Forbidden Love

Introduction

Once upon a time a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens and from this small drop of sun grew a magic golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured.

A hop, skip, and a boat ride away grew the kingdom of Corona. It was ruled by a beloved king and queen, and the queen, well she was about to have a baby, when she got sick, really sick. She was running out of time, that's when people usually start looking for an answer, or in this case, a magic golden flower.

You guys have probably heard that story before, but this one's a little different.

While looking for the flower, there was a rumor going around. Normally rumors would go unnoticed by the royal guard, but this one didn't, and for a good reason.

It was about a woman known as Old Lady Gothel. It was said that week after week, year after year, she would come to town. Several of the town elders said she had been doing that for decades and hadn't aged a day. The only way that would be possible is if the woman had in her possession a certain golden flower.

The guards immediately told the king of the rumor, which led to him telling them to investigate.

Once they had confirmed Gothel had the flower, the king himself, along with the captain of the guard, went to negotiate to try to get the flower without having to forcefully take it from the woman. Seeing the desperate look in the king's eyes, Gothel gave in and took them to the flower.

She reluctantly gave them one petal, saying that would be more then enough to save the queen. When asked if they could do anything in return, the woman simply replied, "take my daughter."

Once they agreed, Gothel led them to a small cabin deep in the forest. Without telling her daughter anything, she gave the four year old to the two men. Gothel then pushed all three of them away, leaving the child confused and heart broken.

Its a bit of the downer, I know, but it wasn't all bad.

Gothel's daughter, Cassandra, along with the petal, where brought back to the castle.

Once the power of the flower healed the queen, the maids,  guards, and  captain gave Cassandra more love then she probably ever had gotten before. She was even invited in to see the newborn princess. The two young girls seemed to bond right away.

Everything turned out okay for everyone. Gothel got to keep her flower, the king saved his queen and princess, and Cassandra found a loving home when the captain adopted her as his own. She was raised in the castle and grew up with the princess.

Over the years, Cassandra grew close with the royal family and was often treated like a daughter by the king and queen, and like a sister by the princess.

Once she was old enough, Cass was given the opportunity to become the princess's handmaiden and eventually her personal guard.

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Once upon a time a single drop of moonlight fell from the heavens and from this small drop of moonlight formed a single seductive opal stone. It had the ability to destroy any and all who would seek to possess it.

Over the centuries, the opal's defenses spread and the Dark Kingdom was formed. For genoraion after genoraion, the rulers of this Kingdom did their best to keep the stone's power at bay.

Now, I know what you may be thinking, 'we've all heard this story, we know how it goes', but this Dark Kingdom's not the one you may know. This tale goes a little differently.

Despite the danger and destruction the opal caused, the kingdom grew and prospered. They grew crops that could only thrive in the light of the moon that resides over the Dark Kingdom. They discovered how to cut and make tools and weapons from the black rocks, and even learned when the rocks would spread and the patterns they took when they did.

Life was pretty good in the Dark Kingdom, but not everyone thought so.

As the years passed, many people broke into the castle to try and destroy the stone in hopes that it would destroy the magic too. Knowing it couldn't be destroyed and shouldn't be disturbed, the reigning king, King Edmund, formed the Brotherhood. It consisted of the three best fighters in the kingdom and the king himself, bonded together by loyalty the opal, with the sole purpose of protecting it.

The king and his wife were soon blessed with a son, the dark prince. Six years after that, there were two more additions to a castle occupants, a baby girl, the dark princess, and a baby boy, the son of the Brotherhood member Quirin and his wife Ulla.

These kids were raised side by side and grew close with each other.

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These two kingdoms had been allies for decades but over time their relationship became strained.

Disputes, conflicts, and broken promises threatened the peace between the kingdoms but each time, the kings would resolve the problem. At least, until a line was crossed.

On the eve of the Dark princess's tenth birthday, the moonstone was seccessfully stolen from its chamber for the first time in centuries. The thief was caught before he could even leave the castle and the Moonstone was retrieved.

When questioned by the Brotherhood, the thief claimed to be sent by the king of Corona. Whether this was true or not didn't matter, it was the final straw for King Edmund. The thief was killed and war was declared on Corona the next morning; a war that would wage for many years to come.

A war that an unlikely couple just might be able to end.

(I'll try to post the next chapter tomorrow then if I stay on track with writing I'll post a chapter a week. Thank y'all so much for reading and commenting 😄)