Prologue
🍇 Prologue – The Fractured Realms
In a kingdom far, far away, nestled between towering mountains and lush forests, there lay a land of grandeur and mystery. This kingdom, renowned for its vibrant culture and bountiful harvests. The Castle palace, a magnificent structure adorned with gleaming spires and intricate carvings, stood as a testament to the kingdom’s prosperity.
The king, a noble figure with a commanding presence, had been wed in an arranged marriage to Queen Mireya, a woman of unmatched beauty, grace and cunning. Their union was one of political convenience. Mireya’s third marriage. From the second had come a son—Prince Kaelen—now a bright-eyed two-year-old whose laughter echoed through the palace halls.
Despite the outward appearance of contentment, the king’s heart harbored a secret longing. Far from the prying eyes of the court, he sought solace in the arms of a woman named Tara, hidden deep within the Verdant Expanse. Tara was kind and delicate, with a passion for a particular small exotic fruit that grew wild in the forest. Her belly was swollen with child—a daughter she often dreamed of, imagining her with hair as dark as the berries she so loved and a spirit as sweet as their juice.
The king visited Tara whenever he could, slipping away from his royal duties to spend precious moments with her. As her pregnancy progressed, his visits became more frequent, his heart torn between duty and love. Queen Mireya, unaware of the affair, continued to fulfill her role with grace, tending to her son and overseeing the palace’s many affairs.
Tara, meanwhile, awaited the arrival of her child with both excitement and trepidation. She clung to the hope that the king’s love would protect them from the dangers that lay ahead. As the days grew shorter and the air turned crisp with the promise of winter, the kingdom unknowingly prepared for the birth of a child destined to right the course of its history.
Little did they know that the arrival of Berryblack, as Tara fondly dreamed of naming her daughter, would set into motion a series of events that would challenge the very foundations of the kingdom. This is the tale of love, betrayal, and the enduring strength of heart and a heart-shaped birthmark that marked the beginning of a legend.
