The Silver Maiden: A Dark Pact

In the hidden valleys, where rivers meander like dark veins and mist clings to the earth like a shroud, a different story is told of the handless maiden, not that of the pious young woman blessed by angels, but of a woman marked by darkness, her silver hands a symbol of a terrible covenant. Not that of the pious young girl blessed by angels, but of a woman marked by darkness, her silver hands a symbol of a terrible covenant. It is said that the angel who helped the maiden was not a celestial being, but a water spirit, ancient and sinister. The moat that surrounded the king's garden was not a simple defense, but a barrier between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. The water spirit, attracted by the maiden's despair, offered her a pact: silver hands in exchange for her voice, her joy, her very essence. The silver hands, far from being a gift, were a shackle, a constant connection to the aquatic realm. Every night, the maiden felt the cold caress of the water spirit, its icy whispers promising her power in exchange for her soul. The king, blinded by her ethereal beauty, did not see the darkness growing in her eyes, the emptiness in her gaze.