(Sorry for bad grammar, but I'm not a native speaker! The image is not mine. It's an AU.)

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For centuries, peace and prosperity reigned in the kingdom of Bladevale, a fact that all its inhabitants often reveled in and took pride in, while neighboring, more powerful kingdoms died out or fell due to the greed or incompetence of their rulers or populace. Yet, even in this peaceful corner of the world, tragedy was bound to strike at some point.

Even before assuming power, the new King had deeply offended the Queen of the neighboring kingdom, Briar Valley. Feeling betrayed and deceived, she did not relent in her vengeance even when the then-young Prince severed all contact with her after the betrayal. However, the Fae was patient, waiting for an opportunity to strike such a painful blow that the new King would suffer more than she did.

The new royal couple dreamed for children, but despite their efforts, it seemed that parenthood was not destined for them. And yet, a miracle suddenly occurred for the entire kingdom, and the Queen became pregnant, and eight months later, a silver-haired, violet-eyed Prince was born.

The kingdom was filled with joy that the family so beloved by all would continue to exist, but the joyful mood vanished as if with a snap of the fingers when the Queen of Briar Valley herself arrived at the celebration of the Prince's birth. As revenge, she cursed the royal family's only son that he would never be able to have children or fall in love until he found his true love. And as everyone knew, it wasn't a fairy tale that true love existed.

The Queen of Briar Valley watched proudly from her kingdom as Bladevale sank into despair, lost hope of continuing the about thousand-year-old line that had made life so good in the kingdom. For the wicked King, this was a far better punishment than simply killing his innocent child.

Prince Silver grew up with his heart closed by the rumors and curse. He often heard whispers from servants and courtiers accusing him of ending the most illustrious line. Yet, this only drove him to study and secretly practice martial arts so that, if he ever found his true love, which everyone doubted, he would be worthy enough for her to want the cursed prince as her husband.

Many Ladies and Princesses were brought from other kingdoms to see if they could be Prince Silver's potential true love, but all these attempts proved futile. Having passed the trials of adulthood, still no woman, not even a common not-noble woman, had ever caught his attention, which meant everyone gave up, and neighboring kingdoms, reveling in their decline, often seemed to be waiting for the right moment to exploit the inevitable destruction of Bladeyale.

One day, he was riding through a nearby forest, taking a break from his duties and the frowns of the world, when he spotted a beautiful girl walking alone in the woods. His heart pounded, and his senses sharpened as he gazed at her with an uncharacteristic rapt attention. The hair, the smile, the movements... they were all familiar. As if from a dream that had repeatedly haunted his mind, despite not knowing the identity of the mysterious person who had caused him to wake up with butterflies in his stomach.

However, the magical image vanished as quickly as it had arisen when, seemingly out of nowhere, a furious bear attacked the young woman. Instincts spurred, Prince Silver rushed toward her and wounded the creature with his sword, which whimpered away. Seeing that the threat had receded, he dismounted and extended his hand toward the girl with gentle but serious expression.

“Are you alright, Miss?” he asked, scanning her for potential wounds.