The palace of Valerion stood like a crown above the kingdom, its tall white towers piercing the clouds and its banners dancing in the cold wind. Inside, servants rushed through long marble halls while nobles whispered in corners.
Everyone in the palace knew one thing.
The prince had gone to the forest.
And the forest was cursed.
Prince Adrian rode deeper into the woods as the sunlight slowly disappeared behind thick branches. His horse stomped nervously on the dark path.
Most people avoided this forest. Stories had lived in the kingdom for generations.
Stories about the witch who lived alone among the shadows.
Some said she drank blood. Others said she could steal a man's soul with a single look.
But Adrian didn't believe most of those stories.
Still… even he felt the strange energy in the air.
The wind moved like whispers.
The trees creaked like old bones.
Suddenly the horse stopped.
Refused to move.
Adrian frowned and jumped down.
"Fine," he muttered, tying the reins to a branch. "I'll walk."
The deeper he went, the quieter the forest became.
No birds.
No animals.
Only silence.
Then he saw it.
A small cottage hidden between twisted black trees.
Smoke curled gently from the chimney.
The prince stepped closer.
He had expected something terrifying.
But the cottage looked… peaceful.
Before he could knock, the door slowly creaked open.
And she stood there.
The witch.
She was not what he imagined.
Her long dark hair fell like midnight down her back. Her eyes glowed faintly silver in the dim light, watching him carefully.
She wore a simple black dress, and strange symbols were drawn across her fingers like ink that would never wash away.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The witch tilted her head slightly.
"You are lost," she said softly.
Her voice was calm, almost amused.
Adrian crossed his arms.
"I doubt that."
Her silver eyes studied him carefully.
"Then you are foolish."
The prince smiled.
"That is possible."
Something about his answer made her pause.
Most people who came near her forest ran away screaming.
But this man… stood there calmly like he had arrived for tea.
"Prince Adrian of Valerion," she said quietly.
His smile disappeared.
"You know who I am?"
The witch leaned against the door frame.
"I know many things."
He studied her carefully now.
"And your name?" he asked.
For a moment she hesitated.
Almost like the name carried weight.
Then she said it.
"Lyra."
The name seemed to drift through the forest like a spell.
Prince Adrian nodded slowly.
"Well, Lyra," he said, "people in my kingdom say terrible things about you."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Do they?"
"They say you curse people. Kill travelers. Bring storms."
Lyra let out a soft laugh.
It was the first warm sound in the silent forest.
"And you believed them enough to come here?"
Adrian shrugged.
"I prefer to see monsters with my own eyes."
Her silver gaze sharpened.
"And what do you see?"
The prince looked directly at her.
For a long moment.
Then he said quietly,
"Not a monster."
Something flickered in Lyra's expression.
A small crack in the cold walls she had built around herself for years.
But she quickly hid it.
"You should leave, Prince Adrian."
"Why?"
"Because the forest does not like visitors."
As if responding to her words, the wind suddenly grew stronger, rattling the branches.
But Adrian didn't move.
Instead he stepped closer to the door.
"Are you the forest?"
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
"No."
"Then I think I'll stay a moment."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you always this stubborn?"
"Only when I'm curious."
Silence stretched between them again.
Finally Lyra sighed and stepped aside from the doorway.
"Fine."
Adrian smiled slightly.
"But if you die," she added calmly, "I will not feel guilty."
The prince stepped inside the witch's cottage.
And neither of them knew that this single moment would slowly change the fate of the entire kingdom.