Epilogue
ESTHER – DAVINA’S MOTHER
“True love stories never have endings.”
— Richard Bach
T he day Lorelda had cast her dark spell on Nathanial to make him sleep with her, while Esther was pregnant with Davina, Esther had known Lorelda was mad. But it wasn’t until Lorelda cursed Davina, mere days after her birth, that Esther realized the full extent of her malevolence.
Her sister wasn’t merely insane.
She was the devil.
But Esther’s fear wasn’t for her own life when Lorelda had imprisoned her in that dark, damp dungeon. No, her terror was reserved for her precious daughter. Nathanial, once a loving husband, had been twisted into something monstrous by Lorelda’s curse. His love to Esther had turned into a destructive obsession, and his desire for their child had transformed into repulsion.
Despite the pain and devastation, Esther couldn’t bring herself to blame Nathanial entirely. The curse had distorted his mind, turning him into someone entirely different from the person she had once known.
Esther’s heart ached with worry for Davina and the uncertain future that awaited her.
How would Nathanial treat her?
But even as despair threatened to engulf her, Esther clung to hope. She recalled the ancient prophecy she had long believed in, despite Nathanial’s doubts. For centuries, an ancient legend spoke of a powerful deity named Celestia. She was a goddess from Faeryn, possessing the foresight to glimpse a looming darkness—a malevolent force that would one day threaten our realm. To prepare for this impending evil, Celestia had crafted a prophecy about two soulmates destined to confront it. She had encoded the prophecy into the very fabric of time, ensuring it would be revealed when the world needed it most. And then, every few generations, a pair of new soulmates would be born, their souls intertwined with a shared purpose.
These soulmates would possess the power to break every curse and either save or destroy the world, depending on their choices. The prophecy was said to be marked by a birthmark or symbol—a sign that identified the chosen ones.
Esther had always believed in the legend, despite her husband’s skepticism. And as she huddled in the cold, dark dungeon, the realization struck her with brutal force.
She remembered seeing the birthmark on Davina’s ankle—something she had initially brushed off as an ordinary birthmark.
But now it was clear. Her daughter was one of the prophesied soulmates.
Even if Esther wasn’t sure whether the curse was a deliberate strike against the prophecy—since Lorelda couldn’t have known about the birthmark—there was no doubt that Lorelda had clearly seen Davina’s existence as a threat. By cursing her to die on her twenty-first birthday, she aimed to prevent Davina from getting her power, ensuring that she would never reach her full potential or become a real threat to her power.
Sitting in the shadows of the dungeon, Esther’s heart raced with a desperate hope. She silently prayed that Nathaniel would believe in the prophecy and help find Davina’s soulmate.
And despite all her despair, Esther had a small victory to hold onto. Lorelda had never discovered that, after forcing Nathaniel sleep with her, Esther had used a secret spell to intertwine their fates. By slipping her own blood into Lorelda’s wine, she had bound their destinies together.
The spell had been simple but powerful: if Esther were to fall into a slumber, Lorelda would remain the devil and invincible. But as soon as Lorelda died, Esther would awaken again.
Taking a deep breath, Esther lay still, channeling all her remaining strength to fall into an enchanted sleep whilst hoping her daughter would find her soulmate in time.