Every century, the ancient kingdom of Velharin must send a royal bride into the Forest of
Ashes --- a cursed land ruled by a forgotten god known as The Hollow Prince. No bride has
ever returned, but the kingdom flourishes for another hundred years afterward. It's a pact
no one questions --- until now.
When Liora, a fiery and stubborn bastard princess raised in exile, was chosen as the next
Ash-Tongued Bride, she agrees --- not out of duty, but to uncover the truth. She plans to
destroy the pact from within... or die trying.
On the outskirts of Velharin in a small town, a lean and wiry woman is gardening beside a
small cabin.
Her eyes are striking gray with faint gold flecks --- like storm clouds lit by candlelight.
Cold, piercing, and emotionally guarded. Her skin is a light olive tone, marked with scars and burns.Deep,inky black hair with faint copper glints in sunlight.
As she is gardening, a group of knights approaches the cabin.
'Good morning, Princess.'
She looks at them with cold eyes filled with anger.
'What do you bastards want now?'
The knights were angered by what she said but remains calm.
'The king would like to see you.'
Her face grew pale.
'What does he want now?'
She asked with anger and hatred in her voice.
'You are not required to know the reason. We will escort you to the castle in a few minutes. Go change your clothes. You will not meet the king looking broke and dirty.'
She clenches her fist trying not to lash out at the knights and turns around to enter her
cabin. After a few minutes, she leaves the cabin wearing a long red dress with beatiful
patterns on it. The knights proceed to lead her into a carriage and escort her to the castle.
The outskirts of the kingdom is much more different than the center of the kingdom where
the castle resides. The center is more colourful and lively compared to the lifeless and
broken outskirts. Thousands of people strolling on the streets of the center.
After a while, the carriage arrived at the gates leading to the castle.
The castle is surrounded by a wall that is atleast ten meters tall. Within the walls, there is a
tall castle. After arriving at the castle, the knights opened the doors of the carriage and led
her into the castle.The knights led her through a big hallway, leading to the throne room. When they entered
the room, two figures sit on thrones at the middle of the room. The king stares at her with
cold eyes. She then slowly walks to the front of the king and kneeled.
'May i ask the reason for wanting to see me?'
She asked with a pale expression on her face.
The king glanced at her with a cold expression.
'Yes, you are chosen to be The Ash-Tongued Bride, and will be sent into The Forest of
Ashes in two weeks.'
She looked at him with a shocked expression and said:
'What! No! I am not going to that damned forest to be sacrificed to some corrupted god.'
The king replied:
'I am not asking you to. I am ordering you to.'
She wanted to dash toward the damned king and kill him but decided to resist since she
wont be able to win against him in combat.
'Tch. Very well.'
The king grinned with a wicked expression.
'We will provide you with some equipment, clothes, and food to survive in the forest. We
will allow you to stay in the castle for the next two weeks to prepare. Get some rest today, my maid will escort you to your room.'
A maid walked toward her and began leading her to the room.
The castle has countless rooms and hallways, making it almost impossible for someone to navigate through the castle. After a short walk through many hallways, they arrived at the
room given to her to sleep in for the next two weeks.
After leading her to the room, the maid exited the room and left.
She laid on the bed and thought:
'Curse that damned bastard. I will survive the forest and come back to kill him. Curse the
forest and that damned god, I will destroy that damned pact and uncover the truths of that damned forest and that corrupted god. Might as well get some sleep, I haven't slept in such
a comfy bed in years.'
After an hour or so, she fell asleep on the bed with a relaxed expression on her face.