The High King of Elfhame had been unusual since the moment of his birth. Disgrace and horror written all over himself.
Death and inevitable destruction, his loyal companions.
Cruelty and hatred for his shining armor.
And a shabby, worm-eaten and scabrous thing for a heart.

Unwanted and despised by his own father and siblings.
Forgotten by his mother, some could say the King could have lived in a tower and nobody would have noticed the difference.

Loneliness and sorrow had been his nurses so the High King of Elfhame grew up without hope in his life.

Expectedly, he grew up to become a cruel prince. Feared by the folk.
A villain without a pair of hands dirtied by blood. But that's a secret he took well care of keeping for himself.

Sad and joyless was his life, he had no one to rely on. Betrayed by his own lover, the prince realized he was never going to know what love truly was.

And then the only real thing in a land of ghosts became his equal. Not that he would admit it. But a mortal woman was the only one to carry a hate big enough and wide enough and deep enough to match the own buried in his heart.
So the prince was trapped by this mortal. He was drawn to her like a melody to a song, like a wine to a drinker and like a man to a woman. A King to a Queen.

In spite of the fact that the prince had no intention of fulfilling the curse that had befallen on him, a woman with curved ears had plotted a different scheme.

So the once known as a cruel prince became the High King of Elfhame; known for having a mortal woman as his seneschal, for rejoicing on wine and rebels and for being late to his meetings. If he even bothered to attend.

But a kingdom with a new leader is known for being unpredictable and unstable, regardless of the true cunning and smart people behind the power. So while his enemies plotted his fall, the High King and the mortal woman grew close.
And when the Undersea took her from him, the King did not sleep unless she was back with him.
The sea should have known better because once his seneschal was safe, he did not just plan for his revenge; but he also got himself a wife.
The High King married the mortal woman and made her his Queen.
So it was a surprise when a new island appeared on the map and a Queen was exiled.

The once cruel prince appeared to have lost. Because even though he was not the one living in exile, he was the one begging to be shouted at; to have a broken heart only if it meant for his seneschal to come back.

Yet time goes by and a long awaited reunion finally took place. And a revelation along with it.
However, his curse was still pressing on his shoulders. And no sooner had the High Queen recovered than her King became the monster so many believed him to be.
Despair and misery were now the Queen's feelings. Not only was she losing her power but she had believed her love was lost. So with a fast slay of her blade the snake's head fell. And the High King was reborn.

The once cruel prince, turned into a King, became a fair ruler with the help of his Queen. Because they were not just monarchs, they were soulmates.

The once empty halls and corridors of a palace were filled with laughter and kids. Since it was not unusual to see the High King playing with his children anywhere.

The one thing he thought as a curse, now retrieved from his fate was, in reality, the one thing who put his life on the path for the life he had always wanted. Because it was thanks to it that the High King found love and a family of his own.