Yurenheim, 172

Well, here I am in a cage still… No prince has come for me. More princesses have been captured, however! I make polite conversation with them about their kingdoms as we all wait for our princes. They complain as much as the previous princesses did, but it is nonetheless nice to have company! Except… Well, the princesses talk to me like I am slow and stupid because I am different from them. To think me, the prettiest and most sought after princess in all of the moth kingdoms should be treated in such an unkind way!... Well, okay, I didn’t know whether I was the prettiest or most sought after—but I was certainly beautiful!

I look out upon the castle dungeon I am being held in with contempt; giants are the most repulsive of creatures! It is filthy in this tall, cylindrical dungeon in which my cage hangs! They never clean up and the wretched giants are too stupid to put on clothing like we civilized creatures!

Potenheim, 172

Those princesses are gone now too, and I am all alone again. I am very hungry… My cage is filthy, and my clothes still tattered and my fur all the itchier. I hold on to my crown and imagine my prince coming for me any time now. It will happen very soon.

…But my stomach hurts very much from hunger. What a black feeling that is blooming in my stomach…

Furenheim, 172

I haven’t written for months and I have instead been using you, my sweet diary, to tick off the days since I have been here. Still no prince… I spend most days hugging my knees and awaiting my meager dinners with anticipation… I haven’t seen any human princesses since the last batch… But I do not doubt my prince will come any day now!

Envenheim, 173

Still no prince… I am starving and awaiting my next meal. I lie on my side and reminisce about my family. I miss them very much…

Lulinheim, 180

It’s my twenty-third birthday and still no prince. I cry everyday. I have seen many princesses come and go, and I am left here because I am an ugly monster. The moth gods have made it known that this is what I deserve. The moth gods only give gifts to those women who are worthy and full of passion. I suppose I am not one of them, even though I once thought I was full of red passion...

Tujuheim, 180

Diary, a human woman has arrived. At least, I think she is a woman? It is hard to tell with humans. She has lovely, long, blonde hair and green eyes! She also has a very high-pitched voice! She has been hiding in the shadows for the past few days and promises to rescue me.

“Fear not, dear lady! I shall steal the key from the giant’s bedroom and set you free!” She claims.

“Do not bother, lady-knight, I am content to die here. It is what I deserve.”

She chuckles and corrects me from the shadows on the high staircase behind me, “I am a man, dear lady! Please remember! And do not be coy! I know you desire to be rescued!”

I recognize the red cross on the white mantle on his uniform as he emerges from the shadows; he is a templar knight. A devotee of some kind of human religion.

To be honest… I don’t care whether he rescues me or not. I stopped caring about getting out long ago… We will see if he even bothers to come back… I will surely tell you if he does, my diary.

_

Diary, he has come back. He was careful to avoid, and seems to have memorized, the patrol of the giants who consistently enter the dungeon in which I am kept.

I lean my cheek upon one of my four hands and watch him expressionlessly as he emerges from the shadows. I only feel apathetic about his appearance, however.

He waited for the giant to leave before calling to me, “Tell me where the winch is to lower your cage!”

I reply listlessly, “It’s below my cage on the dungeon floor…”

The templar sped down the gigantic staircase meant for much bigger individuals and found the winch on the stony, dungeon floor. He must be very strong, because he pulled the giant winch with a mighty grunt to get it rolling, and then spun it with ease from there. My cage came shuddering to the ground at a tremendous speed, leaving me squealing with terror. The templar stopped turning it just before the cage hit the ground.

The templar fumbled in his pocket and withdrew a key from it. He jiggled the key in the lock and the door creaked open. I didn’t move at all. I stayed, lying on my side, and I rolled away from him.

“Dear princess! We must make haste! The giants will come soon!” The templar warned me.

“I do not care. I am an ugly moth girl… No one wants to marry me.” I wept hot tears.

The templar stepped into my cage and knelt by my side. “Come now, pretty girl… I shall stay here if you do. Can you live with that?”

I didn’t budge for a moment, but I turned to him with tears staining my white fur. “You would put your life on the line for me...?”

He nodded. “Get up; I care not for vain things such as beauty. I care about life and things that improve it.”

I didn’t want this nice man to die because I refused to move. Curse him… Why couldn’t he have left me there, diary?

I reached out a hand to him, wanting him to help me up, but he backed away.

“I am a templar, princess! We may not touch women!” He told me.

“Oh…” Wobbly, I climbed to my feet and I followed him up the gigantic stairs. I tried to use my wings to fly, but they weren’t working, which was worrying, but not something I could focus on at the moment. I stuck to using my feet.

Being emaciated and exhausted, my vision swam and I collapsed on my way up. The templar, who was ahead, came back to me. There was a giant running our way, emerging from the hallway on the first floor and heading toward the staircase to the dungeon.

“To the shadows, milady! Get up!” The templar encouraged me.

I took a deep breath, inspired by his strong voice, and I got to my feet and hid behind a nearby pillar with the templar by my side.

The giant ran by us, screaming in a foreign language I didn’t understand when he saw my cage was empty. He then stomped back up the stairs and into the castle hall.

I was crying with fear and my heart was thumping wildly.

The templar emerged from the shadows after the giant had gone by and waved for me to follow him into the gigantic castle hall at the top of the stairs.

“I have a place for us to hide and rest, princess. We only have to make it there—but we must make haste!” The templar encouraged me.

I followed him as fast as I could down the carpeted hallway, but I was scarcely bigger than a spider would be to us moths in such a giant place.

Ah diary. I was so hungry and so frightened that it is difficult for me to recall all the directions we went within the castle. I followed the templar blindly and unthinkingly, letting him do the worrying and thinking.

Every time a giant came down the huge halls, my heart stopped, but the templar knew exactly where to hide and we escaped unnoticed.

Eventually, we made it to another set of staris, and I collapsed once again on the way up, my mind dizzy with years of pent up exhaustion. The templar whispered to me, “Don’t give up princess! You have to keep moving!”

But I had no strength left.

I couldn’t believe how silly I was to once believe that a happy ending awaited me. I lost consciousness and assumed we were doomed.

Tujuheim, 180

By some miracle, I survived. The templar brought me to a very cramped, dusty place. After surveying my surroundings, I determined we must be in a little crack in the wall.

I arose with difficulty and breathed harshly. I glanced at the templar who had a plate of food for me. I assumed it came from the rucksack he carried on his back.

“I thought…” I said, climbing to a sitting position. “I thought you weren’t allowed to touch women…?”

“I am not. I rolled you up in a sheet and carried you here. You were very heavy, milady, even for one so thin.” He said cheerily.

“I see…” I replied. “Thank you.”

I had been feeling very sorry for myself...

But… Oh my. I suddenly felt it again—that old need to be loved and worshipped as a princess should be—he was very handsome and very pretty and I liked to see his green eyes and those… cute dots on his human face up close♡!

Ah, how insipid of me… He cannot even touch women, not that he would want to touch me anyway. I have proven to be a black creature unworthy of love.

The moth gods would be repulsed if I loved a creature outside my species, yet here I was pining—if only for a moment.

But I am tired right now, I shall write again later.