Something More Than Just Surviving — What Could Sexual Grooming Look Like Online?

He’s trained to read the room. To read the context clues. To read politics and plans and schemes and people. He’s a prince, it’s either that or accidentally drinking poison at 15. And he reads her and…

She is impossible rich. The dress is not of any material he recognizes, but it is decorated with cut diamonds, light milky opals that glitter with a rainbow, small pale aquamarines and somewhere little bells tinkle softly with every step – he is a prince and he cannot afford to dress like that. The slippers tinkle too … there is nothing made by human hands. That’s fairytale stuff. She has an in with them that transcends royal politics. She is powerful in the Old Ways.

All of this wraps around the poorest woman he has ever seen in his entire life, and he has also seen very, very poor people in his life.

Poor in money, but also poor in “oh, poor soul!” This is someone who has been robbed blind. This is someone who has carried himself while waiting for the whip, for an intimidation, for hard, cruel, abrupt punishment.

He expects her to be arrogant, or tough, or humble or… something… but she’s just nice. She’s just… Nice.

The stiffness rises from his back, his tongue loosens. She is as if she were sitting by the glowing embers of a low, calm fire. He feels warmed and refreshed just by talking to her. He wonders if it is magic, and it could be, but if it is, it is magic that is hers.

And that frightens him, because he’s trained to see these kinds of things and he knows that someone is standing there with a cruel hand ready to extinguish her, to snuff her out, to knock the last spark from her shining eyes – eyes that dwarf that dress and and and and… she’s gone.

Oh god, she is gone. It will be all over her sweet, kind, warm face that she has transgressed and… oh god, they will to kill her, whoever they are. This will embarrass them and if there is one thing he knows, it is that you do not humiliate someone who has power over you and walk away unscathed.

And all he has is a fairy slipper that will fit only her foot (it’s not just shoe size, it’s a kind of spiritual fit too), and the vain hope that he can keep such a bright light from burning out. It doesn’t even touch his heart that what he feels is a kind of pure filianot until it thrills him soul to bone, all at once. Oh god, oh no, oh shit… he’s risen far above his station, but… he can try to be good and worthy.

The way he sees it, sometimes even the strongest people can be brought down and just need… a little help. She had enough in her to do what she had to do to free herself from those bad relationships if she had to, but she shouldn’t have to to have to. There is no glory in blood. Sometimes it’s okay for the ending to be a happy ending.