“Sister,” whispered, Raisende, “what have you done?” “A blessing,” Gaetane replied, her voice untroubled as she wiped her bloody lips on her glove. Who wouldn’t wish such a gift for their child? Only the royal Wise Woman, Raisende, grasped import of Gaetane’s blessing.

May all who meet him love him and long to please him.”īettie Sharpe The old king smiled. May every man respect him and every woman desire him. May every eye find perfection in his face and form. The blessing fell from her lips with a spatter of blood, for the tongue of the Old Ones is sharp as broken glass against the tender flesh of mortal mouths. “Charme,” she whispered the word in the language of the Old Ones, the tongue of curses and enchantments. His given name was Adrian Juste, but after the witch Gaetane bestowed her double-edged blessing on his naming day, none called him aught but Charming. The tales have him faceless and nameless, a passionless plywood man meant to represent everything a good girl is supposed to want. The real story doesn’t even start with me it starts with the Prince. Some would have it that this story begins with a virtuous virgin, a young woman of honesty and integrity sucker punched by cruel fortune and forced to sleep among the cinders while her moral inferiors lived the life which was meant to be hers. The Witch I know you think you’ve heard this story before, but you’re wrong.

Thanks To Fairy GodSciencemother Bam, & crit partner Jodie. No matter what anyone says, the gory old fairytales make great bedtime stories.

The Ever After.137 Acknowledgments.142 Note from the Author. It’s based on a fairytale, but it isn’t for kids. Bettie Sharpe Warning: This story contains sex, violence, and naughty words.

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