The night stretched endlessly, bathed in silver light. The moon hung heavy above the forest, its glow spilling through the canopy like liquid silk. On the dew-kissed grass, Kael lay with his cloak cast aside, the rise and fall of his bare chest steady and warm.
Luna rested her head against him, her hair fanning like dark starlight over his skin. The cool breeze carried the whisper of leaves, but neither moved; the world seemed hushed, as though even the forest itself dared not disturb the forbidden peace between them. The bond of comfort, fragile yet undeniable, pulsed in the quiet rhythm of their breaths beneath the watching moon.
"My father only tells me that we can't be together because the forest spirits has cursed that we only marry from the forest. I had thought as a princess, I was free. Yet, I feel so restrained and...bondaged." So bondaged. But who cares? She is the princess. She is going to love whom she pleases. What the hell would even the old forest spirits do?
Kael smiled as he stroked her hair. "You're the forest princess, and I'm an Umbra's warrior. We're from two different worlds, yet our souls connect."
Souls connecting. Luna smiled at the sentence. Yes. She was sure her soul is connected to this man. To Kael. Nothing more could explain this sudden affection. This flaring love. The tingle in her heart whenever she feels his presence.
As her head still rested on Kael's bare chest, his heartbeat steady beneath her ear, a rhythm that soothed her more than words ever could. Together, they sat in silence, warmed by each other's nearness, their thoughts flowing in quiet harmony. For a moment, it felt as though the forest itself had stilled to honor their peace.
Then it came—sudden, sharp, and unbidden. A surge of energy stirred within her, coursing through her veins like fire wrapped in ice. Her body tensed, her breath faltered. It was not her own power, not the gentle magic she had always known, but something darker, older, bound to her very blood. It whispered of danger, of a fate sealed long before her birth.
Her pulse quickened as the warmth of Kael's closeness seemed to awaken it further. The sensation was suffocating, clawing at her chest, warning her that if she did not leave now, something terrible would be unleashed. Luna could not name it, but in the marrow of her bones she knew: her father. Something tells her that her father finds her. The feeling was so strong.
Her fingers trembled where they clutched Kael's arm, torn between the comfort of his embrace and the terror rising inside her.
"Kael," she quickly stood up. "I have to go."
---
Her footsteps echoed softly as she climbed the spiral stair woven through the heart of the Moonspire. Each step carried the faint pulse of the ancient tree, as though it knew where she was going… and why she dreaded it.
At last, the towering doors appeared, carved from living silverwood, thick vines curling in thorned spirals across their surface. Two Umbra guards stood motionless, their eyes shadowed by dark helms, yet Luna felt their gaze pierce her. Without a word, the vines slithered back, opening the way.
The Forest King's chambers swallowed her whole.
The air was cool and sharp with cedar smoke, laced with something metallic, like the tang of moonlight. A vast dome arched above her, its roots braided into constellations that shimmered faintly, as though the ceiling itself were alive with stars. Orbs of pale blue fire drifted lazily, casting long shadows that slithered over the polished walls of silverwood.
At the center stood her father.
He sat upon the blackthorn throne-bed, its jagged frame crowned with shards of moonstone that glowed faintly under his touch. His dark cloak spilled around him like a shadow given form, and his eyes, sharp as blades, lifted to Luna the moment she entered. Behind him, the largest window framed the moon in all its glory, pouring silver light over his form like a mantle of power.
On the pedestal beside him rested the Thorned Crown, veined with silver cracks, humming faintly in the silence. Luna could feel its pull even from across the chamber, a pressure in her chest that made her want to look away… but could not.
"Luna," his voice rolled like thunder restrained. "My daughter. Do you know why I have summoned you?"
She lowered her head, her hands clasped tightly before her skirts. The air was heavy here, pressing down on her shoulders, demanding obedience.
"I… I do not, Father."
His eyes lingered on her, searching. In the stillness, Luna thought she saw something soften in his gaze—grief, perhaps, or longing—but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"There are whispers," he said at last, his tone sharp again. "Whispers that the bloodline stirs."
Her breath caught. Her heart pounded so hard she feared he might hear it.
The King rose from his throne, the fabric of his cloak whispering against the thorned wood. He moved to the pool of moonwater at the chamber's edge, the silver liquid rippling though no hand touched it. When he gazed into it, the pool glowed, showing fleeting visions—shadows of lovers beneath the trees, the shape of a face too familiar, and then the shimmer of thorns dripping with crimson.
Luna's throat went dry. Did he see Kael?
Her father turned back to her, his voice iron and inevitability:
"You must not forget who you are, child. You are the daughter of the crown. Desire is a weakness. And weakness feeds the curse."
His hand hovered above the Thorned Crown, and its thorns glistened as if wet with blood.
Luna bowed deeper, hiding the storm in her eyes.
"Yes, Father."
But deep inside, her heart whispered another answer, a name she dared not speak aloud—Kael. She has told him that she's restrained in loving him because they are only allowed to be with the forest people. But not the whole truth. She has been tied to the curse of eternal thorns.
A crown forged by the forest spirits as a punishment. Whoever wears it wields a power so great. Greater than all powers. As the heir to the throne, Luna is the only person to wear this crown. But she has been warned by her father and late mother. She cannot love. It is dangerous. She should not dare.
But now, now she has disobeyed. Kael cannot leave her mind. How do she turnedher heart to a rock so she doesn't love? It was too late. Come what may, she was already in love with Kael.