“Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there was a village called Rybom. Rybom was a tiny little village very near the eastern edge of the desert between lands. The village had a few shops and homes, a schoolhouse for the children, a courthouse for the adults, and an orphanage.

“In the orphanage, there was a little boy—“

“Oh, that the boy that sees the—!” The old woman claps a hand over the young child’s mouth.

“Am I telling the story, or are you?” She asked in her husky voice that reminded the child of leaves scraping over worn paths.

“You,” the child groans and flops backwards onto the grass.

“That’s right. Now where was I? Oh yes. The little boy.

“His name was Jecht, which means restless spirit. And he was. Every day, he would go out looking for trouble, and every day he would find it in that small town of Rybom.

“One day while he was looking for trouble, he passed by the beggar lady in the center of town. She called out him, saying ‘Come, boy, tarry with me a bit, and I will tell you a tale.’

“Now, the boy had no desire to sit and listen to a story when there was fun to be had, but he supposed it could wait. There was always trouble. So he went and sat next to the hag, and she told him a story of the monster in the forest of light.

“She had described it well, painting a likeness from words horrifying enough to send grown men running for cover. But the boy laughed and said to the beggar ‘I am not afraid. Look here, old hag. I will venture into the forest and find the creature for myself.’ The hag merely cackled. ‘I will be amazed if you return at all.’

“And so the little boy left the laughing hag and went out into the forest alone, searching for the monster, praying he’d find it. And find it he did. It was bending down over a stream for a drink when he came crashing through the forest on his quest, the poor thing.

“He was so surprised by what he saw, he almost fainted from shock. At first, he’d thought it was a mortal girl, but with a second glance he discovered he was terribly, terribly wrong.

“The creature had long, purple-white hair and solid, bottomless purple eyes. She had pale skin and horns growing out of her head and pointy ears and teeth. And the boy, loving trouble, fell in love with the monster instantly, and with time, she began to love him back.

“But their love was forbidden, because she was a faerie, and he was a mortal. They met in secret by the moonlight in a willow grove that bordered their lands, but neither was satisfied. One day, the reckless little boy was followed to the willow grove.

“When he returned to Rybom the next morning, the entire village urged him to kill his love, reminding him of the monster she was on the inside. He refused adamantly, ignoring their warnings and went back to see her the next night. This went on for seven days, and on the eighth, he finally agreed.

“He went back again to see her in the moonlight, bringing with him a golden ring and an iron knife. Two dozen of the village’s finest men followed him, careful to keep themselves hidden from view. When she appeared, he slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her, whispering his empty promises in her pointed ears.

“And when she seemed at her most content, her pale eyelids drooping over her violet eyes, he unsheathed his dagger, fully intending to kill her, but when he turned around, she was gone.

“The boy and the villagers chased her, but never caught her. Every night since they have gone hunting for her, searching for the dangerous beast that stole the boy’s heart. They have dressed up the tale to make it seem as though she cast a spell on him, forcing him to love her. That is why they hunt her to this day.”

“And those were the men? The ones that are hunting for her?” The child asked. The old woman smiled and sighed tiredly.

“Yes. But they’ve never found her, and they never will.”