The mighty hunter," I quipped as we snuck out the backdoor, escaping into the yard. "He can take down vicious rabids and rampaging boars, but one old lady can make him flee in terror.""One scary old lady," he corrected me, looking relieved to be out of the house. "You didn't hear what she told me when I got up - you're so cute I could put you in a pie. Tell me that's not the creepiest thing you've ever heard." His voice climbed a few octaves, turning shrill and breathy. "Today for dessert, we have apple pie, blueberry pie and Ezekiel pie.

A little warning would’ve been nice. You couldn’t have said, ‘Hey, as part of your training today, I’m going to beat you senseless’?

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl.

You are my heart, my life, my entire existence.

How easy it is to forget grudges when someone has something you need.

Metallic trees. That's new. If you see any steel dryads, be sure to tell me so I can run away screaming.

I wished that, for once, faery tales – real faery tales, not Disney fairy tales – would have a happy ending.