Information

Astley
Legacy Name: Astley

The Marsh Xotl
Owner: Kaylene

Age: 11 years, 9 months, 4 days

Born: July 26th, 2012

Adopted: 11 years, 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Adopted: August 7th, 2012

Pet Spotlight Winner
December 7th, 2012

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 0
   
• Books Read: 0
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, there lived a handsome prince. The prince was vain and irresponsible. He courted many a fair maiden and left a string of broken hearts in his wake. The king and queen did not know what to say to their errant son. "You must stop this," they told him. "One day you will break the heart of the wrong lady, and she will make you pay for your carelessness." But the foolish prince would not listen.

One day, a beautiful stranger entered the kingdom from lands unknown. The prince was entranced by her beauty and he wished to have her for himself. Tirelessly, he pursued her. He flirted, beseeched and seduced her and she came to love him. One night, as they sat upon the balcony under a blanket of stars, the lady asked him a question.

"My dear Prince Astley," the lady asked. "What is it you love about me?"
"Your hair," He answered. "The way it brushes against your neck. Your eyes, the way they sparkle in the moonlight. Your skin, soft and dark as velvet. You are so, so beautiful."
"But were I not beautiful," said the lady. "Were I ugly or plain. What then would you love about me?"
The prince laughed, confused by the question.
"I do not understand. If you were not beautiful, then I would not love you."

The lady looked in his eyes and saw honesty in his statement. Her heart broke and she became enraged.

"Is that all you see? Is this the reason you have courted so many? Do you simply cast a girl aside each time a more beautiful one catches your eye? I loved you not for your appearance, nor for the fact you were a prince, but for your humour and your joviality. I thought you were a good man. I see now I was wrong! I have been fooled! You may be handsome without, but you are ugly within.

I shall not let this pass unpunished. I will make your outward appearance resemble that of your heart. You are cursed, Prince Astley! And you shall remain so cursed until you learn to truly love, and you share true love's kiss with one who loves you in equal measure."

With all her words and anger spent, the lady vanished in a burst of light. But where the prince had sat, there instead sat a Xotl. The Xotl blinked in surprise, then laughed.
"Good riddance to you then! There are plenty of beautiful ladies in this kingdom. I shall not miss you!"
With that, the Xotl stepped down off his chair and promptly tripped over his own webbed feet.
"Wait... What is this?" The prince-turned-Xotl began to panic. "No! She can't have! That witch! That... That sorceress! WHAT HAS SHE DONE TO ME?"


Prince Astley fled the kingdom that same night. He was too ashamed to be seen in his transformed state. He traveled to the Darklands and the Shadowglen hoping to find some magic strong enough to undo the curse, but to no avail. Failing in his first plan, he then tried to bribe pretty girls to kiss him, but who would kiss a Xotl? Not only is it a disgusting notion, a Xotl's poisonous skin would make one ill for weeks. The prince slowly gave up the hope of ever changing back. He tried adjusting to life as a Xotl but he missed his pampered lifestyle even more then he missed being human. He who had dined of the finest food in all the kingdom, and rode upon the grandest of horses, was now reduced to catching flies, with a fat duck as a steed. (Though, in all honesty, he was glad to have the duck. Walking on webbed feet is somewhat difficult, and the feathers made a remarkably comfortable throne.)

Eventually, a tried and hungry Prince Astley made his way to Delphi and checked himself into the pound there, hoping he might find a human to adopt him. And indeed he did, although his new owner is not entirely human and he does have to share her with a large number of other pets. In spite of that, Astley was surprised to find himself quite at home and quite... happy, for the first time in many months.

Astley (for his new family will not pander to his ego and refuse to call him 'prince') travels far and often with his new owner and still tries to extort kisses from pretty girls. "It's simply harmless fun," he claims, though a part of him still hopes that maybe, just maybe, there is someone out there who will like him enough to chance a kiss, break the curse and join him in a happily ever after.

Art

by myself and other wonderful artists...


By Kaylene

By MEGBUTT

By moomoomilkgirl







Header lyrics are from All I Ever Wanted from the Prince Of Egypt soundtrack.

Art, layout, and story by Kaylene, unless credited otherwise.