“When I was a boy, my mom had this fairytale she would read me every night just before bed.”

“The Prince and the Beast.”

“It’s a simple story, really. A tale as old as time itself if you ask me.”

“A prince, draped in golden armor, an eagle etched upon his blade’s pommel.”

“And the demonic wretch that sought to take it all from him.”

“The beast tore through the kingdom like a knife through flesh, his snapping jaws and sweeping claws butchering all those in his path as he painted a blood red portrait across the kingdom.”

“Countless lives swallowed whole.”

“Every last stain upon the ground a challenge for the prince to try and stop him.”

“You see, with every village broken, every friend slain, the demon believed himself to be snuffing out the prince’s spirit. Crushing him beneath the weight of his failures until he could not stand.”

“And yet… The Prince did not falter. Not when his brother was slain, not when his own mother was snapped up between those teeth.”

“It only made the grip on his blade tighter.”

“Determination in his soul as he plunged that blade into the demon’s chest and left it dead in a heap at the foot of his throne.”

“Jasper, this story has been playing in my mind on loop since it happened. Since you went out of your way to take everything from me.”

“You took Joey, you took Riggs, you even took my dear sweet mother. A single swing of your arm left a lifetime of love and compassion on the cold hard ground.”

“You’re a demon, Jasper. A soulless husk of humanity with a coal black heart embedded in your chest. Everything you’ve done has been to get to me, to force my hand and break my spirit.”

“But you can’t kill what refuses to die.”

“Because I’m a prince, Jasper. Just like the story, I have a  role to play and a throne to claim. The only thing standing between me and the freedom of all of Arcadia is the demonic abomination that dares call himself Jasper Redgrave.”

“My grip is tight on my weapon, my aim is true.”

“At Red Snow I’m going to finally slay the demon who’s made my life hell for so long.”

“A hostile down to pierce your pitch black heart.”

“Once you’re gone, I’ll do as the prince would.”

“Pick up the pieces left behind, gather them up in my arms and rebuild.”

“Because that’s what you do with pieces, Jasper. No matter how much  carnage you leave in your wake, the world will never remember you as some demonic artist.”

“This is a fairytale.”

“All you’ll ever be known as is the beast who found himself on the end of the prince’s blade.”

“This story is coming to an end, Redgrave.”

“With this bedtime story I’m putting you to sleep.”

“And for the final time, as I slam the cover shut.”

“I’m doing it by the book.”