Once upon a time there was a peaceful and wealthy kingdom named emerald. it stretched from the coast in the north to the nation of the elves in the south and within this kingdom everyone was happy and there was no famine or illness to be found. This happiness was brought upon the kingdom with the awakening of the first witches and mages centuries ago. They chose to settle in emerald as it was the most welcoming among the human nations, and in return they brought only greatness with them and fulfilled everyone's wishes without ever asking for anything in return.
Sadly enough however, just like always, greed took over. Humans started demanding more and more from them, instead of houses they asked for mansions and where a simple meal would normally suffice nothing worth less than meat was accepted. When they could no longer provide due to the high demand witches were scolded and beaten, and mages underpaid or even degraded to mere servants. When one day even the heart of the king changed, corrupted by the promise of even more power and riches, he he chose to not only berate them but even demanded a witch to be captured and enslaved so only he himself could benefit from her magic. And as if it was not enough of an outrageous demand he commanded it to not be just any witch but needed to be young of heart and be in possession of a bewitching beauty. He made it sound like he was shopping for a new pet and send his men out on a hunt to find the one worthy of being in the king's presence. When they found one and brought her in front of the king this witch, however, turned out to be the daughter of Lydia Darcey, one of the strongest witches within the kingdom borders. But she was not only well known for her ability to manipulate life force, the fact she was the bastard child of a baron greatly helped with her reputation.
When her daughter didn't return home at night she feared the worst and went out looking for her, using as much magic as it required to find her even if the source was her own life force. those who took her however seemed to be very skillful and she could not trace her, however she knew her daughter had struggled against them as she found a trace of her magic in an alley. Lydia turned furious as she could not understand how the same humans her kind gave so much to would do something so inconsiderate. Why would anyone try and take her kindhearted daughter, she would give everything she had if only one took the time to ask.
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"Master, did she know it was the king who took her?" I asked out of habit, it was the umpteenth time the master told me the story but yet everytime felt just like the first. "Well," said the master "He was the king. Rumors spread faster the more important you are, that's the law of human nature. But have patience and let me complete this story" master responded with a smile. I had never seen him get upset or frustrated because I interrupted his story, no matter how often I asked the same. He took the glass that rested on the bedside table and took a sip before placing it back, I noticed his eyes saddened just the smallest amount. when he realized i was staring at him he corrected himself and continued the story after clearing his throat.
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Soon enough everyone knew it was the king who had given the orders to do such a heinous thing. Lydia who had not slept for days and was trying all that was in her might to hunt down the person who took away the one she held most dear became even more furious. she flew over to the capital in which the main palace stood tall and brought with her a dark shadow by making dark clouds appear in front of the sun, her voice sounded everywhere "You call him your king as he is supposed to be the wisest amongst men. Yet it was him who showed such discourtesy to the people who favored his kingdom over all others. Would you let your daughter or sons be taken by a king who is greedy for even more than his people have already given him." Many witches, mages, and even humans sided with Lydia and marched with her to the palace door asking for Ellen to be freed. It was one of the first time humans and witches were part of the same side.
"I am the king! It is only natural that I have my own witch. If you want her back, another youngling should take her place. You must be delighted your child was chosen instead of storming the one who has given your child such an opportunity." The king who thought of himself almighty answered to the rebellion that was forming at his gates. "Witches are no animals to be caged and enslaved! If you won't give her back, then I warn you, this will be war" Lydia screamed out of rage, as she didn't wish on any witch to be in the situation her daughter was in. So war it was.
A dark era started in which many people and witches died. Even those who weren't participating in battle had no guarantee of surviving as the wealth that was once bestowed upon them had vanished into thin air. People's hearts started changing, and even more hate was forming towards those with magic. As time went by and the battle worsened new stories and speculation surfaced about how this war came to be. The history of a still ongoing war was starting to be rewritten by the citizens of the kingdom. Many started believing that this war was started by the witches and that the king was innocent of the crimes he was accused of. It only worsened the view people had of magic except for that of those who were there the first day. they knew that it was the king's greed who brought this upon them.
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"why would the witches start a war, master?" I couldn't help myself but ask. I knew the answer master was going to give and I mumbled it under my breath as he said it again. "People believed they wanted more power, as they were the ones who did the most for the kingdom and thus they did not want a normal human to over them" a smile appeared on his face again but pain was visible in his eyes. "But they didn't think that way, did they?" it was the first time i had asked this question and it was not part of our habit. His eyes widened in surprise and he put back the water glass he had picked up "no of course not, my daughter, they were already respected more than the king. They didn't feel the need to sit on a throne as they had the people's hearts. you have grown, I don't believe you ever asked me of that before" I simply nodded in acknowledgement and it seemed he was disappointed I did not ask any other question. He had waited hopeful for a few seconds before picking the story back up.
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After a three year long war with many battles and deaths finally it seemed there was a winner. Because even though many started choosing the kings side over them, Lydia and the witches had magic backing them up. It was to be expected that they would win as they were many times more stronger than the regular knight. When he heard the screams of his guards as the witches had found his hiding place the king went with tears in his eyes to the one with whom this started "Witch protect your king" he commanded ellen. She had always done anything he asked of her as she was afraid to be punished again after the first time but now that he knew her mother was closer than ever she refused "I am afraid you aren't my king, and better yet, soon enough you will be no one's king" she answered him with a smirk instead.
The king was panicking and in distress, he didn't know what to do anymore as his choices were slowly becoming less and less. i should kill her and burn her body to ash he thought. If there is no witch to begin with they surely can't prove my guilt and my citizens will back me up and dethrone the witch in a few years. he grabbed the arm of Ellen but she did not flinch "who are you trying to fool, your majesty." she almost spit out the last word. "you yourself have confirmed to have me, as you saw fit to tell my mother that she should be joyful that you gave me this opportunity" his expression turned back from confidence to misery, this damned mouth of mine. He started thinking over his escape plan but he was pulled from his thoughts ``Give me back to my people and beg them for mercy, I myself will make sure you won't be killed, ``Ellen, who did not know to what extent her mother had been suffering, said to the king. "But you will give up everything you own and begin anew, not as king but as citizen" The king raised his hand ready to slap Ellen for the disrespect but when he saw she did not budge he dropped it back at his side. the king took her request as he had no other choice and walked to the front of the ongoing battle.
"Stop this war!" his voice was demanding, sharp and loud, just as one would expect of a king. "black knights, drop your weapons at once, there is no reason to let anymore innocent citizens of mine die in vain.'' The men were both confused and relieved, they did not mind dying in the name of the king but they also were fathers, brothers, sons and husbands. the king fell to his knees and dropped his head in shame as he begged the witches to stop their slaughtering and that they had won. The witches, no matter how much they had suffered in this war, fought the urge to kill him on sight and waited for their general to come to the front. Lydia slowly made her way over to the king nothing but resentment and hate filling her eyes. "we are not the ones that slaughtered people, we are no barbarians unlike your men." her voice was almost silent but every word spoken sent a shiver down the spines of those in her presence.
her red, graceful and almost royal looking had not even one drop of blood on it yet a thousand souls rested upon her shoulder. "Tell me king, where is my daughter." The king slowly raised his head but did not dare to look into the eyes of the grand witch, signing a knight in the back to come forward with ellen. "I beg you for mercy, grand witch. Lydia, I will give you my palace, my power and all my belongings if only you let me and my next of kin live. I have not touched one strand of hair on your daughters head" The great king was reduced to nothing but a sorry state of a man that even lied for his own sake. It was partially just an act to get people to feel empathy for him. He had many witnesses and thought of turning this against Lydia in the long run.
Ellen started crying when she saw her mother in person for the first time in years and ran towards her but was met with nothing but coldness. Not even a hug or a kiss, it was almost like she didn't see her standing. she pushed her to the side gently and took another step towards the king, the resentment in her eyes had not disappeared one bit. Ellen fell on the ground after being shoved away as her body was weak but upon seeing her mother approaching the king she attempted to stand back up. she watched in horror as Lydia raised her hand and a red glow started forming "owing to the fact you begged for mercy I will show you such. Instead of making you suffer and skinning you alive, I will grant you a swift death. you must be delighted, are you not?" she had waited for this moment for so long, the words he first told her always sounding in her mind.
The king closed his eyes, content, as he knew after what she had said his people would be viewing her as the evil in the story. He did not know however that Lydia did not care for the throne unlike him and that she was not planning to stay in Emerald either way. the glow in her hand was at its peak and she was about to complete the spell when Ellen ran in between them. she blocked the way to the king and formed a magic shield around him. Even if it was not strong enough to keep Lydia's advanced magic from hitting the king she relied on the fact that her mother must know that if a witches shield is breached that it would hurt them or possibly even cause their death. Ellen begged her mother to stop what she was doing and think about what it was she was doing. the king had returned her unharmed and they were reunited once more, was that not what she was fighting for? She explained to her that killing him will just spark another war, and was forcing him to live a shameful and unimportant life not a more cruel punishment than death.
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Lydia's anger diminished and made place for pity, what had the king done to her? "He wouldn't have let you go if it wasn't for the fact he lost this war. It is not as if he realised what he did was wrong, the only reason he is sorry is because he understands that there are consequences to his actions. His men have killed many of the people who sided with me, and they would have killed even more if it wasn't for the fact that we were stronger. His heart is corrupted and he let greed guide him, he deserves to die. And aside from that, keeping a previous ruler alive is strategically not very smart. the people who side with him will rebel." her voice was calm but had a sharp tone to it, it was more than obvious that war and the guilt she wore had changed her way of thinking. but no matter how scary and new this side of her mother was to her, Ellen didn't budge "Many have died indeed but more innocent people will die if a second war breaks out, children, witches, mages, the old, the innocent and even animals; Not just the men you so strongly resent. I am not planning on tolerating something like that to be started in my name." The people present were divided in their opinion, and many turned to Ellen's side, even those who previously stood with Lydia. Not because they wanted the king to live, but because they didn't want a second war. They just didn't want to lose even more people they cared for, this one had already taken too much.
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"That must have hurt Lydia's feelings" I mumbled. "It indeed did, as the same daughter who she went through hell for was now her opponent" he said exactly like the previous night, as if there was a script to telling and listening to the story.
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"I am afraid you don't understand. A man needs to face the consequences of his crime, if they don't history will just repeat itself" Lydia was getting impatient and was getting frustrated by the stupidity of her allies. The two sides clearly disagreed, and thus one last battle broke out. The king, still protected by the shield, started running into the desert and soon a few of his men followed him on horseback to make his escape faster. Lydia, not wanting to fight in the same battle as her daughter, decided to follow them, telling the officers she left behind that they should not hurt Ellen and that she is not being herself.
She knew that the shield would disappear if the king went further than a mile from the caster, and she would be ready to strike when that happens. About half a mile in though the shield disappeared and this made Lydia worry. feeling that something was wrong and teleported herself back to the battlefield in front of the hiding place of the king. When she arrived she could not find Ellen no matter how hard she tried, the same feeling she felt after losing her three years ago returned. could heaven really be so cruel as to take her daughter away just after she got her back. because of her attention being on the king she had not even properly embraced her yet, not talked with her, not heard her voice, not seen her face… tears were rolling down her cheeks.
After a while she found her, however she was amongst the dead bodies on the ground. What was left of her heart broke in pieces and her loud scream and red glow filled the battlefield, making everyone stop what they were doing. she grabbed at her hair and pulled on it in agony "I told you all not to harm her! How could you do this to her!" She cried out. "All this because she wanted to protect that piece of scum, the idiot you all call king! she was innocent! She doesn't deserve this! she doesn't.. she doesn't… she doesn't" the last one she screamed so loudly that people have said it started raining.
with another scream she placed her hand in the ground, her nails dug deep, and she let out another burst of magic. the ground broke under her fingers and as if from nothingness the king appeared before her. she grabbed the king's hair and pulled his head back so he looked her in her bloodshot red eyes but instead of slicing his head off she simply said with a truly wicked giggle “a long painful life is better than a quick death they say, well then i will make you suffer.” She had nothing to live for anymore, and the guilt of the deaths of those who helped her fight in this fruitless war was eating away at her. she dropped him to the ground and took the lifeless body of her daughter in her hand, the fact she weighed so little only bringing her more pain.
I am coming to join you daughter, but not before I get revenge for what has been done to us. Lydia started being engulfed in a red glow and she and the lifeless body of her daughter started floating higher and higher in the sky till she was high enough for all the people below to see. "In the name of Ellen shall I curse this land in a way that is fair and just. For may all the daughters of the current king and of all the future kings and rulers of this land, whether it be called emerald or not, share the same fate as my daughter would have had, had I not said anything nor taken any action. May the king's heart decide their fate!" her voice sounded throughout the nation as her magic spread to curse emerald for eternity. even children at the other side of emerald heard a voice whisper these words as they slept. This was a spell so powerful it cost all of one's magic, and to seal it forever it costs the life of a powerful witch.
While she was talking many were trying to get her down but to no avail. When she was done her body and that of her child slowly turned to dust and got carried away with the wind. It was very tragic to see the woman and the child who started this war turn to nothingness and even her enemies had empathy with her, yet it was the first time in years Lydia smiled. She was going to be reunited with her daughter and no one could come in between them anymore. No one tried to reverse the spell at first because they didn't believe the great king would treat one of his subjects that badly, a witch nonetheless.
Many even believed the king was a good man who got caught up in the witches' attempt to gain power and that the daughters of the rulers were in no danger. Even those who knew the truth didn't take any action, as they believed it was deserved. A fair spell just as this one will not start any war, and they could finally go back to a normal life. The king however, who what his heart held ordered his daughter to be heavily guarded and panicked at every sound he heard. He even ordered many mages, who are known to be scholars in magic to try and reverse the spell in secret. but the spell was sealed by a life, and no one could ever succeed. Soon enough the princess disappeared and the exact way the spell operated and the fact that it didn't end good became clear to everyone. The spell became part of the history of this land, and was renamed Ellen's fate.
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"and since then all princesses vanish when they turn 15 and are found beheaded at 35. Right?" I asked. "That is right my child, just like always. And in the 20 years that they are gone, people speculate that they are enslaved just like Ellen was. But no one actually knows for sure" the master answered before trying to complete the story, but I interrupted him. "Right! And all those who are in possession of magic are either leading bad lives and are treated like garbage or have left the kingdom because humanity has made it seem like they were at fault and the evil power in this happening. some even dare to say that the spell wasn't just, and that Lydia just cursed them with a bad life she came up with herself!" I was enthusiastic and fired up. "You know this story even better than me now," the master said while blowing the candles out.
"Wouldn't you go to sleep now" a pause followed while the master looked at me in a stern way but I decided to ask the last question nonetheless, even if it was one the master hated to hear. "Is that why I live with you and not my parents?". the master sighed "I knew it, you always ask the same things," I climbed out of bed, something i have never done "That is because you never tell me the truth" I answered determined. There was something different about today and I wanted an answer. "The current king doesn't have a daughter, only a son. no matter how much you would like it you are not the cursed princess, just another orphan.." he put a hand on my shoulder and the pity came back to his eyes before he turned to walk away.
"The truth!" I screamed as I got a hold of his shoulder "I am sick of this" I did not know where I had found the courage to do this but it felt good. he pulled my hand away and turned back looking at me with indifference, perhaps he was aware he had shown too much emotion "One does not scream at the master that feeds them and gives them a place to be” he sighed and dropped my hand so it limply fell at the side of my body. “I apologize, I let myself go. but master i beg of you just tell me the truth, when you tell the story I always feel like there is something else you want to tell me.” he simply turned and walked away so i went back to my bed as i thought he would just ignore me.
but he suddenly stopped when he got to the door. “ yes you are affected by the curse. you are the princess of Emerald or Carresae, based on what you want to name it.” he kept facing the other side as he talked and did not dare turn. “you are almost 15, it doesn't change much if you know anyway. I am a mage so in theory the spell shouldn't be able to corrupt me into doing things that would harm you. Besides me no one else knows of your birth.. Everyone else was personally taken care of by your mother and she made the king believe you were a stillborn before faking her death and escaping the palace. So you don't have to worry, you will be fine." He said, but the slight quiver showed that he knew his words were nothing but a beautiful lie.
"I don't think I will be" I mumbled before lying down in bed, trying to take it all in. "Why would you say such a thing" the master said as he turned in surprise, a tear was seen streaming down his face. There is something special about seeing an old man who I knew to be a wise mage cry but it affected me less than I thought it would. "Because you believe in the fairness of the spel, Don't you? It is clear from the way you tell this story." I simply said. "I had been on the king's side since birth, the only reason I even studied magic is to find a way to break the curse. And then, when I learned more about the history, I stepped over to the other side. Your majesty, I thought I believed Lydia had valid reasons to curse the nobles and those on top even before entrusted you with me. but now that I have had the pleasure to raise a noble like you, I don't know what I believe in now that I have met a noble like you.” he came closer but after just two steps stopped himself, hesitation and pain written all over his face.
he shook his head and turned back to the door again “It doesn't matter what i believe in anyway, all my opinion changes is how much I will be hurting once you are taken away. keeping the princess secret has been tried many times before, they even send a princess away to another kingdom to work as a servant once, but it has never worked." The last words were filled with desperation and he disappeared out of sight and closed the doors. Is this my fate, am i being punished only for being born to the wrong parents?. "What if I run away, start a new life on my own? What if... what if i break all the still existent ties with the royal family? Or maybe we can find a way to break the curse, there must be one?!" I spoke all my thoughts aloud in the hope master would help me sort through them but there was no answer returned. It seems like the master had already given up on me.