A super quick (super sad and morbid) fairy tale!

So, my friend asked for my help writing a fairy tale, so I wrote him one really quick (all he had was "once upon a time" and I plugged one out in a few minutes...but neither of us liked it.)  Well, then I came up with this awesome one, but everyone died in the end, and he didn't like that, but I LOVED it!  So, before I forget it all I want to share it...so I can eventually make it into an epic poem!  So, rough draft numero uno starts....now:

(By the way, this is straight from our conversation...so it's super choppy...it's my response to a suggestion about two men growing up best friends, put in competition for a princess's hand in marriage, and being convinced by a mythical creature that they must fight to the death, but that's not the challenge at all...this is how I answered...I talk too much!)

have a jousting scene...and have the princess totally fall for one of them before this deal is ever made, so the guys are like brothers, but the princess falls for the one and the other falls in love with her (love triangle! woot) and then they are told of the competition for her love which is a series of challenges (like in the tri-wizard tournament sort of challenges) The final challenge is a mystery and will not be divulged to the contestants till right before it happens...the final two are the friends and they have been told by said mythical creature that the final challenge is a battle to the death. The one in love with her begins to totally loathe his best friend, knowing that she loves his sweetness and goodness and chivalry etc. and prepares to kill him, the other knows he cannot kill his friend. They go to the final challenge, believing it's to the death. The final challenge is a series of things from tournament (like sword fighting, joust, etc.) but for points rather than blood. It gets all epic at some point and the friend in love with the princess says he cannot fight any longer, the other friend, partially out of rage for the superior fighting skills of his friend, partially because this surrender was unexpected, mortally wounds his friend.  The princess rushes to his side as the man she loves dies in her arms. The king is outraged and the champion explains what has happened (and earlier, when this guy decided to kill he is possessed by the creature...make it a specter...they're cool evil ghost guys!) and the king has the creature cast out of the kingdom and killed. The princess ends up marrying the winner as promised and the winner later commits suicide (hangs himself) out of guilt for killing his friend. Due to all the death around her she flings herself off a bridge over a river full of alligators. The whole kingdom becomes cursed and serves as a lesson to surrounding areas to not be jealous or greedy...it'll feel all old fashioned legit fairy tale with all the blood, gore, and gloom!

Yeah, sorry it's sooo choppy and poorly written, but I thought it was pretty cool!  So that's all...well, that and I've been way sick all day...fun fun fun!  Adios people!

~Manda