In a forest with an abundance of exotic, colorful flowers and lush green trees that revealed a fantastic display of red, yellow, and orange leaves during autumn, a fairy kingdom flourished. The fairies lived peacefully amongst the beautiful nature around them, which they coveted and deeply respected. They built houses inside hollows they created in tree trunks, and they decorated themselves with precious flowers that they found. Much of their time was spent flying about and collecting the biggest and juiciest berries to eat, and when they were tired, they hitched rides on the backs of animals that had wandered into the kingdom to rest their large wings, which shone and glittered in the bright sunlight. They chatted often and for long periods of time in big clusters, sharing the latest gossip and retelling stories. They were very sociable and vain little creatures, and their life was filled with happiness and energy.
Above all this hustle and bustle was the fairy palace, an intricate maze of round channels high up in the tree trunks and skillfully carved wooden staircases and fairy statues. The most magnificent flowers to be found in the kingdom were carefully positioned to embellish the palace. It was a genuinely breathtaking sight, and fairies were always stopping to gaze at the palace in appreciation of its beauty. Inside the palace lived the royal king and queen, two elegant and impartial fairies, and their son, the prince. The fairy prince boasted looks and a build that rivaled that of a deity. When he was younger, he had been known to cause savage tantrums because he was nonsensically overprotective of his belongings, but he had grown to become a fine young fairy who was idolized by all fairies, male and female alike. Fairy boys and men aspired to match his combat skills, and his famed smile and chivalry always made fairy girls dreamily sigh. But most noticeable of all was the prince’s hair, which contrasted greatly to the sunny yellow or acorn brown hair of most fairies. It was as red as a scarlet rose. His rich, silky locks cascaded down to his shoulders and was not unlike a shimmering creek rushing down a wavy path. The prince was not yet married, which was quite surprising given that he was loved by many and was at the perfect age for marriage.
On a day perfect for frolicking amongst the bright and colorful leaves that danced in the air and blanketed the forest floor, a fairy maiden went out of her cozy hollow with her diary, quill, and blackberry ink in hand. She was headed for the large maple branch that curved in a way that offered privacy to whoever sat in its small crater. The large maple leaves above the branch offered sufficient shade as well, and so this was where she often went to be alone and record what had happened earlier in the day. She did not enjoy socializing as much other fairies did, and by writing, she felt the most calm. She loved to fill her diary’s pages with words that strung themselves one after another to make a sweet melody only she could hear. But on that day, the excited screams of fanatical fairy girls suddenly rang out. Try as she might, the maiden could not completely block off these sounds to concentrate on writing, and when they finally stopped she was only relieved, not even curious as to what had caused the others to squeal so loudly. She kept her diary open to let the pages dry, and as she waited she sang a simple lullaby her mother had sung to her often when she was a little fairy to help her fall asleep. The song never failed to make her feel serene and comfortable, and her voice rang out high and clear amongst the swaying leaves that shielded her from the rest of the world.
The song ended, and she let her voice slowly trail off. The song made her think nostalgically of the past, when her mother was still around, and she felt a thin quilt of sorrow cover her heart. If only her mother was here. Then she could --
“Well hello there, young fairy.” A voice interrupted her thoughts. The maiden whipped around to scare off the intruder, only to find herself staring into the grinning face of a fairy whom she had only seen from afar, waving at hordes of fairies from a palace balcony. It was the fairy prince himself.
For a long moment the maiden simply stared at the prince, who grinned mischieviously at her. He was even more handsome up close, and she found herself blushing slightly. He had high, elegant cheekbones, and a small dimple on his left cheek. His long, black lashes and flawless white skin, unusual on a fairy man, truly did make him seem like a god. His eyes were a dark, dark black with a hint of blue, and they seemed to be slowly sucking her entire being into him. Unnerved by this, she shied away from him and scooched away so far that she was barely sitting on the crater, glaring at him for interrupting her moment of tranquility. Then she remembered that he was royalty and started, feeling mortally embarrassed at her complete lack of proper etiquette. 
“C-c-crown prince!” She bowed her head respectfully, going so far down that her head touched the branch’s smooth bark. “I did not expect to see you here! I-I am honored by your presence.” For a second, the prince said nothing. The maiden stayed as still as a statue, too afraid to move. Why was he here? Why wasn’t he with the other fairy girls, who must have been screaming because they had spotted him leaving the palace? But more importantly, was he going to punish her for being rude to him earlier?
The prince laughed, a refined and cheerful laugh befitting royalty. “There’s no need to be so formal with me,” he reassured, gently cupping the maiden’s cheek and turning it so that she looked him in the eye. He had a curious tilt to his head, and he was eyeing her with an abundance of interest. “I’ve never met a fairy who glared at me like that in my entire life.” His joking and carefree tone put her at ease, and she let herself relax a little.
“I apologize, crown prince.” The maiden could still not quite believe that the prince was right here, so close to her. “I am afraid I did not recognize you at first.” The prince laughed his alluring laugh again, and she felt her heart flutter slightly in an unfamiliar way. “But what are you doing here all by yourself in a place like this? You never know, an evil fairy lusting after an attractive damsel like you could snatch you away, and then no one would ever know what had happened to you.” At the maiden’s alarmed glance, the prince grinned. “That was just a joke. Such a crime would never happen here.” He settled down beside her, and the two sat there together in awkward silence for a while.
“Hey.” The prince turned to stare at the maiden, who peeked up at him with a cautious look in her eyes. “I have to go to back to the palace at this time. Can I meet you here again? I would like to get to know you better. You’re the only fairy girl who doesn’t seem to be heads over heels for me. You’re interesting.” The maiden widened her eyes in surprise. The crown prince wanted to get to know her better? The crown prince thought she was interesting? Surely this could not be real. But the prince’s honey scented breath on her face felt and smelled real enough. The maiden reluctantly agreed, and as she watched the prince’s wings, it’s tips red and pointy like bloody daggers, carry him towards the palace, she wondered what on earth he would want to talk about. It was not until she returned home that she realized she had forgotten her diary, but when she went back to retrieve it, it was gone.
The next day the prince came to the branch with the crater in it and found the fairy maiden waiting for him. As the two talked, the maiden discovered that the prince seemed to have many of the same interests as her. He also seemed to know and understand her beliefs, thoughts, and fears surprisingly well. The hours flew by as they chatted about all sorts of things, from the strangeness of the other fairies to their favorite songs. The maiden found herself warming up to the prince in no time, and before two months had passed, she considered the prince her best of friends. But deep within her, she yearned for a little bit… more. She was not quite sure what to make of this peculiar feeling, but she found it strangely pleasant.
So when the prince casually asked if he could meet her at the same spot at midnight, her reply, of course, was yes, without asking why. She thought of the way he hugged her, looked at her, and held her hand as caring and protective, and she found this to be very sweet of him. At home, all she could think of was the prince, the prince, the prince. And when her older sister asked her why she was grinning so widely and why she kept bouncing on her toes, she did not tell the truth.
Midnight. The maiden stood waiting on the crater in the branch, unable to keep still. She exhaled and watched her breath immediately fog up, but she did not feel the night's unwelcoming chill. She was burning up with anticipation and happiness, wondering about what the prince would want to do with her. Looking up at the night sky, she noticed that for some reason, many of the radiant stars had vanished, leaving a black, black night and the moon, which was an eery red color. Still, this did not dampen her mood in the slightest way. She heard a soft flapping of wings behind her and turned to see the prince in a majestic red and black robe, which complimented his red, red hair.
"You came!" His eyes were wide with surprise, and he cupped her cheeks as if he needed physical proof that she really stood before him. "I was worried that you wouldn't come! My request was a bit suspicious after all..." He looked away, looking a little flustered. At this the maiden laughed and squeezed the prince's hand affectionately.
"I trust you completely. I know you wouldn't do anything bad. We're the closest of... friends, and we'll be like this forever." The prince stared at her as he perceived the meaning of her pause and smirked so slightly, it went unnoticed by the maiden.
“Shall we go?” He held out a hand to her and gave her his trademark grin. The maiden's breath caught at the prince’s beauty, and she did not hesitate to put her hand in his. The two flew up and, to the maiden’s surprise and confusion, towards the palace. But she trusted the prince, so she said nothing. She said nothing when they arrived at the palace and raced through the smooth channels of wood that overflowed with the aroma of flowers so strong she could only think it must be hiding some other scent. She said nothing when he pulled her into a cleverly hidden, dark room and told her to keep still for a while before leaving with a peck on her lips, for he had a spectacular present, just for her.
The fairy maiden fidgeted, trying to wait patiently. She was sure the sound of her heart pounding would wake up everyone in the palace, and the fairy prince’s kiss had done the opposite of calming her down. A present? Just for her? What was it? Could it be a dress more stunning than she could imagine? Or could it be… The maiden let her imagination run wild as she stood there waiting for the prince to reveal his gift to her.
A sliver of light shone. The maiden peered at it and saw the prince holding a lantern, which illuminated his face. His eyes had a glint of wildness to them, and his lips curled upward on one side, like a predator cornering is prey. The light from the lantern only added to his ghoulish look. For the first time since she met the prince, she felt a real prickle of fear. He did not seem quite like himself. With every step towards her that the prince took, she took a step back, until she had her body pressed against the wall. Her hand touched something sticky and slighty wet, and she quickly lifted her hand in disgust. What was it? The prince continued advancing until he was less than a foot away from her.
“You belong to me,” he said, planting a hand above her head, caging her in. She shrinked away, but he came closer still. “After all the time we have spent together, I think -- no, I know that you must be mine, every part of you. You feel this way towards me as well, right? I can tell." He caressed her cheek but frowned when she pulled away from his touch. "I know that someone is going to try to take you away. I know it from experience. And to ensure that you will always be mine and mine only--” His voice trembled slightly from all of his pent up emotions swirling inside of him. She could see all the lust, greed, and hate reflected in his dark, dark eyes, consuming her. Who was this man who stood before her? It was not the handsome, charismatic prince that she knew. It was someone else, someone dangerous and insane, and she needed to get away. Fast. She needed to warn the other fairies about this stranger who scared her more than anything else in her life. The prince lifted something silver in his hand, which the maiden had not noticed before. "My present for you," he whispered. "We'll be together forever." The maiden opened her mouth to scream as loudly as she could, to alert others in the palace, and at the same time the silver object in the prince’s hand flashed in the air.
Her blood was dark and red, as red as a scarlet rose.