The Lavender Kingdom and the Emerald Kingdom had been at war for over one hundred years. Most people just accepted that this is the way things always were and would be the way things always would be. No one ever questioned why things were the way they were. But there was one young maiden with beautiful long blonde hair who couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be an end to this war and why the two kingdoms were still at war in the first place. All she knew was that she could never go into the forest because if she did she might run into the prince of the Emerald Kingdom. At least that’s what the legends said would happen.

There was a prince of the Emerald Kingdom who had gotten lost in the forest that stood in between the two kingdoms. This forest was big and scary and magical. The two kingdoms had been at war for many many years when one day something very strange happened. The earth suddenly shook and quaked. The forest that had been there in between the two kingdoms suddenly seemed to triple in size. Neither King would admit that they were the cause of this powerful magic. Both Kings forbid any of their subjects from entering the forest for fear that the other King had ordered the forest cursed with a deadly sort of magic. So out of paranoia and extreme caution, both kings decided to make their own various spells and curses on the forest land. It was so dangerous that no one dared step foot into the forest. The forbidden forest. Not even the most hardened criminal would ever think to test their luck. All of this of course was because of the last and final Prince of the Emerald Kingdom.

This prince was young and foolish and thought he was invincible. Never in his life did he ever face any sort of consequences for his actions, everything he did was just excused or covered up because of who he was. No matter the pranks or mischief he got himself into there was never any lasting harm that came to him. His friends and family told him that he must be lucky. The prince soon gained a big head and started to believe them all. So the prince set out to prove his luck once and for all. He had gotten into his head from a cousin or a friend or maybe he was trying to impress a young maiden he had fallen in love with recently. No matter who it was that got the idea in his head once the prince got the notion in his mind to enter the Forbidden Forest, his fate was already sealed. So the young and foolish prince went into the trees and never came back again. That was the very last day the Emerald Kingdom had a Prince. No matter how hard the Queens would try there would never be another male heir until this very day.

So knowing this terrible and tragic story the fair young maiden with long blonde hair and green eyes never intended for herself to step foot into the forest. Until one day something very unusual happened. It was right after breakfast when she heard the noise coming from her garden. Her mother was out in the market selling their fruits and her father was out in the fields harvesting. When the sound of a bird in her garden startled her from her chores. It was her job every morning after breakfast to clean up the kitchen and feed the chickens. In the middle of her cleaning she heard the sound of a bird singing it’s song in the garden. This was very unusual because the garden never had birds visit at this time of year. The young maiden loved animals and it had been so long since she had seen a bird that she quickly rushed out to see the beautiful creature before it could fly away again. But when she entered her garden the bird was gone. Instead she found a door that had not been there before. This young maiden was the curious type she could not help herself but to open the door. As she opened this mysterious door she found herself pushed through by a sudden gust of strong wind. Her blonde hair stuck to her face and her hands quickly tried to catch itself from falling when suddenly she felt her hands push up against not the cold, grassy floor but instead a person. Startled she looked up and saw a handsome young gentleman.

She let out a gasp and quickly moved her hands away from his chest. This young man was asleep on the forest ground. Her first instinct was to think he was very handsome and she wanted to wake him up and ask him who he was and why he was sleeping on the ground all alone. Then suddenly she realized she was also crouched on the ground hovering over him, much too close for her liking. So she got up to keep her distance and perhaps find a way to wake him politely without seeming rude. As she was about to speak another thought raced across her mind. What was she doing in The Forbidden Forest? She wasn’t supposed to be here it was dangerous! Her parents had warned her to never step foot there or else she would become like the… Emerald Prince?! Slowly the young maiden glanced over this sleeping gentleman’s figure, and she quickly realized he was dressed and a rather princelike manner wearing the colors of the Emerald Kingdom and the unmistakeable crest of the royal Emerald Family on his chest. This was the lost Emerald Prince, the last Emerald prince of legend! How could it be that she found herself in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with someone who she was told no longer existed in this world?

None of this made any sense and she very much wanted to leave and never return. She was about to make her way to the door when suddenly she looked around everywhere and there was no door to be found. She could have sworn that door was right behind her because otherwise how had she stepped through it? It is supposed to be right there where she left it. How can a door just vanish into thin air? The world felt like it was spinning or maybe it was just her mind reeling. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever believe something like this could happen to her. She needed to go back home, she didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to her parents. She missed her chickens and her horse and her bed and her family. Now just because of her curiosity she would now be lost in the Forbidden Forest just like the Emerald Prince. Would she now become a cautionary tale in her kingdom to forever be remembered as the silly Lavender girl. It was all to much for this poor young maiden to take her mind had taken her to the worst possible outcome already resigning herself to her demise. It is no wonder that the tears started to come down from her eyes like a waterfall. No matter how much she tried the young maiden could not stop the tears from falling and her sobs from following.

Then out of the quiet of the forest she heard the most lovely voice she had ever heard in her life. It was as though just from hearing the Emerald Prince’s voice her tears stopped. She looked down from where she was standing and realized she had been crying all this time not even seeing that her tears all landed on the Prince’s face. He sat up with his elbows now and looked at her, he repeated himself again because he took her non response as a hint that she did not hear him. He cleared his throat and repeated:

“Hello there, i’m Jinyoung. Who are you and why are you crying?” he said with a small smile and kind eyes.

The young maiden finally calmed herself down enough to make her response to the prince.

“Hello Prince, my name is Sana and I’m crying because I want to go home and I’m scared that I can never find my way back. And you’re supposed to be dead for over a century how can you be so calm?!” She said that last part in a hurry and quickly covered her mouth with her hand in shock that she didn’t keep that in her mind.

Jinyoung was amused by her honesty and tilted his head to the side looking at her intently before replying.

“It’s very nice to meet you Sana, I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me but you’re just the key to us getting out of here alive.” He said with a genuine smile and big brown eyes that Sana thought she would very much like getting lost in if the circumstances were different.

“Prince Jinyoung I don’t understand. How can I be the key? I’ve only just got here and I have no idea how to get out of this forest” Sana said with a frown and confusion filled eyes.

Jinyoung just shook his head with a smile and started walking away. He turned his head back to Sana and motioned for her to follow him.

Sana followed Jinyoung through the forest until they came upon a quaint little cottage with a beautiful flower garden and a horse asleep on the grassy floor.

“Welcome to my home for over a century.” Jinyoung opened his arms as if to show off his humble castle in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, and gave a small shy smile.

Sana’s mouth was open in awe and in shock. She had heard many stories of the demise of the foolish and arrogant Prince of the Emerald Kingdom who got lost in the forest never to return again. She had assumed he had just perished and met his untimely end. She never expected that he would still be here in the forest alive and well. He actually looked normal, as if he was here on a quaint little trip and would soon be returning to the castle to resume his princely duties. At once Sana looked at Jinyoung intently and said.

“Prince what is the meaning of all this? Please tell me so I can go home, my parents will be worried sick.” Her big eyes gazed wide eyed and expectantly at Jinyoung.

He cleared his throat and said with a small smile “Let’s talk inside first. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

As she walked slowly behind Prince Jinyoung Sana could not help but gasp the inside of the cottage was even more lovely than the outside. A beautiful kitchen with a lovely table to eat at and fresh flowers on the windowsill. A sitting room with a cozy couch and a big library full of books and paintings lining the walls. Looking up she could see a lofted bed with blankets. The cottage was warm and smelled of cinnamon and apples. The fireplace was full of wood and warmth that filled the air with the smell that reminded her of home. How she longed to be back home with her parents.

Sitting at the table now with the Prince in front of her she couldn’t help but stare at him. She wanted to remember every single inch of his face and his figure because she decided this all must be a dream. It’s the only way she could explain all that she was experiencing. It must be a dream that she will awaken from any moment now.

The prince looked at Sana fondly and chuckled to himself. He had never met such a young woman that had such a face that showed her thoughts so obviously. He had to stop himself from looking into her eyes or else he thought he would blush. She was the most beautiful young maiden he had ever seen him more than a century. In fact, even the days that he remembers being at the his palace in the Emerald Kingdom he does not believe he had ever encountered a more beautiful and enchanting maiden. He wanted to know everything about her and wished she didn’t look so sad. He longed to make her happy and see her smile on her face instead of the sad look she had on currently.

Finally the Prince opened his mouth to answer some of Sana’s questions.

“Sana, I know this will sound obsurd and ridiculous but please hear me out. You are the key to us getting out of this forest and the key to stopping the war between our kingdoms. Sana even though I’ve only just met you, I know that I have fallen in love with you and I will try my best to be the kind of man that is worthy of your love and proving to you that we can make it out of here together. I will do everything I can to make sure you go back to your family and I will protect you no matter what.” Jinyoung caught his breath enough to look into Sana’s eyes and he hoped he given a smile that would show his sincerity and total belief in his words.

Sana sat there stunned by Prince Jinyoung’s words. His confession of love to her. His vow to protect her and bring her home. His reveal that she was part of the key to stopping the centuries long war between their kingdoms. Her head felt dizzy suddenly she needed to lie down. She moved to go lay down on the couch and hug a pillow to her chest. Jinyoung helped her onto the couch and gave her a blanket to snuggle under.

In a whisper Sana replied after a short while “Thank you, Prince Jinyoung.” and slowly she fell asleep.

It was eveningtime when Sana awoke, the moon had risen into the sky and the nightly winds could be heard making the trees rustle outside the cottage windows. Sana brushed her hair from her face and tried to straighten her clothing as she sat up from her place on the couch. She could smell food being made in the kitchen of the small cottage and as she looked over to where the delightful aroma was coming from she saw prince Jinyoung with an apron on busy making what looked to be a feast. Another question on Sana’s mind popped into her mind, How did prince Jinyoung get all this delicious food? Why was everything so peaceful and relaxing in the forest when she was told it was a dangerous place cursed with many spells and from every story she was told growing up, totally, completely, uninhabitable?

Her stomach grumbled and she decided to save the questions for later, she needed to eat first. Her stomach demanded to be fed.

Walking over to Prince Jinyoung, Sana couldn’t help but admire his focus in the kitchen as he was working hard to make a meal for the both of them to share together. Sana couldn’t help but wonder how did the prince not go mad being alone in the forest all these years with no one to keep him company? He must have been so lonely this whole time, but yet he seems to be so agreeable, so charming and kind. She decided she would still need to be cautious with him because he was a stranger after all how could she so easily trust him?

Straightening her back she glided into the kitchen on light feet so as to not disturb Jinyoung in his cooking endeavors. Jinyoung looked up and smiled as he saw the beautiful young maiden he had fallen for had awaken from her slumber. He was eager to learn more about her and more importantly for her to eat and gain her strength for their journey ahead.

“The beef stew was delicious thank you so much Prince Jinyoung.” Sana politely bowed with her head and gave a grateful smile to her host.

“Please, call me Jinyoung. And it’s nothing. I hope you have room for dessert! Do you like apple pie?” With a smile Jinyoung moved to go into the oven to bring out his pie when Sana let out a gasp.

“How is it that you can not only cook but also bake such a delicious looking pie? Pri- I mean, Jinyoung is there anything you can’t do?” Sana held her tongue from continuing, scolding herself from going too overboard with the compliments. Also of course there was one thing he couldn’t do which was leave the Forbidden Forest! That’s why he has been lost all these years.

“I’m so sorry how rude of me to say such a careless thing.” Sana bowed her head in regret for not taking better care of her words, for speaking to casually with the Prince and for not thinking before speaking once again.

“No no, please don’t be sorry. Sana please speak freely with me. I want us to be friends. I must say I’m a little rusty on my friendship skills but I’m willing to improve. I want to get to know you and you can ask me any questions and I won’t say no.” Jinyoung replied with a smile and big eyes of genuine interest and sincerity. Sana couldn’t believe this was the same Prince that would often haunt her nightmares as a kid. He wasn’t the scary lost prince that she had heard many stories about. He was nice, handsome, and well, real. Really Real right in front of her, she couldn’t help but blush. She cleared her thoat and calmed herself once again so that she would not waste this opportunity to get answers.

“Since you have so generously offered. I will take that promise and hold you to it… Jinyoung. First, what did you mean by saying I am the key to getting us out of here and stopping the war? I don’t know anything about a key all i know is we have always been at war for over a hundred years. I know that you selfishly decided to go into the forbidden forest because you were too arrogant to heed warnings or you were trying to impress your friends on a dare because you thought you were invincible and nothing would happen to you.But something happend. You vanished! I don’t know how or why but I know that your father King Yohan was so angry and so sad that he blamed the Lavender Queen. He blamed the Lavender Kingdom for taking you away from this world. He took revenge by taking the Lavender Princess and we have been at war ever since. So what do you know about the key to end this war? How can I help you? How can we both go home?” With wide eyes and biting her lip Sana folded her hands in front of her on the table. Waiting with breath held for the prince’s answer.

With a deep breath Jinyoung revealed all that he knew to Sana about the key.

“I’m not sure what you know about the reason why I’m here. And I don’t know what my father did after I came here but I’ll tell you what I do know. The reason I came into the forest was because I knew the key to stopping the war. It’s so simple but I didn’t dare tell anyone for fear that my father might stop me. So yes, when my guards had fallen asleep in the middle of the night i took my horse and went into the forest. But it wasn’t because I was dared to go or because I thought I’m invincible. It’s because I know that the only way that our two Kingdoms could be at peace was the most powerful magic in all the world. Love. Love would set us all free from this never ending war. It’s because of you Sana, when I saw you for the first time I knew that love truly does exist in this world. That it is more powerful than hate or feud or war or any other thing I’ve every experienced. I loved you so much that I wanted to get to you no matter the cost. Princess Sana, thank you for returning to me.”

Jinyoung ended with giving Sana a hug and he looked at Sana full of expectation and searching her eyes for any sign of recognition. But all he was met with was confusion and blushing cheeks.

“Princess Sana?? what are you talking about?!!” Sana pushed Jinyoung away and stared at him in confusion and dismay. She started pacing the floor trying to put together what Jinyoung was saying. She looked at him again and tried to think harder to remember as if there was something she was missing. Then Jinyoung spoke again.

“You don’t remember. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that this sounds so sudden and confusing and too much all at once. But we are so close to finally stopping the war that I need you to just hear me out please be patient and let me tell you everything.” Jinyoung was now looking pleadingly into Sana’s eyes.

Sana replied with a nod and sat down again at the table. Her apple pie now growing cold on the plate in front of her. Her appetite long gone.

“We fell in love and that’s ended up being the most powerful magic that could end the war. We met in secret on the battlefield. We weren’t supposed to be there. But I snuck out of the castle because I wanted to check on my friend JayB who had been stationed there on the field. I wanted to know that he was alive and well. I was scared that my only friend had left me all alone. When I saw you. You with your Lavender cape and dress, Princess Sana on the battlefield it felt unreal. You also snuck out and ran away from your tutor because you were sick of reading books and wanted to see the history happening in front of your own eyes. At least that’s what you told me. We found ourselves hiding together behind a big oak tree and that’s when I knew the moment I looked into your eyes. I knew what love meant. And I think you knew too because you looked at me, with your eyes wide and open and full of love as if you had been waiting for me to find you. I wanted to run away with you right then and there. So I took your hand and we ran away into the forest together and never looked back. I built this cottage for us, and you tended to the garden. We were happy. That is until my father found us. I should have known he would never let his heir go live happily ever after. He took you away and said that he would send you back to the Lavender Kingdom. I was devastated. I cried for days after that and never left my room. I tried to go to you but the forest was so thick, it grew over night. No one could understand why but I knew. I saw the lavender light glowing that night. I knew that you made it back into the forest and that you were waiting for me. I knew that it was you that made the forest grow triple it’s size so that no one could find us again. So that we could be together. So I took my horse into the forest when everyone was asleep and I searched for you. I came to our cottage but it was empty. I didn’t understand what had happened but i waited for you and finally you’re here. You have to know that I will spend the rest of my days proving to you that our love is real. I will get us out of here. Because love is the most powerful magic there is and I have enough for the both of us, even if your memories never come back. I will get us home, we can stop this war.”

Jinyoung was now holding Sana’s hands and waiting for her to reply. He looked into her eyes with his big brown ones and a look of love and determination written clearly on his face. Sana did not know how this could be, but she believed him. She looked at him with soft eyes and leaned into kiss him. When their lips connected a spark lit up her eyes and suddenly a flash of lavender light surrounded the two of them. And then as their lips parted one another, the light vanished and Sana loo ked at Jinyoung with a new sparkle in her eyes.

“Hello, my love, thank you for waiting for me.” Sana gave Jinyoung a big hug and he spun her around. They both laughed delightedly together, happy that their love lasted over a century and they were reunited once again.

“My beloved, please tell me what happened to your memories?Why has it taken you so long to return to me?” Jinyoung held Sana closely and looked into her eyes, eager for the answers he had been waiting for over a century to hear from the love of his life.

“After your father found us and took you away. My mother tried to lock me up in her tower of forgetting. But before she could succeed I ran to the forest and cast a spell to show you a sign that would tell you to wait for me. I expanded the forest triple it’s size and set a protection over the forest so that only you or I could enter. But my mother found me, and she locked me away in the tower and I willed myself to never forget you. I never wanted to forget your beautiful singing so I put a spell on a bird so that no matter what as long as I heard this bird I would remember you, and fight my way to go looking for you. But when you vanished into the forest i never anticipated what your father would do next. He stole me from the tower and brought me to a place that birds would never go. He put me under the care of two powerful nobles who could keep me believing they were my parents and convince me that you were just a cautionary tale. The king didn’t know that only I could release you from the forest so he kept me there under a spell until the day you return only then could I also return to my Kingdom. And so I had been for over a century. Until this morning when that bird came to my garden and brought me to you.” Sana finished her story with tears in her eyes grateful to finally be with her lover.

Jinyoung held Sana tighter and lead her to the horse.

“It’s time my love, to return home and finally unite our two Kingdom’s” Jinyoung smiled brightly and hopped on his horse pulling Princess Sana along with him.

When Prince Jinyoung from the Emerald Kingdom and Princess Sana from the Lavender Kingdom arrived to the Emerald Castle. The current King and Queen were astonished. They saw his very face on the paintings in their throne room. And upon seeing Princess Sana that’s when they knew. The answer to all of their problems, the end to all of their fighing had arrived. The two lost royal heirs would be married. And unite the two Kingdoms once and for all time.