Princess Lyria strolls among the flowers, her delicate fingers trailing over velvet petals. Her laughter floats above the hum of bees, and her eyes reflect the serene glow of evening. Unbeknownst to her, a shadowy figure lingers behind a willow tree, clutching a twisted wooden staff.
Witch Morwenna hobbles forward, her crooked smile unsettling in the dim light. "Such beauty in a world so cruel… Tell me, Princess, do you cherish your lovely face and silken hair?" Princess Lyria hesitates, unease flickering across her features. "I am grateful for what I have, but beauty is not all I hold dear," she replies, though her voice trembles.
Witch Morwenna[/@ch_2] brandishes her staff, emerald sparks dancing at its tip. The world seems to tilt, colors swirling with unnatural vibrancy.]
"If you value humility, let me grant you a lesson," intones the witch, her voice echoing like thunder. Princess Lyria feels an icy grip tightening around her, her limbs growing numb as the witch’s spell weaves around her. "Transform, fair maiden! Become what you fear most!"
Princess Lyria now finds herself staring up at the looming world with bulging eyes, her hands replaced by webbed green limbs. "No… what have you done to me?" she croaks, her voice raw and unfamiliar. "You are a frog now, until the lesson is learned—or until eternity claims you," cackles the witch, vanishing into the darkness.
Princess Lyria[/@ch_1] sits alone atop a mossy stone, the blue and gold gown lying abandoned beside her, a cruel reminder of what she once was.]
She peers up at the stars, her heart aching as the chorus of other frogs echoes from the pond nearby. Tears slip down her slick cheeks, but she knows there is no one to hear her sorrow. "I must survive this new life… even if it means letting go of everything I have ever known," she whispers into the night.
Princess Lyria takes a shaky leap toward the pond, her reflection a stranger’s face. She watches as dragonflies skim the surface and lilies bloom, resigned to her fate as an ugly little frog. The world is vast and strange, and though sorrow lingers in her heart, she steels herself for the life she never chose but cannot escape.
