The Princess Who Married a Shadow

They called her Selene — a princess born during an eclipse, her face half-lit, half-dark. Every suitor feared her curse, except one: a figure who visited her each night as dusk fell. He never spoke, never touched her, only danced in the moonlight — a shadow shaped like a man.

She promised herself she would marry him, even if he wasn’t real. On her wedding night, she placed a candle between them. The flame trembled. For the first time, her shadow turned toward her and said,

“Then give me your light.”

When morning came, the candle had burned out. The room was empty — except for her dress, lying flat on the floor, as if worn by something invisible.