Darren sat slumped against the wall, the cool bricks causing a dull ache in the back of his head. He was on the floor, his black velvet coat creased upon the cold grey stones and his satin trousers encased in dust and dirt. His shirt was torn open and deep red scratches interrupted the beautiful white marble of his chest.

His long black hair was matted and greasy and hung lifelessly around his jaw line. He'd been there for days, alone at the top of the castle, waiting, hoping, regretting.

In his hand, there was a piece of paper, torn at the edges and crumpled where he had held it in his fist in fits of rage and self-pity.

Upon the paper there was a message, a message written in tall, loopy handwriting...a message written in blood.

Darren looked down, his eyes skimming over the text for what felt like the thousandth time.

A hint of love,

A spice of passion,

which you turned your back upon.

A cruel laugh,

as you pushed me away.

A dagger,

which you twisted in my chest

as you danced upon the puddle

of my blood.

And you thought I wouldn't cry?

You thought I would forget?

Foolish boy.

You thought you could fly away,

but now

flying is exactly what you will do.

Fly until your wings crumble,

and break before your eyes,

Until the bones pierce your heart,

Until you fall,

Fall from the sky,

Until you find true love.

Tears welled up in his blue eyes before rolling down his face and dripping from his chin. He made no move to stop them, instead allowing the tears to grow bigger, rolling more quickly and causing a gentle 'splash' as they fell to the floor.

He scrunched the piece of writing into a ball and threw it across the small turret. It bounced as it hit the wall in front of him, before rolling back beside his feet.

He was alone. Out of love, out of hope. He was desperate. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the happy times, but nothing came, all he could remember was the horrid flash of pink light as she had stormed out.

She. The lady of his dreams, the lady with the red lips and the black heart. She. Ruby. The beautiful angel with a devil encased inside. The fair maiden he loved...the witch he let into his home. He tried to escape her, only to be cursed.

He picked up the piece of paper once more, unfolding it and reading aloud. He shuddered, it smelt of her.

As he spoke the last line, his body began to tremble. He felt himself grow hotter and hotter, his heart pounding in his chest causing him to sweat and shake violently.

His arms shot out sideways involuntarily, his fingers stretching out before snapping back together. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulders and attempted to move his arms, but they stayed fixed in the same position. The pain strengthened and tears began to stream down his face like a waterfall.

Through the sheet of water covering his eyes, he could see his arms stretching, growing longer and longer. His heart thudded faster in terror. What was happening?

He didn't have time to think. The pain moved from his arms, rushing quickly down his torso before taking its home in his feet.

His shoes fell away and his toes stretched out, the bones cracking and snapping until a pair of claw like feet were formed.

Darren could only watch his body's transformation in horror, completely unable to move. He began to shiver, his legs shortening before his very eyes.

The soft pale hair on his limbs began to grow and thicken, feeling soft and downy beneath his clothes. The feeling crawled its way upwards until it covered his skin completely.

His sweat began to turn from hot to cold. He felt as though somebody had taken hold of his heart and began to squeeze it, tighter and tighter, until it shrunk into a small grey ball. In the distance he heard a patter of evil laughter. Ruby.

Suddenly, his head began to ache, starting at the back, before the pain engulfed his whole head, his face contorting in agony, no tears left in his eyes. His face continued to move involuntarily, the pain shaping and twisting it. He tried to scream, but the only sound that escaped his body was a loud squawk.

He blacked out for a second or two. When he opened his eyes again, the pain had stopped. He looked around; the room seemed bigger...had the spell that had caused him so much pain stretched the small turret? He stepped forward and came upon the fragments of a mirror that he had smashed in his anger days before. He looked into the glass and there he saw it...a small black creature, with feathers, wings and a beak.