The Healer from the Forbidden forest
1489 Words
Chapter Two
The Healer from the Forbidden Forest
The night air felt cold against Elara’s skin.
Tears still lingered in her eyes as she stared at the stranger beneath the willow tree.
Moonlight filtered through the hanging branches, painting silver patterns across the grass.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The young man seemed content to wait.
Unlike everyone else in the palace, he wasn’t staring at her with pity.
That alone made him different.
“How did you get inside the royal gardens?” Elara finally asked.
The stranger shrugged.
“I walked.”
Despite her misery, she almost laughed.
“That’s impossible. The guards patrol these grounds every hour.”
“Then I suppose they’re not very good guards.”
A small smile touched her lips.
The stranger noticed.
“There,” he said. “That’s better.”
Elara frowned.
“What is?”
“Your smile.”
Her cheeks warmed unexpectedly.
She looked away.
The stranger stepped closer.
Not enough to invade her space, but enough for her to see the kindness in his eyes.
“You looked like the weight of the world was crushing you.”
“It feels like it is.”
“Because of what happened in the ballroom?”
The memory stabbed at her heart.
The silence.
The whispers.
The humiliation.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
“You saw?”
“Everyone in the kingdom saw.”
The words hurt.
But his tone carried no cruelty.
Only honesty.
Elara sighed.
“My crystal failed.”
“Or perhaps it simply chose a different path.”
She shook her head.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it to me.”
The invitation surprised her.
Most people offered advice before listening.
This stranger was doing the opposite.
For reasons she couldn’t explain, Elara found herself speaking.
She told him about the curse.
About growing up under impossible expectations.
About watching friends discover their soulmates.
About spending years believing tonight would finally prove she was normal.
When she finished, tears had returned.
The stranger listened quietly.
Then he asked a simple question.
“Do you believe love only exists if magic says it does?”
Elara blinked.
“What?”
“If your crystal had pointed toward someone tonight, would you automatically love them?”
She hesitated.
“Eventually.”
“Why?”
“Because they would be my soulmate.”
The stranger shook his head.
“No.”
The certainty in his voice startled her.
“No?”
“Love doesn’t happen because magic tells you to love someone.”
His eyes lifted toward the moon.
“It happens because you choose them.”
Elara stared at him.
Nobody had ever spoken about soulmates that way.
In Lunaria, destiny was everything.
The crystal chose.
The heart followed.
That was how it had always been.
“Who are you?” she asked again.
This time he answered.
“My name is Kael.”
“Just Kael?”
He smiled.
“Isn’t one name enough?”
“Not usually.”
“I suppose I’m unusual.”
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
Kael grinned.
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“That smile.”
Elara rolled her eyes.
Yet somehow she felt lighter.
The crushing despair that had consumed her moments ago had softened.
Not vanished.
But softened.
A sudden rustling echoed nearby.
Kael’s expression changed instantly.
His playful demeanor disappeared.
His body became alert.
Dangerously alert.
“What is it?” Elara whispered.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Someone’s coming.”
Sure enough, voices echoed through the garden.
Guards.
Searching for her.
“Princess!”
Elara groaned.
Her father must have sent them.
She turned back toward Kael.
But he was already moving.
“Wait,” she said.
He paused.
“When will I see you again?”
The question escaped before she could stop it.
Kael looked surprised.
Then pleased.
He pointed toward the distant mountains beyond the kingdom walls.
“The Forbidden Forest.”
Elara’s eyes widened.
“No one goes there.”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s my home.”
Before she could respond, Kael stepped backward into the shadows.
Moonlight swallowed him.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
Gone.
It was as though he had never been there.
“Princess!”
The guards finally arrived.
Their leader looked relieved.
“Thank the stars. We’ve been searching everywhere.”
Elara nodded absentmindedly.
Her gaze remained fixed on the place where Kael had disappeared.
A strange warmth lingered in her chest.
For the first time since the ceremony, she didn’t feel completely broken.
⸻
The next morning, the kingdom buzzed with gossip.
Servants whispered in hallways.
Merchants discussed it in markets.
Nobles exchanged rumors during breakfast.
Everyone talked about the princess whose crystal had failed.
Elara remained in her room.
She had no desire to face anyone.
A knock sounded.
“Enter.”
King Aldric stepped inside.
He looked exhausted.
His eyes carried worry he couldn’t hide.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
The lie hung between them.
The king sighed.
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Elara stared out the window.
“Father…”
“Yes?”
“What if they’re right?”
His expression hardened.
“Who?”
“The people.”
She swallowed.
“What if something is wrong with me?”
The king crossed the room immediately.
“Never say that.”
“But—”
“Never.”
His voice trembled.
“Your value does not come from magic.”
Elara looked away.
“It does to everyone else.”
The king fell silent.
Because he knew she was right.
⸻
Three days passed.
Then five.
Then seven.
Elara barely left her chamber.
Yet every night she found herself thinking about Kael.
His smile.
His kindness.
The way he had listened.
The way he had challenged everything she believed.
Eventually curiosity became unbearable.
One afternoon she made a decision.
A reckless decision.
A dangerous decision.
But a decision nonetheless.
She disguised herself in a simple traveling cloak.
Avoided the palace guards.
Slipped through a hidden gate.
And headed toward the Forbidden Forest.
The journey took hours.
By sunset, towering trees surrounded her.
Ancient trunks stretched toward the sky.
Silver moss glowed softly in the gathering darkness.
The forest felt alive.
Magical.
Beautiful.
And terrifying.
Every childhood story she had heard warned against entering this place.
People claimed monsters lived here.
Spirits.
Ancient creatures.
Dark magic.
Yet none of those frightened her as much as uncertainty.
“Looking for someone?”
The familiar voice came from above.
Elara jumped.
Kael sat comfortably on a tree branch.
Smiling.
Amused.
“You frightened me.”
“That wasn’t difficult.”
He dropped gracefully to the ground.
“What are you doing here, Princess?”
She frowned.
“How did you know it was me?”
Kael pointed at her boots.
“What?”
“Royal boots.”
Elara looked down.
He was right.
In her rush, she had forgotten to change them.
Kael laughed.
“Not exactly a convincing disguise.”
Embarrassed, she crossed her arms.
“I came to talk.”
“About destiny?”
“Maybe.”
“About soulmates?”
“Perhaps.”
Kael smiled.
“Then you’ve come to the right place.”
Before Elara could answer, a sudden cry echoed through the forest.
A child’s scream.
Kael’s expression changed instantly.
The sound came again.
Fear.
Pain.
Without hesitation, Kael sprinted toward it.
Elara followed.
They ran through trees and glowing vines until they reached a small clearing.
A young boy lay on the ground.
His leg trapped beneath a fallen branch.
Blood stained the grass.
The child sobbed.
Kael knelt immediately.
“It’s okay.”
His voice became calm and gentle.
“I’ve got you.”
A strange silver light appeared around his hands.
The wound began to heal.
Elara gasped.
Healing magic.
Real healing magic.
Rare magic.
Powerful magic.
Within minutes the bleeding stopped.
The boy stared at Kael with gratitude.
“Thank you.”
Kael smiled.
“Be more careful next time.”
After the child left, Elara turned toward him.
“You’re a healer.”
Kael nodded.
“My mother taught me.”
“You help strangers?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
His answer came instantly.
“Because they’re hurting.”
Elara fell silent.
The simplicity of his response struck her deeply.
No reward.
No recognition.
No status.
Just kindness.
For the first time, she realized why being near him felt different.
Kael saw people.
Not titles.
Not wealth.
Not destiny.
People.
And somehow that made her heart beat faster.
Neither of them noticed the faint silver glow that briefly flickered deep within Elara’s chest.
A glow that should have been impossible.
Because somewhere beyond the stars, the Moon Goddess was watching.
And the curse that had ruled generations was beginning to crack.
- Writer
