Requested by Zandrae, a Evos/Cyril version of the Swan Princess. I took a good few liberties with this, but enjoy!
Once upon a time, there was palace of light and glass and in it lived a family that though rich and powerful, had a cold heart that chilled the land that they ruled. They saw their people only as slaves, and their land, though fruitful and prosperous, soon became hard and barren. The taxes were raised until there was hardly a bean to share between the people, and yet, the ones in the castle of glass and light feasted like kings.
The people cried and suffered, and one day, a small congregation went to the witch that lived in the darkest part of the forest, taking with them meager sacrifices.
Most fled at the sight of the bats fluttering around his hut, even more fled at the white hair and grey skin when he appeared at the doorway... but a small boy stayed, and he demanded the witch help his village and the other people of their kingdom.
The witch sighed and made a bargain of blood with the boy, and then went to the palace, seeing if there were any worth saving.
Only the eldest Prince survived the ordeal, and even then, he was blinded and sent into the wilderness. The witch declared that until he learned to love, the palace of light and glass would be filled with darkness and the kingdom cursed. However, if he could find his path, then the kingdom would become seven times as fruitful as it was before, and the Prince would be instated as the proper King.
With that, the witch settled in for a nap.
The Prince wandered for three days and nights, and on the morning of the fourth day, he found a lake to bathe in, leaving his clothing on the bank and trying his best to wash off the dirt and grime of his travels. During so, he complained about the witch, the kingdom, the villagers, anything that he could think of, wholly unaware that he was being watched from a tree that spanned over the water.
In reality, it was his shining hair that attracted the crow, wise birds that are attracted to such pretty objects, and then he stayed and watched the form, then flew to the bank and shaking his wings, turned to a naked man holding a black cloak of feathers.
"Is there room for one more...?" he asked quietly, and the Prince paused, confused at why he heard none approach, "I can..."
"No friend, come and bathe, the road is long and harsh," the Prince said quickly, "Do you live a far way off, I heard no horse..."
"My home is close by, and this is my favorite bathing spot," said the Crow as he stepped into the water, leaving his cloak on the bank, "What brings you this far North?"
For some time they bathed and talked, and promised to meet each other the next day when they parted. That night, the Prince's luck changed, he found a small hut by following the cawing of several crows, and was surprised to find dinner waiting on him when he entered and a soft bed to sleep in.
For several days, the two met at the lake, then he returned to the hut. The Crow and the Prince enjoyed each other's company, and for some time, both were content to simply bathe together.
However, a shard of fear soon entered the Prince's heart... he never heard his friend approach, he had no idea of who the man really was. He began to wonder if this was a trick set up by the witch.
And so, the next day, he went to the bank where their clothing was, and reached for the spot he knew the Crow had been, snatching the cloak of feathers and then throwing it on him as he exited the lake.
Suddenly, he could see again, but the world has shrunk and he found that he could not speak, though... he could fly.
"My Prince," the Crow sighed as he returned to the bank and took the clothing left by the Prince, "I am sorry... I cannot reverse this myself, not unless it were your own cloak. I can promise that you will become normal after sunset, but sunrise will return you to this state," he frowned and petted the white crow's beak, "I understand if you want nothing to do with me now."
He turned to walk away, turning back at the cawing of the Prince, slowly smiling, "Alright, I will stay with you."
That night both talked for some time before sleep overcame them, and the Crow revealed himself to be the King of the Murder, and frowned as the Prince told him all that had happened in his own kingdom.
"I cannot break the curse for you," he said quietly, "But... I will take you back to face this witch."
"I will be happy for the help friend," the Prince said happily, "However, I cannot prove that I know what love is, and if I can't do that, the curse cannot be broken."
The Crow went silent at that, and in the morning, before the Prince woke, addressed his Murder, and sent the quickest one towards the Cottage of the Faerie Godfather with a request.
Then he woke up the Prince and together, they started the way back to the kingdom surrounding the Palace of Light and Glass.
"My people would be happy here," the Crow muttered when he saw the darkness and death that had descended upon the place, "They would not starve for a thousand years."
The Prince could say nothing, only then seeing with clear eyes, though they were the eyes of a bird, what horrors his family had given to his people.As they traveled deeper into the kingdom, the horrors increased.
Finally they came to the gates of the Palace itself, where the Witch was sleeping still. He barely opened an eye when the Crow cleared a throat to make his presence known and yawned, "He doesn't love yet, come back later," he said as he fell back asleep.
"JUST A MINUTE!" boomed a voice and a brilliant flash of light revealed a grinning ginger faerie godfather, "You have to at least give them a test!" he said grinning, "After all, they came all the way here."
The Witch yawned and sat up, "Oh fiiiiiiine, one little test and then I go back to sleep. There's a ball soon and I want to make sure I get to dance with Big Brother," he uncorked a flask and took a long drink, then looked around, "Oh uh..." he snapped his fingers and a figure in black armor appeared, "Fight him, I'm going to take a nap."
Both the Crow and the Prince stared at the imposing figure but the Faerie Godfather grinned, "No problem!" he said, "The power of love will defeat him!"
They in turned stared at him, "Go on now, show him what's what!"
"You're not going to..." the Crow paused, looking for the right words, "Give us boons or anything?"
"No need to, this one's easy! Just show him the love!"
The Crow sighed in defeat, then stepped forward, taking out a chain of beads made of varying gems and stones and started to chant.
The Knight charged him, easily defeating him, and was about to deliver the killing blow when the Prince flew in his face, pecking at his eyes, and was picked up and thrown against a wall, falling dead, though at least he was a man again, after leaving a crimson splat on the Palace's glass.
"No!" the Crow got to his feet and ran to the Prince, cradling his head in his lap and sobbing.
"KISS HIM!" the Faerie Godfather yelled.
"That's necrophilia! And despite what rumors you heard about cor..." the Crow looked back to see the Godfather grinning and blushed, "Oh..." he turned back to the Prince and turned even a darker shade of red, bent down and softly brushed his lips against the Prince's.
"Good, I can go back to my bed," the Witch said as he climbed onto the Knight's back, "Congratulations. Don't make me have to do this again," he fell back asleep as his champion carried him back to his home.
The Prince took a deep breath and opened his eyes, staring for a long moment at the Crow, and then turning bright red himself.
"Alright!" The Faerie Godfather said happily, "You did it!" he clapped his hands, "Now, have to make sure that the people are alright. I've got a few grumps working on that, but only raise taxes to..."
"Can we wait on the government class until later?!" the Prince asked with wide eyes, "I'm still confused as to what just happened!"
The Crow laughed, "I'll fill you in," he said, and thanking the Faerie Godfather, led the Prince inside the Palace.
The land soon grew and prospered, and the Prince was sure never to take the people for granted again, and the Crow took his Murder to stay in the Palace gardens, and there they remain until this day.
As for the Prince and the Crow, they lived happily ever after.
