A Tale Of Truth

INTRODUCTION

{THE ENTIRE STORY WILL NOT BE TOLD LIKE THIS, I KNOW THIS IS SHORT, THIS IS JUST FOR INTRODUCTION/DRAMATIC  PURPOSES}

Wolf: a wild carnivorous mammal of the dog family, living and hunting in packs

Queen: the female ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth.

Monster: an inhumanly cruel or wicked person.

Little Red Riding Hood: All of the above. 

This is not a tale of victims, of villains, of heroes. This is not a tale in which a happy ending ensues. This is not a tale of which you tell your children at night, to teach them that good always wins, for that is false. Good is loosing a battle against evil and evil is ruthless. Evil is endless and haunting, for it lurks in every crevice, in every hole and knot of everything. Of you, of me, of everyone. Evil is full of the little things. Evil is all knowing and knows how to taint your dreams. 

Boys and girls, this is not a tale of which good wins, nor evil. 

This is a tale of youth and beauty, of age and cruelty. This is a tale of horror and harrowing sights. This is a tale of following and leading. This is a tale of brothers and sisters, of family, of friends. This is a tale of betrayal, of back-stabbing, of treason and treachery. This is a tale of lies and deception. No one in this tale is free of any kind of treachery, nor is any soul innocent enough. No one in this tale is entirely un-selfish, nor are they entirely pure in their intentions. No one's goal in this tale is the same, nor are they all on the same team. For there are not teams in this tale. 

There is not good or bad in this tale, for no one can be the judge of who is truly the good one and who is the bad one. 

This tale began with a young woman. A young, beautiful, powerful young woman. 

A young woman with a powerful name. 

A young woman we shall call Red. 

A young woman who started it all.

She never was ordinary. She didn't have a humble beginning, a gradual rise to the top. She was born at the top. She was born into a powerful family, with a prestigious name. They were the Hood's. They were known dabblers in dark magic, known to have killed mercilessly to get where they were. Now, don't go ahead and name these people monsters. You already know that there is no simple good and evil. These people were people, not devoid of greed, just like any other. Instead of wallowing in their own bitterness about not having enough, of not being enough, they acted. They brought themselves into power so that they could support their large, poor family. They did it to support themselves, to support their children. They did it to survive. 

They had been in power for many years before Red was born into the world. Her father was a gracious noble, supporting the outcropping villages that appeared around his vast manor. Of course, he did string up those who displeased him and liked to line the pikes surrounding his home with the heads of traitors, disobedient slaves, and those who disagreed. He ruled in fear, which was the only way he could. In times like his, it was the only way anyone could stay in power. 

Her mother was beautiful and revered for it. She wasn't like the soft spoken women in the villages and liked to make her voice heard. She didn't bow before her husband and let him rule over her like a piece of furniture, like many in their time did. She was strong and ferocious and stood up for herself. She hated staying alone in the manor as her husband was out, so she traveled around the villages. While not only being beautiful, she was cunning and cold. Rapists and abusive husbands were often found bloodied and beaten in the streets in the morning, after she left. Cruel men and cheats feared her, fleeing the villages until she left, only to come back to find their homes and shops burnt to a crisp.