In a city far, far away, there lay a quiet little village, tucked beneath rolling hills and watchful mountains. At the heart of this realm stood a castle, home to a king whose greatest treasure was not his crown, nor his lands, but his daughter—the princess.
One fateful day, the princess vanished. It was said she had stumbled near the old wishing well and never returned. Whispers of her disappearance spread like fire in dry grass, and the king, struck with grief, summoned all his men, all his knights, even the magicians of the court.
He proclaimed before the gathered crowd:
"Whosoever finds my daughter, alive and unharmed within two days, shall marry her and ascend the throne as king after me."
The decree stirred the kingdom. Soldiers marched, magicians cast their searching spells, and common folk scoured the forests and fields, desperate to save their beloved princess—or seize the crown.
For two days the search raged. And on the second day, something most unexpected occurred.
The princess stirred awake, her wrists bound with coarse rope, her neck weighed down by cold iron. She was being dragged along the dirt path, tethered to the side of a horse ridden by a man cloaked in black. Dust clung to her gown, her lips were cracked, yet her spirit had not faltered.
"Why do you do this to me, kind sir?" she pleaded, her voice trembling but sharp with indignation. "I am but a helpless maiden. You tie me, you chain me, and you drag me for miles. Why?"
The rider tilted his head but did not look back. His voice was low, gravelly, and without sympathy.
"I care not who you are, nor whose blood flows in your veins. I am here for what is promised. Nothing more."
Her eyes narrowed. "You seek only money? You claim to be a gentleman, yet you hide your face. You are not even human. Who are you?"
At that, the man shifted in his saddle. A mask of polished iron covered his face, smooth and featureless, save for two hollow eyes. No expression, no glimpse of humanity.
"You ask too many questions," he muttered, before striking her sharply across the head. Darkness swallowed her once more.
When next she awoke, the world had changed. The horse's gallop slowed, the sound of hooves echoing against stone walls. The princess blinked against the torchlight and realized with dread—they had reached the gates of her father's palace.
And there, beneath the looming towers, the masked rider dismounted, lifting her limp form into his arms as though she were nothing but a prize to be delivered.
What awaited inside the gates, neither she nor the kingdom could yet imagine.