Slay the Princess

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Remember, this is a love story.

This page contains unmarked spoilers for the full release of the game! Beware!

• Seeing the mirror at the end of every route causes the Voices to panic. If you like, you can comfort them before approaching, telling them that it'll be okay.
  Voice of the Hero: ...Okay. If you say so, then... we trust you.
• As vessels are brought to the Shifting Mound, she calls them treasured gifts. After bringing her a second one, you can ask her if there is one she would prefer. She states that she has no preference: She will accept whatever treasures you give her. After the third, she opens up more. She doesn't think it's her place to make preferences. And, even if it was, she wouldn't dream to exalt herself so much as to make demands.
  • Though the vessels claimed by the Shifting Mound effectively undergo Death of Personality, after the first loop, they have enough awareness to want you to remember them in the next cycle, even though the Shifting Mound bluntly tells you you won't.
• The Shifting Mound, on being given her fourth vessel, asks you what you think is outside of the construct. The player character doesn't seem to remember specifics, but knows there are trees and stars and people, and the thought of people gives her pause.
  There is a warmth and sadness in me at the thought of people. Fresh tears on a winter's day. They are not like us. They do not last.
• In The Thorn Route, you and the Princess can finally reconcile with each other, in the aftermaths of your previous betrayals. It becomes one of the most powerful moments in the game. It's even more heartwarming if you share a kiss with her, which is an option if the Voice of the Smitten is with you.
  • The whole theme of distrust, hate, betrayal and forgiveness makes the Witch/Thorn route one big Love Redeems romance arc.
  • Unlike in the Damsel route, every Voice is genuinely happy about the romantic turn the Thorn's route takes, and they all badger the Narrator into giving the kiss its due description, much to his torment (and our amusement at his expense).
  • According to the Narrator, the Princess kisses you back enthusiastically. Of course, the Narrator hates the Princess, so he’s disgusted but he still can’t dampen the heartwarming aspect of the kiss.
• The Princess in the Damsel Route is full of this in a nutshell, almost always smiling kindly and warmly at you.
  • If you kill her and enter the Burned Grey Route, she burns the dungeon with the both of you inside — not out of spite, but because she feels that the very place drives you to hurt her and she wants it to stop. As you are engulfed in flames, she remains calm and makes her smile the last you see of her, an outcome that soothes the heartbroken Voice of the Smitten. As the Shifting Mound puts it, "Even in the end, her love never faded."
  • On the other hand, if you bring the Damsel to the Shifting Mound and confront the latter, when showing you the events of the route from the Damsel's point of view the Player Character is visibly crying while the Damsel attempts to stab him. It's both sad and heartwarming seeing him struggle against the Narrator's control and realizing the only way out is to let the Damsel kill him. The narration adds to the scene with the Damsel's sorrowful voice, and the conclusion if you escaped with the Damsel is sweet.
    The Damsel: Your lover drives a stake into your body. And another, and another, and another. Do I miss your heart because I can't stand to see it go?
    But the stakes meant nothing to you. You had a desire, and you set that desire free, you lifting me and me lifting you, forever and ever and ever. Consumed by true belief, there was nothing that could hold us back.
• Freeing the Prisoner requires giving her your knife so that she can sever her head, then carrying said head out of the cabin. The Skeptic seems to suspect that she hasn't been killed and has a plan, and of course after her self-decapitation the Princess is helpless and may even be left for dead. Despite the Prisoner's weary cynicism and the Skeptic's... Skepticism, freeing her is about mutual trust. Outside of the cabin, she smiles faintly and says she's glad she could trust you.
  • Alternately, it requires shackling yourself besides her and waiting for the basement to erode. The Prisoner Hates Small Talk and so the waiting is largely done in silence - but you're waiting imprisoned with her, so it's unlike being left alone enough that it doesn't set off the common Princess Berserk Button. When the basement erodes enough to show stars, the Princess looks up at the sky and says "Will you look at that. We made it out of the cabin, and nothing bad had to happen to either of us."
• If you don't listen to the Narrator, the entire Wild Route can be this. You and the Princess go from the cycle of betrayal (if the Witch was fought) or the horrors of the Hunt (if you got eaten by the Beast) to being fused together like you used to be. The Wild genuinely enjoys being one with you and is willing to forgive you for everything. She even comforts the voice of the Hunted if you brought him with you.
  • If you brought the Voice of the Stubborn with you, he's even willing to stop trying to fight her and indulge the Wild's fusion, to the point of pushing back against the Narrator to do so.
  • If you turn inward to find your freedom, your efforts are rewarded with a beautiful Splash of Color. All of your voices and the Wild are in awe of its beauty.
  • As sad as the existence of the Wounded Wild is, it can still be comforting if you choose to cut her free. She goes from hopelessness to a genuinely grateful smile. It even gives you one of the few pre-Pristine Cut moments (via the End of Everything update) where the Broken is genuinely happy:
    The Narrator: You cut the Princess down from the roots that bind her. I hope you're happy, and good luck getting her out of here.
    [cut to the Princess smiling tearfully as you hold her]
    The Voice of the Broken: I think we are happy, actually. We might not be part of her. But being around her is almost the same. Almost.
• Choosing to show the Den mercy and free her is both heartwarming and awesome. As your attempt to pull her free from the tunnel results in a cave-in, the first thing the Den does is to shield you from the collapsing ceiling, ensuring that you won't be crushed underneath. Afterwards, you both proceed to dig your way through, working hard to literally claw your way to freedom, together, an experience that the Voice of the Hero admits feels like bonding with the Princess. Eventually, you both dig your way to your freedom, and as the Den escapes and the Narrator smugly proceeds to rub it in about how the Den never cared for you and abandoned you to save herself...he gets Instantly Proven Wrong as the Hunted points out that the Den returns back to you, with her proceeding to gently hold you with her teeth and carry you out to the entrance door, showing that she truly values your well-being, contrary to what the Narrator claims. And once you both escape, you're treated to a nice shot of the Den resting on the grass, both her and you free from your ordeals at last.
• The aftermath of slaying the Tower. After all the forced self-stabbing and self-mutilation you went through just to get to her and strike at her Achilles' tendon before delivering multiple strikes to her heart, she retaliates in a Villainous Breakdown by slamming you and crushing your body with a Megaton Punch. As the both of you are dying on the floor (with the Tower huddled up against the wall), the Narrator claims that her eyes give out a blank gaze as "the two of you perish together". But... he somehow Fails a Spot Check, as after a few seconds of open-eyed anguish and fear, she lies slumped on the wall and her eyes close in a Big Sleep, almost as if she's Peaceful in Death.
  • As you watch the Tower die in your final moments, the Voice of the Hero laments that you may never live to see your happy ending. The Narrator comforts him in knowing that you did save the world at your Heroic Sacrifice; and as you expire, what better send-off the Narrator offers you than a "thank you" and an ending Catchphrase in a somber yet grateful tone? That's right; the echo of the Creator who offed himself, the same echo with a Mortality Phobia, has to eulogize you in the tenderest manner possible, all without the risk of the Tower controlling him or the world being sacrificed for her potential freedom. It's hard not to feel bad for him (or at least a version of him) after all he has done for you, good or bad. (Of course, due to your Resurrective Immortality, this is followed up by Hilarity Ensuing via Mood Whiplash in "The Fury" in an otherwise poignant moment, but still...)
    Voice of the Hero: I suppose we were never going to get a happy ending here, were we?
    The Narrator: Don't let those be your final thoughts. You saved the world. That's worth something.
    Voice of the Hero: I guess. [scene fades to black]
    The Narrator: Regardless of how you feel about it, it's finally over. Thank you. Everything goes dark, and you die.
• At the end of the Adversary-Fury route, if the Player chooses to withstand Fury's wrath to its fullest extent, The Broken of all voices becomes a voice of comfort and nurturing as every single other character, in some way, either is just as broken or accepts their brokenness. He allows the Voices of the Hero and the Stubborn to let go and detach to spare them the anguish, coaches the Player through the unending torture, guides him to sympathize with the Princess, and (if the player chooses to leave with her) comforts the defeated Narrator. At the end, he encourages the Player to look in the Mirror (something the Voices are terrified of in most routes) and reassuring him.
  "I'm going to stick around as long as you need me to."
  ''So the world's gone, and she's gone with it. There's only one thing left for you to do here. You need to look at yourself. Whatever you see, it's going to be okay."
• If you accept the Shifting Mound's offer to join her in godhood, the two of you work as one to push against the bindings of the construct you'd been trapped in for the entire game, and as she gives you a soft Love Confession, it finally shatters. She offers you her hand, you take it, and together you depart into infinite reality with a heartfelt smile on her face as she looks at you.
  Closing line: Though conflict is in your nature, the two of you will never be alone, and the two of you will never know fear. You and She are finally home.
  • Even your "fight" with her- if you initially refuse or stall in accepting her offer without slaying her- is heartwarming in its own way, as rather than reacting to your hesitance or doubt (born from still being "blinded" by your self-perceived mortality) with any true hostility, she instead makes the effort to try to make you see and understand not only her importance as a god of change and potential, but of your inherent value and worth as both a god yourself and her (both literal and figurative) other half, with her trying to reach you using the various "lessons" you've taught her using the previous vessels you've brought to her (which itself can be all the more heartwarming if you've actively done your best to bring harm to each version of the Princess as little as possible, or had done your best to make amends however you could if you have). Even taking into account her slight annoyance whenever you resist or push back against her arguments and her Blue-and-Orange Morality, at its heart, everything about it is quite literally somebody who is near and dear to you being able to see your fullest potential and urging you to be your best self and to live up to everything you could possibly be more than it is a "final battle" against her, and depending on your choices, you can ultimately take the Shifting Mound's appeals to heart and embrace your nature as something glorious and powerful alongside her.
• If the Moment of Clarity is part of the Shifting Mound, she will reflect on how she shared herself with the Hero by taking off her mask. She notices that sharing your innermost self with all of its vulnerabilities and flaws with another person is one of the most terrifying experiences in all of existence, both to yourself and the person you show it to, but also notices that going through life and never getting a chance to show that side of yourself is perhaps the only thing that is even worse. Despite the pain it caused the Hero, the player can still show empathy and sincerely thank her for opening up and sharing that part of herself.
  • It's heartwarming as it's all she ever wanted in the first place.
• If you choose to Take a Third Option in the final showdown, not slaying the princess or joining the Shifting Mound in godhood, The Voice of the Hero finally returns to you, and he's determined to help you do the right thing. And he really means it. When you two reach the cabin in her heart, he's in favor of taking the blade as a backup plan. But if you say "no," he supports you, 100%.
  • When you get back to the cabin, the Hero offers to describe the cabin to you like the Narrator used to. For old time's sake. If you take him up on it, the effect is oddly comforting.
  • In spite of everything he's done, it's still possible for the Player to admit to missing the Narrator. The Hero agrees, since, as much Hell as he put them through, the Narrator was still a part of them.
• In the "And? What happens next?" finale, the Player simply tells the Princess that they should leave. She'll express a slight quiet disbelief over the Player character's suggestion, but will immediately take his hand when leaving. As the pair makes their way hand in hand to leave the cabin, the Princess will express worry about venturing out into the world beyond the Cabin. You can reassure her worries and tell her "I love you", to which she'll reciprocate shyly with a blush. Despite all the horror and unimaginable grief, both the Player and Princess finally got their happy ending.
  • "And if it's bad, then... it won't be bad. Not with you."
  • The timid Princess will shyly reciprocate the Player character's love confession and the aloof Princess will reciprocate with embarrassed snark, but both mean every last word of it.
  • What is all the more heartwarming, if you tell her all that you've ever wanted was to leave the cabin with her from the start.
  • Before this ending, the Player character can tell the Narrator that he's saving the Princess, a task which you succeed in accomplishing.
  • The name of the soundtrack? The Unknown Together.
  • The heart of the Shifting Mound deciding she doesn't really want to be a god or end the world and this is heartwarming as it shows she finally came to understand your perspective.
  • In the new updates endings, The Player can apologise to the Princess and the Shifting Mound's heart will in return apologises.
  • The Voice of the Hero stays behind, warmly stating that this new journey is for just the two of you to discover. If you thank him, he'll sincerely thank you back for making all the hard choices throughout the game.
  • What makes the Voice of the Hero role in the "And? What happens next?" ending so genuinely heartwarming is that his Heart Is an Awesome Power ability, allowed the Player Character and the Princess to finally have an intimate conversation without any distractions from external forces. With both deciding that they don't really want to be gods, and simply resolving their relationship in a very civil but highly romantic manner. That simply couldn't have happened without the Voice of the Hero.
• Normally in the "And? What happens next?" ending, you are greeted by the default cabin and the default appearance of the Princess. But if your first route was the Stranger's, you find yourself in her cabin instead. And not only is the Voice of the Hero with you, he is joined by the Voice of the Contrarian.
  • In the basement, unchained, is the Stranger, fused form of five versions of the same princess caused when you fracture their realities and merged them back in a chaotic manner. Compared to the Body Horror they were prior, the Stranger is now physically and mentally stable while content after their stay in the Shifting Mound. You and the Voices even get to properly apologize to her for what happened during their route.
  • The Hero and the Contrarian even state that they don't mind you two leaving them since they both have each other and will try to track down the other Voices.
• The 'A new and unending dawn' ending, if you aren't unkind to the Voices more than once at the mirror and then finally manage to slay the princess for good. While sad that she's gone, you can come to a mutual understanding and receive her consent on talking to her prior, with the option of acknowledging to the Voice of the Hero that you carry part of her with you. This ending sees all of the Voices finally reunited, going forward into the new deathless world that you have created, together. All of the Voices are relieved to have finally escaped their ordeal and are optimistic about figuring out your new existence together in the outside world (with the exception of the Voice of the Smitten, but even he doesn't push it when the others point out you have all of eternity to figure yourself out now). In particular, the more traumatized voices such as the Hunted, Broken and Paranoid all seem to be finally healing and recovering.
  Voice of the Broken: It's finally over, isn't it? But all of us are still here.
  Voice of the Stubborn: I knew we'd finally see it through. All it takes to be a winner is grit and determination.
  Voice of the Cheated: We really did win, didn't we? We're the house now. We get to make the rules.
  Voice of the Hunted: This is nice! No more hunting. No more running. Just us, and whatever's out there.
  Voice of the Skeptic: Absolute reality. Who would have thought there was really a world outside of us? And who would have thought we'd actually wind up siding with Him?
  Voice of the Paranoid: The whispering and the coercion and the bickering — everything horrible about being alive has stopped. I could get used to this.
  Voice of the Cold: That wasn't very hard at all.
  Voice of the Hero: Speak for yourself.
  Voice of the Opportunist: Well boys? How does it feel? We're not just on top of the pecking order. We are the pecking order now.
  Voice of the Smitten: I hope this was all worth it, because I'm personally inconsolable.
  Voice of the Skeptic: Lucky for us, you have forever to get over it.
  Voice of the Cheated: Time mends a lot of things. You'll get better.
  Voice of the Stubborn: Hear hear, to our vanquished foe!
  Voice of the Contrarian: [It's good to be back!] / [Welcome back, everyone! It's great to see you all again.] Now we just have to figure out what to do with ourselves. Forever. No problem. We can do that, yeah?
  Voice of the Hero: Yeah. We can do that.
  • Before that, there's a palpable sense of catharsis when the Long Quiet, fully ascended, spreads his wings to open his own way out of the construct and exposes the Splash of Colour of the dawning sun.
    Voice of the Hero: He's gone. She's gone. No one is left to trap us here but us.
• Happily Ever After, one of the darkest routes in the game, also has some of the sweetest possible moments and endings.
  • After freeing the Princess from her Lotus-Eater Machine, she asks if you ever really cared about her. You can say that no, you never really knew her. But you'd like to try. Then you can take her hand and she genuinely smiles as the fear and despair of the route finally eases up. The Narrator describes holding her hand as clammy, cold and awkward... and real like The Damsel could never be, before genuinely wishing you luck as he fades away. The route ends with the Princess taking your hands the two of you dancing under the stars, the one thing she truly wanted all this time.
    The Princess: I meant it, when I said I wanted to dance.
    She gently pulls you forward, and the two of you fall into graceful step. The only rhythm that guides you is the shared thumping of your hearts, beating in perfect unison. Her face, worn and tired, brightens the faster you move, a soft, sad smile widening and widening until it reflects only genuine affection.
  • In a less conventional but still sweet ending, you can say that you've never really known her at all, and you just want to leave. And the Princess, notorious for going into a fury at any sign of being abandoned... agrees. The two of you leave in comfortable silence, and she gently thanks you for helping her and wishes you well. And, for the first and only time in the game, you peacefully separate, with no bad blood or recriminations, and go out to find what lives you'd want as yourselves. There are worse things than being alone indeed.
  • If you helped her expose the truth between the lines of the chapter and the last torch blows out, you can try comforting her while she is crying. To some fans who see the emotional discomfort of the chapter, including the Princess panicking because she's worried about upsetting the Smitten, and the Smitten becoming a separate entity who won't communicate with the player even when he holds them in place, it is often viewed as an abusive relationship where the Smitten was responsible for everyone's suffering. However, if you apologize to her ("I'm sorry. I feel like all of this is my fault."), you get this from her:
    The Princess: ...your fault? We were all just trying to make things work here. It just... didn't happen that way. I don't think this is the sort of thing anybody needs to apologize for. Even if we both feel empty. Even if an important part of us is gone.
  • Even the Narrator has His moments, the route showing His complete inversion into sympathy for the princess as He realizes that a world without change is worse than the end of the world. If you suggest slaying her, He (of all people) is the one to question it, and to assure you it's for the best if you spare her. And should you leave with the princess, He has this to say to you:
    The Narrator: I... think this is the end of me. Even if it's not the end of you. I hope this was worth it. Genuinely, I do.
    • It's one of the few times the Narrator knowingly comments about how He's about to disappear, and He spends it wishing you and the Princess well, showing just how much witnessing the route affected Him.
    • He's also less annoyed about the mirror than in most routes, just saying (albeit with some condescension) that if you're having trouble seeing the door handle He'll guide you to it.
  • If you initiate Happily Ever After by repeatedly asking Damsel what she wants and deconstructing her, and then ask her to stay in the cabin, you'll start the Happily Ever After Epilogue with the Voice of the Skeptic. Skeptic is his usual leery and cynical self, distrusting all the beauty of the chapter (it's even possible for him to identify Smitten as the shadow). However, if you leave Smitten's Gilded Cage with the Princess for a dance under the stars, then after the Narrator admits defeat and disappears, Skeptic will actually be satisfied for once, emphasizing Smitten's positive aspects: the desire for goodness that's true.
    Voice of the Skeptic: There's an itching in the back of my head that feels like it's finally been scratched. No more shadowy figures yanking at our strings. No more strings. I guess we're free.
• Helping The Apotheosis with her plan leads to the two of you almost breaking free from the construct... until The Shifting Mound starts to claim her. With her last moments, The Apotheosis does the only thing she can: she sets you free, throwing you towards the tear as she's lost, after apologizing for never returning the unshakable faith you had in her. She may be mad with godhood, but this princess still tries to ensure your safety at the cost of her own life and wishes for freedom.
  The Apotheosis: You have been the only the thing I've ever known to show me grace. I am sorry if I have not shown you the same... Fly, little bird.
• By reaching The Princess and the Dragon, you've murdered her in cold blood, and also betrayed her at the very last second when you let her possess your body as the Spectre. Now, with you having been forced into her own head and becoming a Voice that accompanies her thoughts, she's still willing to bury the hatchet, provided you get the "soft" version.
• The Stargazing Scene at the end of The Princess and the Dragon is both this and beautiful.
• If you choose to defy the Cage's expectations, it gives her enough pause to free her head, and you get to take her head out with you, all whilst she gives you an adorable smile. After bringing her head to the surface, she thanks you.