Once upon a time . . . that’s how the old stories always begin. Once upon a time there was a different prince of different kingdom, and he was not beloved. He was too soft for a harsh land, and so a test of strength was set for him. We took him to the hollow temple beyond the city, chained him to the rock and left him there. But when the trial was done and we returned, he was gone, his shackles ripped from the stone. There were rumours about that place: old magic and lost things, and the man with the yellow eyes. We thought we would never see our prince again. We were wrong. The old stories always end with happy ever after. But this isn’t one of the old stories. This is a story of princes and monsters.