This is a fantasy story based off a story in the Bible that I wrote a long time ago. It’s by no means perfect, but can you guess which story it’s written after? :)

The sky was golden with a light covering of clouds, making everything feel magical. I tried to focus on this fact, on the fact that I was lying down on the soft grass of the woods, and convince myself that I had no worries.

After all, this is the way it should have been. My kingdom was at peace and Damian was still here, lying beside me.

Everything should have been perfect, but the guilt of what I’d done- lying to Damian so many times just to keep him from my secret­- hung over me like a veil of overcast clouds.

“Tell me,” he said suddenly, sitting up until he was looking down at me.  

I bit my lip. I wanted to tell him. So badly. But the weight of the secret, the oath that I swore to my father on his death bed kept my mouth silent. The secret of my magic was meant for no one’s ears but my own. Not even my mother knew the true source of it.

“You don’t trust me,” Damian whispered. His voice was soft, but sad. He smiled once at me, but it faltered. “It’s alright. I understand.”

But he didn’t. He didn’t understand how badly I wanted to tell him, how much I wished he could know this one final secret. But my father’s words were still ringing loudly in my ears.

You’ll hold the magic that will protect this kingdom from this day on, Raven,” he’d told me. “Because of you no attackers will triumph against it. But no one is to ever know this secret but you, Promise me that, Raven.”

“I promise,” I’d whispered. I’d been crying then, tears falling silently down my cheeks, but the weight of my words had been sincere. I would never tell. This would always be between my father and me only.

But now Damian was sitting here beside me, and I wanted suddenly to take it all back. To take back that promise I made, to allow my father to at least let me tell one person. It was too great a secret to hold on my own.

And Damian… Damian knew everything else. I’d trusted him with everything. I could trust him with this too. At least that’s what I kept trying to tell myself.

“Raven,” Damian said again and I closed my eyes for a second, relishing in the sound of his voice saying my name. “Why does it take so much for you to tell me the truth? You’ve lied to me three other times.”

“I know,” I said, unable to look back at him as the guilt covered me with shame. “I’m sorry, Damian. I thought if I lied you wouldn’t ask me about it again.”

He didn’t say anything for a second and when I finally looked up he smiled at me sadly again. “How can I not want to know your secrets? You know all of mine.”

“But…” I sat up, biting my lip in frustration. “I swore, Damian. I promised my father I would never tell.”

“And neither will I,” he sighed. “You know you can trust me. I know how important the secret of your magic is to you and to your entire kingdom. I would never tell anyone.”

“But you’re from the enemy lands.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I looked up at him carefully, hoping he hadn’t heard me, but it was obvious he had.

An expression of heartbreak and sadness washed over his face and he looked down at his hands. 

“I know,” he said finally. “I am. You’re right. It would be wrong to trust me.”

“But I do trust you,” I fought with him, my voice desperate. “I do, Damian. But this is…”

“Too much?” He finished for me. “Too far?” He nodded once and then stood up, looking back down at me again. “You were right then, Raven. This would have never worked in the first place. No matter what magic you can use to bring peace upon your people, you can never convince them to trust me to be with you. And apparently, you can’t convince yourself either.”

“Damian that’s not true,” I started to argue but already he’d started to walk away from me.

But, no. I couldn’t let him go. I knew how wrong he was, how wrong I was when I first fought falling in love with him.

My hand moved up to the colored gemstone that hung around my neck.

I could trust Damian. I knew I could.

“Damian, wait!” I called out, scrambling to get up from the forest floor. “Damian!”

He appeared only a second later, that heartbroken expression still on his face.

“It’s the gemstone,” I finally admitted as I ran up to him.

He held his arms out to catch me. “The what?”

“The gemstone.” I reached down to the necklace and held the stone before him. “The magic is in the gemstone. It was passed down to me by my father.”

Damian’s eyes flickered over to mine once, as if doubting whether I as telling him the truth this time. But apparently he believed me because he then reached over to touch the stone gently.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured, holding it in the palm of his hand. He looked over at me and smiled. “Thank you, Raven.”

“You’re welcome,” I whispered, smiling as his lips moved down to kiss mine.

“It’s cold,” he whispered when we pulled away. “And you look tired. Come on. I know where we can stay warm.”

He led me over to a cave, small and dark beside a thick covering of trees.

“Damian I can’t stay here,” I protested but he nodded.

“I know. Just stay with me awhile. It’s too cold to take you back home now anyway.”

“Okay,” I agreed. We lay down on the smooth stone ground and Damian placed his warm leather jacket over my shoulders.

“You can sleep if you want,” he whispered. “I’ll keep watch.”

I nodded. “Thank you,” I whispered as he leaned down to kiss me once more.

When I woke up, Damian was gone. I touched the cold ground beneath me, suddenly remembering where I was. And then I remembered the last thing Damian had told me.

He must be outside, still keeping watch.

I scrambled up from the floor and stepped outside, expecting to see him standing against the cave rock. But he wasn’t. I couldn’t see him anywhere and for a moment, I started to panic.

Maybe he forgot something, I reasoned with myself as I stepped deeper into the woods. But then I remembered he’d brought nothing with him this time. No food, no weapons. What could he have forgotten?

I should have never fallen asleep, I thought angrily as I continued through the woods. What if he was in danger? How was I supposed to find him?

“Raven,” a voice suddenly whispered, making me freeze mid-step. I would have been relieved, but I knew better.

That was not Damian’s voice.

“Raven,” it called again and I realized that this as a new voice, one I had never heard before.

Fear seeped through my veins and I begun to walk more rapidly than before.

“Raven.” The voice continued, this time joined by another.

I must be dreaming, I thought to myself. This must be a nightmare.

“Damian!” I called out, but there was no answer.

The voices were still saying my name and my panic was only becoming greater and greater.

And then suddenly I spotted the large hill ahead, the same hill where Damian and I used to sit, looking over at the bright lights of the palace where I live. From that hill a large part of the kingdom was visible, and I knew that a large part of the woods must be visible as well.

I started to run then, calling Damian’s name over and over again. Soon I was almost at the summit, out of breath but unwilling to stop. My muscles were burning by the time I finally reached it and I stopped for a moment to catch my breath.

But when I looked up, I realized I was not alone. A dark figure stood a few feet ahead, but before I could make any move to run he turned to face me.

Damian.

I sighed in relief, running toward him, but he stopped me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, still panicked.

“Nothing,” he replied gently. “But you shouldn’t sleep so long, Raven.”

“I know,” I said, my voice dizzy with relief now. “I’m sorry. I was just so tired.”

“It’s alright,” he answered. His smile was more defined now but I noticed something different in his eyes.

“Is everything okay, Damian?” I asked slowly, afraid to hear the answer.

“Everything’s perfect,” he told me, turning ahead towards the view of the palace.

“Okay,” I said quietly, wanting to believe him. But I could still somehow hear the voices, repeating my name over and over again and they filled me with fear. I moved my hand up to my necklace instinctively, searching for the smoothness of the gemstone to calm me.

But my hand found nothing but cold skin.

The necklace was gone.

“Damian,” I whispered in panic. “Damian, it’s gone.”

“What?” he asked, turning back to me. “Oh.” He opened his hand for me to see. “You mean this?”

I sighed in relief at the sight of the gemstone in his palm. “Yes. Thank you.”

I reached for it, but he pulled his hand back instantly.

“Damian,” I said, looking up at him confused. “I need it. The magic only works if I’m wearing it.”

“I know,” he answered. He smiled at me then and I saw his other hand motion upwards: A signal. And then there were four other men around us, each armed and with the seal of Damian’s land upon their shields.

“Damian, what-?” I started to ask but before I could finish one of the men grabbed my arms and pinned them against my back. I struggled to get free but his hands were too strong and soon I could feel the rough burn of a rope tighten around my arms.

“Damian!” I cried out but he turned away from me, looking over at the palace again.

And then I began to hear it.

It sounded like thunder at first, rolling slowly against the sky. But soon it grew louder and louder, an army of horses roaring across the ground.

“A hundred thousand,” Damian whispered, ignoring my cries of confusion.

I looked down at the palace where he was staring off too, at the borders of the kingdom as they were suddenly overcome with a mass of darkness that spilled into them.

Damian’s army.

I watched, frozen, as his thousands of horses flooded our lands, every soldier armed with swords and spears. And I knew instantly what was going to happen.

Our kingdom was unprepared for an attack. They had been for the past ten years, knowing my magic would prevent any invasion within the kingdom borders. But my magic was useless now. And there was nothing my kingdom would be able to do to resist Damian’s army.

I closed my eyes as the sound of the army grew louder.

“Oh, Raven,” I heard Damian whisper beside me, his voice cold but triumphant. “You should have known better.” His cold hand touched my cheek as he stepped closer to me. “You should have listened to your father.”