Kael pov:
When we finally arrived at the castle, its towering walls rose like a fortress of stone and shadow against the gray sky. Guards stood rigid by the massive gates, their armor gleaming but their faces unreadable. I stepped forward, Mira close behind me, and explained our purpose, about the curse, the lost memories, and the desperate need for a potion that could undo it.
The guards exchanged cold glances, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.
"Visitors are not allowed inside without the king's explicit permission," one said bluntly, blocking our path.
I frowned, trying to reason with them. "Please, it's urgent—"
But before I could finish, a voice called from above us, a clear, melodic tone that made everyone stop and turn their heads.
"Let them in."
We looked up, and there, on the balcony, stood the princess.
She looked about kaels' age, maybe a little older, but something about her presence was impossible to ignore. Her long, white hair shimmered in the dim light like strands of silver silk, cascading in gentle waves down her back. Her eyes were a piercing, icy blue, like glacial lakes reflecting a cold but unyielding strength. She wore a delicate dress of pale blue that fluttered softly in the breeze, giving her an almost ethereal, angelic appearance.
The guards hesitated, then stepped aside without another word.
I felt a jolt of surprise, and something else. Fascination.
Mira's eyes were wide as we walked through the giant gates and into the vast courtyard beyond, but I couldn't take my eyes off the princess. There was a quiet power about her, a calm in the storm, and beneath it, something vulnerable, like a secret she guarded fiercely.
Once inside, the princess led us down marble corridors lined with tapestries and suits of armor. Finally, she stopped in a small, sunlit chamber with a large window overlooking the distant forest.
She turned to us, her expression serious now. "I know why you've come. The flower poison you seek exists, yes but I cannot simply give it to you."
Mira looked confused. "Why not?"
The princess's blue eyes darkened slightly. "Because my mother is missing. Until she returns, the king will not allow anyone to take such a powerful potion."
I exchanged a glance with Mira. More missing people. More impossible quests.
The princess's voice softened. "If you find her, if you bring her back safely, then I will tell you everything you need to know."
I felt the weight of the challenge settle on my shoulders, but I also saw the flicker of hope in Mira's eyes.
"Then it's settled," I said. "We'll find her."
The princess smiled faintly, almost sadly. "Be careful. The forest hides many secrets... and dangers."
Mira and Kael had started what could only be described as a detective's war, both determined to find the missing queen, yet each with their own way of approaching the mystery. The forest was vast and full of secrets, but the question remained: Where exactly in the forest could she be?
Mira tried to gather every scrap of information she could from the villagers, listening to their stories by the fireside or in crowded market squares. But no matter how many tales she heard, every single one ended the same was "disappeared," whispered with fear or sorrow, never with answers or clues.
Frustration grew heavy between them, and they almost gave up hope.
Then, in a quiet corner of the village, someone mentioned an old man. He was said to be senile, they said, a man who talked only of lies and fantasies. People didn't bother him, laughed behind his back, or just ignored his ramblings.
Mira and Kael, however, saw something different in him, something worth listening to.
They found the old man sitting beneath a crooked tree, his eyes cloudy but intense.
When they asked him about the queen, he smiled, a slow, knowing smile, and began his story in a low, almost trembling voice:
"The king came here with the queen that day. None of us knew where she was from, or who her family was. No one did. She was a mystery wrapped in whispers and secrets. The king forbade anyone from asking about her past."
He paused, looking far away as if watching the past unfold.
"But she... she was the most fascinating woman any of us had ever seen. Her features weren't quite like ours, like she belonged to some other world, something magical."
The old man's voice cracked as he continued, "At first, she was happy with the king. Laughter filled the halls, and light danced in her eyes. But then... day by day, she started to change. Something inside her was missing, something growing darker with every sunrise.
Until one day... she simply vanished. Disappeared without a trace."
He shook his head slowly, his eyes shadowed by sorrow and a hint of fear.
Mira and Kael exchanged looks, this story was more than just an old man's rambling. It was a thread they had to pull.