Once Upon a Time, there was a King and a Queen who loved each other dearly. They had two sons who they loved just as equally. The king loved his eldest son who he taught everything he knew. Preparing his son to rule the kingdom with logic and fairness. The queen loved the youngest son who she taught everything she felt. Exposing him to live his life with love and passion. 

The kingdom was happy and prosperous. No one knew suffering or sadness. It was the age of art and music. Every other week was a festival of the arts and music. Everyone was happy. Until a dark shadow fell across the kingdom. 

The Queen fell ill. Every doctor came and inspected but no one knew what it was or how to treat it. In his grief, the king lashed out at the festivals and put an end to them. Forbidding music and celebration as long as the queen was bedridden. In their grief, the eldest son abandoned the kingdom entirely to stay by his mother’s side and help the nurses tend to her. The youngest took long walks into the forest, begging the spirits for an answer. 

Every day the queen was ill, the people of the kingdom became more and more depressed. The colors of the kingdom faded away and everyone wore nothing but black. The pale river of death drawing its path closer, bringing with it; the Do’Laeth. 

One day, the prince stumbled upon the icy shores of the river and in his grief, he fell to his knees by the bank and wept. 

“Do not cry, prince.” Said a voice from in the water. The prince looked and found the very picture of beauty looking back at him. They were the most beautiful person the prince had ever seen. A Do’Laeth, but not just any Do’Laeth. The Crowned Heir of Tyrsande, the Land of the Dead. He wept and begged for his mother’s life. Offering treasure beyond imagination, any quest would be done, any price paid, the entire kingdom was theirs if only they would spare his mother. 

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The Do’Laeth only shook their head. For the only way to spare a life is by trading a life equally. 

Without a second of hesitation, the prince agreed to give his life to spare his mothers. The Do’Laeth was taken back by the quickness of the answer. They agreed that once the Queen’s health returned, the Do’Laeth would return for the prince. 

The prince returned home, filled with dread at the promise he’d made but content that his mother’s life was safe. He spent the next day at the castle. Consoling his father and convincing him to decorate the castle in his mother’s favorite colors and preparing a celebration for the queen’s revival. 

He went to his older brother and found his brother in a true conundrum! The elder brother was in love with the nurse tending to the queen. The youngest brother told him to invite the nurse as his date to the queen’s ball and bring her flowers. All the while he could see the river of death coming closer for him. 

That night, he went out to complete the trade but the Do’Laeth noble said it was not time yet. Every night leading up to the queen’s ball, the prince would go out and speak to the Do’Laeth and every time they told him it wasn’t time. 

The Queen did begin to recover, and she would send the nurse off with her eldest son to bring back silly things. Just so they could spent more time, their love growing. And the queen was the first to notice the youngest prince going off. She gives her blessing for his love and only then did the prince realize he did love the Do’Laeth heir. 

The night of the queen’s ball, she dressed up and strut down to the ballroom. All the kingdom rejoiced and the prince watched from the windows. The river of death flowing to his feet. The Do’Laeth told him it was time. 

The prince gave to them a bouquet of glass flowers. And never again was the young prince seen.

But years later, a letter arrived in the palace. The eldest son had married the nurse and together the family read the letter. Finding it was from the youngest son. He’d married the Do’Laeth and had two beautiful children. Together the family lived in the mists between this world, and the next.