Prologue

A deafening and unusual silence thrived across the grand hall of the Dancrest palace, carrying a promise of an impending doom.

The uproarious noises of knights feasting to another night of victory from the just concluded war had suddenly been brought to a halt by the ominous arrival of the prophets— tall, ghoulish, gray bearded men appearing with the shadows and hiding behind dreary robes, bearing staves rumoured to be conduits for the power they possessed.

A certain dread loomed in the heart of everyone aware of the presence of the mystic beings, and bringing with it a numbing apprehensiveness.

A visit by the old prophet was the last thing anyone living in the palace had expected at the early hours of the night. But it seemed while the humans had not expected it, nature had waited for it. The once clear and promising night was now bleak and heavy with dark clouds.

Needle-bright spears of lightning snapped and slashed through the black sky with a weight of anger and vengeance. The wind howled like a feral wolf on a ravaging hunt for blood.

The servants stifled their shrieks at every slash of lightning as they waited behind closed doors in fear of what the night could bring.

Visits like these were never ordinary. They feared for what could have happened, or would happen.

The double doors of the throne room were held open and King Gartner ambled in, his blue robe trailing behind.

Their arrival had put him in a foul mood, as it had disrupted a happy occasion— the celebration of his conquest of Lumdor, the last city of the elves.

Insisting impatiently, he lolled back in his throne in wait for what warranted that unannounced visit.

"You've broken a treaty bonded by blood and oath. Your heart is poisoned with greed and darkness, and your hands are soiled with the blood of thousands that cry for vengeance. You've killed mages and humans alike, burnt them at the stake and wiped out an entire civilization on your quest for power." The old prophet declared.

"You're cursed to have a weak, human child— one feeble like the weeds, powerless like the creatures you've killed, and doomed to die a most natural death with no chance at immortality. And her master will end your reign. This is your punishment." He continued.

Finally realizing the weight of their words, King Gartner jerked to his feet in rage.

"A human child? A female human child! Preposterous!" He thundered.

He couldn't have a human child! Mentioning such in front of him was treason and he could have their heads, prophets or not!

It would be a disgrace to him, for being the first of his descendants to bring forth a full human as a pure blooded witch. It was considered a curse! It was a mockery.

All those who mated with humans had half-breeds! He wouldn't be the first just because of merely being strong among weak creatures! It's a world where only the strong ruled and the weak are squashed.

"I can have your heads for this. I can have you burnt alive for uttering such nonsense!" He pulled out the sword loosely hanging around his waist from its sheath, and pointed it at them.

"It is the way of nature. You caused an imbalance, Gartner, and brought this evil upon yourself. And you shall do nothing when her master's blade cuts you through."

Gartner's feet hurried down in a flight, his macabre eyes now carrying fury. With an aim to strike, he charged at them, but the blade only cut through the air, as they suddenly disappeared out of sight, leaving him alone in the grand hall.

Hiding behind the pillar of the balcony, Queen Violet held unto her gravid belly with protective hands, horrified. Her jaws fidgeting and her hands... she lowered her eyes to look. They were trembling.

'Her baby.' She trembled, her hands tightening around her huge bump. 'Gartner was going to kill it.' She mused and the horror of that thought had her drawing a breath. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock when she realized what she had done.

"There's no room for a human in my bloodline. And I'll avert this curse, even if it means killing it." Gartner said in a low voice, but Violet clearly heard him.

Violet's eyes lowered towards her bulging bump. Her baby, it was a girl — a little princess like she had secretly desired, despite the king's repeated reminder for an heir, but now she was endangered.

'Her little baby,' she painfully muttered in her heart, which was shattering for her little one.

The past months had been filled with blissful moments of watching her belly grow, a sign of a life growing inside — a life she had vowed to love and protect, and she was going to keep to that vow.

Her eyes toughening with a resolve, she looked at Cora, whose eyes gleamed with attention and in wait for her words.

"We must protect my child." Violet declared succinctly.

Before the furious king could declare a search for his queen, Violet used the secret passage in her chamber, with her handmaid, Cora, who insisted on going with her, through a torrential downpour that fateful night.

And while a carriage would have been better to secure the queen's safety, there was no time to get one at that rush hour, which gave them no option but to go on a mare.

Teaching Cora horse riding now came in handy at that moment, as she whooshed her way through the thicket, through the storm, escaping the walls of the Dancrest kingdom while trying as much as she could to not worsen her queen's pain, as Cora could hear her low grunts where Queen Violet sat behind her.

But not long after did they hear distant gallops and voices. Without a doubt, the two fear-stricken women knew a hundred horsemen had been sent after them.

They knew it was but just a short time and their persuers would catch up with them. Cora scanned the forest where they had reached, in search of somewhere safe they could hide.

Spotting a small cave, Cora helped Violet down the mare and hurriedly led them to it. Violet was wobbling , as the shooting pain in her lower abdomen had worsened.

Violet stopped and turned halfway and walked back towards the mare, confusing Cora who now had a deep frown between her brows. They were able to swerve the army and bought them some more time. What was she doing?

Cora watched as Queen Violet stroked the mare and whispered inaudible words to it before giving it a small kick. Cora's eyes widened when the mare started trotting forward away from them.

Turning to her, Violet explained. "It's better to let it go now. They would easily decifer our whereabouts if it should stand here in wait."

Taking a step forward, Violet hissed at the sharp pain in her waist, followed by a gush of fluid from her core.

Her water broke!

Their faces paled as white as snow, realizing what this meant.

"No!" Violet whispered in pain. This was not how she planned to deliver her baby. She could barely walk now, but Cora, though extremely shaken by fear, helped her queen into the cave, which was luckily safe from any predators.

And on that gloomy night, as the rain bucketed down and deafening thunder claps accompanied blinding lightning strikes, in that small cave they found as their shelter, alas, a baby's cry was heard as Violet pushed hard to deliver her beautiful princess.

"It's a girl, my queen!" Indeed, Cora cried, excited to see the beautiful angel in her arms.

Violet smiled wryly amid heavy, laboured breaths, raising her shaky hands to touch her princess. She had lost so much strength and blood, and she knew within her, that this moment would surely be the first and last with her beautiful angel.

"Avyanna..." She said in a small voice as she cradled her princess in her arms. "Strong, powerful... and the most beautiful girl... in the world..."

"That's a beautiful name, my queen!" Cora beamed amid tears. This was supposed to be a joyous day!

"Cora, please... promise me..." Violet breathed, looking up at her handmaid who was busily trying all she could to stop the heavy bleeding, "...that you will protect my princess."

Cora's face scrunched up in confusion on what she heard. What was the queen saying?

"Don't let Gartner get hold of my baby. I trust you... to raise my daughter... as your own..."

"My queen! Please, don't say that!" She panicked, seeing her queen's now drooping eyes and short-panted breath. "You are going to be alright! Please stay with me. Your daughter needs you!"

"Go on now, Cora, lest they find you..."

"No!" Cora refused to believe that her queen was giving up on life.

"Please... Don't let anyone... Anyone... know the identity of the princess..." Violet's arm loosened around her daughter, and Cora's heart dropped to her stomach in fear as she took the baby in her arms.

"My que—"

"Not even... Not even Avyanna herself..."

"Stay with me, my queen!" Cora cried with the baby, who seemed to have sensed that her mother was about to leave her.

But even Cora knew, that the amount of energy and blood the queen had lost could not carry her through their flight from the treacherous king.

"P–promise... me... C-c-ora..."

"I— I promise! I promise, my queen!" Cora said with a heavy heart. "Queen Violet, please... Stay with me!" Cora gently slapped her queen's cheek with a shaky hand to stop her from closing her eyes, but it was too late.

She watched as her queen breathed her last in the cold night. Watching and hearing Princess Avyanna cry shrilly brought a dent in her heart. One she knew would never, ever be restored.

Holding onto the promise she made, Cora secured the little princess and continued to run away from her persuers. She vowed to do everything to keep the princess safe.

And by God, she prayed that the princess would grow and fulfill this curse that ruthless king was hunting them down to stop.