Page 1 of Wolfsbane

THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

Once upon a time, in a faraway world, there was a kingdom of darkness called Grisset. It was ruled by a ruthless king named Morel and his viperous queen, Hesper. Together, the king and queen of darkness were both respected and feared across the lands, known for their unformidable power—a power many were too frightened to question. It was rumored to be influenced by some secret, harrowing, evil magic unknown to the rest, making King Morel and his queen an unmatched force. The king and queen were fueled by anger and revenge, destroying any ancient kingdom that wronged them, smothering their world in a veil of shadows. They slowly grew their armies, preparing to destroy King Morel’s very own brother, King Agaric.

Agaric was not only Morel’s brother, but his twin. Despite this, they were polar opposites in every way, including the kingdoms they resided over. While Morel ruled in the dark, cold mountains of Grisset, Agaric reigned over the bright and warm kingdom of Dryade. Their hatred ran so deep, Agaric and Morel had become sworn enemies, desperate to destroy the other. Their brotherly bond was non-existent, connected only by their blood and hatred.

After a decade of building their kingdom and forces, the king and queen of darkness were ready to attack Dryade and defeat Agaric once and for all. Unfortunately, when the time came, Grisset failed to defeat the sunny kingdom. King Agaric and his forces held out until daybreak, weakening the king of darkness. Agaric took the opportunity to slay his brother’s queen in front of him, leaving the shadow king on the brink of death. King Morel, despite his broken heart, cried out for his bride, but it was no use. His forces retreated to the shadows, forcefully dragging the king back to his snowy kingdom.

Morel spent his long and painful recovery in a layer of sorrow, his heartbreak and love for his queen slowly transforming into a hungry beast, craving Agaric’s blood. His only desire was to seek his revenge, to make his brother pay for what he did to Hesper. But when the time came to strike, the most unimaginable thing happened: Hesper was somehow alive. Only, she wasn’t his queen of darkness.

King Agaric had not only kidnapped the fallen queen but used his mother’s death caps to erase her identity and birth a new persona. He slowly poisoned and weakened her so that if, by some chance, she recovered her true self, she would be no threat to him—a mistake he regretted in the end.

Over time, Morel remained nothing but patient and kind, slowly helping his wife recover as she discovered the truth of who she was. Together, the two rekindled their everlasting love and once again rained darkness down on King Agaric and his kingdom. This time, though, they were successful. The king and queen of darkness slayed Agaric and burned Dryade to the ground, the once ancient kingdom now forgotten.

The tale of Morel and Hesper’s revenge may be known to you, but their love story is not. This is their story; the story of how two people fell in love and created an unstoppable kingdom, caring for their people as they built it, brick by brick, alongside them as equals in spite of their titles. This is the tale of how two darkened hearts, betrayed by their own kingdoms, did the impossible and found something in one another—something that would blossom into a force the world would both fear and envy.

This is the story of a love of darkness. A love so strong, death could not break it.

ONE

MOREL

My eyes searched the stars,my heart aching at the loneliness of my soul. The one thing I never expected to experience was being alone forever. Outside of my kingdom, I was a villain, hated by all who knew of me. Who could possibly love a monster such as myself? My own family did not want me, so why would another?

The deeply rooted pain gripped my heart as my chest ached with the excruciating truth. If I was to be alone in this world, so be it. It was a fate I deserved, for I was nothing but a mistake. Aside from my poor motherm everyone knew it, including myself. I didn’t deserve a happily ever after. I didn’t deserve to know the warmth of a loving touch or the kindness of love. I knew only the cold darkness that pulled my soul deeper into the abyss, filled solely with anger that fueled the flames of my existence until there was nothing but my empty soul seated on the throne of my kingdom.

“Morel.” My head turned as I faced the man behind me. It was Orion.

Orion had become one of the few people I could trust. He was the brother I never had, the one I longed for Agaric to be. I wouldn’t have survived the harsh wild if not for him. Together,we spent years in these woods, growing not only a community of rejects but a kingdom of lost souls. I owed him my life.

Orion was gripping the pommel of his sword strapped around his waist, the fur of his coat brushing his cheeks as he stared at me with those dark, weary eyes. “Dr. Altair has arrived.”

“Finally,” I whispered under my breath with a smile. The night air fogged around my face as I followed Orion through the snow-covered forest. The black bark trees reached high into the sky, curving as they twisted together from either side and created a canopy of snow above our heads.

After some time, we finally reached the edge of the woods, stepping out into the open snow and towards the rubble of my castle. It wasn’t fully built, taking years to achieve its current glory, but it was still magnificent. And it was mine, not because of my blood or birth, but because I built it with my own hands alongside the growing number of people who had joined this newfound kingdom. The kingdom of Grisset was a home to any who needed it, for those who felt unwanted and unloved. Here, they were neither. Here, in Grisset, everyone had a place. Everyone belonged.

As we approached the enormous black gothic doors of handcrafted stained glass, I stopped and glanced up at the night sky once again. It was bursting with stars, the moon bright, illuminating the snow in a cool glow as snowflakes gently fell across my face and melted into my skin. One of the reasons I had chosen this very location was this: the way the sky remained dark and true to itself most days, leaving Grisset in a wintery blanket of shadows tucked away from the rest of the world, protected by a wall of mountains; a safe haven for me and my people.

“It’s a full moon tonight,” I stated with a faint smile as Orion stopped and glanced up at the night sky. “The death caps shouldbe glowing bright under the moon goddess’ beam.” My eyes fell to him. “If only my mother could see them.” The mention of her made my black heart ache as I squeezed my fists at my side, my mood melting into something sour. “Dr. Altair better have what I asked for.” I turned my head away from the sky and brushed past Orion into the castle.

Orion scoffed, shaking his head as he followed me. “As do I.”

Dr. Altair was patiently waiting for me in my unfinished room, the only furnishings being my humble bed and the grand fireplace, burning at all times. The fireplace was built from the mountain itself, carved from dark stone and fragments of pure black onyx. The elaborate mantle was covered in tiny blue fluorescent mushrooms and moss, overgrowing from their tiny planters, beaming in the moonlight that peeked through the wall of stained glass windows gazing out to the mountains themselves. The many, tiny little mushrooms drenched the room in a layer of blue with their faint glow.

“My king.” Dr. Altair struggled to bow, his old age finally catching up to him.

“Please.” I gently stopped him. “Do not hurt yourself for such ridiculous customs.”

“Ridiculous?” He scoffed. “King Morel, I?—”

“Morel,” I corrected him with a soft smile. “After everything we’ve been through, you need not call me king.” Dr. Altair huffed as he reached his hand out and motioned for me to sit on my bed.

“Rubbish. You have always been my king and you always shall. From the moment I delivered you from your mother’s womb and watched you breathe your first breath, to the day my soul leaves this earth and joins the heavens above.” The old man followed me while I did as he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. I couldn’t help but laugh faintly at his stubbornness.

“Now,” he inhaled, “tell me what ails you, my king?”

“The same demons as before.” My head lowered, my long black hair falling in front of my eyes. “The tonic you gave me before did nothing to help my pain.” My eyes rose, meeting his as he listened with tender care—the care I had longed for from my own father yet never received.

“Hmm,” he grunted, pondering in deep thought. “Forgive me, my king, but perhaps your pain reaches deeper than muscle or bone. Maybe the reason none of my treatments are working is simply that what you feel is more of a physical manifestation of your emotions and past. Trauma can?—”

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