Princess Faustine, a secret, self-taught sorceress, must leave her all too conventional kingdom in order to pursue a dangerous, hidden truth and break an evil curse over the her kingdom and the Seven Lands.
~In which there is a humming tree and night swimming~
By the time dinner was over the plan going forward was to start the apothecary preparations this upcoming weeks end with intentions of hosting my grand opening shop by the following fortnight. And of course Leif was eager to help me as well.
"I'll come over bright and early the first day to help with setting up," he announced, "That way you don't have to do all the heavy lifting on your own. There's a lot to get organized."
"Wow that's so thoughtful of you," I said in response, "back home everything I did was usually on my own otherwise I'd be stopped from pursuing whatever magical task I'm usually up to. This is really nice."
" I think you'll find your life here much different and I hope improved in some ways Faustine," Luna said with a hint of wistfulness in her voice.
"I think so too," I replied and it felt nice to think that way.
"Before you go there's something I want to show you," he said.
"What is it," I asked curious as to what else he had to share at this point. I felt like all day long I had been discovering new things with him. An now I had a feeling today was only the beginning of a life long discovery.
Leif smiled and took my hand in response and led me outside.
"Don't forget your cloaks!" Luna called waving from the doorway. We dashed back and grabbed them, thanking her for the wise reminder.
The night was dark and cool, but the forest was alive with magic. Night flowers were blooming glowing, the leaves shimmering in the night. Even insects sparkled out here. I felt a warm sensation in my chest, as if I was connected to the forest too .
"Where are you taking me?" I asked Leif, curious and a bit nervous.
"To a special place. You'll see." He smiled and squeezed my hand.
We walked for a while, following a narrow path. The sounds of the forest had its own rhythm beckoning us onward and deeper into the woods. After a bit of waking we finally reached a clearing, where a large reflective lagoon was dancing with dazzling moonlight.
The water was calm and clear, and I could see the fish swimming below. Glowing mushrooms and tall purple reads surrounded the lagoon, creating a soft diffused light that settled like a gentle mist above the waters. In the middle of the pond, there was a little island, where a massive willow tree was standing. And this willow was no ordinary tree. There was no doubt about it, in every way it was magical. It had silver bark all throughout the trunk and into the branches, covered in moss colorful flowers and mushrooms? and irredecent purple leaves with silver spines running through them that seemed to pulsate with some sort of deep fire. And if that wasn't enough it was emitting a gentle humming sound that buzzed thorough the ground, across the waters and all the way up through my feet where I stood.
"This is it. The heart of the forest. The most enchanting spot in the entire forest and some even say the kingdoms." Leif said. I could hear the awe present in his voice.
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