Boo! There Goes Fear

In the Land of Vikings, on top of the mist-covered mountains lived a princess. She had hair the colour of evening sun, star-like freckles dotted on her chubby cheeks and big, blue eyes. Her name, Astrid.

Born into a kingdom known for brave hearts, she was no different. She enjoyed sword fighting with her brother and playing with dragons. She wasn't afraid of anything.

Well, except... the monster under her bed.

Princess Astrid dreamt to roam the seas with her father, King Olaf. But only brave boys and girls were allowed to travel with the King. How can she travel the seas, when she was afraid of a stupid monster that no one but she believed to be real? 

So, the princess planned tonight she would ask the monster what it was doing under her bed.

It was eight o'clock of a cool night when Princess Astrid got ready for bed. She pulled up her blanket and waited for the monster to come out.

She played with her two braids as time ticked by. Even yawned a couple of times. Just as the sixth yawn left her mouth, she heard the familiar creak from under the bed.

Suddenly, Princess Astrid was nervous. She shut her eyes and tugged her legs closer to her chest. Heart beat fast. Opened her one eye a teeny bit, only to close them again.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

No, I'm not afraid of you. Princess Astrid thought.

She slowly peeled her eyes open. Then, grabbed her trusty wooden sword from under the pillow and held her dolly close to her heart for support.

"I can do this," she whispered these words to herself a few times. After taking a deep breath, she said, "Hey! Show yourself! I know you're under there, Monster!"

There was a sound of a sigh and then a gruff voice called out, "Go back to sleep, kid."

Princess Astrid was left confused at the reply she got. She shook her head and demanded, "what are you doing under my bed?"

A rustle and creak were heard before a giant, yellow furred monster rose from under the bed. The monster grinned showing its three rows of teeth, each as long and sharp and pointed as knives.

Princess Astrid's eyes widened as she screamed.

The monster frowned in disappointment and his yellow furry skin turned blue.

"How did you do that? Your fur's blue now!" The princess wondered out loud.

"Is it?" He smirked, just as his fur turned purple.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Milo."

"Milo? That doesn't sound very monster-like."

"Hey! I'm not a monster," Milo exclaimed. His fur turned as red as Princess Astrid's hair. "I'm a Guardian. Guardians are no monsters. We just look different."

"Well, you look like a monster... but a cute one," Princess Astrid giggled, feeling less scared of Milo now.

"One, that's rude. Behind the huge body and fangs, you'll find Guardians are pretty nice folks. Two, thank you," Milo turned into a shade of pink.

"So, what are you doing under my bed?" The princess asked, crossing her legs. Just then, there was a rattle from her closet. "W-what's that?"

"That's why I'm here," Milo said, his fur turned into an angry red. "It's my job to watch over kids."

The closet door creaked open with a soft scratching sound of sharp nails on wood. Then, stepped out the real monster. As it stretched itself to its full height, Princess Astrid noticed it was just a black thing with glowing green eyes and rows of shark teeth in place of its mouth.

She tried to scream but it just opened its mouth and sucked the terrified noise from her lungs.

"Stay away!" Milo growled. He bore his fangs and stood protectively over Princess Astrid. 

The black monster just grinned and attacked Milo. The Guardian fought hard against the monster.

"No!" Princess Astrid yelled, just as the monster threw Milo to the other side of the room. The princess looked terrified not knowing what to do. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Kid, I can only hold back the monster," Milo said, breathing heavily. He got back up to fight again."The monster feeds off your fear. You have to stop fearing it."

Princess Astrid repeated her father's words, "remember when you're scared, but you still go for it, that's called brave. Always be brave."

She wiped her tears, put on her brave girl face and shouted at the monster, "Hey, you ugly monster! I'm not afraid of you!"

Just as she said it, the monster glowed and shrunk down a little, surprising the princess.

"Keep going, kid!" Milo encouraged.

Each time she repeated it, the monster shrunk down to even smaller size until it was just a speck of black on the floor and then nothing. Princess Astrid defeated the monster from her closet.

"I did it!" Princess Astrid clapped her hands in joy.

"Yes, you did, kid!" Milo exclaimed.

The first rays of the sun shined through the window, and the princess let out a tired yawn.

"The dawn has come. It's time for me to go, kid," Milo said.

"Were you protecting me from the monster?"

"Every night till dawn."

Princess Astrid walked over to Milo and hugged him tight. Milo's fur turned into a soft orange as he hugged her back. 

"Thank you, Milo," she mumbled, before letting go of Milo and climbing onto her bed. The tired princess soon fell asleep.

"Farewell, kid," Milo said and disappeared.

Princess Astrid was never afraid of monsters ever again.