Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time
in a place far away
there was a child.

He had a father.
He had a mother.
He had a sister.

They all hated him.

Unanimously
utterly
completely
hated
him.

Because of a mark
on his back.

And to be hated like that
was the worst feeling in the world.


Once upon a time
in a place far from here
there was a boy.

He had a father.
He had a mother.
He had a sister.

Then one day
there was a medallion
and then he had no mother.

But he couldn't remember seeing that happen.
Seeing a blade in his mother's heart
put there by his father.

So his home still knew happiness.
His home still knew love.


Once upon a time
there was a hero.

The boy
had seen loss.
The boy
had grown up.

The boy
had taken a blade in hand
and freed his homeland.

The princess became a queen.
The boy became a man.


While the child
crumbled
under his sins.


For he had seen death
and created it by his hands
and thus the boy's father
lay slain.

By
his
hand.


And the boy
fought through it.
Through the pain
and the loss.
And he became a hero.


While the child
slowly
died.



Once upon a time
the hero met the child.

Not the child's disguise
the armor he hid behind
to kill.
To murder.

To commit evils upon others
upon the world
upon himself
he wore that armor of darkest night.

Not that armor
but the child
himself
was who the hero met.

And they spoke together
And they fought together.
And they laughed together.

And the child
fell.

How he wanted to know
what love would feel like.

He never thought
it would be
like
this.

Powerful.

Painful.

Beautiful.

Love.

Like his heart
had been stolen away.

It was a dream
and
a nightmare.

For the feelings of longing
could not be reconciled.

For the desperation
could not be revealed.

For the hero
could never love him back.


Never a child.
Never a murderer.


Never a lost
little
boy
with a brand
on his back.


Never.


He would never deserve the hero's heart.



Once upon a time
in a place just out of reach
there was a boy.

He was a child.

He was a killer.

He was lost.


He was in darkness
and couldn't see his way out.


And there the hero found him.

And he held out a hand.



Once upon a time
a little boy was a murderer.

Once upon a time
a hero showed him forgiveness.

Once upon a time
the children grew up
and lived happily ever after.