Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived two princes in a castle that sparkled like gemstones, surrounded by a dark wood. These young men were the crown jewels of their kingdom, so much so that they were known as The Diamond Brothers. And though both were beloved, the nature of royalty and popular opinion favored the eldest son, Daiya. The younger Diamond Brother, Mondo, though not resentful, still held in his heart a flickering ember of envy towards him and a desire to prove himself of matching worth.
One dreary night, the queen quietly passed away, and Daiya's coronation was scheduled in half a year's time. On the eve of his crowning, as the castle staff hustled to ready the celebration, Mondo proposed one final friendly competition between the two of them, on the last day that they were equals. A race on horseback through the woodlands surrounding the castle, whoever reached the village beyond them won, he stipulated. Daiya agreed.
One may assume this was a fairly easy task, but the forest was bewitched. Its trees were pitch black and gnarled, teeming with all sorts of unsavory creatures, and on occasion the path set within it would twist in bizarre ways. It was unreliable as a riding path, so the journey was often made without consulting it at all. The brothers knew these woods well, for despite its dangers it was their playground since childhood.
The Diamond Brothers set out. The hooves of their steeds pounded hard and fast against the earth. Both were gifted riders, so they had to hone their focus expertly to be victorious.
Daiya broke through the brush first, breathing in the crisp air of the fields bordering the woodlands. What a fun ride, he thought, I'll miss these sorts of games when I'm king...
He waited several minutes for Mondo to arrive. He would clap him hard on the back, perhaps give him a noogie while scolding him for being late, and joke that this was why he was the one taking the throne.
But Mondo was nowhere to be seen.
Protective older sibling instincts kicked in. Daiya charged back into the forest, searching for signs of his missing baby brother. He spied on a snarl of brambles a scrap of cloth, no doubt a piece of Mondo's clothes. He had to yank his reins quickly for hidden right behind these brambles was a sudden drop into a clearing. At its bottom was his brother's horse, severely injured from the fall, and Mondo himself. But there was a third party that made Daiya's blood run cold.
It was a bear. A massive bear, far more massive than any bear should be. It had an unusual coloration, black and white split right down the middle, with red eyes that burned with hellfire. There was no doubt in his mind: his brother had crossed into the domain of a malevolent fae. And, as Mondo lay there defenseless and wide-eyed with fear, the spirit raised its giant paw, primed to slash him to ribbons with claws the size of claymores.
Daiya forced his steed down the steep cliff side and jumped off of it, directly in the path of the beast's downswing.
"DAIYA, NO!"
Mondo's plea was far too late. The grass around them stained with blood as his brother crumpled to the ground. Mondo dragged him into his arms.
"J-Jesus Christ, I f-fucked up real bad," stuttered the dying Daiya, "I was s'posed to keep you safe. As a—" He coughed up more blood, "—king, you're s'posed to protect your people. Sorry."
"No, no, don't say that! You did protect me! I'm the one who fucked up! This is all my goddamn fault!"
Daiya seemed to be looking for Mondo's eyes, but couldn't quite find them, so he just stared into the open air.
"Hey. The rest is up to you now, kid. Promise me that you'll take care of them."
He squeezed his hand. "I p-promise…"
In a few moments, life faded from Daiya. When the weight of what just occurred set in, Mondo screamed at the top of his lungs— a guttural, animalistic noise of sorrow that rang through the wilderness. He buried his face into the stilled blood-soaked chest, sobbing. Meanwhile, the bear grinned devilishly and drew closer to the surviving prince, its form starting to shift.
After what seemed like hours, Mondo drew his face away, covered in hot pink like a sticky, iron-scented coat of paint. The shock and rage had drained from him, and now he said in a cold, lifeless tone, "I— I did this. I challenged him to a race that cost him his life. I... k-killed him."
His head slumped forward.
"I'm a monster."
"Well!" a feminine voice replied brightly out of the blue, "That can be arranged!"
He bolted upright and standing before him was a beautiful and wicked enchantress.
"What? Who the hell are you?"
"They call me Junko, Queen of Despair!" she said, holding her head high, a crown suddenly appearing on top of it.
She shifted to a melancholy expression, mushrooms springing up around the crown. "Well, they don't really call me that, because there is no 'they.' I've been bound to this forest for who knows how long. Centuries, I think. It's been so boring , only breaking the spirits of animals and lost travelers..."
The sky above seemed to match her new gloomy mood, filling with gray clouds. Then she shifted again, now sporting spectacles. "But not anymore. See, I planned to just kill you and swallow up that jolt of heartbreak on your sudden death, but then your brother swooped in and made things far more interesting…"
"Interesting?! You bitch! He's dead!" His hold on the corpse tightened protectively.
Her glasses disappeared, and now she had no expression at all. It began to rain. "Exactly, and you've fallen right into my clutches, into despair. You've forfeited yourself to me, dear prince, and your home with it. And I know just how I'll maintain that despair and feed myself for years to come."
"What the fuck are you talking about?!"
"I'm placing a curse on you and your castle, obviously." She said with a roll of her eyes. "With certain conditions to break it, of course, because a tiny sliver of hope makes despair all the more bitter. And I think your suggestion will do nicely— it makes it all the more ironic."
He didn't care about what she was saying anymore. Her blatant lack of respect for the dead or seemingly anything else filled him with fury. He launched to his feet.
"LISTEN! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE A FAIRY OR A MAGIC SHE-BEAR OR WHATEVER THE HELL! YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF AND I'M GONNA KICK YOUR—"
Junko made devil's signs with both of her hands and crossed her arms. A bolt of lightning erupted from the heavens, striking the prince. Mondo's entire body was engulfed in burning, white-hot pain, forcing him to the ground. His vision blurred and distorted as the world spun around him. His melting flesh dribbled down his frame and into a puddle before sculpting itself into an entirely different shape.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the enchantress was gone, leaving a monstrous figure sitting within a circle of scorched earth, trying desperately to make sense of the encounter. Even years later, the events of that day still stung the beast like an open wound. Within his castle he spent his time wondering, lingering, regretting, waiting… and, upon a certain someone's advice, hoping. Hoping for a certain someone to come along...