Under the cover of midnight’s darkness the lone traveler rode through the woods, galloping full speed down the winding pass. She knew these roads were dangerous, especially at this late hour, but it would be nothing compared to the risk she was about to take. Desperate times had called for desperate measures and right now the kingdom needed her sacrifice now more than ever. So onward she pressed, through the dark and through the trees, towards the cursed lands that she had once so feared as a child.
No one in the kingdom dared to even speak of the village, not even her own father. And yet somehow everyone still seemed to know the story. She was very young when she first heard the tale, from who exactly she could not remember.
It was said there was once a village in those parts, as happy and prosperous as any other town, until one day a curse was placed upon it by the evil wizard Veneficus. The well in the town’s center was corrupted by dark magic, transforming anyone who drank from it into a horrible abomination. No one was quite sure why Veneficus did this; some say it was an act of vengeance, others that it was a spell gone awry, and still others claim the old wizard just did it as a cruel joke. Regardless the results were devastating; men, women, and children alike were all twisted into deranged creatures and the remaining townsfolk quickly fled. None had returned since, save for an occasional wandering fool or adventurer. However, the story also said that the magic of the well did have one benefit: if someone of pure heart and good intention were to drink from the well they would instead have their one wish granted.
It was this reason that had driven her here, to set right the evil that had taken hold of the land. It was a half-cruel, half-funny twist that the darkest part of the kingdom might just bring its salvation.
As the hours began to mount, her steed started to tire. It was a long distance from her point of departure and she had stopped not once along the journey. The poor beast had grown weary from covering such a great span so quickly. Despite her desire to reach her destination, she knew when a horse needed rest. Trotting to a halt on the side of the road, she dismounted and hitched the animal up by a nearby stream, hoping it would soon recover. With only starlight above her she stuck close to the tree-line, hoping to avoid detection; she might not be in the cursed lands yet, but these woods were still a danger.
As she silently prayed for a swift return to her journey, a light off in the distance appeared coming slowly up from the other side of the road. It started out small, dim and twinkling like any other star, but as it drew closer she could see …