The prince held the book in trembling hands. The golden title across its spine, the only clue as to its potential content. But that was enough, enough to get his hopes up, enough to make him both excited and afraid to open its dull leather cover.

It was a small book, with a strange feel to the pages, something thicker and differently textured to the paper he was used to, gone brittle with age.

Prin allowed the book to fall open wherever it wished, spreading in his hands like a dried flower attempting to bloom.

A hand painted illustration spanned both pages. It showed a boy with a golden crown on his head shoving a smaller child into his mouth, only it’s legs remaining, flailing vainly in the air as it was consumed. Two other crown wearing children cowered before him.

The artwork was simple, done with a delicate touch, and many colors but no excessive gore. Yet the expressions on the faces of the children was enough to send a shiver up your spine. They knew they were about to be eaten and there was no escape. And the one doing the eating was, or used to be anyway, the brother to the soon to be dinner.

Prin was so riveted by the scene, he almost failed to notice the block of writing in faded calligraphy on the right hand side of the page. A column that was difficult to read, although the title couldn’t help but stand out. The Monster Prince.

The prince shut the book quickly and held it to his chest, as though it were about to speak out loud his secrets and he had to hurry and shut its mouth. “Oh gods and goddesses.” He whispered. How can this old book know about him? Or else he wasn’t the only one. Was this just, a thing that happened? With some regularity? Did people not know?

He sunk to the floor in the dust and gloom of the misbegotten library, gulping, trying to regain his breath. Could there be a breakthrough between these old pages?

Prin wasn’t sure how long he sat there in a stupor, before a raising voice from across the room brought him out of it.

“I’m not reading any more of this book!” Elwin was loudly insisting. “I wouldn’t have started if I knew what it . . .”

“You should do as I say.” Valor said. “I want to know what it says. And it’s not like I can read it for myself.”

“Is this the kind of thing you like to read?” Elwin asked.

“I like to read everything.” Valor said. “As long as its interesting.”

“You’ll have to get someone else to read you this one.” Elwin said firmly.

“You would deny a blind person the pleasures of the written word?” Valor said, putting an unnatural emphasis on the word pleasures.

The prince stood up and moved towards them, through his fog he could sense that Elwin needed rescued. As he got closer he could see that Elwin’s cheeks were aflame. And by Valor’s posture and particle of a smile, the merciless teasing was almost certainly deliberate. Although Elwin probably didn’t know it. Prin wondered what the heck was in that book? It couldn’t possibly be as shocking as the one he carried, held close to his chest like a newborn baby.

“H-hey.” Prin said. What was meant to be a mild greeting had come out oddly.

Valor backed away a step from Elwin. “We’ll just file it under fiction.” He said. Valor reached for the book and Elwin handed it to him, carefully so that their hands would not touch.

Elwin turned to the prince, his mouth changing shape in the middle of forming a word when he saw Prin’s face. “Are you okay?”

Prin didn’t feel okay, in fact, he thought he might faint. But didn’t want to be dramatic about it.

“I’m not sure.” Prin said simply. “I think I need a break. Maybe it’s the dust or . . .”

Valor tapped the stacks of books with his cane until he counted to the right one, and sat the offending tome carefully on top of the stack. He turned back to Prin, with a look that his face did not appear totally at ease carrying. Something akin to concern.

He reached in front of him, hand dancing through the air for a moment before at last making contact with the prince’s arm. “What did you find?”

Valor’s fingers were icy, even through the fabric of Prin’s shirt, and he felt a cold chill go up his spine. He wanted to pull away, but forced himself not to.

“I- nothing. I mean . . . nothing relevant.” Prin said. “I just have to stop for now. I have to get some air.” He put his own hand over Valor’s and patted it. “I’m sorry.”

“We didn’t either.” Valor frowned, clearly unsatisfied by this response. He took his hand away from Prin. “You don’t need to apologize to me. This isn’t a prison. You may go at any time.”

Elwin, the vestiges of red in his cheeks having drained away as he became suddenly pale, pulled the prince into a hug.

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Prin was sorry for making him worry. This particular moment, and also in general.

“I’ll walk with you.” Elwin said. He let go of Prin and took his arm, leading him through the library and towards the door.

Valor tilted his head to the side. “What will I do?” he wondered. The light from the library windows hit just right, making temporary rubies of his rose tinted eyes.

“Whatever you normally do.” Elwin said.

Prin could tell he was holding back, biting his words. “I’ll be okay, really.” He said. “Don’t worry.”

They left the library quickly, Prin still holding his precious book.

“Do you need to go outside? Or to the bathroom?” Elwin asked him.

“No, no, maybe just to lay down for a minute.” Prin said.

They walked back to their room, Elwin still holding into him as though fearing he would regret letting go.

Prin figured he must really look like he was going to pass out after all.

When they got inside, Elwin closed the door, and Prin reached back to flip the latch securely into place. He felt instantly a little better. Safe.

“I’m okay, really. I just had a little shock and it threw me for a loop.” Prin said. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t even know why exactly.”

Elwin’s eyes went to the plain looking book he was still clutching close to his body. “What’s that?” He reached out for the book, eyes widening and hand freezing in place when Prin turned away, protecting his prize.

“No! No. I don’t know why I did that.” The prince handed the book to Elwin, although it felt almost like a living creature that was refusing to let go of him and go to Elwin. Like a skittish puppy. “Here. I’m sorry. It’s an old book. Very old. And I couldn’t believe that it would hit so close to home . . . A page in the middle . . . I don’t even know what it says. It was hard to read and I got afraid.” He laughed, startling himself with the edge of hysteria he could hear there. “Like my name will be there in print?”

Elwin opened the book, which naturally fell to the middle, and flipped slowly through the pages. He made a face. “Pretty dark, but I admire the artistry.” He closed it again and looked all over the outside of the book. “No clues on where it came from or who wrote it.” He started at the spine where it said Curses. “Oh. That explains that.” He opened back up to where he left off, slowly turning the pages.

When he stopped, completely still for a long moment, the prince leaned forward to see that yes indeed he had found the correct page of the book. He leaned closer to the open curtained window to squint at the writing. “The Monster Prince. Is that the title of the illustration?”

“Or the name of the curse.” Prin said.

“Okay, I’m going to read this the best I can. There is some weird spelling and it’s pretty faded.” Elwin said. “Actually, you’re better at interpreting this stuff then I am. You want to see it?”

“No.” Prin laid down on the bed, fluffing up the pillows behind him. “Please. You read it. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” He draped his arm over his face. He didn’t think he had it in him to read it himself right now, scared as he was of what it would say.

The prince hadn’t been scared of much lately, it was kind of funny that a few little words on a page, written probably a couple hundred years ago, give or take, could make him shake.

“The prince will have a hunger for meat, that the flesh of no animal will satisfy.” Elwin read carefully, perhaps filling in the blanks with the nearest thing he thought made sense.

“The prince will devour his siblings, until he is the only one who remains.” Elwin continued.

“The cursed prince will sit on a throne of death that grows ever steeper. Until the people rise up to destroy him, or else all perish. Starving him of sustenance.”

“Well . . . at least none of that stuff happened. Yet.” Prin said dryly, feeling more exhausted then ever. “Is there more?”

“A little . . . but there’s a water spot. I can’t make it out.” Elwin said. He closed the book. “It doesn’t matter. None of this is relevant to you.”

The prince barked out a harsh laugh.

“Alri-ight.” Elwin put his hands up. “Most of it is not relevant to you. You’re not going to eat enough people to sit on a throne of dead bodies. And you are NOT a monster.”

“One of them remains to be seen and the other is debatable at best.” Prin said.

“Don’t be upset. Isn’t it comforting in a way to know that you aren’t alone? You aren’t the first person that this has happened to?” Elwin asked. He was grasping at straws to be comforting, but Prin appreciated the effort.

“No.” Prin said. “I do have Valor, though. And at least he only hurts himself. Well, mostly.”

Elwin frowned, narrowing his eyes. “That little . . . How much of what happens to him is he bringing on himself?”

“Elwin!” Prin sat up quickly. “Why would you say that? He’s just a lonely boy. Ill-mannered, sure, but who wouldn’t be?”

“You should have seen, no, you definitely should not see, this book he was trying to make me read.” Elwin’s cheeks got pink again at the memory. “It was all – well, I learned something, just from half a page.”

“O-ooh, it was that kind of book.” Prin said. He hadn’t known they put that kind of stuff into writing. “You should have just appeased him and read it.” He teased.

“No, it was nasty.” Elwin said. “And Valor is a child. I guess. Sure doesn’t seem like one, though.”

“Now you are making me want to try reading it. See if I get any farther.” Prin said. “I want to learn something too.”

“Listen.” Elwin said, his eyes suddenly widening, voice serious. “Even though he was sort of flirting with me. I think. In his own way. It’s actually you he’s interested in. Be careful around him. He isn’t as helpless as he looks.”

“He’s just goofing around.” Prin said dismissively. “I know Valor is a bit off putting, but he’s just . . . really bad at people. You know? Now, with us around, he will get more practice.”

Elwin scootched closer and leaned his head on Prin’s shoulder. “I just worry about you.”

“I worry about you too.” Prin admitted. “But it’ll be okay. We’re together, we can watch each other’s back. As for Valor? Let’s get this curse off his back, that’s what we’ll do.”

Elwin gave him a skeptical look. “O-okay. I was thinking more along the lines of keeping out of the curse’s undertow, if you know what I mean. You always take the more ambitious route. Are we still helping Aster too?”

“Of course!” Prin said, offended by the question. “That one will be easier, though.”

Elwin laughed. “Tell that to Mama Kris and her thugs.”

“You act like we can only help one person at a time.” The prince said.

“I’m just wondering if we will never be able to get off this island, because we will be so busy solving everyone’s problems.” Elwin shrugged, as though to say, if that’s the way you want it, I’m just along for the ride so what do I know.

Prin sighed. He wished Elwin wasn’t making a good point. Not that it mattered to him, because he couldn’t be dissuaded once he had set his mind to something. Somehow, even though still figuring himself out amongst everything that was going on, he already knew that much.

“Hey!” Prin said brightly. He tapped the plain brown book “Let’s find Valor next. Maybe his entry will be more helpful.”