Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Aquor, a young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Although he was the best swordsman in the land and had everything his heart desired, the prince was power-hungry, selfish, and cruel. After the king's untimely death, and ever obsessed with power, the young prince had his own mother killed in order to claim the throne for himself.
But then, on the night of his coronation, a fierce dragon attacked the castle. The prince fought valiantly and defeated the beast with ease. However, before he could deal the killing blow, a powerful dragoness appeared and begged him to spare her son's life. She offered him all her treasures: gold and jewels beyond his wildest dreams in exchange for his mercy. Repulsed by the creature's pleas, but tempted by the legendary treasure, the prince accepted the dragoness' offer, only to trick her and killed her son as soon as the deal was made.
Enraged and grief-stricken, the dragoness unleashed her magic to exact revenge. Overwhelmed and outmatched, the prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no honor and love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous dragon, and placed a powerful curse on the castle and all who lived there. With it and its inhabitants trapped and hidden away from the world, the dragoness took away their freedom, and doomed the young prince to walk the land as a dragon by day and a man after sunset.
With no means of setting foot onto the outside world again, the dragon concealed himself within his castle. His only hope lay within a single prayer that someone would find him by his twenty-fourth year. If he could learn to love someone pure of heart, and earn their love in return by sunrise on his twenty-fourth birthday, then the curse would be lifted. If not, he would be doomed to remain a dragon for all eternity.
During his absence, Aquor grew and flourished under the rule of its new prince, Luther Lansfeld, only son and youngest child of the duke. Revered and beloved by the people, the prince was steadfast in his duties and attentive to his subjects' needs. He was dedicated in keeping the dragon threat of his lands under control, and the kingdom never felt safer under his rule. Over time, the people forgot about their previous prince, presuming he had perished under the hands of the very beast that cursed him. The castle was never found, and the once proud prince's legacy faded like a dream.
As the years passed, the dragon's humanity began to decay, and he fell into despair and resentment. Forgotten and cast into the shadows, he lost all hope, for who could ever have a heart so pure, much less learn to love one that was so greatly feared and hunted by mankind?