Cecilia

“TELL ME A story, Papa.” “Very well. Once, a long time ago, there lived a beautiful princess who lived in the highest room in the tallest tower. All of her life, she was locked away through no fault of her own. Her only company was a huge dragon with yellow eyes and fangs as long as her arms. One day, a handsome prince came to save her. He charged the tower and ran his sword through the beast’s leathery skin, piercing its heart. The princess wept. Her tears caused a flood that drowned the prince. She had loved that dragon. It had been her only friend and he had come to kill it.”   “But it was a monster.” “Was it, Cora? A monster is defined by deeds, not appearances.”
― Chelsea Starling, The Witch and the Monster