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Volkhard the Rat King

Be warned, this story is dark and gruesome. Features murder.

Female Reader x Male Monster

Once upon a time, a princess was kept in a tower. She had a very rare and strange ability to grow the hair on her head very, very fast - so fast that by the end of the year it would reach halfway down the tower. The princess was held by a goblin who would constantly shear the princess's hair and spin it into gold.

Unable to bear the goblin's captivity anymore, the princess used her own hair to choke him to death. She threw the body from the window, because if her hair hadn't killed him, the fall would. Then she waited until her hair grew again and used it to climb down the tower, never to return.

Afraid of being caught, the princess decided to hide away, making her home in the underground sewers of a large city. There she remained, only emerging when someone came to the grates, tossing her a gold coin with a note wrapped around it. The princess would perform the job written on the note, receiving the payment of her choice thereafter. She garnered a reputation for being able to get any task done, no matter how difficult, but if you did not pay her, she would seek revenge by taking an even greater payment than before.

"What kind of payment, Mama?"

"Hm?" I look down at the small shape in the bed, her large green eyes peering over the edge of the blanket. I smile at her, smoothing down the blankets so she's nice and snug. "Of course, the princess would prefer money," I say with a grin. "But there are other things she can take, things that mean much more to the people who cheated her."

Her nose appears, and she giggles. "Like my dolly?"

I look to the patchwork doll by her side, its mismatched button eyes gleaming in the candlelight. "Perhaps."

She quickly takes hold of her doll and hugs her tight.

"But I would never take anything from you. You pay me every day with that smile." I kiss her forehead and push my fingertip into her dimple and she titters happily. I ease her back down onto her pillow. "Now go to sleep, my gumdrop. Tomorrow is a busy day."

"Yes, Mama." Ebba snuggles down into bed. "Goodnight."

"Sleep tight." I blow out the candle and leave, keeping the door ajar as I go into the next room. I sit down at the table, pulling my hair over my shoulder to gather it in a bundle. I chop it off as close to the tie as possible, then stuff the wad of hair into a basket with a bunch of others.

With a heavy sigh, I slouch over the table while rubbing my eyes. Ebba will learn the truth one day - that I am not really a princess, nor was my escape from the tower as easy as it seemed. She will discover I am not the hero I make myself out to be. I do the jobs that no one wants, and I am looked down on for it. For as long as possible, I want Ebba to look at me with those big green eyes in admiration. I want to be her hero for as long as possible.

I am lucky Ebba is a heavy sleeper. Ever since she was a baby, she could sleep through anything as peaceful as an angel. I slip out of the sewer at night to complete jobs that have been given to me through the drains.

Lately the city has had a rather nasty rat problem. Each night, I go to a different home and lead the rats away. Sometimes there are other jobs I will have to perform - debts to collect, passions to convey. It matters not to me as long as I get paid for a job well completed. Leading rats to drown in the river is relatively easy compared to slaughtering a man. Sometimes it feels like the same thing.

Tonight I lead another batch of rats to the river beyond the woods. I despise how long it takes to get through the woods with the rats in tow. Playing the flute, navigating the trees in the dark, and keeping the procession going is extremely hard work. I sit by the river for a moment, taking a rest as the rats wash away. My hair is starting to feel heavy again, and I contemplate shaving it at the scalp one more time. As I ponder, I hear something in the woods.