the eternal and the infinite

Long ago, in the quaint kingdom of Seyrunn, there was a princess named Amelia. She was a high-spirited young girl, often dreaming of being a great hero of justice. But she was kind and diligent in her duties, as well as beautiful. These qualities, plus the kingdom’s prosperity, made her a prime catch for many. However, there was one strange thing that those closest to her knew about.

It began when she was little. Whenever she said out her desires with the words “I wish…”, they would come true. Usually, the wish would be harmless, something small like a treat or present. But there were times that these would cause trouble, not just for her but for the kingdom. As such, there was extra precaution for her on her wording, or at least, saying wishes out loud.

Because of this, quiet rumors had spread among the populace. Some inquired if a greater being had blessed or cursed her. Others had questioned whether she had been replaced with a Faerie child. Despite these tales, Amelia never let them bother her. Although she would be lying about not wanting to know the truth behind her circumstances. She felt that, whether gift or curse, the one who did it must have been a good person.

--

Meanwhile, in one of the Fae Domains, there was a Goblin Prince known as Zelgadis. Despite his title, he wasn’t like his kin, being much taller and a lot more attractive. He also didn’t partake in any mischief the goblins would scheme up. For most of the time, he spent it by himself being melancholic, mostly on his own circumstances. While he was handsome as most would consider, his skin was stone and his hair of metal wire. He feared any human would see him as a monster. Thus, he kept to himself, brooding about his own appearance.

Then, one day, when he was young himself, he saw Princess Amelia. Staring at her from a distance, he saw how lovely and determined she was. It made his heart go aflutter with longing to be with her. However, he knew that would never be. She would’ve seen him as the hideous Goblin Prince, as far as he was concerned. Still, he wished he could be with her, or at least show that he loved her.

“Why not take her to your kingdom, your highness?” suggested one goblin.

“Oh, yea, I’m sure she would be thrilled that I kidnapped her, and that her family wouldn’t send a bunch of knights to get her back.” Zelgadis let out an aggravated sigh. “Like that would ever work.”

“Then why not grant her favors?”

“Favors?” He raised a stone eyebrow.

The goblin nodded. “Yes! Favors! She wishes for something, and then you grant it! It shows you are a charitable person. Lots of humans like that.”

That didn’t seem like a bad idea as much as he thought about it. He did have the power to grant anything, as he was Fae, and a high-ranking one at that. At the very least, he could do that. So, he decided to grant whatever her heart desired.

It was great at first. She seemed very happy with her wishes being granted. But over time, he saw that she started to become anxious. She became careful with what she said out loud. Though maybe that was an error on his part. The Fae tended to take wording as an interpretation, going as far as being literal with it. He asked his cohorts about what she meant at times. But knowing them, they probably wanted to cause bedlam.

At this point, he was considering some form of Plan B. Otherwise, he was certain that something was going to happen that he’d regret.

--

One night, as the kingdom of Seyrunn was sleeping, Amelia was wide awake and pacing. She had absentmindedly made a wish out loud, and least to say, there were consequences. Not horrible consequences, per se. But definitely something that affected the kingdom in a bad way. Thus, her curiosity was reaching its peak, and she wanted to know what this was all about. The problem now was trying to figure out how to go about it. She couldn’t outright ask about it.

… Or maybe, she could. Closing her eyes, she said, “I wish to talk to the person who has been granting my wishes… Right now.”

Amelia opened her eyes to see nothing else in her room. Sighing, she felt like that was a long shot, but at least she tried. She then noticed something on her desk that wasn’t there before. It was a decorative-covered book with an ink well and pen right next to it. She walked over to it and flipped through, seeing nothing in it, just blank pages.

After a while, an idea flickered in her mind. She sat down, took the pen, and wrote down, “Are you the one who has been granting my wishes?”

She waited for some time before a sentence appeared underneath hers. “Yes”

Well, that certainly answered her question. Though it didn’t give her who exactly was behind it, she now knew that this wasn’t any normal person. And so far, she currently has the only way to communicate with them.

“Well…” she started to write out, “As much as I appreciate you doing this, it kind of causes more trouble than it's worth.”

“I figured as much,” the book replied, which gave a melancholic undertone. It was almost as if it’d sighed.

She now felt a bit sorry. “No, really, I do appreciate having my wishes granted. It’s just that if I were to say, ‘I wish that Councilman Jerral would go away’, I don’t actually mean it.” After a while, she then wrote, “By any chance, do you know where he is?”

“Not really. My minions were the ones who took him.”

“Do you think they can bring him back? Legislation is pretty much stuck until he returns.”

After a long pause, the word “No.” appeared on the paper. Amelia considered as much. She may not have liked the man, but it was going to be troublesome for the kingdom's political sphere. In all likelihood, she would have to ask her father to replace him.

Thinking for a bit, she decided to continue conversing. “So, how is it being a Fae? I heard the legends about them, like how they can be very nice or very evil.”

“Well, you’re not that far off. There are those who tend to be helpful and others who spend their time making humans miserable. But mostly, a lot do whatever they please. They don’t care much about the repercussions, except for entertainment.”

“And what about you? Are you a good or evil Fae?”

Waiting for a while, she saw the book write out, “I’d rather be left alone… With some exceptions.”

Amelia giggled at that before letting out a yawn. “Well, I should be getting to bed. It was nice talking to you.” After thinking some more, she penned, “Want to do it again? There are still some things I want to know about.”

“I guess…” inscribed the book, “Do you wish it?”

Debating with herself on what to put down, she came up with her answer. “Though I do not want to force it, I do wish to.”

Not long after she saw the book written up, “Then, I will talk to you whenever you want.”

She beamed with glee, closing the book before heading to bed. Then, she slowly fell to sleep with a big smile on her face.

--

Over the course of a few months, the Princess wrote to her mysterious friend via the book. They had many conversations that lasted long into the night, ranging from their daily lives to more personal matters. The more they exchanged, the more she felt like she was getting to know him. Though despite the familiarity, she had no clue on what he looked like.

It was one night that, after writing about her day, she decided to be a little daring. “So… There’s going to be a festival soon, a celebration of the coming Spring. And there are lots of things to do at it, like snacks, and games, and…”

“Where are you going with this?” the book wrote out.

“Well, I was wondering if you…” She took a deep breath before inscribing, “Would you like to join me for it?”

She waited for an answer, hoping for a simple “Yes”. But then, it wrote out, “No.”

Amelia furrowed her brow as her cheeks puffed out. “But why?!”

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s not a reason!”

“It’s enough reason for me. Besides, you will hate me if you ever see what I truly am.”

She tilted for a moment, feeling a bit concerned. “I know you are Fae. But… What exactly do you look like?”

“A monster,” it inscribed, leaving no further explanation. She grimaced for a bit, trying to imagine. But she found it difficult with the information she had.

“Well…” she began to write out, “I don’t think you’re a monster. I may not have any clear depiction of your appearance. Yet I can tell that you’re a kind person.”

“Really?”

She smiled. “Of course! And I would get a better idea if we went to the festival together.”

“Still no.”

Almost breaking her quill, she took a deep breath. “Alright. I didn’t want to do this, but I wish for you to come to the festival with me.”

There was a long pause as she waited for her answer. She didn’t want to do it. It felt like cheating, all things considered. Still, she wanted him to come, and he could work his way around the request. She just wanted to see him in person.

After a while, a single sentence appeared. “Okay, if you wish.” Her expression softened, though relief was soon replaced with excitement. Hopefully, he was just as eager to see her too.

--

“I can’t do it,” Zelgadis said, as he started to dread the approaching date. He stood in his throne room with a bunch of his goblin minions staring at him.

“But you have to, my lord!” one of the goblins spoke up, “She made it a wish, and you must present yourself for it to be!”

He cringed, silently cursing Fae rules. “But I can’t! The moment I appear before her, she’s going to freak out!”

“She won’t! She knows that you aren’t a human.”

“Yea, but I’m still a hideous freak by their standards!” He let out an aggravated sigh before collapsing on his throne. “Why did she have to do that? I thought she didn’t want to force me into anything.”

The goblins stared, seeing their prince having a pitiful breakdown. Then, one said, “Why not wear a mask?”

That… Didn’t sound like a bad idea. A mask wouldn’t be so out-of-place for a festival. And it would certainly help hide his appearance. But after thinking about it some more, he shook his head. “No! No! I’m not going to do it! I’ll just write back and say I came down with pox or something.”

It was then that the goblins, tired of their master’s whining, decided to take action and revolt. They weren’t going to let him break Fae Law as much as he wanted to. Besides, it would be good for him to go out with the princess.

After a while, Zelgadis gave in. “Alright! Alright! I’ll go! Stop pestering me about it! Okay?!”

And there was much rejoicing.

--

The night of the festival came, and after doing her duties, Amelia had snuck away to the grounds. Among the crowd, she started to search for her secret acquaintance. It was difficult, not knowing what he looked like. If he were Fae, then he could change his appearance to whatever he wanted. Of course, that probably would make his concerns over his looks much more superficial.

While distracted by her thoughts, she ran into someone. She got caught before falling onto the pavement, much to her surprise. Her savoir was a tall man, dressed in nice traveling clothes and with lavender hair. Though his face was covered by a mask, she could tell that there was something familiar about him.

“Are you…” she began, feeling her throat tighten. “The one who has been writing to me?”

“Yes,” the mysterious man said as he lifted her up. From seeing him in person, it was like how she imagined him to be. Perhaps a bit more human than she first thought. Though she could see the pointy ears. Not like that mattered in the slightest.

After straightening herself out, she asked, “So, shall I show you around?”

“Of course.”

The two then wandered about, participating in the various activities offered. From the games to the food, it all felt like a dream to them. She was with her mysterious confidant, and he was with the strong-willed girl he had fallen in love with. There was a small part within them that didn’t want the night to end.

But the evening began to wane, and the festival began to die down. They soon found themselves in a small square, sitting by a water fountain. A silence fell between them, almost as encompassing as the darkness.

Soon, Amelia spoke up, “I know that I shouldn’t. That it would be unfair, but I do wish to see what you look like.”

“I… I can’t…” He shook his head, hands clutching the fountain’s edge. “I’d know how you’ll be, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Please…” she said, as she moved closer to him. Being steady, she placed her hands on the mask and removed it slowly, without any resistance. He stiffened, almost dreading her reaction as his face was now revealed. His hideous, stone-ridden face.

She grimaced for a moment, almost as if she had regretted it. He should’ve known that this would happen. After all, he was the Goblin Prince, his appearance matching his title. He looked away, his hands trembling. “So, you now know. I am a monster.”

He waited for her inevitable reaction. Yet to his surprise, Amelia cupped his face and turned it back to her. There was a small smile as she said, “Maybe… But you are kind.”

And then the two leaned in, pressing their lips against each other in a soft kiss.

--

And so, the Princess fell in love with the Goblin Prince. They didn’t rush into marriage, but over time, they formed a strong connection. The kingdom noticed that there wasn’t any more trouble with the princess’ wishes and rejoiced. There were many more tales about the two, some that were even lost to the waves of time. But those would be for another time.

It was late one night that Zelgadis found that he couldn’t sleep. Actually, that would be most nights. But it was this one that he felt like he couldn’t even get his eyes to shut. It was probably some form of astrological phenomenon as there was talk about a Blue Moon. Whatever the case, he was pretty much miserable for not getting sleep.

Seeing as there was not much else to do about it, he figured he would get out and wander for a bit. Better than trying to force himself. He got out of bed and headed out without making too much noise, not like he needed too. Lina and the others had their own rooms. It was one of the very few times they had that luxury. A good thing too as there were so many nights he could stand Gourry’s snoring.

Zelgadis walked for a bit, making his way around the inn they were staying at. Turning a corner, he headed outside before noticing someone. It was Amelia, sitting underneath a tree and staring up at the sky. He was a bit surprised, but he figured she must have had the same problem as him. Still, it was strange seeing her up at this time.

In any case, he considered coming over and keeping her company for a bit. He walked over in a casual manner and then proceeded to sit down next to her. Promptly, he greeted, “Hey, nice night we have, huh.”

“Let me guess…” she began, “You couldn’t sleep either.”

“Yea…” he answered. There was a small distance between them, yet he could feel her warmth. It was probably one of the few things he could despite having rock skin.

After a while, Amelia asked, “So, are you considering coming back to Seyrunn this time?”

“Maybe. I’ll probably stay for a couple weeks.”

“I see…” She looked down, her brow furrowing. She seemed a bit disappointed, though she didn’t want to vocalize it. After a while, she said, “Going to travel with Lina and Gourry again? I think they’re heading there too.”

He shook his head. “Not really. Knowing those two, it’s bound to be trouble.”

“Yea, but I feel like I rather have you go with them than traveling alone.” This made his head perk up.

“Why’s that?” he asked.

“Well…” she glanced away, her hands clutching the hem of her tunic. “It worries me whenever you travel alone.”

Zelgadis’ eyes widened as a slight blush crossed his face. He never really thought about it that much. Being so used to traveling by himself, it never occurred that he would have someone be concerned for him. It wasn’t like he had that many companions, and even then, he felt they were irritating most of the time.

Not saying much else, he turned his attention back to the sky. It was a clear night as the stars sparkled above. Though their flickers were nothing in comparison to the full moon. Its light was almost like the sun.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, “The moon.”

He nodded. “Yea… It’s supposed to be a Blue Moon.”

“I guess that makes sense. We had a full one earlier this month.”

The two continued to stare up at the moon, admiring its bright fullness.

“Well, it’s getting late,” she said, before looking over at Zelgadis. “Are you going to sleep soon too?”

Thinking for a moment, he shrugged. “Might as well.”

She let out a smile before heading back inside, leaving him in his thoughts. It was nice, talking to her in a somber ambience. Perhaps one of the few they had together since first meeting. In any case, maybe he’d considered staying in Seyrunn. At least, to make sure she doesn’t have anything to worry about.