Prologue
It was a beautiful night. The stars were high in the sky, the moon shining full and proud. The sky was vast and velvety. There was a distant hoot of an owl, or the howl of a wolf. There was the occasional high note of a siren practicing her enchanting songs, or a cackle from a witch somewhere nearby.King Kai Holland strolled through the forest, silent as a mouse. He felt at peace in the dark forest. The forest was where he felt safest, and where he felt that he had the most freedom. He’d much rather be outside than cooped up in some stuffy castle. The wilderness was full of interesting animals and creatures, some of which you might have never known had existed.
Most thought it was dangerous. Going out into the woods at night, without any protection, whether it be men or even just a sword.
Kai was a handsome young man, with shoulder length raven black hair and eyes as blue as the sky. He was tall with a lean body and a chiseled jaw. He had perfect teeth and and freckles across the bridge of his nose. And his singing voice, it was beautiful. Some thought he was perfectly safe in the woods. They say he could charm even the coldest of hearts and could make the wildest of beasts fall asleep with a simple lullaby.
Finally he came to a clearing. A tall magnificent tower rose high into the sky. The spire of the building rose above the treetops. Kai approached the tower with a grin on his face. “My beloved Blackbird,” he called out. “I’m here.”
A little girl, no older than ten years old peeked her head out of the window. Her name was Ravyn Holland, and she was Kai’s daughter.
Now you may be thinking, ‘Why would a father leave his little girl in a tower in the middle of a forest?’ But poor little Ravyn is the product of Kai being seduced by a witch ten years ago. The witch herself was cursed to stay in the tower. The only exit was the large window in the tower. Whenever she’d tried to get out, she’d be knocked backward by an invisible barrier. The only way the witch could leave was if someone with her blood, was left behind. Or if someone happened to lift the roof off the tower, which was a silly idea.
The witch lured Kai into the tower with her siren like voice and well...that night, (with magic)Ravyn was born. Kai woke up and was left with the child. Kai stayed with the girl until she was eight, and then snuck away from his castle every time he could to visit.
Little Rayvn waved at her father, with a big smile on her face. She disappeared into the tower for a few seconds and then a rope dropped down from the entrance. Kai started to climb.
He launched himself into the tower and then got knocked to the carpeted floor by his daughter. Kai chuckled softly and tucked a strand of bright red hair behind the little girl’s ear. The girl stood up and brushed off her delicate blue dress. Her blue eyes sparkled.
The tower looked like a normal living area. There were colorful lights strung up around the room. There was a bed with blankets, pillows, even a few toy animals. There was even a small kitchen as well.
Kai reached to pull his chair out, when suddenly he collapsed in pain.
“Father!” Ravyn screamed. She ran over, and the closer she got the more the pain intensified. Kai let out a strangled yelp as his daughter tried to grab his arm to stand him up. Ravyn slowly backed away, tears in her eyes her hand covering her mouth. Kai painfully scrambled back away from his daughter. The farther away he got from the her, the more the pain eased. He scrambled down the rope and back down the tower.
Once he got to the bottom, he was fine. He felt absolutely no pain. Suddenly, a woman was standing before him.
Anger overwhelmed his senses. “What are you doing here Alithiea?” Kai snapped. “You abandon me and our child for ten years, and just now you show up?”
The woman giggled softly. “Oh, Kai still so handsome after all these years,” she said softly. Alithiea was a tall beautiful woman with the same flaming red hair and pale skin as her daughter Ravyn. But Alithiea had brown eyes instead of blue and a far more crueler heart. She wore a simple white cloak and delicate slippers. “I did what I had to by leaving Ravyn and you behind.”
“What you did was terrible,” Kai said. “You had no right. And please explain, because I have a feeling this was of your doing, why did I feel so much pain when I was close, and none at all when I was away?”
“Well my sweet, it was only fair.”
“Fair? You call that fair?” Kai looked at Alithiea in disgust.
“Yes, it was fair. I have been all over the kingdoms and still haven’t been able to be happy. So, if I can’t find joy, you will never be able to be with yours,” the red headed witch said simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. “Whenever you are close to your ‘beloved Blackbird’, you will be in excruciating pain. If you are close to her for a certain amount of time, you could die. And if you are apart from her, you will be perfectly fine. Except for heartache. Whether together or apart you will feel pain.”
“What about Ravyn?” Kai asked looking up at the tower. “Will she also be in pain when we are close?”
“I’m not that cruel,” Alithiea said. “But, every memory she has of you will be erased.” She cackled loudly. But don’t worry sweet Kai you still have me.” She tried to caress his cheek but Kai smacked her hand away.
Alithiea glowered at Kai. “Have fun never seeing your daughter again.”
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