Episode 1 – The Angel of the Fountain

Nicoletta was twenty-two years old. She lived in a small village nestled at the foot of misty mountains, in a modest cottage with the old woman who had raised her. The old woman, whose name was Grandma Anya, was not her true grandmother—but she was the only mother Nicoletta had ever known.

Nicoletta's best friend, Lucia, had given her the nickname Nico. Only Lucia called her that, and it always made Nico smile.

Nico had a voice like no other. When she sang, the birds stopped mid-flight to listen. They would perch on nearby branches, wagging their tiny tails as if dancing. Butterflies circled above her head like a living crown. The villagers said she was touched by the FAE.

Every evening, Nico walked to the edge of the village where an ancient fountain lay hidden beneath weeping willow trees. The water was cool and clear, and the surrounding stones were soft with moss. There, she would slip into the water and sing her favorite songs—songs she had learned from Grandma Anya, though the old woman never explained where they came from.

The fountain became her sanctuary. No one else came there. Or so she thought.

Unbeknownst to Nico, a young prince had been wandering far from his own kingdom. His name was Pond, heir to the Tiger Kingdom. His people possessed a rare gift: they could shift between human form and the form of great, striped tigers. They were kind-hearted and noble, but the Fairy Queen had spread lies about them for centuries, calling them beasts and monsters.

Prince Pond dreamed of peace. He wanted the fairies to see his people not as animals, but as friends. His father, the Tiger King, warned him that the Fairy Queen would never listen. But Pond was stubborn and gentle, and he refused to give up hope.

One evening, while exploring the forest beyond his kingdom's borders, Pond heard a sound that stopped him in his tracks. It was a voice—so pure and sorrowful that it seemed to come from another world. He followed it through the trees, across a small stream, until he reached a curtain of willows.

He parted the branches and saw her.

A young woman with dark hair floating on the water, her eyes closed, her lips moving in song. Moonlight spilled over her like liquid silver. The surrounding birds were silent, as if afraid to miss a single note.

Pond did not step forward. He did not speak. He simply watched from the shadows, his heart beating faster than it ever had in any battle.

When her song ended, she rose from the fountain, wrapped herself in a thin shawl, and walked back toward the village. Pond stayed hidden until she disappeared.

Then he whispered to himself, “Who are you?”

He returned the next night. And the next. And the next. Always hidden. Always listening. Never revealing himself.

He noticed the small birthmark on her back—a crescent moon cradling a seven-pointed star. He did not know its meaning yet, but something told him it was important.

Back in the cottage, Grandma Anya would sometimes watch Nico return from the fountain with a sad smile. The old woman knew secrets she had never spoken. One day, she would tell Nico the truth about her mother, the Fairy King, and the jealous queen who had exiled them both.

But not yet.

For now, the prince waited in the shadows. And the angel sang on.

End of Episode 1

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