Grotania was a lovely kingdom. It was ruled by King Stephen and his wife queen Daisy. They had a son named Aaron. They were a lovely family that people would often be jealous of. But one day it all changed when the queen died. The king became a war moguel and went on a killing spree. Prince Aaron was left alone without his mother or father. One day he was wandering and reached a forest. It was a forest full of oak trees. The prince lost his way and was walking in no particular direction and he reached the heart of the forest. There was a lovely cherry blossom tree amidst all those oak trees. Under the tree, there sat a cute little girl with silver hair playing a harp. They talked and played for a while and the prince fell asleep. The next day when he woke up, he was back in his castle. The moonlit forest - The cherry Blossom - The girl all felt like a fever dream to the prince now.
10 Years Later
It was 2 months before the prince's 21st birthday. Aaron has grown into a strong handsome man. It was rumored that on his birthday the king finally hands his crown to the prince. There was a grand ball in preparation and all the noble families were given an invite. The prince wanted to take a walk and went to the garden. But soon he realized he had wandered far off. He was not afraid because now he was a trained swordsman and was sure that he could take care of anything that came in his way. To his surprise, he reached the same cherry blossom tree under which he had found that girl 10 years back. She was still there, playing her harp. She had matured and the prince was certain that she was the most beautiful woman he had set his eyes on. She looked like an art piece as she sat under the cherry blossom tree playing the harp. The prince was bewitched. He went and stood near the girl. The girl slowly raised her head and said, "Hey! You are back". Now the prince was certain that it was not a dream and he has been there before. "Yeah! About that, Last time I guess I forgot to ask your name, So may I know your name?". She chuckled,"ohh getting straight to the point aren't we? Since you came to my place, it's only fair that you introduce yourself". The prince smiled and introduced himself, "Fair enough. I'm Prince Aaron from Grotania. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." "Hey Aaron. Nice to meet you too. I'm princess Rosalia from the kingdom of Naples." After that they talked for a while. When it was time to leave, Aaron promised to visit her everyday. He visited her everyday like he had promised and they fell in love.
The days passed and it was a month before Aaron's birthday. The preparations were in full swing. One day, the King came to visit Aaron. Aaron was puzzled but nevertheless welcomed him in. The king sat on a chair and admired his son. He has now got the qualities required for a good ruler. He was smart, charismatic, kind and took part in most important decisions of the court. "Hey Aaron. I know we haven't talked that much since your mom left. I have completely abandoned you. I'm sorry. But you know what, I really admire you. You grew up yourself and now you are ready to take up the throne. Reminds me of the days when I was your age. You know what, It was around this time, I met your mother. She was the center of attention of the ball. All men wanted to be with her and all women wanted to be her. She captured my eyes Immediately the moment she set foot in the palace. She made the palace lovely. I'm sure she would have loved to see what you have become". His eyes turned moist. "And me too, son. I love you. I am going to hand over the throne to you at the ball. But before that..."
"Before that what?"
"There is a tradition in our family that no one knows about. On your 21st birthday, you have to melt the heart of a witch. It is a belief that a witch's heart is that one thing that keeps our kingdom prosperous."
"But father, there is only a month left and witches, aren't they practically extinct?"
"No, there are still many out there and you still have a full month. Go and find your conquest. I believe you Aaron and before I forget, this is something your mother wanted to give to you before your 21st birthday", The king said and handed over a letter to Aaron. "I'm taking my leave now. Good luck son."
After the king left, Aaron opened the letter. "Hey Aaron. If you are reading this, I hope you'll be nearing 21. How are things going son? I'm sure you would be a competent ruler so stop worrying about the future. Your dad should have prepared a huge ball for you right? Well I truly hope you'll get to meet someone wonderful, so don't just hurry and find the prettiest lady in the ball. Take your time. Your father may say that the ball is your best chance at finding a woman and he met me at the ball, but here is a little secret. Me and your father, we didn't meet at the ball. We knew each other and your father invited me to the ball so that he could introduce me to his family. So now that I think you have relaxed a bit, I guess your father told you about conquering the heart of a witch. I'm sure you would find a way and I'm proud of you darling. Always remember, there is more than one way to melt someone's heart. I hope this helps. Love you"
He went to the library and researched. Yes there was more than one way to conquer a witch's heart, but the easiest way is to Burn them and after the fire has subsided, take out the heart. The witch's heart would be frozen and only that amount of fire would melt it. That night when he visited Rosalia, he said all about the witch hunt quest. She just smiled and said,"oh, I'm sure you would find a way."
The days passed and it was the day before his birthday. Aaron still hasn't completed his quest. The nobles started arriving. Aaron was excited to see Rosalia but he was also worried because of the quest. While he was on his way out, he was approached by a guest. "Good afternoon prince Aaron. I'm king Richard of Naples" Aaron was excited and said " Good afternoon, revered king. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." The king smiled and introduced Aaron to his family. This is my wife Thea and my daughter Amelia. Aaron was puzzled. He asked the king, "but didn't you have a daughter named Rosalia?" The king became furious "Do not speak of her. She's a witch who only brings misfortune." Aaron was taken aback... Rosalia was a witch? How could someone so beautiful be a witch? He got on his horse and went to their meeting location. But when he reached the cherry blossom tree, he was astonished. There was a lifeless body of Rosalia and a letter attached to it. It stated, "hey Aaron, I'm sure you would have known who I'm now. Sorry for not saying it myself. I was afraid. But now I realize I have been selfish. I know you haven't conquered a witch's heart yet. I know you would be an amazing ruler one day. So if my death would help you in any way, It would be my greatest happiness. You brought me many gifts Aaron and I have always been at the receiver's side. Now, for once, let me be the giver, by the time you arrive, I would be dead. Take my heart and rule for a long time. I will Always be watching you from above. Goodbye Aaron. Please don't forget me.
Yours,
Rosalia."
A teary Aaron Cut opened her torso and took out her heart. To his surprise, It was not frozen. He then remembered his mother's words, "there is more than one way to melt someone's heart" and understood what it meant. He started crying and cursed himself for not realizing it earlier. His tear mixed with a cherry blossom flower and fell on her lifeless heart. Then something happened. Rosalia's body started to rejuvenate from that heart. Her hair was no longer silver and she has now become a human. His dad arrived at that time and congratulated him on finding the true meaning of melting someone's heart. Aaron was crowned at the Ball with his beloved Rosalia by his side.
