Prologue
“This is a strange story, but a true story, for if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t tell it to you” a woman spoke softly, caressing her daughter’s golden hair, her other hand intertwined with her husband’s, resting over the bump on her stomach.
“Once upon a time,”
“Do all the stories have to start like that? It gets boring”
The little girl disagreed. The stories never got boring.
“Tata hush and let Mama tell the story”
“Thank you dear, now, as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted,” she threw a teasing look at the man holding her hand as he stared at her with adoration sparkling in his eyes.
“Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, on the very land we walk on, in a kingdom where magic hid between the pine trees, there lived a king and a queen who desperately wanted a child. They wanted one so very badly, but could not manage to have one. They visited countless doctors, astrologers, and tried any remedy one could think of, all to no avail. Until one fateful day, a rumor reached the palace about an old man who could perform miracles. The royal couple was running out of options, so they paid him a visit.
When the old man saw the royal couple approach, he spoke, his voice low and scratchy with ancient knowledge. “I know what you seek, and I can help you, but this child will bring you more pain than joy.”
The king and queen ignored this warning, all they wanted was a child. The old man sent them home with a basket of mysterious, glittering herbs and soon enough, the queen was with child. Nine months later, she gave birth to a perfect baby boy. The kingdom rejoiced over this wonderful news. Songs of celebration were sung all through town and even the sun seemed to shine a little brighter once the story was shared. The only problem was, since his very first breath, the boy would not stop crying. His tears fell day and night, pouring endlessly, and he did not stop, not even when he fell asleep. In an attempt to make his bawling end, the king started promising his son all sorts of wonderful things.
“Stop crying copilașul meu, you will inherit the greatest kingdom on earth.”
“Cease your tears my son, I will get you the most beautiful princess for a bride.”
The boy would not stop crying.
“If you stop crying, I will grant you the unthinkable, I will give you a youth without age and a life without death.”
As if by magic, the boy stopped crying immediately. From that point on, he grew into a perfect young prince. Smart, strong, and brave, everyone in the kingdom loved him. He was going to be their next great ruler.
However, on the day of his 16th birthday, something changed. The prince was always sad. He had a gloomy expression and was constantly brooding. Nobody could understand what was wrong with him. Then suddenly, one evening at dinner, the prince rose from his seat and declared, “Father, the day has come for you to give me what you promised all those days ago, on the day I was born : a youth without age and a life without death.”
The king was surprised and answered, “But my son, you must know I cannot grant you such an impossible thing, I said that merely to get you to stop crying.”
“Very well,” said the prince, “then I will set off on a quest through all the lands and around the world to find it myself.”
A soft snoring filled the room, accompanied by the sound of the fireplace crackling, bathing the room in a warm glow. The little girl drowsily lifted her eyelids and mumbled,
“What happens next Mama? Does he go on his adventure?”
“He does, and a great and magical adventure it is, but that’s a story to continue for another night” the woman gently ran her fingers over her daughter’s eyelids until they shut, and removed the wilting flower crown from her daughter’s golden hair, which looked almost as red as her own in the firelight.
“Go to sleep darling, there will always be more time for stories.”
The woman stifled a laugh when her husband’s snoring got louder.
“Noapte bună, Mama.” the girl said through a yawn.
“Somn ușor, Aurelia.”
The girl smiled, nestled closer in between her parents, and closed her eyes. That night, she dreamt of kingdoms far in the past and quests full of magic buried deep in the woods.
