Layla Was Traded To the Mouse King

you will be sacrificed today by our family, Layla’s father said. I have stuck a fine bargain with Lucifer himself. you will be led into the forest where we will leave you. at noon you will be joined in matrimony with the moose king. the compliant maiden asked where they would live. her father’s face turned tight and mean. “Not your business,” he said. You have been traded, it is all you need to know. Layla was fearful, frightened, feeling misunderstood and bereft. Moose king refused to enter forest until Layla’s parents were gone. He had seen them together, and he recognized her father’s meanness. He took Layla’s hand and noticed how it quivered. He promised to love her all the days of his life, and he did.