Brynja and Roland remained embraced for what felt like an eternity. There were no words, only the steady rhythm of their hearts and the stillness that enveloped them. The world around them seemed to have changed in some way, but neither dared to move. They feared that if they separated, that magical moment might fade away.
The air surrounding them was charged with an indescribable energy, as if something extraordinary and profound had just occurred. Although the sky was still covered with dark clouds, a sense of peace began to envelop the forest. The storm that had battered the land moments ago was no longer a threat, but a symbol of the change that had just taken place.
Suddenly, a white, ethereal figure began to form before them. Brynja and Roland, though exhausted, instinctively took a defensive stance, alert to any possible danger. The figure floated slightly above the ground, wrapping the space in a soft, warm light. It was a woman, her silhouette blurred but undeniably serene. Before they could react, a velvety voice resonated in the air.
"Do not be afraid," said the figure with a softness that calmed their hearts. "I will not harm you. Not now, nor ever."
Brynja and Roland exchanged glances, still cautious, but the woman's words came to them like a balm. The fear they had felt began to dissipate slowly. The figure, now clearer, was Isolde. But she no longer radiated that dark and vengeful energy that had aided Osric. Isolde had changed. The peace emanating from her was palpable. Her face, once marked by hatred and pain, now reflected a deep, almost celestial calm. Her eyes, which had once been filled with resentment, now shone with gratitude.
"Thank you," Isolde began, her voice soft as a breeze. "Thank you for showing me that I was wrong. The relationship between our species... was never the problem. It was my own pain that blinded my vision. But now I see clearly. And for that, I can leave in peace, alongside my daughter."
Brynja and Roland listened to her in silence, their hearts filled with emotions. Isolde, who had been the cause of so much suffering for a thousand years, was now thanking them for showing her the way to redemption. Isolde's figure slowly rose, and as she did, Brynja and Roland could see how an aura of white light enveloped her form. It was as if all the hatred and despair that had once consumed her had faded away.
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"True love can heal even the deepest wounds," Isolde continued, her ethereal form rising higher, almost touching the starry sky. "Your union has shown that peace and love can prevail, even when everything seems to be against you."
With those final words, Isolde's figure gently faded among the stars, leaving behind a trail of light that illuminated the sky for a brief moment before vanishing completely. The calm that followed was almost supernatural. The wind blew softly, as if the world itself breathed a sigh of relief for the first time in a thousand years.
In that moment, both Brynja and Roland felt something within them. It was as if an invisible chain they had carried in their souls, a chain that had been there for so long without their awareness, had broken. The sensation of liberation was overwhelming, and they were not the only ones to feel it. The entire world, humans and trolls alike, experienced that same relief, that same feeling of freedom.
The sky, once covered in shadows, began to clear. The first stars appeared, shining with renewed intensity, as if nature itself responded to the change that had just taken place. The world had changed.
Brynja and Roland looked at each other, their hands still intertwined, knowing that something profound had happened, something that would mark the fate of their world forever. It was not only their curse that had been broken, but also the barriers that had separated trolls and humans for a thousand years. A new beginning lay before them, one where both could imagine a future together.
"Do you think this means...?" Roland murmured, his voice trembling but full of hope.
Brynja nodded, her eyes filled with tears of joy. "Yes. Love... has changed everything."
Both knew that although the future would bring new challenges, something essential had been restored in the world. The harmony that had been lost so long ago was now within reach, and the freedom that came with it gave everyone, humans and trolls alike, a new opportunity.
Unconditional love, the kind that knows no borders, that does not fear differences, had triumphed. And while they did not know exactly what tomorrow held for them, they knew they would face it together.
THE END