So, since I'm not posting any of the actual stories at the moment, I might as well start making a little more use of the "Bonus" Book.

I'm doing some pretty detailed world-building for "Twin of Skies" and  - as someone who loves stories - myths, lore, and tales of all kind are a huge part of that (The ToS-World even has its own set of naughty drinking tales that are part of the popular culture in many places, most of which center around someone called "Sir Courage The Enduring" - which should really tell you everything you need to know about that...).
In the second part of the book, we meet one of the main characters, who is a bit of a storyteller by nature. In the first part of the book, he is mainly introduced through the lore he finds and the stories he makes up for his friends and baby sister.

At one point in the second part, he encounters a mute street-kid -  a very young girl, who, contrary to what seems to be popular for poor, pitiable street-kids, is not the heart-wrenchingly cute and lovable kind, that is easy to pity, but actually disgustingly grimy, makes weird noises, and is ugly as night.
Still, being reminded of his younger sister, who is of a similar age, he pities her, and - using elements of what has actually happened and twisting them about to suit his tale and making lots of things up as he goes along (the goddess in his story is one of the deities his people believe in, but they do so in a rather half-hearted way, and he himself doesn't actually believe she's real, and the ribbon, although pretty, is perfectly ordinary, etc) - he invents the following tale for her:

"The story is very very long but is important that you listen right to the end and not fall asleep until it is finished.

So sit up a bit.

You see, I'm from a mountain a long way from here, where only the very very tall people like me live, and that's where the story is from.

It's about what it means to have a heart, about true beauty, and maybe about the most beautiful heart in the world.

Parts of it are happy, and some of it is sad, just like everything in life, but there might be something truly beautiful and magical at the end of it, which is why you have to stay awake until it's done.

It's called "the story of the ribbon that knows true beauty".

Shall I begin?"

 The Story of the Ribbon that Knows True Beauty

Once, among the very, very tall people of the mountains, there lived a very, very tall boy and a very, very tall girl.

The very, very tall boy was very much in love with the very, very tall girl because she was the prettiest girl in the world.

She had the most beautiful eyes, that sparkled like the stars, and the most beautiful hair, that was so long, that she had to keep it in the most beautiful long braids wound about her head that she would twist to make the most beautiful patterns.

The very, very tall boy would often talk with the prettiest girl in the world for long hours, because she had the most beautiful voice, and all she talked of would become beautiful through her telling, and the times he spent with her, would always become the most beautiful times of them all.

So, because he loved her so very much, the very very tall boy decided that he would ask the prettiest girl in the world to marry him.

Among the very very tall people of the mountain, all the married women wear an ornament in their hair, and if a very, very tall boy wishes to marry a very, very tall girl, he must give her such an ornament to wear.
So, the very, very tall boy, went on a long journey, to find the most beautiful Hair Ornament in the world, that he could give to the prettiest girl in the world to wear.

He traveled through many villages and saw many metal-workers and many woodworkers, but none of their ornaments was beautiful enough to give to the prettiest girl in the world.

One day, however, he came upon the oldest couple in the world.

The husband only ever worked with metals, and the wife only ever worked with woods, but because they loved each other so much, they could not bear to be apart, not even for the shortest while.
That would make working at their different arts very difficult, as you might imagine, so they always worked on the same piece together, and made very special ornaments, that had metal, wood, and true love all mixed together.

And there, on their windowsill, the very very tall boy found the most beautiful Ornament in the world.
The oldest couple in the world wrapped it in the finest paper and gave it to the very, very tall boy to give to the most beautiful girl in the world, so he could ask her to marry him.

But he could not!

Because although the paper was very fine, and the gift looked very pretty, there was no ribbon to tie it with, and so it was not yet the prettiest gift in the world, and he could not yet give it to the prettiest girl in the world to ask her to marry him.

So he went on, to find the prettiest ribbon in the world.

He found many, many ribbons on his way, and some were yellow, and some were blue, some were red, and others were green.

But nowhere did the very, very tall boy find the prettiest ribbon in the world.

Finally, he came to the Edge Of All The world, where the Goddess Of All Waters lives in the great big sea.
The very very tall boy was very sad because even at the Edge Of All The World, there was no ribbon to be found.
And since he had no ribbon, he could not tie the prettiest bow in the world around the most beautiful Ornament in the world, to give to the prettiest girl in the world to ask her to marry him.

The very very tall boy cried very very big tears, and the very very big tears fell into the great big sea where the Goddess Of All Waters lives.

And because even very very big tears are made of water the Goddess Of All Waters found them in her sea and could taste the sadness of the very, very tall boy in them.

Since he had made her an offering of his very very big tears, the Goddess of all the Waters decided to give him a gift.
She told the very very tall boy to take a piece of the great big sea between two fingers, and pull it up.
So the very very tall boy dipped two very very tall fingers into the great big sea and pulled.

And out of the great big sea came a ribbon made from all the colors that open water can be!

It was dark blue as the ocean at it's deepest depths, but also shone bright blue like the clearest lake and would glitter in the sun, like the waters of a river would. Sometimes it would look green like a pond, that fishes like to live in, at other times among the blue, there would be turquoise, like the waters of a stormy sea, and many many other shades of water. The colors of the ribbon never stood still, but, like the water it was made from, it always changed in the light.

It was truly the most beautiful ribbon in the world, and altogether the most beautiful thing the very very tall boy had ever seen!

Finally, he could go home and ask the prettiest girl in the world to become his wife!

When the very very tall boy arrived at his home, he found that the very very tall people of the mountain where he lived, had captured three humans.
They were the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess, and the boldest Knight of all the human Princes, Princesses and Knights.

The very very tall boy had been looking for the most beautiful things to give to the prettiest girl in the world for a very long time.

And because he had the most beautiful Ribbon in the world that was given to him by a Goddess and therefore was not only the most beautiful Ribbon but also a magical thing, he could see that there was great beauty not only in things that the eye could see, but that there was great beauty in Kindness, Wisdom, and Boldness aswell.

And being the very kindest Prince, the very wisest Princess, and the very boldest Knight of all the human Princes, Princesses and Knights, they were also the most beautiful Prince, the most beautiful Princess, and the most beautiful Knight of all the human Princes, Princesses, and Knights.

But the very very tall people from the Mountain had been very cruel to the three humans, and with great shock the very very tall boy discovered, that when the very very tall people of the Mountain looked at the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess and the boldest Knight, their hearts were as cold and hard and unmoving as the Mountain upon which they lived!

But surely, the very, very tall boy thought, that could not be so for the prettiest girl in the world, because he loved her very much, and wanted to ask her to be his wife.

She was the prettiest girl in the world, so she must have the prettiest heart as well!

So the very very tall boy, took the wrist of the prettiest girl in the world in his very very tall hands to listen to her heart.

And when the prettiest girl in the world looked upon him, her heart beat beautifully and was full of warmth, because the prettiest girl in the world also liked the very very tall boy, and cared very much for him. And the heart of the prettiest girl in the world kept beating, as she looked at her people, who she also loved and cared for very much.

But when the eyes of the prettiest girl in the world fell upon the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess and the boldest Knight, her heart too, was cold and hard and unmoving as the Mountain upon which she lived, for she cared nothing for them, and could not see their beauty.

When the very very tall boy saw that her heart was so cold and hard and unmoving, he realized, that she was not the prettiest girl in the world at all, but quite ugly and cruel.

His own heart broken in many pieces by what he saw, the very very tall boy ran away, because he could not bear to be among his people any longer, whose hearts were so cold and hard and cruel and who could not see beauty in anything but themselves.

When he was exhausted, the very very tall boy sat by a mountain stream and cried very very big tears for all he had lost and seen.

So much of what he had thought beautiful, and so much of what he loved, had turned out to be very very ugly, and not worthy of his love.

The very very tall boy realized that the very very tall people from the Mountain were blind to true beauty, and being also of the very very tall people from the Mountain, so was he!

Not being able to see true beauty, he would also never find true love, because of all the things in the world love is always the most beautiful.

But because he still held the Ribbon that the Goddess of all the Waters had given him, and because his very very big tears fell into the mountain-stream, the Goddess of all the Waters appeared a second time to help the very very tall boy, who had made her an offering of his tears.

So, from the silver gleam of the little mountain stream, she made a pair of very very big scissors, that she gave to the very very tall boy.

The most beautiful Ribbon in the world, and it was truly the most beautiful, for it had been made by the Goddess Of All Waters, would help the very, very tall boy see true, and for all the things of true beauty that he saw, the very very big scissors would cut away a tiny piece of the most beautiful Ribbon.

And being a magical Ribbon made by a Goddess, every piece of Ribbon that he cut free, would give a very very tiny fraction of the water from which it was made to the very very tall boy's eyes, that they might be healed.

And when the last piece of the Ribbon was cut away, the very very tall boy would be able to see all the beauty there was in the world and would be able to find the most beautiful thing of them all, which is always Love.

So the very very tall boy went out to look for all the things in the world that held beauty.

There would be things that would be quite pretty, for which the scissors would only be able to cut away, a very very small piece of the ribbon, and there would be things that were beautiful, for which the scissors would be able to cut a larger piece.

An then, very, very rarely, there would be something that would be the most beautiful thing of its kind, for which the scissors would be able to cut a very large piece from the Ribbon, and which once seen and understood, would also help heal the very very tall boys heart, which was still broken into many pieces.

But despite being very very tall, the very very tall boy was still just a boy, who had not seen anything of the world that was not on the mountain, and he was very very afraid to go alone.

On his way down the mountain, however, the very very tall boy came across the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess, and the boldest Knight of all the Human Princes and Princesses and Knights.

Being the kindest, the wisest and the boldest, they had naturally escaped from the very very tall people from the mountain, whose hearts were so cold and hard and unmoving.

But the very very tall people had been very cruel to the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess, and the boldest Knight, and being looked at with a heart of stone, that cannot care for you, cuts just as deep as any knife would.

Because the very very tall boy was afraid to go out into the world of humans alone, he begged the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess, and the boldest Knight to let him come with them and let him see the beauty in their world, even though he and his people had been so horrible to them.

He would not be able to undo, what the very very tall people had done to them, but he was very very tall, and if only they would let him, he would gladly carry for them what was too heavy, reach for them for what was too high, and fetch for them what was too far away.

The wounds the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess, and the boldest Knight had received at the hands of the very very tall people still hurt, because they were quite fresh, and had not yet started to heal.

They could not yet forgive what the very very tall people had done, because you can not forgive pain, that you still feel, but they still allowed the very very tall boy to come along, and showed him trust, and kindness even though he was of the people who had wronged them so, and would try to forgive the very very tall boy his part in what they had suffered, when their wounds would start to heal.

Offering forgiveness, trust and kindness, undeserved to someone who has wronged you, is true magnanimity, which is a very very beautiful thing, and so, the first piece of the Ribbon was cut.

So the very very tall boy went with the kindest Prince, and the wisest Princess and the boldest Knight and accompanied them on their travels.

He saw many pretty, and many beautiful things, for the world is a beautiful place, but he found, that the most beautiful things, were those, that the eye could not see.

Receiving another's friendship and laughter, freely given, is very beautiful, and freely giving yours to someone, equally so. He found such beauty in bringing a smile to the face of one who was sad, and he found the same beauty in receiving such a kindness.

And which each thing of beauty the very very tall boy discovered, he was able to cut a small piece of the Ribbon given to him by the Goddess of all the Waters.

And each piece of the Ribbon he cut, he gave to the thing that was beautiful, to show his gratitude for being allowed to see it.

But the ribbon was very very long, and the very very tall boy had only ever been able to cut small pieces from it, for he had not yet found something that was the most beautiful thing of its kind.

The very very tall boy was very sad about that, for while all the things of true beauty he found made him very happy, only seeing and understanding something that was the most beautiful thing of its kind, would be able to heal the very very tall boys heart, that had broken into many pieces, when he had found the hearts of the very very tall people from the mountain so cold and hard and unmoving.

The very very tall boy was desperately wishing to be able to cut away very many large pieces of the very long Ribbon as well, because only when all the Ribbon had ben cut off would he be able to find the most beautiful thing of all, which is always love.

But as the very very tall boy had never seen something that was the most beautiful thing of its kind before, he was afraid he would not recognize it.

For, if he had not seen all the things of a kind, how would he tell if something was the most beautiful?

If he wanted to find the most beautiful heart in the world, would he not have to look at all the hearts in the world before he could know which was the most beautiful of them all?

That made the very very tall boy very sad because he knew, he could not look at all the hearts in the world, and so, he feared he would not recognize the most beautiful heart in the world when he saw it.

And if he could not find the most beautiful thing of a kind, and understand it, his own heart would not be healed, and his ribbon would not be cut, and he would not be able to find Love, which he so very much longed for.

While the very very tall boy was having these thoughts, the kindest Prince and the wisest Princess and the boldest Knight of all the human Princes, Princesses and Knights and the very very tall boy, came upon a city. As it was raining the kindest Prince, the wisest Princess, and the boldest Knight took shelter inside one of the houses, but the very very tall boy was too tall to come along, for he would not fit.

So he stayed outside, where the very very tall boy, met a very very small girl, who also had to stay outside.

For while the very very tall boy was too tall to use the door, for he was so tall, he would not fit, the very very small girl was too small to use the door, for she was so small she could not reach.

While the very very tall boy had a very loud voice, that could be heard by all, but was not very beautiful,

the very very small girl had a voice so soft, that no one but her could hear it, but it was very very beautiful.

And while one was too tall and the other was too small, they became fast friends, because they balanced each other out.

So they build a shelter from the rain, that had no door at all, with one end very very tall, and the other end very very small.

And while the very very tall boy and the very very small girl were exact opposites in many things, they were also the same, for they each had a heart that beat with warmth and care.

To show that a very very big heart, and a very very small heart, were both the same size on the inside, they each listened to the other's heart.

But when the very very tall boy listened to the very very small heart, he was very very surprised by what he heard!

For the very very small girl with the very beautiful voice could not speak, so all the warm and beautiful things she said stayed within hear heart.

And since the very very small girl had such a beautiful voice, the very very small girl loved to sing, of all the wonderful things that existed in the world, and that too had stayed inside her heart.

And since the very very small girl loved to play and laugh, her laughter too, was in her heart.

So when the very very tall boy listened to the very very small heart, he found a heart that would beat with warmth even in the coldest rain, that held the most beautiful words he had ever heard, that rang with the sweetest laughter, and sang to him with a very beautiful voice of all the things that were kind and true and wonderful in the world.

And, now the boy knew, that his own heart would be healed, and that one day he would be able to find love, for even if he had never heard any other heart before, he still would have known, that the very very small heart of the very very small girl, was the most beautiful heart of all the hearts in the world.

And the very very tall boy was very very sure that when he took out the Ribbon made from the great big sea given to him by the Goddess of all Waters and tried to cut it with the scissors made from the silver sparkles from a mountain stream a very very large piece of the ribbon would be cut.

It must be so!

For the very very tall boy dearly wished to give a very large piece of the Ribbon to the very very small girl, for letting him see, her very very small heart, that spoke and laughed and sang to beautifully.

The very very tall boy had not seen all the hearts in the world, but still, he was so very sure that the very very small heart of the very very small girl must be the most beautiful heart of them all.

There could be no other way!

So, praying to the Goddess of all the Water, that he had finally been allowed to see something that was the most beautiful thing of its kind, and would be able to cut a large piece of the Ribbon made from the great big sea, the very very tall boy took out his very very tall scissors..."

***

"Ah, I can see, you would like me to continue, tell the end of the story, because you too would like to know if the very very tall boy had truly found the most beautiful heart in the world, but, I'm sorry to say that I cannot tell you, because the story ends there.

'What kind of story is that, if it doesn't have an ending', you ask 'and why would you tell me such a horrible thing? A story that stops before it is done, is not a very good story at all!'

And right you are too. But I did not tell the story to upset you, but for quite a different reason:
You see, I cannot tell you how the story ends because the end of the story hasn't happened yet. See, the very very tall boy did not yet try to cut a very very large piece from the Ribbon given to him by the Goddess of all Waters, so I cannot tell you how it turned out.

'Well, that just means that not the story itself was bad, but that you are just a bad storyteller!', I hear you say, 'One should at least have the decency to wait for a story to end before one starts telling it'.

That is also very true, and I apologize deeply. But again, I do have a reason for telling you such an unfinished story, for you see, I thought we might finish the story together.
After all, I am a very very tall boy who used to live on a mountain far away, where only very very tall people live, and you are a very very small girl, with a very very small heart, that talks and laughs and sings with the most beautiful voice in the world.

And I once cried very very big tears by a mountain stream and was given this pair of scissors made from the silver reflections of the water because of that.
And I once stood at the Edge Of All The World by the Great Big Sea, and the Goddess Of All Waters gave this Ribbon to me.

Dear very very small girl,
I believe you have in your very very small chest the most beautiful heart of all the hearts in the world.
Please, will you accept this very large piece of the Ribbon made from all the colors of the Water for letting me hear it sing?

Now, now, don't cry.

You have done something so beautiful for me, I'd hate to see you so sad.
Ah, but catch your tears in the ribbon.
That is quite enough, so now you must stop.
There you see, we caught them!
And this way you have made an offering of your very very small tears to the Goddess of all Waters.
And the Goddess will be able to taste your heart in the tears and hear your song for herself.

Receiving such a beautiful offering, I am sure, the Goddess of all the Waters would like to make a gift to you, but we are very very far from the Great Big Sea where she lives, and there is no river here for her to appear in, so she cannot do it herself.

But having met the Goddess Of All Water, I think I might hear her whispers in the rain.

You see she says, you have a very beautiful name, but it lives inside your heart where others may not hear it.

So the Goddess Of All Water will give you a second name, that will tell those that hear it the nature of what is in your heart, and I will tell it to all the people that I meet on my travels, that they may call you by it.

Long ago there was one of the many daughters of the Goddess Of All Water, who are all half like the fish and half like beautiful women and who all live in the Great Big Sea, who had a very lovely voice and longed to sing.
But you cannot sing under the water, for your voice can not be heard.
So every night in her dreams, she would swim to the surface and sit on a rock under the stars to sing.
Her voice and songs were of such beauty, that all who heard could not help but love her.

She was called Lorelai.

The Goddess says, that the voice and songs that you sing in your heart, like her daughter's, are of such beauty, that, like Lorelai, all who hear must love you.

But you are not half like a fish, so only half her name is for you.
And you are not Lorelai of the Sea, but you are the Lorelai of the Lands, and thus your name is not Lorelai but Laila.

And that shall be the gift of the Goddess Of All the Waters to you.

And now you must sleep, Laila of the singing heart, so that all the things that live in dreams may know of your second name and sing along to your songs."