The sky was burning.
Not with flames—but with light. Soft, blue, and whispering.
Lina gasped as she woke, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. The dream again.
The prince in the dream. His silver eyes. His bleeding crown.She pressed her hand to her chest. The same mark burned against her skin. A crescent moon-shaped scar she was born with, glowing faintly in the darkness of her room.
In the distance, the village bells rang. Time for the harvest fair.
---
Meanwhile… miles away…
Prince Aric stood at the edge of the cursed forest, sword in hand. He had dreamt of a girl. A girl with wild hair and fire in her voice. A girl who said his name as if it meant something.
He shook his head.
Love is a lie.
Love is death.
He turned away, heart pounding. But the wind carried a whisper.
"Find her…"
---
Later That Day – At the Village Fair
The crowd was loud. Music, laughter, the scent of honey cakes. But Lina felt nothing but strange.
Until she saw him.
The man with silver eyes.
Standing under the moonlight, watching her like he had known her all his life.
Aric.
He didn't speak.
Neither did she.
But in that moment… the curse stirred.