I decided to make a longer version of the story since the original kind of seemed lame, not that this one is that much better, but I think it's an improvement. It ended up being kind of long so I split it into separate chapters. Hope you like it :)

Long ago, there was once a happy couple, a king and queen. They were loved by all in their kingdom and when they finally had their first child everyone rejoiced. There was a huge celebration for the beautiful baby Tohru. Fireworks exploded into the sky. Festive music could be heard miles away. Everyone danced and laughed. Finally the king and queen stepped out of their castle to show their kingdom their new daughter. She was beautiful. She had thick brown hair, pale skin that glowed in the moonlight, and gorgeous bright blue eyes. She was perfect.

But happiness was not destined for the kingdom, for a witch watched the joyous celebration from afar with jealousy. She had been banished years ago by the king for causing harm to the townspeople. She was angered that the royal family had everything, while she had nothing. She decided to change that. She waited for her opportunity. Patiently, she waited for the royal family to make the wrong move. At last, three years later, they did. The king and queen left their princess in the castle with the servants, while they and over half of their soldiers went to sign a treaty with a neighboring kingdom. With them gone, the witch was ready to act. She set out in the middle of the night towards the castle, hiding herself with an invisibility potion. She climbed up the bricks on the castle and stepped onto the balcony of the princess's room. She saw the child sleeping peacefully and hurried over to her. She peered over at the sleeping child. Without wasting any time, she grabbed the girl and tied her up and slyly rushed out of the palace. The king and queen returned the next morning to find their precious child gone. They sent soldiers, they sent search dogs, they sent anyone who was willing to go, but the princess was never found.

The witch smiled at her achievement and looked down at the child. There were tear stains all over her face and she squirmed to release herself from her binds. The witch scowled at the child and wondered what to do with it. Feed it to the sharks? Drop it in the well? No. That was too easy. She would extract her revenge upon the kingdom by torturing this child for the rest of her life. She smirked at the possibilities and walked away into the woods, dragging the princess with her.

~15 years later

It was a day like any other. The sun was hiding behind a few clouds. The birds were singing. And a slight breeze was blowing. It was a day like any other indeed, especially for one girl. One girl with no past, and most likely, no future.

A young girl in tattered clothing sat at the edge of a window in a room in a tall tower. Years ago she had been placed there by an old wicked witch. She didn't know why. She didn't know what she had done to be punished like this. She only knew that she was in the mercy of the witch. She lived as a slave in that tower. Making extraordinary quilts and fragile, yet magnificent pots for the witch, whom would go sell them and not give a single penny to the maker of the wonderful works of art.

Her fingers had blisters from all the work, but the girl didn't complain. She did as she was told. She was grateful to the witch for bringing her food every now and then and giving her a roof to keep the rain out. She was happy with what she had. Or at least that's what she told herself. Deep down inside, she knew she was waiting for something more. Hoping that some miracle would come for her. The wind blew through her hair and she closed her eyes to feel the breeze on her face. She stepped on the windowsill and sang quietly to herself.

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where's the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

She stared out into the woods but saw what she always saw. Tall trees and a cloudy sky. She looked below and saw the thorny bushes growing below.

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need

She went back and lay on her bed, her hands on either side of her head and her hair lying all around her. She closed her eyes and continued singing, slowly raising her voice, knowing that no one will hear her.

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

She felt a little silly singing such a song. She didn't have many memories from her childhood, but she did remember her mother telling her to always stay strong. She remembered her exact words. "Tohru, you have the power to do anything in the world. You never need to wait for someone else to help you. Just do what you think is right and you'll find happiness along the way." Yet, looking at where she was and her circumstances, being strong would only land her in more trouble.

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life

As she continued to sing, somewhere deep in the woods a prince rode his horse trying to find his way. He was Prince Kyo from the Sohma Kindgom. He had bright orange hair and eyes, tan skin, and a well toned body. He seemed like the ideal prince, but unfortunately, no one in his kingdom felt the same way. He was treated like an outcast and he had finally had it. He had left the kingdom to find somewhere else to live his life. Somewhere he could be free. Unfortunately, he had terrible luck and he had gotten lost on his way and was too stubborn to ask for directions so he mindlessly went back and forth through the woods.

Somewhere after midnight

In my wildest fantasy

Somewhere just beyond my reach

There's someone reaching back for me

Tohru's eyes began to feel droopy. After working for hours on quilts and pots, she was drained of her energy. She began to drift off to slumber land, but for some reason, she felt as if she needed to stay awake. She sat up and walked over to the window again.

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat

It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

Suddenly, Prince Kyo heard something. It was a beautiful voice melody being carried in the wind. He remembered his cousin mockingly telling him "curiousity killed the cat" the last time he had landed himself in trouble when he was lead astray by something out of the ordinary. Yet, he felt as if the music was meant for him, calling out to him. So he head out to discover the source of the tune.

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above

Out where the lightning splits the sea

I could swear that there's someone somewhere

Watching me

Deciding that there was no point in staying up any longer, Tohru walked back to her bed and lay down on her side, placing her head on her arms, while she continued to look towards the window as if for some reason today would be different. As if today something would change despite the last 14 years of her life.

Through the wind and the chill and the rain

And the storm and the flood

I can feel his approach

Like the fire in my blood

Prince Kyo finally ended up in front of the tall menacing tower and he could hear the voice coming from it. He couldn't go forward because of the bushes, but he just had to know who was singing so incredibly.

"Hey, excuse me! Who's up there?"

Tohru sprang up and almost fell off the edge of her bed at the sudden voice. She sat on the edge of the bed very still at first, thinking it was just her imagination, but then it came again.

"Hello?"

Tohru got up. She was shaking and was very scared, but in her heart she was also excited. She hadn't seen anyone other than the witch for years, and even the witch hadn't come to see her for months. Who could this sudden guest be? She cautiously made her way to the window and peered out. Down below she saw a handsome man on a horse. Her eyes opened wide with shock.

"Hey up there!" Kyo yelled to her.

"Ummm…h-hi" Tohru slowly waved back at her visitor.

"What are you doing up there?"

"I…I…ummm…"

Kyo furrowed his brows at the girl's stuttering. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Well, is there any way up there?"

"I don't think so."

"Hmmm, let's see what I can do."

Kyo took out his sword and began clearing the pack before him. It wasn't easy and he got scratched on his legs, on his arms, and even on his face. But he continued with determination. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, but he kept going. When he was done he stood in front of the tower and wondered how he would get up. He tried climbing the bricks, but it was no good.

Tohry watched him struggle. She didn't know how the witch found her way up into the tower. She would come once every few months to give more rations of food and waer and to collect Tohru's work, but she always came and left while Tohru was asleep so she didn't know how she managed it. Fearing that the prince would hurt himself, she called out.

"Wait, I-I'll try to figure something out."

She went over to her beautifully made quilts. She took out a pair of scissors and began to cut one of them. She cut it into strips and made a rope out of it and tied it to the edge of her bed. She threw it over the window and saw the rope pull and Kyo started climbing it. Finally, he made it to the top and climbed onto the window. He slowly stepped off of the window, watching Tohru, who took a stepped back all the way to the wall and pressed herself against it, afraid once again. He stepped closer but stopped her Tohru flinched.

"Ummm…I'm Kyo. Who are you?"

"T-tohru."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you."

"Y-you, too. Oh! You're hurt!"

Kyo touched the scratches on his face.

"Oh it's fine really. I've been in way worse situations that this."

They awkwardly stared at each other for a while, until Tohru finally found the courage to speak again.

"Ummm…w-would you like something to eat? I don't have much, but if you're hungry, I have some leeks."

Kyo made a disgusted face a shook his head.

"No thanks, I just…well, I was just in the woods and heard you singing and…ummm, yeah."

Kyo scratched the back of his head in nervousness. It wasn't like Tohru was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen, but there was something about her, something special. There was a long awkward silence between them that seemed to go on forever.

"You know, I should really be going," said Kyo while gesturing nervously to the window with both of his hands. "Sorry to bother you."

He turned on his heel and swung one leg over the window sill.

"Wait! Don't go!"

Kyo looked back at the girl.

"Please don't go."

"Oh, umm…I guess I could stay a while longer."

Silence fell between them again as the socially awkward teenagers stared at each other.

"Sooo, what do you do around here?"

Tohru smiled at the handsome man in front of her. She didn't know why, but something in her heart told her that a new chapter in her life had just begun.