The Demon Sage's Daughter
Novelette 7,828 words Recommended by 5 award/anthology sources
"In one version of the story, nobody dies, and you get to keep the princess as your maid. She chafes against this, longing for her silks and jewels. You scoff, tugging her after you, a tangle of jasmine wound around her arms. She’s tried to break free many times, plaintively singing to the deer and the birds and the sky for help..."
Content warnings 4
body-horrordeathdeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
Quasar links out; the story lives on Strange Horizons, where the author gets the click.