Beginning

Year 1712,

In the centre of the town, people gathered summoning the most dexterous sculptor of the Kingdom,

"The Queen wasn't even eighteen when the king passed away."

"Her hand was asked in marriage from the royals of neighbouring kingdom but she embraced the life of a widow in such a young age."

"Not just that, despite her being the only queen to ever ascend the throne, our country has never been this prosperous."

"Our Queen is great, we want you to carve her on the rock that is only found near the holy 'Agile River'. I've heard that rock glows gorgeously when the moonlight falls on it."

Being hailed by her people, Queen Saha was the greatest of all time.

"A statue of a Queen? She is only incharge until the prince is not the right age to rule." Said the old witch Zeniya, secret admirer of the late king envied her.

"Are you here? Give me a sign."

Every grimoire that was stacked in the case trembled at the spell she recited to call the dead king.

Heap of salt that was placed in the front was blowed to particles by the storm that came rushing in from the broken glass of the window.

"You're here, my lord!"

Footprints appeared on the floor, the soul was leading the witch to somewhere. She trailed the path of those prints, it took her passing through the forest and crossing the river by the wooden bridge in a cave deep inside the forest.

"My lord! Where is this place? What did you lead me here for?" The witch asked the invisible.

Looking for the answer, taking a close look at every tree, Zeniya caught the sight of a man walking on the bridge back and forth. She went closer. The man flashed a smile looking at someone coming out of the bushes. She came running into his brace.

"Queen! With her lover. Bwahahah!" Zeniya cackled.

Seeing the Queen with her lover, the old witch blinded by vengeance was determined to deteriorate her life. Next day, the witch started to spread the words about the Queen's affair.

The people who once were devoted to their queen, were now one by one turning against her.

"What a disgrace on the name of our late king, she has to be punished!"

The little prince who was next in line to ascend the throne was crowned. The Queen was exiled to a deserted island and her lover was executed. The Queen was later forgiven for her father was a man with power and influence. The witch who wanted the Queen to be punished was again vengeful.

After knowing about the execution of her love, the grief-stricken queen did not want to live any longer and went to the wooden bridge where she met him for the last time. She was wanting to end her life to reunite with her lover in the heavens. But their fate had decided something else for them.

The full moon shone brightly in the night sky. The sound that the insects made were making it probably the most beautiful night the queen had ever seen. But without the love of her life, nature's beauty made her even more sad. When she was about jump off the bridge, the old witch showed up with a mirror covered by a black cloth

"Death is a luxury for you, you deserve to live while longing and grieving like I did," Said the evil witch and pulled the cloth off the mirror.

The mirror reflected the light of the full moon and the queen looked at her reflection for a moment...she was turning into stone, her soft and delicate skin was changing into gray hard stone that was shining as the moonlight was falling on it. Before turning into the stone completely she looked up towards the moon and closed her eyes, in that very position she remained until the transition was completed.

The statue of the Queen became talk of the town when nobody knew where the real queen disappeared to?

"Who could have made this?"

"This looks astonishing,"

"Does anyone know where the queen actually is?"

The Sculptor who was asked to make the statue claimed that it was made by him. The Queen remained as the part of people's gossips and a girl who loved remained as a body of stone standing at the centre of the town. Some people also say that the Queen sees and listens to things happening around her. She has witnessed everything the town has gone through for centuries. Even in the modern times the queen awaits to be freed by the curse of the witch to be able to die and reunite with her love and find peace.

In 2001, when she was finally freed from the curse, without even knowing that she has left behind a token of love, her child with whom she was pregnant with before she was cursed. A child who literally has "A heart of stone". The child who was in the womb of his mother for centuries because of the spell casted by the witch, all this time later was born with magic in his touch.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***