The following morning, Ravenna could barely remember how she had made it through the night. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts: the shadowy forest, the stranger in her arms, and her mother's fearful expression as they tried to tend to his wounds. The man—if he even was a man—had refused any attempt to speak of his origins, his eyes distant and haunted.
She found herself staring at him as he lay in the corner of the small cottage, his breathing steady but shallow. The faint glow of his eyes seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat, casting an otherworldly light across the dim room.
Her mother, now silent and still, busied herself with preparing a mixture of herbs and potions. Ravenna had never seen her so uneasy.
"You've never seen anything like him, have you?" Ravenna asked quietly, watching her mother work.
Her mother did not meet her gaze. "No, Ravenna. He is not just any stranger. He is something... ancient." She set the potion down with a tremor in her hand. "There are legends about creatures like him—beasts that once roamed the earth, cursed by the gods for their transgressions. But they were supposed to be gone, lost to time."
"But he's still here," Ravenna murmured, turning her attention back to the man. "What does he want?"
"I don't know," her mother answered with a shake of her head. "But we must be careful. The legends say that such beings bring ruin to those who help them."
Ravenna's curiosity gnawed at her. Who was he? Why had he come to her—of all people—for help? She had seen his pendant, the strange, silver charm that seemed to pulse with a life of its own, but it was unlike any jewel she had ever known. It was both beautiful and terrifying, intricate yet simple, glowing faintly as though it held some kind of power within it.
While her mother tended to other tasks, Ravenna found herself standing by his side once again. His features, though marred with blood and dirt, were strikingly handsome. His silver hair, long and tangled, framed a face both regal and haunted. There was an aura about him—a strange magnetism—that pulled at her in ways she couldn't explain. She'd never been one to believe in fated connections, but there was something undeniably... otherworldly about him.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, she reached out and touched the pendant hanging from his neck. The instant her fingers brushed it, a shock of energy surged through her, knocking her back onto the floor.
Her mother rushed over, her face ashen. "What have you done?!"
Ravenna, her heart racing, stared at her hands. The tingling sensation from the pendant lingered in her fingertips. "It... it's alive."
Her mother's eyes widened in terror. "That pendant... it's tied to his curse. If it reacts to you, Ravenna, you are now part of his fate."
Later that evening, the stranger awoke again. This time, his eyes were more focused, though still clouded with exhaustion. He looked around the room as if trying to remember where he was before his gaze settled on Ravenna.
"You should have left me to die," he rasped, his voice hoarse, yet somehow laced with an authority that made her freeze.
Ravenna stood tall, her gaze unwavering. "I couldn't. You needed help."
The man's lips twisted into a half-smile. "It's strange... I've never met someone so foolish. But perhaps... that's what I need."
He raised himself with difficulty, wincing at the pain in his side. Ravenna moved to steady him, but he pulled away, as though afraid of her touch. His eyes softened for a moment before hardening once again.
"I am Damien," he said quietly, his voice laced with a deep, untold sorrow. "Once a prince of the Shadowborne, now bound by a curse I cannot escape. A curse that has turned me into a creature of darkness, a beast of the night."
Ravenna took a step back, her breath catching in her throat. "A prince?"
Damien nodded grimly, his silver eyes catching the light from the hearth. "Yes. My kingdom... my people were destroyed because of this curse. I sought redemption, but in doing so, I only brought more ruin. Now, my curse is tied to this pendant. And it will never release me—unless..."
He trailed off, his gaze distant as if lost in memories too painful to speak of. Ravenna's heart ached with the sorrow in his eyes, but she didn't dare speak. There was so much he wasn't saying.
"Unless?" she asked softly.
"Unless you can break it," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "But to do so... you will pay a price".
Ravenna was silent for a long while, her mind racing. A prince? Cursed? The weight of what he was asking settled heavily on her shoulders. She was no hero—just the daughter of a healer, a woman who had never ventured beyond the village walls, never dreamed of anything more than helping those in need.
But this... this was different. Her life, her fate, had somehow become intertwined with Damien's, whether she wanted it or not.
The room was thick with tension as Damien watched her, waiting for her answer.
Finally, Ravenna spoke, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. "What must I do to break your curse?"
Damien's lips parted as if he had been expecting the question. "The answer is simple... and yet, impossible. You must give of yourself—the magic in your blood is the only thing that can free me. But in doing so, you will lose your powers forever. And your life will be bound to mine."
Ravenna's heart fluttered in her chest. Lose her magic? Her gift—her ability to heal, to help those around her—was the only thing she had ever truly owned. To give it up for someone she barely knew...
But deep down, something told her that her path was tied to this cursed prince in ways she could not yet understand.