey Midna, can you give me a hand?" Chris called, making the imp pop out of his coat pocket with a small piece of bone hanging from its mouth, looking up curiously. "Wanna help me tell a story?" he asked, the imp tilting its head before offering a thumbs up and making its way to his shoulder. Turning away, he quietly gave Midna the details of what they would do, after which he turned back to Sera and cleared his throat.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - In A Forest So Dark... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QYSNePstcw Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"Once... A long, long time ago... There was a big, beautiful kingdom, full of wonders and riches you could only dream of!" Chris began in a quiet, storytelling tone. "Ask anyone, and they would tell you it was a place of pure perfection, spotless and bright, like a beacon of heaven itself, right here on our little Earth! Everyday the people were happy, and there was always peace within its mighty walls. The people were kind, nature was abundant, nobody ever went hungry. It was prosperous, and to the family who ruled it, and the people who lived there, it was impossible for any of that to change." he described as Sera's eyes widened. "However, though the kingdom was beautiful and perfect, past its lovely walls existed a dark, mysterious forest. Though the sunlight always bathed the kingdom in rays of gold, beneath the branches of the trees beyond, not a shred of that holy light could be seen. It was as though nature itself had shunned the sun, and banished it from the land beneath its endless, eerie canopy..." Chris went on, causing Sera to stop munching on her twig as he held Midna out and began moving his hands as though casting magic, the imp floating between them as its shape changed. "While the kingdom was full of beautiful people, and beautiful creatures, the forest was full of monsters. Some from your worst nightmares..." Chris paused as Midna suddenly shot out from his hands toward Sera in the shape of something akin to a centipede, its countless legs wiggling about in her direction while its mandibles snapped, making the fox whine and lower herself under the sheets, peeking out nervously as Midna retracted and began changing shape in his hands. "However... Not all monsters are as scary... And some..." he paused again.

Moving his hands about as if the one controlling Midna's form as it float between them, he held them out a second time and revealed a dark creature in the shape of a wolf standing on two legs. "Aren't really monsters at all... Each with their own kind of beauty, their own mystery, their own magic..." he went on in a skillful storytelling manner as Sera raised from the sheets, her curiosity returned as she resumed gnawing on her twig. "Whether you're a human, or a Pokemon, or even a creature of the night, we all have our secrets, our own desires. Our hopes, and dreams..." he paused, glancing toward the door as Brionne listened in, her head poking out at the doorway "We even have our own misunderstandings... And sometimes, through that, we learn just how beautiful we really are. Regardless of what, or who we may be..." he smirked while looking back at Sera before taking Midna in his hands and tossing the imp above him, making it hover in the air and take on the form of a moon, eclipsing the ceiling light above them to make its shape glow. "The story begins one dark and silent night... From within the safety of his kingdom's walls, the Prince strolls along the streets, kindly greeting subjects as they pass. The young Prince was a curious man, kindhearted and gentle... And on this night, as he passed by one of the gates that let people in and out of the city, he suddenly heard a strange, mysterious sound. It was like the call of an animal, and yet, it sounded so tempting, so soothing. It was coming from the forest beyond, and though he knew it was forbidden, he couldn't help but satisfy his curious nature, and so upon his order, the guards lift the gate, and against their better judgement, obeyed his request to go alone, for secrecy, and made his way out..." Chris paused.

Above his head, Midna morphed itself into a forest, showing a figure walking through them, almost like a popup book of sorts. "Slowly the young Prince made his way along, following the mysterious call... Only thing is, the closer he got to the source, the less it sounded like a call, and the more it sounded like a song... Like that of a lullaby, sweet and tender. In a place that was so eerie, for such a lovely sound to call from its endless night... The Prince knew he just had to find who, or what, was making it." Chris paused while Midna turned into a shadowy cliff above his head, showing a wolf sitting at its peak while the Prince stopped at its base. "And finally, he did... From high above, the song was finally clear as day, and he knew whoever was singing, was right there, just out of reach. Despite the potential dangers around him, the Prince couldn't help but let himself be mesmerized by the melody, and so, because he was a timid man, rather than climbing the cliff, he sat on a nearby log and listened. For as long as whoever it was had been willing to sing, we would listen... And when the singing finally came to an end, the Prince called out, cheering for whoever it was above him." Chris went on as Midna morphed into the wolf looking down from the cliff. "Hearing this, the creature of the forest gazed down from its perch, finding the Prince far below... Unfortunately for him, in this forest, its denizens had a particular taste for humans. They were a treat more delicious than any other..." Chris paused, standing with his hands out like claws. "A human...? Here....? Why is it just standing there...?" he began to speak in the tone of a monster. "It's not running away... I could easily pounce from here... What a foolish meal!" he added, leaning toward Sera making her whimper.

"But... Wait... What is it doing...?" Chris froze, backing away with his hand to his ear as if listening while above his head, Midna morphed into the Prince clapping his hands. "That human... Is... What is he saying?" Chris asked, acting as though listening harder as Sera's eye's widened. "Bravo! Bravo!" Chris called, making the small fox jolt. "Your song was wonderful! Bravo! Bravo!" he repeat, now sounding like the Prince as Midna took on the form of the Wolf again above him, looking taken aback while Chris took on the same pose. "This human... He's praising me?!" he resumed in the monsters voice. "Why would a human do this?! Why is he even here?!" he asked before looking back at Sera and taking on a stance as if ready to attack her with claws. "...Whatever, a meal is a meal. A monster would be stupid to turn down such easy prey..." he grinned evilly, making Sera inch back down under the sheets warily. "Yeah... A delicious, tasty, mouthwatering..." he chuckled, licking his lips as he leaned in closer, until pausing just inches from Sera and backing away. "...But, this sound..." he muttered, acting as though listening again. Above his head, like a picture book flipping pages Midna morphed back into the Wolf looking down from its cliff at the Prince. "I've... Never been praised before..." Chris said quietly, as if he really were the monster debating its attack. "His face... Looks so happy... Am I... Really that good...?" he asked himself, turning away. "But... Humans... Are food..." he grumbled before suddenly turning and taking on the pose of the Prince, his hands to his mouth. "Excuse me... But... I really have to go now!!" he called out, Midna's scene above copying him as the Prince moved. "I'll come back so... I hope you sing again!!" he added.

Above his head, Midna showed the Prince turn and run off while the Wolf reached out its claw, though whether this was to show the monster debating to attack, or to call out for the Prince to wait, was left up to Sera's imagination as the imp morphed into its usual form and dropped into Chris's hands as he sat, the young fox on edge as she scoot up and barked in a "then what?!" manner, while nearby Brionne was acting the same, just as intrigued by the tale. "Well..." Chris smiled, closing his hands to conceal Midna before opening them as if holding a book, the imp skillfully creating another scene above his palms. "After that, night after night, the Prince was true to his word. Time and again, when he heard the call of the creature, he would come to the same spot... At first the monster struggled with its desire to eat him, but as time went on, it too began looking forward to the Prince's return to its cliff, eager for his audience and praise..." he continued as Midna showed the Prince coming and going from the cliff under the Wolf's gaze. "However..." he paused, closing his hands and opening them to show the Wolf looking down its cliff curiously. "One night... Upon finishing its song... The usual praise from the Prince wasn't heard, no clapping, no joyous shouts... No matter how hard it looked, the Wolf couldn't spot its admirer..." Chris said quietly. "But then... All of a sudden..." he went on, revealing a new scene of the Prince reaching the top of the cliff, the Wolf looking as though jumping back in shock. "Unable to resist any longer, the timid Prince finally found the courage to scale the cliff, desperate to see who it was singing to him every night... And for some reason it couldn't understand, this terrified the monster..." Chris revealed.

Closing his hands with a saddened look, he lowered his head, making Sera all the more anxious as she barked for more. "Sure you want me to go on? It gets a little sad..." he admit, getting insistent nods while Brionne nod as well. After a moment, Chris whispered into his hands before holding them out and opening them, with Midna revealing a scene of the Wolf ripping its claws across the Prince's eyes, causing Sera to jolt back in surprise. "The monster, who had once thought little of eating the Prince, now found itself terrified of having its identity discovered. Not wanting the Prince to see it for the creature it was, it reached out to stop him. But due to its form, instead of merely covering his face, the monster lived up to its reputation and took away his sight. Doing so purely on instinct, the creature froze in horror..." Chris paused as Midna's form began melting over his hands, turning them into claws which he looked down at in remorse. "What... Have I done...?" he asked as though guilty of the act himself. "For the first time, the being who'd lived its entire life, living in darkness and preying upon others with the very claws it gazed upon, felt true fear... Not only for what it had done, but for what it realized it was..." Chris revealed as Sera lay frozen. "It was so proud of its claws, so proud of all they had taken... Yet now, all of a sudden, it realized not only was it a threat to its prey, but even to those it meant no harm toward..." he emphasized before suddenly reaching out to Sera, making her jolt and yelp. "It was a menace! A monster!!" Chris shout as the fox trembled as he slowly backed away, with Midna retracting from his hands and taking on the form of another scene, this time showing the Wolf reaching out to the Prince as he fell off the cliff.

"While it was distracted with these thoughts, the Prince who'd adored the beast stumbled in pain over the edge. Though it prevented the Prince from discovering its identity, the cost was so dire its heart ached in a way it never had before. Reaching out as quickly as it could to save the Prince, upon feeling the monster's claw holding his wrist he thrashed and screamed in horror, terrified of the creature that had taken his sight. Only wanting to help, it lost its grasp and watched as the Prince fell from the cliff, tumbling down before slamming to the ground below." Chris paused, closing his hands as Sera's eyes teared up, while nearby Brionne's eyes widened, suddenly having a flashback to when she'd jumped from the cliff. "Luckily for the Prince..." Chris resumed, showing another scene with a guard squatting next to the Prince's body. "Soldiers on patrol heard the cries, and rushed to the aid of their Prince as the monster watched from above. Relieved that help had arrived, for its own safety it ran away from the scene..." he revealed, with Midna showing a scene of the Wolf running away. "Many days, and many nights passed, each more agonizing than the last for the creature as it feared for the Prince's fate... Had he survived? Had he recovered?" Chris asked, with Midna showing a depiction of the Wolf pacing back and forth while clutching its head, the sun and moon passing over its head to show the passage of time. "Its worries continued, until one night it came across more guards on patrol... Though they spoke in murmurs out of fear for their gossip, the creature got as close as it could..." he said in a hushed tone, revealing a scene of the Wolf behind a nearby bush while two men whispered. "I can't believe they locked the Prince in a cell..." Chris whispered. "I know... Their own son..." he added, acting out the discussion between the two men.

"Upon hearing this, the beast was shocked!" Chris exclaimed as Midna showed the Wolf looking distraught. "Why?" he asked. "Didn't they come to help the Prince?! Why would they lock him away?!" he panicked, looking as though worried himself. "After hearing this awful news, the Wolf, despite the danger, raced toward the kingdom in the dead of night. Wanting to see the fate of the Prince for itself, just as he risked life and limb to hear it perform, so too did the beast now risk it all to see him in turn..." Chris told in a confident tone, with Midna showing one scene after the other of the Wolf scaling the wall of the city before racing over rooftops, searching for the location of the Prince as it moved. "Where? Where? Where is the Prince?" Chris asked quietly, yet desperately to emphasize the creatures panic while Sera sat on edge once more. Finally, with no other option, the beast made its way toward the castle itself, and after spending what felt like forever searching..." he paused, closing his hands before tossing Midna up, the imp floating in place and showing a large depiction of the Wolf gazing into the cell where the Prince sat, with no furniture to rest on and rags to cover him, his only other attire being a ragged cloth wrapped around his eyes. "The monster found the Prince, and sure enough, just as the guards had said... He was locked away..." Chris confessed, hanging his head as Sera's ears drooped. With the scene melting away, Midna's droplets of darkness fell on Chris, with all of it gathering in his hands before he closed them. "Shall I go on?" he asked, getting demanding barks in response before he opened his hands as though holding a book once more, with Midna creating a new scene of the Wolf closer to the bars.

"Wh-Who's there?" he asked, acting as the Prince. "Hesitating to respond, finally the beast answered the Prince's question, with a question of its own..." Chris went on. "Why... Are you in there?" he asked, acting as the Wolf. "My parents put me here... Because I'm blind..." he answered, now playing the part of the Prince. "Our family, our kingdom, everything is perfect. Now that I'm blind... I'm not perfect anymore... I'm a disgrace, so I have to stay here. My family doesn't want to lose face with our people..." Chris added, sounding sulky as the Prince would. "THAT'S why?!" he suddenly shout as Midna revealed an image of the Wolf snatching the bars of the cell. "Y-Yes. A blind Prince... Isn't very useful..." Chris confessed, playing the Prince as Sera showed agitation of her own, growling from the way the Prince was treated. "Thinking over the situation, the monster decided to help the Prince, but just as it was about to rip away the bars of the cell... It hesitated..." Chris continued, pausing as Midna showed the Wolf gazing at its claws again. "I-I want to help him... But if I do it like this..." he murmured, acting as the Wolf in its moment of distress. "If he finds out what I am, he'll panic again, and I might hurt him... What should I do?" he asked in a hesitant voice as Midna changed her form to show the Prince standing at the bars. "Excuse me...?" he called out in the Prince's voice. "You sound... Familiar... Have we met...? Your voice... Is very pretty..." he praised as the Prince as Midna showed the Wolf looking at him. "I sound... Pretty?" he asked as the Wolf. "Y-Yes... Have we... Met somewhere?" he asked as the Prince, after which Midna showed the Wolf stepping back before facing away and clutching its head.

"What have I done?! What am I doing here?!" Chris began to panic, standing and taking the same suffering stance as the grieving wolf. "I-I'm sorry to ask but... I'm stuck here... Could you do me a favor?" he asked as the Prince as Midna showed the Wolf turning back to him. "I-It's dangerous, but... In the forest, not far from the wall, there's a place where somebody sings... It sounds like a lady but... I can't go to her anymore..." he confessed. "I... Like her a lot... Could you go where she is, and tell her... I'm sorry?" he asked, after which Midna showed the Wolf reaching its claws towards its face as black droplets, representing tears fell from its face. "Y-You're sorry?" he replied as the Wolf, acting shaken from the apology. "Y-You shouldn't be!! It's all my...!!" he added, suddenly covering his mouth as the Wolf did the same, not wanting to reveal the truth as he sat back down. "Y-You sound upset... I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask anyone to go in a forest like that..." he apologized as the Prince, after which Midna showed the Wolf pacing back and forth outside the cell. "No... Wait..." Chris acted, murmuring as the Wolf before shouting "I've got it!!" as Midna showed the monster raising its finger with a light bulb above its head. "Prince... I'll get you out of here!" he promised as Midna showed the Wolf rushing up to the bars. "Tomorrow night, I'll return! I know someone who can help! Someone who might be able to help your eyes too!" he assured. "Just wait here for me, alright?" he asked. "W-Well... I... Can't really go anywhere... But... Who...?" he asked as the Prince as Midna showed the Wolf racing off, leaving the Prince reaching blindly out of his cell, after which Midna returned to its imp form and squat on his shoulder.

"Not bad so far..." Chris praised, taking a ziplock bag from his pocket and reaching for the jerky within, offering it as a treat which the imp excitedly took and nibbled away like a paper shredder, its length quickly vanishing in its sharp maw until it was left licking its lips. "So, enjoying the story so far?" Chris smirked, getting an excited nod from Sera while Brionne quietly nodded at the door. "Well then, ready to go on?" he asked, looking at Midna and getting a cackle in turn. Holding his hands out, the imp jumped into them, after which he folded them together before acting as though opening a book again, with Midna showing a new pop-up type of form with the Wolf racing through the forest. "After meeting the Prince, the monster quickly made its way deep, deep within the endless trees outside the kingdom... Running faster than it ever had before, a trip that normally took days to make for the average person, was merely hours away for a monster with a mission as important as its own..." Chris smirked, holding his hand up and slowly gliding it across the image, making it waft away before acting as though casting a spell, causing Midna to warp itself before showing a creature standing with a staff, looking like a mix between a witch and an owl of sorts. "You see..." he went on in a hushed, mysterious tone that had Sera raising up wide eyed while Brionne leaned further in from the door. "Deep within this forest, lived its own Queen..." he revealed. "Far beyond the walls of mortal man, lived a Witch that had existed long before the kingdom came to be. By herself, she looked after this endless forest in its entirety. Not only was she its caretaker..." he paused as Midna showed the Witch with her hand out and countless creatures running past her.

"She was the mother of most of the monsters which lived within... The trees were her source of power, and the monsters which dwell under the safety of their sprawling canopy were the result of her fantasies, twisted as they may have been..." Chris explained before Midna showed the Witch tilting its head back with its hands up in a laughing manner, after which countless insect looking creatures shot out from the depiction and crawled along the sheets toward Sera as Chris cackled like a wicked witch, tilting his head back while doing so as Sera clutched the sheets and trembled before letting out a scream from the bugs crawling all over her. Suddenly slapping his hands closed as if loudly closing a book, the image of the Witch and likewise the insects vanished as he smirked at Sera, watching as she trembled in a frozen manner before slumping with a groan. "Pretty intense, huh?" he asked, after which the small fox scowled at him from the dirty trick, teary eyed from the creepy crawlies skittering all over her making Chris apologize, rubbing her head before continuing as Midna showed a scene of the Wolf in front of a hut over his hands. "At long last, the Wolf reached the home of the Witch, gazing upon her abode with wary eyes... For you see, even the creatures of the forest knew there was more to her than meets the eye... Although she was the mother of many of their kind, she was a trickster, a gambler... She loved twisting the desires of others and putting a price on each request for her magic. Even those she created had to pay up if they wanted her help..." Chris revealed. "It's the law of equivalent exchange... To get something, you must give of equal value..." he affirmed before Midna showed the Wolf standing before the Witch.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - The Lie Begins... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5036YOMkssk Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"Why have you come to me on this quiet night, child?" he asked in a Witches tone, his voice high and eerie. "I have seen many within these walls, yet you are a first... And so exhausted by the look of it... I have a feeling this will be very amusing indeed!" he cackled gleefully. "P-Please... I need your help!" he begged as the Wolf while Midna showed the monster reaching out toward the Witch in desperation. "A spell! I need a spell to turn me human!" he insisted, after which Midna showed the Witch taken aback by the request before showing her raising her arms and tilting back in laughter. "Kee hee hee!! A HUMAN?! YOU child?!" he laughed as the Witch. "This visit IS amusing indeed!!" he added. "Surely you jest... What nonsense is this from a beast such as you?" he asked as Midna showed the Witch bending over and pointing at the Wolf as it lowered to its knees with its claws looking as though begging. "Please! There's someone I want to help!" he pleaded as the Wolf, after which Midna showed the Witch standing straight before the monster. "In all the years you've roamed these woods, slaughtering and devouring man and fellow beast alike... What a curious desire..." he replied as the Witch. "I'd like to know more, but you have your reasons, and I'd wager you'd rather not dither here..." he added as Midna showed the Witch rubbing her chin. "Just tell me one thing child... Whom do you wish to help...?" he asked in her wicked yet intrigued tone. "A man... A... A Prince..." he answered as the Wolf, after which Midna showed the Witch clutching her stomach before arching back for another round of laughter. "Kee hee hee!! A prince?! Saved by a monster?!" he mocked. "My you are one for fairytales, aren't you?" he asked as the Witch point at the Wolf.

"Hmm... Very well child, a spell to be human you will have... And for such amusement, the price will be small." he went on. "To save the one you care for, and since you claim him to be a Prince, then a Princess you shall be!" he assured, after which Midna showed the Wolf shooting up happily. "Me?! A Princess?!" he shout. "Indeed! Surely it's the proper role?" he asked as the Witch, with the Wolf shown thinking it over. "I-I want to bring the Prince here, to you... I can't protect him as a human though..." Chris explained as the Wolf, after which Midna showed the Witch looking intrigued. "You want me to grant a wish so you may bring me another... Client...?" he asked as the Witch as Midna showed her excitedly tapping her fingers together like a greedy business person. "Well well... This is a delightful night..." Chris cackled. "Very well... I will grant you the form of a Princess, with the ability to turn into your true self as you desire... Be warned, that should the light of a full moon fall upon you, it will force you into the beast that you are regardless of will, for this spell is complex, and flaws will be had..." he cautioned as the Witch, with Midna showing her finger raised. "Now... For the price..." he added, pausing as the Witch bent over and point at the Wolf again. "What do you value most in this mortal world...?" she asked as the Wolf inched back. "Value... Most...?" he hesitated as the Wolf, with Midna showing the monster holding its throat. "I see it in your mind... A voice... A song... Adoration... Yes..." Chris cackled as the Witch as Midna showed her stepping back. "I will take your gift of song as compensation. Speak you shall, sing you shan't!" he declared, the Wolf looking hesitant in the depiction before him.

"For the gift of humanity, song is my price! Never again will you howl a tune into the night! Do we have a bargain?" he asked as the Witch as she stood with her arms raised in the midst of the declaration before offering her bony hand to the Wolf while Chris looked at Sera, the fox looking shocked. "You see kiddo, life isn't always fair... Sometimes to have what you want the most, you have to be willing to give up what you love the most... In this case, to save the Prince it hurt, it's going to cost the monster the very thing that brought them together in the first place... To right a wrong, especially in a way that involves you lying to do so, you have to be ready to face the consequences... Honesty is the best policy, understood?" he lectured, getting an obedient nod. Clearing his throat, Midna showed a scene of the Wolf reaching out its claw to the Witch. "I... I accept! You can have my voice!" he declared as the beast, after which Midna changed the scene to show only the Wolf's claw and the Witch's hand shaking. "The deal is struck!! The transformation begins!!" Chris cackled in glee via a high pitched tone, after which he cupped Midna back in his hands before throwing the imp in the air, causing its form to burst and spiral rapidly, wild streaks of black swirling around the form of the Wolf within as the movement caused wind to kick up in the bedroom. "Never again shall you sing! Your gift of song is mine to hold forever more!" he cackled as Sera's eyes widened and she inched under the sheets nervously as Chris stood with his arms up as if the Witch himself, his coat blowing in the spiraling wind Midna created as the Wolf morphed in the swirling darkness above. "A deal is a deal! Become that which you desire, and begone!" he ordered.

Suddenly, a tiny ball escaped the Wolf's mouth as its head tilt back, representing its gift sacrificed to the Witch as it float about and lowered into Chris's palms, after which he cupped his hands around it and grinned maliciously at Sera with a chuckle. "It's MINE..." he declared in an evil hiss, leaning toward the fox as she shuddered. Next thing she knew, the scene unfolding above him showed the Wolf transform into a girl, curling in a fetal position before turning with her arms and legs out, showing a dress appearing on her body before a small crown slowly lowered onto her head, her coat of fur retracting and turning into long unruly hair behind her. With the transformation complete, the scene above began to shrink as Midna returned to her usual shape and size, lowering as Chris turned to catch the imp before looking back at Sera with a smirk. "Papa's good at stories, huh?" he asked as the fox raised and nodded excitedly, barking for him to continue while Brionne stood at the doorway, her own intrigue having pulled her out from hiding as Chris returned to his chair. "Well... After the monster turned into a Princess, she lay on the Witch's floor until finally she awoke, only to find the Witch had vanished..." he continued in a quiet, mysterious tone. "Knowing there wasn't a moment to lose, the Princess rushed out of the hut, and back into the dark of the forest..." he explained, opening his hands once more as Midna showed the girl running through the trees. "Forgetting about the risk to humans, she didn't make it far before predators blocked her path... Startled they would dare challenge her, she looked at her hands and remembered what she'd become..." Chris told as Midna showed the Princess surrounded by monsters.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Journey of Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArjL6pZpT-g Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"Though as a human she was beautiful on the outside, within she was still the same monster as before, and out of a blind rage for being attacked, she burst free from her form as a Princess, like a Butterfree escaping its cocoon..." Chris cautioned as Midna showed the Wolf with its claws out, arching back as if howling. "This terrified the creatures that dared approach her, and just as quick as they were to surround her as a human, so too did they run upon her revelation, for she had a reputation in the forest among monsters big and small..." he explained as Midna showed the Wolf charging through the forest. "Not wanting another delay, she stayed in the form of a beast as she raced back to the Prince, and upon the night of the next day, returned to his cell, finding him just as lonesome as before..." he went on quietly in a soothing tone, showing the Wolf at the bars as the Prince sat within. "I-I have returned, Prince!" Chris called out as the Princess before Midna showed the Prince nearing the bars on his side. "That voice... It's you again..." he replied as the young man as the imp showed the Prince reaching out from his cell, trying to touch the monster. "I-I cannot see... Where are you?" Chris asked nervously, his eyes closed as he reached about, acting like the Prince would. "In response to this, the monster hesitated, quickly stepping back before looking at her claws..." he explained before Midna showed the Wolf doing as he said and suddenly turning back into a Princess, reaching up to adjust her crown before returning to the bars. "I-I am... Right here..." Chris said in a feminine tone as Midna showed the Princess slowly reaching out to the Prince before changing the scene to show the two standing with their hands holding.

"O-Oh! So... Soft..." he spoke as the Prince, responding to the touch of the Princess shyly. "Does it... Feel strange?" he asked as the Princess while Midna showed her looking worried. "N-No! Not at all! I... Haven't had company in a long time... It's... Nice to feel warmth from someone else again... It's... Cold here..." Chris replied as the Prince in a lonely tone while Midna showed a saddened expression on the Princess. "Hearing this, his words were like a knife in the Princess's heart. Already grieving her act toward the Prince, to hear the one who had praised her so happily and smiled so innocently, now looking and sounding so miserable... It was enough to bring even a monster like her to tears..." Chris narrated as Midna showed the Princess stepping back and reverting to a Wolf. "Prince... I'm getting you out of there! I know someone who can help you... Will you come with me?" he asked as the Princess before adding "Stand back!" in her voice. "H-How can you free me? And... Who can help?" he replied as the Prince while Midna changed the scene like a picture book turning its page in Chris's hands, showing the Wolf tearing away the bars with her claws like knives through butter, the Prince ducking with his head covered. Showing the Wolf turning back to a Princess, she approached the Prince in his cell and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Prince...? It's okay... You're free now!" he said cheerfully as the Princess. "H-How did you...?" he asked as the Prince, only for the scene to change, showing the Princess pulling the Prince away by the hand. "Wait! Wh-Where are we going?!" Chris panicked. "We're going to see someone special! She'll give you sight again!" he answered excitedly as the Princess.

"Together, the two quickly rushed toward one of the gates leading out of the city. Hiding themselves in a buggy full of hay being carried off by a farmer, once outside the walls the Princess pulled the Prince into the woods, and after making sure they were safely out of sight and range of being heard, the Princess let the Prince rest on a nearby stump, sitting with relief as he caught his breath while she kept guard." Chris narrated. "I-I'm sorry, but... Before we go further, please answer my questions!" he insisted as the Prince while Midna showed the Princess turning to him as he sat clenching his fists on his lap. "I-I don't think you mean any harm, but... I don't know you... Do I? Can you... At least tell me who you are?" he asked desperately. "Wh-Who you are... And who this person is we're going to see?" he added in the Prince's wary tone. "Wh-Who I am...?" he replied as the Princess as Midna showed her looking at her hands. "I-I'm..." Chris hesitated before Midna showed the Princess taking the Prince's hand. "I'm... A Princess! From... A nearby kingdom!" he lied. "A Princess...? I didn't know there were any kingdoms close to ours... But... You do sound familiar..." he replied as the Prince in a skeptical tone. "Ah... That's because..." he hesitated shyly as the Princess, the scene Midna created changing to that of the Prince patting his fist in his palm. "I know!!" he shout while the Princess was shown stepping back. "Y-You do?!" Chris panicked in her voice, making Sera raise up in anticipation. "Are you the one who sings in the forest?!" he asked as Midna showed the Princess covering her mouth, looking surprised from being so easily recognized. "You... Know my voice that well...?" he asked as the Princess in a shy manner.

"Of course!! You're beautiful!!" the Prince praised, making the Princess step back and fidget in the picture Midna created. "B-Beautiful...?" Chris replied, making his voice quiet and timid as the Princess. "Ah... That is... Your voice! B-But I'm sure you are too!" he panicked as the Prince, making Sera giggle as she listened to the innocent banter between the two. With both now fidgeting shyly in the picture Midna crafted, Chris let Sera look at the scene for a moment before continuing as his own smile showed from her engrossment with the tale. "I-I'm sorry... I said too much..." he apologized as the Prince. "N-No... Thank you." he replied as the Princess. "So... Who are we going to see then? Where... Is this person?" he asked as the wary Prince. "Oh! We're going to see the Witch of the forest!" he answered in a chipper manner as the Princess, after which Midna showed the Prince falling backward off the stump. "Th-THE WITCH?!" Chris panicked loudly. "Don't worry! She's not so bad!" he assured, acting as the Princess as Midna showed her helping the prince up. "She's the one who...!!" he added, acting as though almost spilling the truth as the Princess covered her mouth. "That is... She's the one who told me what happened to you! She... Said if I could free you, she would help if you came to her!" he assured while the Princess took the Prince's hand. "B-But I've heard stories... And she lives DEEP in the forest! I-I can't see! And... M-Monsters!!" Chris panicked as the Prince pulled his hand away from the Princess in fear, his mention of monsters making the Princess step back, remembering the situation and how their predicament began. "Th-That's right..." Chris muttered as the Princess turned away from the Prince.

"D-Don't worry!!" he assured as the Princess turned back to the Prince in a confident pose. "I'll get you there safely! I promise! I won't let anything hurt you!" Chris vowed, patting his fist on his chest while the Princess did the same in the popup styled image on his lap while Sera nodded with a grunt of agreement. As the story went on, little did Chris and the young fox he enraptured, nor Brionne at the door realize an audience had begun to show, with Rostron and several officers having arrived from the bridge to check on their MIA captain who'd vanished as they peeked in from the door behind Brionne to listen in. "After convincing the Prince she would protect him, the Princess took his hand and began the long journey through the dark, endless forest..." Chris narrated. "Because of the blind Prince, it was a journey that went on for days... Whenever danger appeared, the Princess would distance herself from the Prince, hiding him away before taking on her monstrous form." he went on as Midna showed different depictions of the Princess changing forms and fighting random creatures, all the while coddling the Prince in her human form. "Taking it all on her shoulders, the Princess carried the burden of battle without complaints, knowing the scent of a human would attract the beasts that dwell around them at every turn. When she wasn't fighting, the Princess did all she could to keep the Prince comfortable, and even happy in his terrifying situation..." Chris paused as he closed his hands, making Midna retract within. "And you know what...? Every now and then, they came across something truly magical!" he teased before opening his hands, with Midna taking on the form of a large flower that got an "Ooohh..." from Sera.

"Despite how dark and scary the forest seemed... Hidden away within its otherwise bleak embrace were some of the most amazing flowers you'd ever find. Even compared to the majestic kingdom of the Prince, these flowers couldn't be matched!" Chris grinned before tossing Midna above him once more, causing the imp to turn into a large depiction of the Princess handing flowers to the Prince in the midst of a garden with a smile. "Though he was blind, his sense of smell and touch remained, meaning these flowers were a great comfort for him! And so, whenever the Princess came across them, she would stop time and again, and present the Prince with gifts of every kind of flower you could imagine..." Chris chuckled as Midna showed the Princess bringing the Prince more and more flowers above him, until the Prince popped his head out from a pile of blossoms and both were shown laughing, getting a giggle from Sera in turn. "However, one mustn't forget the events which led to these happy moments..." Chris caution as the scene melt away, with Midna dropping back into his hands. "As they went on, the more the Princess laughed, the more she felt joy... The more her guilt welled within..." he revealed, opening his hands to show the Princess turning from the Prince and clutching her chest as he stood smelling flowers. "The more he shared his kindness, the more he praised the Princess, and the closer they grew... The more a solemn distance formed deep in the heart of the Princess, for time and again she had lied to the Prince, luring him to a Witch she knew would certainly help him, but at a cost she couldn't fathom..." Chris reminded as Midna showed the Witch looming over the Princess like a specter in her mind, casting darkness over an otherwise bright situation.

"One night, the two came across an old shack in the forest..." he went on, with Midna turning like a page to a new scene of the two approaching a building. "Though at first they thought it was abandoned, the Princess played it safe and made the Prince wait outside, and upon entering in her monstrous form, she found other monsters lying all over the floor... At first the Princess thought they were dead, but the littlest monster reached out a claw, its voice weak and desperate as it begged for help..." Chris revealed as Midna showed the inside of the building and the monsters he'd mentioned, looking like disfigured apes of sorts. "Throughout her life, the Princess was an eat first, talk later type of monster, and though they were skin and bones, the creatures in the shack still had meat good enough to make a meal for herself, and even the Prince if combined. However, before she could end their lives, the prince poked his head into the shack, quietly calling for her..." Chris point out as Midna showed the Prince doing just that while the Princess froze, her claw in the air as she prepared to end the creatures. "Princess...? Is everything okay?" he asked as the timid Prince while Midna showed him entering the shack. "What's going on?" he asked. "Just then, the Prince heard the moans of the little monster as it begged for food once more for its starving family. Reaching out, he took the hand of the small beast, realizing it wasn't human. Despite this and his fears, the Prince could tell it was just a child... Turning to the Princess, he did the unthinkable..." Chris paused as Midna showed him turning to the Princess as she stood in her beastly form. "Can you... Find food for them...?" he asked as the Prince, with Midna showing the Wolf opening its eyes wide.

"You... Want to help them?! But... They're monsters!!" he reminded in her shocked voice. "I know, but... It sounds so young... Please Princess...?" he begged as the Prince while Midna showed him reaching out, the Wolf quickly stepping back to avoid contact. "Though at first she was at a loss for words, and had mixed feelings over helping those she would normally eat for her own survival... At last the Princess made her way out of the shack, telling the Prince to stay until she returned..." Chris narrated as the imp showed the Wolf leaving the shack before returning with arms full of meat. "Upon her return, the Princess found that the Prince had managed to make a small fire, and had helped the weakened monsters sit around it to warm themselves. Unfortunately though, she was horrified of the sight, for deep in her heart the Princess had a dreadful fear of fire..." he revealed as Midna showed the Wolf dropping the meat and stepping back in terror. "Princess? Is that you...?" Chris asked, playing the Prince again. "Y-Yes, Prince... I brought... Meat..." he hesitated in her voice as the Wolf was shown slowly bringing the meat to the Prince, the young man, placing it by him before turning back into a Princess and keeping distance. "Oh! There's so much!" he Praised. "But... Meat... It's raw... I'll have to cook it... I can't eat raw meat..." he added in a nervous tone. "You... Can't eat it?" he asked as the curious Princess. "Not raw... Wait... Do you?!" he asked as the shocked Prince. "I-I uh... Um..." Chris panicked in a feminine tone, showing the struggle the Princess was going through. "Well... Ah... I... Guess we all... Have our tastes..." he said as the Prince with a nervous laugh, with the Princess shown sighing in relief.

By the door, Brionne and the men continued listening quietly, with one of the officers bringing a cup of hot coffee for Rostron as they peeked in, the Pokemon finally noticing them and looking up curiously at the audience above her. "With the help of the Princess, the Prince was able to roast all the meat she'd gathered from her hunt, and with the scent of the meal wafting around them, the monsters began to stir..." Chris hinted as Midna showed the monsters around the fire raising their hands. "Food... Food... Food!!" he moaned in a desperate voice. "H-Hold on! We have plenty!" Chris answered as the rushed Prince as Midna showed the young man handing out huge chunks of meat on sticks, the monsters quickly taking it and gobbling away at the offering. "Having never done anything for anyone else in her life, always focused on her own survival, for the first time since she walked the Earth, the Princess had so many new experiences unfolding before her, all at once..." Chris narrated as the Princess was shown watching the gathering from afar as they feast, her fear of the fire pushing her back. "Something... Began stirring inside. A strange, unfamiliar warmth she couldn't explain... Was it her stomach? Was she sick...?" he asked. "Helping the Prince, bringing food to those starving to death... Why did it feel so... Funny?" he added as the Princess was shown putting her hands on her chest. "She had lived for so long, only for herself... Thinking of how to get her next meal... Now she was feeding others, helping others... Is it... Right? For a monster to be this way?" he asked as the Princess remained distant from the others as the monsters were seen smiling and cheering from the Prince's generosity as he gave them more and more of the meat, saving them from the brink of death.

"Later that night, long after the Prince and the other monsters had fallen asleep, all with bellies bulging with food, the Princess stepped out, all alone, and sat within the light of the moon... Slowly she allowed herself to turn back into a monster, going over all the thoughts and feelings within her..." Chris continued, narrating in a soothing voice as Midna showed the Wolf looking up as it sat, while behind one of the large monsters approached. "Suddenly, the mother of the little monster that had begged for help appeared, having woken from her slumber and deciding to have a word with the Princess..." he explained as the two looked at one another. "Hello..." he called out as the monster. "Hunting is hard, but you caught so much meat in the blink of an eye! You're pretty good..." Chris praised. "Thanks..." he answered as the Princess. "I'm curious though... Mind if I ask a question?" he added as the monster. "What is it?" he replied as the Princess. "You brought us all that meat... But didn't touch the human... He's nice and all, but... Bringing him in these woods, knowing we hunt them... Is he emergency rations?" the monster asked, with Chris giving it an innocent tone as if it were a normal conversation which made Sera's eyes widen. "I guess it's a good idea... Luring humans into trusting us. We wouldn't starve if we did that too! But... The human you have is so skinny, he'd be a midnight snack at best." he point out as the monster while Midna showed the Wolf looking shocked. "Normally, things like this would be normal for the monsters of the forest to talk about, but since the Princess had traveled with the Prince, her outlook had changed, and the topic left her speechless..." Chris narrated while Sera lost some of her color.

"In response, the Princess panicked." he went on. "N-No! It's not like that!" he insisted as the Princess as Midna created a scene with the monster leaning toward the Wolf curiously. "Oh...? So that's how it is...?" he muttered as the monster. "You realize... It's impossible for humans and monsters to get along?" he reminded. "You know that, right? It's the way things are... We gobble up humans, and humans kill us..." he added in a quiet, albeit strict tone. "Even if you're serious, no good will come of it... You saved us, so we won't touch him... But if you really care, you better stop here and now..." he warned before Midna showed the monster turn and walk away from the Princess, leaving her standing in silence before showing the Wolf pacing to and fro, clutching her head. "For the rest of the night, the Princess struggled with the monster's words. Up until now, she was happy being with the Prince, but those words reminded her of what she truly was... And of the fact that she too, before the Prince..." Chris paused, looking at Sera before holding his hands out like claws. "Had tasted them, just like all the others in the forest..." he growled, making the fox gulp and inch into the sheets. "The fact remained, she was a monster, and the one who hurt the Prince to begin with." he reminded. "I-If we just get to the Witch, it will all be over... He can go back to his kingdom, and none of this will have happened! I just need to keep this up... Just a little longer..." he panicked as the Princess, emphasizing how she didn't sleep that night. "The following day, the two left the shack where the family of monsters lived, with the mother shouting for the Princess not to eat the Prince by accident, a remark he failed to understand, yet the Princess knew all too well..." Chris warned.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - The Lie Unravels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1-jU08YEuo Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"Over the course of the following day, the Princess struggled with thoughts of her meeting with the other monsters, and the memories of her past as a hunter she was once so proud of, but now found herself haunted by. Noticing her pace had been faster and her grip on his hand had tightened, the Prince finally called out to the Princess, who'd been unusually quiet since their journey that day began..." he narrated. "Princess...? Is something wrong?" he asked as Midna showed the two walking. "N-No, not at all! Just... Focusing on directions. We're almost to the Witch!" he replied as the uncertain Princess. "Eventually, as dusk returned, they came across a lake in the midst of the forest. Deciding it was a good place to rest for the night, the Princess helped the Prince set up camp, and once he was comfortable, having set another fire for himself, she merely looked at him from a distance, uncertain of how to feel, or even what to say... " Chris explained as Midna showed the two with the fire between them. "...Princess?" he called out as the Prince in a worried tone. "I know you said you're okay... But... You seem different today... If something's bothering you, and you don't want to talk about it... Maybe we could play a game to help get your mind off your troubles?" he offered warmly. "A... Game? What kind of game?" he asked as the curious Princess. "Have you ever heard of rock, paper, scissors?" he asked. "You make three shapes with your hand, pat it on your palm..." Chris began to explain, showing Sera how it's played with his own hands. "Sounds simple enough... Sure! I'll play!" he added happily as the Princess. "Do you mind if the winner gets a prize? The loser will have to grant one wish!" Chris suggested as the Prince, after which the Princess agreed.

"Being a hunter, the idea of a prize for her efforts further enticed her, so the two wasted no time in trying to best one another..." Chris smiled before Midna showed a scene of the Prince standing and cheering while the Princess sat in a slump. "I win! I win!" he explained as the Prince. "Shoot... That's a first..." he added as the sulky Princess from her loss. "Upon saying this, she thought of how this too was indeed another new experience for her... All her life, since she was alone, she not only had to fend for herself... She had never played with anyone before either..." Chris point out. "For a moment, she looked at how happy the Prince was, just from something as simple as playing a game with her. Nobody had ever been so happy to be so close by her side, and once again the funny warmth she felt in the shack returned, making her touch her chest and show the smallest smile..." he went on as Sera showed a smile of her own, letting out an "aww" type of noise from the sweetness. "But... This happiness would soon vanish, once she heard the Prince's wish..." Chris warned before Midna showed the Prince holding the Princesses hands together. "Okay! Time for my wish!" he explained excitedly. "U-Um... Right... What is it...?" he asked, his tone wary as the Princess. "I want..." Chris paused before showing Sera a grin. "To hear you sing! It's been so long!" he added, making the fox show an excited look, only to show a "...wait..." kind of expression as she sulked. "That's right kiddo..." Chris nodded as Midna showed the Princess backing away from the Prince, covering her mouth. "It was the one wish the Princess knew she couldn't grant... For she gave up her gift of song to rescue the Prince, all to help her cover up her crime... And her deceit..." he reminded with a somber look.

"Despite knowing she could no longer sing, the Princess collected herself and did her best nonetheless... But when her voice came out, the sound was..." Chris paused before doing the worst impression of a woman singing he could, making Sera lower her ears and cover them as he went on screeching like a hoarse bird of sorts until the barked for him to stop, causing him to pause and clear his throat. "Oof... Gotta be more careful with the sound affects. Unless I really wanna wind up like her." he smiled nervously, having strained his own voice. "Ahem... Upon hearing this, the Prince covered his own ears as well, making the Princess stop as she noticed his pained response to her cursed tune. "I-I'm sorry, Prince!" he apologized in the Princess's panicked tone. "I-It must be all this traveling! It... Has me feeling a little off..." he lied. "I-It's okay Princess! It's my fault, I made you sing without thinking..." he apologized as the guilty Prince. "Will you...Forgive me...?" he asked, after which Midna changed the scene like a storybook once more, a new scene popping up showing the Princess stepping back and covering her mouth. "Although his intentions were pure, hearing the Prince apologize was the last thing the Princess wanted, knowing it should've been her doing such a thing..." he narrated. "Having already struggled with her conscious, the Princess couldn't help but feel the need to distance herself from the Prince to try and clear her head, so after telling him she wanted to look around the lake, she left him by the light of the fire as he wished for her to stay safe..." he went on before Midna showed the Princess looking down at the water by herself from the edge of the lake, a nearly full moon hovering above.

"Making sure the Prince stayed in her line of sight, she found a spot to sit, and... Reflect... On herself, in more ways than one." Chris detailed. "It's impossible for monsters and humans to get along..." he said in a quiet voice. "No matter how hard she tried, this reminder from the monsters they met continued to haunt her..." he added. "W-We're almost there... Just a little longer!" he said as the Princess in a tone to emphasize how she tried to reassure herself. "I just... Have to stay in Princess form... Just a little... Longer..." he hesitated in her uncertain voice. "As she looked at her reflection as a human, her body began changing back into her beastly form... It wasn't so much that she meant to, but it was as though her own body were trying to push her toward the truth... Sad and cold as it was..." Chris narrated in a somber tone as Midna slowly turned the Princess back into a Wolf to follow his pace. "Just like the night before, the Princess would find herself with very little sleep, and by the time she returned to the fire of their camp, the Prince had long since drifted to slumber..." he point out as Midna showed the Princess by the sleeping young man. "The following day, the Princess knew it would be the last, for the home of the Witch grew nearer with every burdened step she took, guiding the Prince along..." he said soothingly, reaching out to pet Sera and getting a sigh in response. "Eventually, the home of the one who would heal the Prince was but mere acres away... Coming to a cliff, the Princess looked down at the trees below, and from the top of their canopy, the hut of the Witch could be seen, like that of her hat poking out from the branches..." Chris narrated, with Midna showing the two on the cliff.

Beneath them, the roof of the hut could indeed be seen, with Midna showing a small chimney puffing out smoke. "This is it... Here we are..." he murmured as the Princess, with Sera sitting up eagerly. "Princess? Is everything okay? Are we there?" he asked as the curious Prince, after which Midna showed a scene of the Princess turning to him and holding his hands. "A-Almost! But... Um..." Chris hesitated in her nervous tone. "Would you... Mind if we camped? Just... One more time...?" he pleaded. "Camp...? But... Isn't the Witch close by...? I think I smell smoke..." he answered as the Prince, referring to the Witch's chimney past the cliff. "Y-Yes! But... Um..." he hesitated as the Princess, his tone emphasizing her attempt to think of another lie. "B-Before we go to her place, we should... Think of a plan! I mean, what we should say to her! Stuff like that, right?" he pushed, after which Midna showed the Prince rubbing his chin. "I... Guess that makes sense... I am a little nervous myself..." he answered as the skeptical Prince. "If you really want to, we can wait." he agreed in a kind tone. "Th-Thank you, Prince..." he sighed as the Princess. "I-I'll got get us some supplies! There's a cliff here... S-So stay put and be careful!" he warned as Midna showed the Princess running off after pushing the Prince away from the edge, leaving him standing puzzled. "Though the end of their journey was right within sight... The Princess felt she couldn't go through with seeing the Witch, not until she tried something she feared the most..." Chris narrated as Midna changed the scene to the Princess holding another flower for the Prince, looking more nervous than ever as she approached him.

"Just as she had done time and again since their journey began, that evening as the sun began to set, the Princess brought the Prince another flower... Though unlike before, she wanted to give it to him, not as a Princess..." he paused as Midna showed her turning into a Wolf, delicately holding the flower between her claws, a sight that made Sera's eyes widen as the Wolf was shown lowering meekly before the Prince, her claw reaching out in a terrified manner. "So many lies... So much deceit... If only there were something she could do, just one thing to ease her conscience... Even if it were something as tiny as giving the Prince a flower as her true self, it could reassure her that she wasn't just a monster, that she could do something without hurting him..." Chris narrated in a soothing, albeit sad tone as Sera's ears sulked from the plight of the Princess, watching as she slowly reached further and further out to the Prince, the tiny flower pinched between her razor claws. "For some time, she hesitated, so long in fact that the sun began drifting further from the sky as the moon took hold of the night to come..." he went on. "The Prince, none the wiser, merely sat in the silence around him, for knowing the Princess was just as nervous as he was about meeting the Witch, combined with how he'd pressured her to sing the night before, he dared not inconvenience the her further with banter, until finally..." he paused as Midna showed a scene of the Princess in her Wolf form shooting back as the Prince raised his hand. "Excuse me Princess, but... I just want to apologize again for pushing you to sing, and... To thank you, for how well you've taken care of me... Before this is over, I just... Wanted to tell you what a good person you are..." he praised as the warm Prince.

"Hearing this, the Princess couldn't help but lose hold of what little grasp on her emotions she had..." Chris narrated sadly. "Looking at the beautiful, tiny flower in her dark, sinister claw, then looking at the Prince, with his eyes bandaged from her attack, hearing such tender words of gratitude made tears, another first for the monster, fall from her face out of grief." he point out. "He's so nice... So warm... But me... I'm just..." Chris struggled as the Princess dealing with her own thoughts. "As her focus returned to the flower, the beautiful work of nature seemed as though it were telling the Princess she would never be good enough, that she would always be a monster... One who only knew how to hurt others..." Chris sulked. Letting out a sad noise, Sera felt sympathy for the Princess, while nearby Brionne looked down in her own saddened way, relating to the story as she raised and looked at one of her flippers before looking back at him as he continued. "In the end, the Princess couldn't go through with it... So as always, she returned to the form of a Princess before speaking up and offering the gift to the Prince, a forced smile on her face." he said somberly before Midna turned into a scene showing the Prince approaching the Princess. "The following day, knowing it was time for them to meet the Witch of the forest, and knowing how nervous the Princess had become, he decided to do something a little... Different..." Chris smiled as Sera tilt her head curiously. "If you don't mind... Would it be okay if I lead the way this time?" he asked as Midna showed the Princess looking startled. "You've done so much for me already to get me here... The least I can do is stand up for you in the end! Maybe if I lead the way, you'll feel more relaxed?" he offered as the Prince.

"Ever since we got here, you've been different... I know you say you're okay, but... I think meeting the Witch has you more worried than me... As long as you give me directions, I can get us there no problem!" he assured kindly before Midna showed the Prince taking the Princess's hands. "B-But... Prince... I..." he hesitated as the struggling Princess, the tone of her yearning to tell the truth stronger than ever. "Come on! I insist! It's only fair!" he pushed as the happy Prince, doing his best to support the troubled Princess, with Chris pausing as he closed his hands like closing a book once more, making Midna retract within. "And here, is where we reach the turning part to this tale, and journey to its end..." he point out, looking at Sera with a smirk. "It gets a little intense again... You ready for it?" he asked, getting an eager nod while at the door Rostron and the officers nodded as well, with Rostron quietly sipping at his coffee and Brionne keeping silent at their feet. "Okay then... Here we go." he warned before holding his cupped hands up and quietly giving Midna instructions, after which he held out his hands and opened the tale once more, with Midna showing the Princess resisting the Prince. "W-Wait! H-Hold on!" he panicked in her voice. "Wh-What's wrong Princess? T-Take it easy!" he struggled as the Prince just before Midna changed to a scene of the Princess stumbling over the remaining cinders of the campfire due to jerking back too hard. "It was a lie born of bloodshed and guilt that began this tale, and now it would be the same lie that would ultimately expose the truth, done so by a Princess who wanted only to right her wrongs, but on a path to do so that only served to further her grief, and cause all the more pain to the one she hurt to begin with..." Chris revealed in a saddened manner.

Changing the scene like turning the page of a popup book once more, Midna showed a closeup of the Princess's hand within that of the Prince, suddenly turning from that of a human, to a terrifying claw in his grasp. "Out of pain and terror of the cinders beneath her feet, the Princess lost control of her form, and out of instinct, suddenly revert back to her beastly self..." Chris revealed, making Sera's eyes widen. "In her moment of distraction, she'd forgotten about the Prince's hold on her, and as she straightened and looked in front of her, she saw only the horizon past the cliff..." he narrated before Midna showed the Wolf standing in a looming manner above the Prince, his hold on her claw remaining as he stood frozen. "P-Prince...?" he called as the Wolf before Midna showed her looking down at him. "P-Princess...?" he answered as the terrified Prince, with Midna showing him facing up. "What... Is this...?" he asked as Midna showed the Prince facing his hand as it held the Wolf's claw, like a baby holding a single finger of its mother. "Th-This feeling... It's... A-Are you...?" he began to panic, his tone emphasizing the Prince losing his composure. "N-No! This isn't what it... I-I'm not what you...!!" he answered as the Princess, with Midna showing her reaching out with her other claw. "As the Prince began to panic more and more, the Princess tried desperately to convince him she wasn't the monster he now felt, at least not at heart, yet despite her attempts to reassure him, almost as if he could see again, the Prince sense her other massive claw reaching toward him, and in horror he yanked his hand away, her claw cutting his palm in the process, and he fell back screaming, wounded once more as the Princess stepped back in fear of her own..." Chris narrated.

"M-Monster.... Monster!! MONSTER!!" Chris shout in a horrified tone of his own as Midna showed the Prince clutching his injured hand, the Wolf now frozen from his declaration. "Y-You lied... You lied to me!! You tricked me!!" he accused in anger and fear alike. "No... No Prince!! Please!!" he shout back as the panicked Princess as Midna showed her stepping up to the Prince, only for the young man to snatch a scorched branch from the remains of the campfire and wave it around in defense. "St-Stay back!! Stay back!!" he panicked as the Prince, now shown crawling back from the Wolf as she pulled back in terror of the fiery wood being thrashed about before her. "You... You lied... You LIED!!" he shout as Midna showed the Prince crying. "You took my sight!! You did this to me!!" Chris blamed, with Midna showing tears dropping from the guilty Wolf as well as she stood still. "G-Get away!! Help!! Somebody!!" Chris panicked as Midna changed the scene to show the Prince inching closer and closer to the nearby cliff, with the Wolf noticing and trying to stop him. "With the Prince growing ever closer to death, the Wolf did all she could to try and calm the hysterical man. Insisting she had no intention of hurting him, it was to no avail as his rattled mind blocked his reason in the moment. Though his sight was gone, he could still sense the looming monster before him, with the only thought in his mind being the moment his face was torn by the Wolf, and the feeling of its claw snatching his wrist..." Chris narrated as Sera sat up on edge, the men at the door and Brionne looking equally wide eyed. "Though try as she might, there was no getting through to the Prince, and next thing she knew..." Chris paused as he closed his hands before tossing Midna above him.

"The young man... Fell..." he resumed as Midna showed the Wolf snatching the Prince in mid-air by the wrist above Chris's head, the scene enlarged as the Wolf stopped his plummet. "She was so terrified, the Princess put all the speed and strength she could muster into saving the Prince, but in doing so her claws tore into his arm, putting even more hysteria in the racing heart within him." Chris explained in an excited tone, making Sera's heart race just the same. "In his moment of terror, as the Prince flailed about, screaming and begging to be released and saved, the branch he'd taken from the campfire flew from his grasp, and made its way to the forest below..." Chris point out as Midna showed it flying through the air. "Following this, smoke began to rise beneath the cliff... It started out small, then spread further and further, until beneath the Prince was a sea of black as the forest choked from the inferno that grew within..." he went on. Warping its shape above him, Midna hovered its way behind Chris and reshaped the scene of the Wolf dangling the Prince from the cliff, while all around a fire was shown wafting and raging behind him. "Prince!! Hurry!! Give me your other hand!!" he pleaded as the horrified Princess, who was shown desperately trying to keep her hold on the thrashing Prince beneath her. "But try as she might, the Prince couldn't find it in his heart to trust her, and though the scent of the burning forest was clear, he still demanded she release him... And when she tried to lean further down and grab his other hand by force..." Chris paused as Midna changed its shape, swirling around Chris before returning to his hands and showing the scene of the Prince slapping the Wolf across the face before Sera's eyes.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Chaos and Confessions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSGF078hacQ&t= Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"I HATE YOU!!" Chris shout in fury as the Prince, with the Wolf showing pain indescribable on her face from the blow. "Having never been stricken before, and considering it was by someone she cared so deeply for... In her moment of shock the Wolf loosened her grip on the Prince, and he fell into the smoke below, vanishing from sight..." Chris explained as Midna showed the Prince dropping into the inky blackness of the canopy beneath the cliff. "In the seconds that felt like forever, all the Wolf could do was look down in silence at where the Prince had fell, her mind completely blank as though a switch had been pulled, shutting her down as the smack stung her heart just as it throbbed on her cheek." he point out before Midna left his hands and swirled around him once more before creating another massive scene behind him, showing the Wolf on the cliff and the burning forest below as a horrifying creature began to rise from the dying canopy. "Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a blood curdling scream was heard... It was like a demon in the midst of an agony that couldn't be matched, full of the fury and pain equal to thousands, all in one horrifying cry... And it was this sight, this sound, which snapped the Wolf back to reality as she watched the monster tower before her, eclipsing the forest, the cliff, as though trying to stretch to the sky itself..." Chris explained as Sera watched the creature grow larger and larger, looking like a bird of sorts that was melting like hot wax as it grew, its rage so great is were as though seeping from its body and dripping down to the inferno beneath it. "You see... Not only did the branch the Prince threw set fire to the forest... The home of the Witch was caught in the blaze... And within, all her treasures... Were destroyed..." Chris point out ominously.

"Years upon years, era after era, the Witch had spent ages collecting tolls from all who sought her magic, and now all of her precious memories were gone... All the bargains wasted, all the efforts futile... Her collection was as much as source of power for her as the forest itself, and with both burning away, her transformation was a reflection of the death and rot around her..." he described before Midna showed the towering monster turn to the Wolf, its long beak clearly shown as ink-like blackness dripped from it, the eye-sockets empty and hollow. "You..." Chris growled as the Witch as Midna showed it leaning toward the cliff. "YOU!!!" Chris roared, standing quickly and pointing at Sera as the Witch did the same to the Wolf behind him, the small fox shooting under the sheets before poking her head out and trembling. "With her target now set, the Witch raised her own claw, now the size of a building..." Chris narrated, raising his hand slowly. "And in one vengeful swoop, her giant hand came crashing down, and SHATTERED the cliff!" he shout, thrusting his own hand down as Midna showed the destruction behind him, making the Wolf fall to the forest below as the Witch thrust herself back as though screaming toward the sky. "With both the Wolf and the Prince in the midst of the inferno, high above them the Witch cried out in fury and agony from the loss of her home and the ever spreading blaze eating away at her forest. So great was her rage, so painful was the destruction of her collection, all she could think of was blind vengeance, releasing wails that could be heard many miles away." Chris went on skillfully as Sera's eyes remained wide before Chris turned and swiped his hand through the scene, making it vanish like smoke in the wind with Midna in his clutch.

"But the Wolf was tough, and despite the attack, it wasn't long before she stirred... Pushing herself up, she froze in the midst of the fire around her." Chris resumed, holding his hand out as Midna turned into the Wolf on his palm, fire wafting around the miniature scene. "Ever part of her told her to run, her instincts were fighting her for control... And just as she was about to surrender to the desire to flee, she heard a voice cry out from the distance..." he spoke ominously before holding out his other hand, with Midna creating a miniature scene of the Prince trapped under rubble from a tree. "Just as she had survive, so too had the Prince, though unlike her, there was no way he could escape alive..." Chris warned as Midna showed the Wolf looking toward the Prince, still hesitating. "Though it was in her nature to flee from fire... In this instance, she managed to find just enough strength to inch her way closer to the Prince, shielding herself with her claws as the smoke choked her lungs and burned her eyes, the ever increasing heat around them slowly cooking away her endurance..." he detailed as Midna returned to his shoulder as he acted out the struggling Wolf, covering himself with his arms as though forcing himself along. "Finally managing to reach the Prince, the Wolf called out to him, and began throwing aside all the rubble on top of him. Once his body was free, he shot up, only to stumble back while facing the monster he feared most." Chris emphasized as Midna showed the Wolf reaching toward him. "Prince!! Please!! We have to run!!" he begged as the Wolf. "Y-You... You're..." he panicked as the Prince. "I know!! I'm a monster!!" he shout as the Wolf, admitting her true self. "If we don't leave, we'll both burn to death!!" he warned in her desperate tone.

"Upon hearing this, though he was still afraid of the creature before him, the Prince was able to relax just enough to finally speak properly with the terrified Wolf, sitting up with his arm raised in defense. "W-We...? You can escape! What do you care about a... Human...?" Chris asked as the wary Prince, though his tone shifted to emphasize the Prince thinking about all the Wolf had done on their journey. "Just then, a huge tree came crashing down close by, making both jump in terror. And yet despite the increasing danger, the Wolf remained..." he narrated as Midna showed the Wolf on all fours, hanging her head in fear as the dug her claws into the ground. "I-I won't leave you! If you die here... I will too!" he shout as the Wolf, making Sera's mouth open. "I did this to you!! I brought you here!! I-I just wanted to make up for what I did!!" he explained in her guilty tone. "I know I lied to you!! I know I'm a monster!! But... I'm not lying now!! I don't want you to die!!" he insisted in a way that showed her growing desperation. "With all the shouting going on between them, the noise was just enough for the Witch looming over them like a mountain to hear, and as her form slowly turned in their direction, the monster looked up in terror as the Witch caught sight of them... Now even more furious knowing the two who'd caused the fire were still alive..." Chris point out before he turned and tossed Midna, causing her to warp into a massive scene as he stepped aside, showing the colossal Witch looming over the forest with the Wolf now carrying the Prince as she ran under the blazing canopy below. "You!! You won't escape!! I'll kill you!!" Chris shout as the Witch while Midna showed her stomping on the forest while giving chase.

"Doing so without thinking, the monster had snatched the Prince in her claws and was putting every ounce of strength she had into getting him away from the Witch's fury. Carrying him as delicately as she could, each time the Witch slammed her feet on the ground it was like an earthquake was ravaging the forest in its entirety, almost as though every tree shared the Witch's wrath for the pain it endured..." Chris described in a dark tone. "As she ran and cradled the Prince, the monster sobbed as she confessed to everything she had done to him...." he added as Midna changed the scene to show a large depiction of the Wolf running with the Prince as her tears fell on him. "I never meant to hurt you! I just didn't want you to see me!" he insisted in her guilty tone. "You loved my voice so much, you came to see me so many times... I knew if you found out what I was... Who I was... You'd never like me! You'd never come back!" he insisted as though a weight was lifting from the Wolf's shoulders. "When I found out what your people did to you, I went to the Witch and had her cast a spell that turned me into a human! She took away my ability to sing as payment, that's why I couldn't do it when you asked me to! I gave it up to help fix what I did to you!" he revealed in the midst of her confessions. "But then... The lies kept growing, you kept being so nice... I felt worse and worse, it got out of control! I tried to tell the truth! I wanted you to know what I really was! But... I couldn't! I was weak! And it hurt you even more!" he added as Sera teared up from the scene of the miserable Wolf trying to protect the Prince from the Witch behind them. "Prince... I... I don't care what happens to me! I don't care if I'm punished! I just want you to be okay!" he insisted.

"I did lie to you! I hurt you again and again! I took your eyes, cut your arm... You fell from a cliff twice because of me... You're miles from the Kingdom that locked you away because of what I did... But I..." he hesitated in a broken voice, emphasizing the Wolf trying to control her sobbing. "You were perfect, your Kingdom was perfect, then I messed everything up... I just wanted to show you there was more to me than being a monster but... That really is all I am... I'm sorry..." he apologized as Midna showed the Prince looking up at her as she ran. "I ruined your family, now I've ruined the forest... Neither of us have a place to go now and it's all my fault..." he finished as Midna showed the Wolf weeping once more. "With the creature he thought so horrifying now bearing her heart and soul to him for the crimes she'd committed, the Prince started dealing with his own thoughts and conscious. So quick had he been to label her a demon, he'd never given her the chance to show or tell him otherwise. After all the years his people had praised his kindness and consideration, he realized just how little tolerance he'd shown to one who was so different. Though she did indeed wound him, could it be true that it was all an accident? When he'd climbed the cliff, could he have startled her that badly...? Was it truly his fault, as much as her own...?" Chris debated, acting out the Prince's thoughts. "The creatures of the forest knew only kill or be killed, their instincts were so much stronger than those of humans... When he stepped up to her, was he in the wrong too...? Would there have been a better way for him to go about things himself...?" he asked. "Both times he fell, he thought of her claw grabbing him, and though it hurt... Did it really seem like an attack after all...?" he point out.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - To Give Everything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3jj-NWHyI Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"As the monster continued to run from the Witch, she held the prince close to her chest, and through her fur he could hear the sound of her terrified heart. Beating rapidly out of fear and agony alike, the Prince slowly touched his chest, feeling his own heart beating." Chris narrated. "She... Does have a heart too..." he muttered as the young man, acting out his conscious once more. "Maybe I... Hurt her... As much as she hurt me..." he added. "I called her things... Hit her... And if what she told me about the Witch is true, then she..." he struggled as Midna turned into a new scene, showing the Wolf turning and reaching out as the Prince stood on his own, looking up toward the Witch towering before them. "P-Prince!! What are you doing?!" he shout as the Princess. "Making things right!" he shout back as the Prince who braced himself firmly in place. "Witch!! Down here!!" he shout as the Prince was shown cupping his hands around his mouth while calling up to her. "I did it!! I burned the forest!! I threw the branch off the cliff that started all of this!!" he confessed as Midna showed the Wolf stepping back wide eyed in shock. "I did this!! Me!!" he shout. "If this goes on, the whole forest will die!! Chasing us is destroying it as much as the fire!! If you have magic enough to turn into that, use it to stop the fire!!" he insisted boldly. "P-Prince..." he stuttered in awe as the Wolf before shouting for the Prince as the scene changed and Midna showed the massive claw of the Witch smash down where the Prince was, sending the Wolf flying back. "Having exposed himself to the Witch and made himself an easy target, in her fury she didn't hesitate to send punishment raining down upon him, especially after such a confession..." Chris explained in a somber tone.

Seeing and hearing this, Sera's eyes widened before she began to hick, getting ready to cry from the death of the Prince as his audience at the door stood frozen. "...And yet..." Chris added, getting their attention while Sera let out an innocent "huh?" as Midna revealed the Prince standing firmly between the claws of the Witch, the massive sorceress having enough restraint to purposefully miss him as the Wolf was shown stepping up in shock. "You..." he growled as the Witch, just before Midna changed the scene to show her back in her normal form and size, her hand toward him ready to unleash a spell to erase him. "Tell me... Tell me why I shouldn't destroy you where you stand?!" he demanded in fury, emphasizing how despite giving the Prince a chance, her thirst for revenge had yet to be satiated. "P-Please don't!!" he shout as the Wolf, with Midna showing the monster stepping between the Witch and the Prince with her hands out before getting on her knees, her hands together in a begging stance. "It's not his fault!! It's mine!! I was the one who lied to him!!" she confessed. "Being a beast as you are the desires you had amused me... After all the years I've walked this Earth, to think I'd be foolish enough to play a part in such nonsense... I let my boredom taint my judgement..." Chris growled as the Witch before the Prince was shown stepping next to the Wolf before bowing to the Witch on all fours, his head lowered. "Please... If that's how you feel, then understand we all played a part in this! She was a liar, I was judgmental..." Chris admit as the Prince while Brionne felt a personal connection with the statement, and even more-so with the story as a whole the more she thought of her own life.

"We all make mistakes! If neither of us had acted rashly, I'd have never gotten hurt in the first place! The same goes for what caused me to set your forest on fire..." Chris paused before the Prince was shown looking up at the Witch from where he bowed. "Nor' would you have destroyed as much of it as you did in anger..." he point out as the Witch was shown lowering her hand, seemingly thinking for a moment before rubbing her claw under her chin. "...A curious one..." he muttered as her response. "My forest burns as we speak, you witness my power first hand, know death is but one foolish act away... Yet not only do you face me at my fullest, you lecture me after your own misdeeds..." he added as the Witch formed her staff and stood with it by her side. "To be so bold is oft to beget ruin... And yet had this one been such a way from the start, rather than a coward in the coat of a beast, none of this nonsense would have happened..." he went on as the Witch was shown pointing her staff at the Wolf, the monster lowering her head in shame. "Regardless of your words, an apology won't repair the damaged you've caused, and thanks to the fire and the loss of my tolls, and the power wasted hunting you down... I haven't enough left to stop the blaze, nor' heal the destruction." he explained as the Witch before she raised her claw. "Thus... I require a toll... One great enough to fix what you've done..." she demanded. "I will reward your honesty with your life, but you will not leave here until I am satisfied!" he insisted in her vengeful tone. "So... What will you give me? What do you have with enough value, enough meaning, to make up for what I have lost...?" she asked, her claw now open, her palm outstretched to the Prince.

"N-No! Not him!" he suddenly shout as the Wolf, who was shown pushing the Prince aside and lowering on her knees once more before the Witch, her hands up as if bowing. "Please! I've done enough to him! Whatever you need... Take it from me..." he pleaded as the Wolf lowered her head, the Witch slowly retracting her hand. "What have you left to satiate my fury? What could you provide with meaning enough to replenish my forest?" he asked as the Witch, just before the Prince was shown returning to the side of the Wolf, the two facing one another. "...I will take that, then." he point out as the Witch, making the Wolf and Prince look up at her. "Take... What...?" he asked as the wary Wolf. "First... I will take back all the magic used to give you the ability to become human..." he answered as the Witch with an almost sadistic tint to his tone. "And then... I will take all of your memories that involve the Prince, reducing you back to the mindless beast you were to begin with." he added as a wicked smile was shown on the Witch, the Prince suddenly standing as Chris let out a panicked "Wait!" in response. "Do this, and I will also take care of that which you came for to begin with... I will restore the eyes of the Prince..." he added as the Witch point at him. "Once the bargain is struck and what I need is taken, I will send him back to his kingdom, and you, foolish one, will be left to roam these woods without knowledge of where you are or why..." he finished as the Witch lowered her hand. "You will surrender everything you've gained... You will never sing, never be human... And the Prince will never have existed in your life..." he affirmed in her now somewhat amused tone, wanting to make it clear the Witch was in the offer for vengeance alone.

"A fool doesn't deserve humanity... What little of it you've tasted through the Prince will be gone, and in turn I will have my forest back... Though my tolls I will have to collect anew... This will be a satisfying start..." he growled as the Witch's final remark, with Chris pausing to let Sera take in the situation as Midna reverted back to her own form and climbed atop his shoulder, balancing as he sat back in his chair. "After the Witch made her demands clear, the Prince tried to coax the Princess away from the offer. If they both sacrificed something, maybe neither of them would have to lose so much... But no matter what he said, the monster took the cost on, all by herself..." Chris explained as Midna crawled down to his hands, returning to its popup book state and showing a scene of the Witch reaching out over the Wolf, a magic-like swirl around it. "First to go was her ability to transform, and then true to her word, the Witch began stealing away all of the memories she had of her time with the Prince, costing her all of the warmth she'd felt in his presence, and all of the kindness he'd shown her during their travels... And most importantly... The memories of her first admirer, all the nights she'd spent singing for the Prince, vanished one by one..." he narrated somberly as Sera's ears sulked. Once she was finished, Midna showed the Witch watching as the monster collapsed, her consciousness faded as the Prince approached and held her head in his arms. "I'd be careful if I were you young Prince, should she awaken too soon you will be her next meal." he warned as the Witch, a cruel reminder the monster he'd finally begun to understand and forgive was no more. "I will finish my end of the bargain... Be grateful, and begone." he insisted as her hand reached for the Prince.

"Once her spell was complete, the Prince could sense his surroundings vanishing, like that of a strange, cool mist, and next thing he knew, he felt himself drop to the ground elsewhere... Curious as to whether the spell had worked, he began removing his bandages, and looked around to realize..." Chris paused as Midna showed the Prince looking at his hands. "...I can see..." he added quietly, making Sera perk up before thinking about the Wolf and sulking again. "With a single turn, he saw the walls of his kingdom... True to her word, the Witch had send him home with his sight restored... At the cost of a friend who may have been more valuable than you or I could realize..." Chris affirmed. "Following this, upon his return to the town, the people were shocked to see the ragged appearance of the Prince, looking more like a bum than royalty after so long in the forest. With the guards quickly rushing him to his parents, upon knowing his eyes were restored, he returned to being perfect in their hearts, and was given his position as their son once more... Just as they were quick to abandon him for being wounded, so too were they ready to welcome him back in their ranks." he point out, getting an irritated growl from Sera as she snarled at the scene Midna showed of a king and queen on their thrones, the Prince on his knees before them. "At first, the Prince hadn't considered what he had learned from what the Wolf had done to him... Although through their journey she learned what humanity was like, he came to understand just how little of it his own parents had in turn... And the more he thought of how easily they put him in a cell, and how hard someone he thought was just a monster struggled to help him... More guilt welled in his heart than you can imagine..." Chris explained.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Love Who You Are https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJffbh53ig Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

"I hated her so much... I was so afraid of her... She knew it the whole time, and carried that burden throughout our journey... My hatred, my cowardice, that's what made her lie!!" Chris shout as the Prince as Midna showed him clutching his head in his bedroom, with Sera tearing up once more. "Until the very end, all I did was show how much she terrified me... Even as she ran with me in her arms... Everything she did for me, and all I did was..." Chris paused as Midna showed the scene of the Prince smacking the Wolf again. "For many nights, the Prince suffered as he thought more and more about what the accident had taught him... Of how humans can be the least humane, and those you consider the least human of all... Can be the most of all..." he affirmed in a tone that was soft, yet reflected his own understanding of the lesson as he stopped and looked at Sera. "...Do you understand?" he asked, getting a nod as she sniffled. "Well then... How about your Papa tells you how this story really ends?" he offered, making her blink at him with another "huh?" type of noise. "Well... After he came to learn of how cruel and imperfect his own parents were, of how cold they were at heart, the Prince revealed to the kingdom what they had done to him, and together he and the people overthrew them, putting them in a cell to experience what the Prince had been through..." Chris explained as Midna showed the king and queen sitting happily in their thrones before being dumped into cages, showing frowns on their faces as they held the bars getting an approving nod and grunt from Sera before sticking out her tongue. "After this, the Prince went to work setting up a new system, one of which that had the knights of his kingdom journeying through the forest..." he went on.

"Only this time... It wasn't to hunt... But to help!" Chris grinned as Midna showed a scene of soldiers chasing monsters with weapons before turning to a scene of the soldiers shaking hands with monsters instead, both parties smiling as food and other items surrounded them. "Through his journey, the Prince had come to realize just how bad the creatures outside his walls had it... And through his attempts at peace, came to discover many didn't kill humans out of hate, but fear... Humans hated monsters out of predudice, and through that hatred, so too did the monsters form their own beliefs about humans... Though some monsters would always distrust them and work to endanger them, as time went on, so many monsters would come to like the humans, none dared attack a soul that ventured into the forest... For the beasts would protect them, and the humans would protect them in turn!" Chris assured, making Sera show an ever increasingly cheerful face. "And yet, despite all the good his kingdom did for those living in the forest... The Prince knew there was one monster that was his responsibility alone to make ammends with..." he hinted, making Sera's eyes widen before Midna showed the Prince returning to the cliff he once visited to hear the Wolf sing. "On a night much like any other since he took the throne, the Prince decided the time had come to visit the friend he'd spent so long trying to think of a way to apologize to... And on this night, it just so happened that the monster had decided to return as well!" Chris point out as Midna showed the Wolf walking up tot he edge of the cliff before sitting and raising its head. "Just as she did in the past, she began singing into the night... Though... She wasn't very good anymore..." he reminded with a nervous smile.

"Most would run from such a terrible sound, but the Prince could only smile as, just like so long ago, he began climbing the cliff... This time, with a plan..." Chris went on as Midna changed the scene to the Prince reaching the top and standing before the Wolf as she looked at him in surprise. "A human...? Here...? You must be a fool..." he said as the Wolf, the Prince merely smiling with his hands behind his back. "The others like you now, but I know what you do to monsters like me... I'm not very hungry, but an easy meal is an easy meal." he went on, his tone turning sinister as Midna showed the wolf raising its claw, ready to strike the Prince where he stood. "I guess I deserve that..." Chris replied as the Prince, with Midna showing the Wolf pausing and blinking. "No matter what you do to me... I just wanted to say..." he paused as Midna showed the Prince pulling a large bouquet of flowers out from behind him in offering. "It's good to see you again, Princess... I'm sorry." Chris grinned, with Midna suddenly changing the scene to show the Wolf's eyes widen. "You... What...?" he hesitated as the Wolf as Midna changed the scene to show their faces, the Prince smiling warmly as the Wolf began shedding tears. "I liked your song! Will you sing some more?" he asked in a joyful tone which had Sera dripping tears just the same. "You see... For some time, though she could never understand why, the Wolf felt as though she had to come to the cliff, again and again... There was a sense that someone would be there, that for some reason, she had to sing... Though she wasn't very good at it, and couldn't remember the reason, deep in her heart there was something that told her it was where she had to be..." Chris narrated warmly.

"And now, as she took the flowers from the Prince, she felt as though the reason was just a little more clear... Though why she cried she couldn't figure, the pain and loneliness she could never figure out began slowly fading away." he added. "Why... Did you call me Princess?" he asked as the Wolf, with Midna showing her holding the flowers and looking at the Prince as he stepped up to her. "Well... Only a Princess could sound so pretty!" he affirmed as the Prince before Midna showed the two sitting on the cliff together. "From that night on, the Prince and the monster, who really wasn't a monster but a Princess at heart, spent each night together, until finally, he insisted she come to live with him in his castle!" Chris revealed as Midna showed a statue of the Prince and the Wolf together surrounded by a cheering crowd. "For the monster who taught him we're all human deep down, that we all make mistakes and have the right to do our best to fix them, he made her a beloved icon to his people, worshipped by all as a reminder we're not always what we appear to be... That we all have the potential for greatness... That we're all worthy of friendship, and love... And all it takes, is that one person willing to reach out to us to prove it..." Chris finished, with Sera looking at the part of the statue where the Prince was holding the Wolf's claw before he slowly closed his hands a final time as Midna closed the scene between them and vanished. "...The end..." he smiled as Sera smiled from ear to ear with tears streaming from her eyes. "No matter our intentions, a lie is a lie... We should always do our best to be honest, with others, and with ourselves, got it?" Chris insisted, getting a nod from Sera as he took a tissue from a box by the bed and wiped her eyes. "Good girl... Now, time to get some sleep." he coaxed, tucking her back under the sheets.

Next thing he knew, from behind the officers began clapping one after another, making him jolt before turning to see his audience at the door, with Rostron raising his cup in respect for the tale. "Not a bad yarn you spun!" he praised as Chris smiled nervously. Unfortunately for all of them, Smith had showed up as well, hovering up behind the officers with fury in his expression as his coffin-like body towered. "What in BLAZES are you lot doing in here?! I go to the bridge and its half-abandoned!!" he roared, making the men jump and turn. "You're on duty!! This isn't the time to be listening to a child's fairytale!! Get back to your posts!!" he demanded while telling Rostron he expected better of him in particular, the men warily making their way past him like kids in trouble. "Ah ha... I guess I better get too..." Chris muttered, making Sera whimper. Turning back to her, he showed another warm smile, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead with a soft pat. "Don't worry kiddo... No matter what happens or how busy he gets, Papa will ALWAYS have time for you... I promise." he grinned before offering his hand. Hearing this, the tiny fox's eyes lit up before beaming with another smile, patting her paw on his palm like a high five of sorts. "Now... You get some sleep and we'll have more fun times tomorrow!" he assured, getting a chipper bark from Sera in response. Reaching for the lamp by the bed, he dimmed it so she'd have a nightlight of sorts before pausing as he looked at a vase with several flowers in it by the lamp. Showing a sly smirk, he took a flower and made his way to the door, with Brionne having remained as she looked up at him. "...I hope you enjoyed the story." he smiled, squatting down and placing the flower in front of her.

"...Princess..." he added, making her jolt wide eyed as he stood and made his way past. Cracking the door behind him so Sera didn't feel shut in by herself, Chris stood in the other room of his cabin getting a lecture from Smith for allowing his officers to waste their time when there was work to be done, all the while Sera looked at him from the crack in the door. Once the former Captain of the Arceanic had finished, he float his way out of the cabin, and just as Chris was stepping out, one of his officers popped his head in, quietly asking if Chris knew any other tales only for Smith to roar for the two men to get to the bridge, causing Chris to respond with a "Some other time" remark and a nervous smile. Giggling from this, Sera slowly closed her eyes, full of thoughts of how great her "Papa" was while outside the bedroom door Brionne remained, an ever deepening flush showing on her face as she began to realize why he'd chosen the story, and just how similar, and meaningful, it was to the bonds between them as well...