The River of Lost Time.

The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished.

It was a strange sight, the silver waters, once flowing steadily towards the horizon, now rushed upstream, twisting around the jagged rocks as if they were rebelling against nature itself. The villagers watched in stunned silence, unsure whether to be terrified or mesmerized. But no one knew it yet the river's defiance was only the beginning.

At the heart of the kingdom, in the towering Palace of Echoes, Queen Aeliana had vanished without a trace. Her chambers were empty, the throne room cold, and her crown, left behind on the silken pillow, was as new as though she had been pulled away in the middle of a dream.

Princess Selene, Aeliana’s daughter, stood at the palace window, her eyes fixed on the river. Something was wrong. The air felt thick with magic, and the wind, which should have smelled of the sea, carried the faintest scent of ashes. A legend her mother had once told her began to resurface in her mind: When the river runs backward, the Queen will be taken by the Fates. Only the Chosen One can restore her and time will turn on itself until they do.

Selene had always dismissed the old tales as nothing more than bedtime stories. But standing here, with the river defying its course and the shadows lengthening unnaturally around her, she couldn’t ignore the weight of those words. She had to act and fast.

Her first stop was the Archive of Lost Souls, a hidden library beneath the city where the kingdom’s forgotten history was kept in dust-covered tomes. There, she met Lysander, a former royal scholar with deep knowledge of the ancient ways. His eyes were haunted, and his fingers trembled as he pulled a weathered book from the shelf.

“It’s true, Your Highness,” Lysander said, flipping through the pages. “The river’s reversal is the sign. But the Chosen One... she is not a mere legend. She’s a forgotten daughter of a long-dead kingdom, a daughter of darkness. Only she can enter the Realm of Fates and bargain for your mother’s return.”

Selene’s heart raced. A daughter of darkness? That sounded like the stuff of nightmares. But she had no choice. If the river ran backwards, there was no time to waste. She had to find this Chosen One and perhaps face more than she was ready for.

-

Selene’s journey began at dawn. With nothing but a dagger at her side and the ancient scroll Lysander had given her, she ventured into the Forbidden Forest aForest place where the land itself seemed to remember old wounds, and the trees whispered secrets to those brave enough to listen.

The forest was dense with fog, and the air grew colder as Selene moved deeper. Strange creatures with glowing eyes flitted just beyond the edges of her vision, and the trees, gnarled and twisted, seemed to lean toward her as if watching her every move. The further she went, the more she felt the pull of something ancient and force that made her pulse quicken and her skin prickle with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

Hours passed before she came upon the clearing, a place where no mortal had stepped in centuries. At its center stood an altar of black stone, covered in vines that shimmered faintly in the dim light. And there, kneeling in the shadow of the altar, was the one she sought.

The Chosen One.

She was unlike anyone Selene had ever seen a pale as moonlight, with long, silver hair that flowed like water, and eyes as dark as the night sky. Her features were haunting, and her presence felt as if the very fabric of reality bent around her. Selene’s heart hammered in her chest, for she knew instinctively that this was the key to finding her mother.

"You’ve come for her," the Chosen One said, her voice like a soft breeze, but with an edge that sent a shiver down Selene’s spine. "But nothing comes free in the Realm of Fates. Not even the life of a Queen."

Selene stepped forward, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll do anything. My mother she’s been taken. The river runs backwards. You’re my only hope.”

The Chosen One tilted her head, studying Selene with an almost amused expression. “Ah, yes. The Queen, the one who thought she could tame the river’s course. Now, it has taken her, as it must.” She paused, as if savoring the moment. “But what is it that you truly seek, Princess? Do you seek to return your mother to the throne? Or do you seek to change the very nature of fate itself?”

Selene clenched her fists, feeling a surge of defiance rise within her. "I seek my mother. I don’t care what it takes."

The Chosen One’s smile was faint but knowing. “Very well. But know this, fate cannot be rewritten without consequence. You will journey into the Realm of Fates, a place where time and space are unbound. There, you must strike a bargain with the Fates themselves. But remember nothing is ever as it seems.”

With a flick of her hand, the Chosen One conjured a portal in the air before them. The swirling colors within it danced like liquid fire, shifting between shades of gold, violet, and deep midnight blue.

"Step through," the Chosen One said. "But beware. The Fates play games with those who enter their domain."

Selene hesitated only for a moment. Her mother’s face, pale and distant in her mind, gave her the courage to step forward. The moment her foot crossed the threshold, the world around her shifted. Time fractured.

The Realm of Fates was not like any place Selene had imagined. It was an ever-changing landscape of impossible beauty and terrifying chaos. Mountains floated in the air, rivers of light and shadow twisted through the sky, and giant clock faces ticked in the distance, their hands spinning in reverse. There were no boundaries, no rules only the endless, shifting wheel of time.

Selene was no longer sure if she was walking, floating, or standing still. All around her, echoes of voices,whispers from the past and future echoed through the air. She could feel the weight of destinies hanging on threads, unraveling and reweaving themselves at will.

And there, in the center of it all, stood the Fates. Three figures, draped in robes that shimmered like the night sky, their faces hidden in shadow. They were the keepers of time, the weavers of fate and Selene knew that they would not be kind to anyone who dared to bargain with them.

"You seek the return of your Queen," the first Fate spoke, her voice a chorus of thousands. "But what will you give in exchange?"

Selene swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath. "I will give anything. My life. My soul. My future."

The second Fate, her hands weaving threads of light, smiled wickedly. "Everything comes at a cost, princess. Everything."

The third Fate, silent until now, raised a hand. "You must choose. Save your mother, or save your kingdom. The choice will fracture the timeline. The world will never be the same again."

Selene’s heart raced. She had come for her mother, but at what cost? The world she knew or the kingdom, her people would fall apart if she made the wrong choice. But how could she turn away?

The Fates watched her, waiting. The threads of time shimmered around them, each one pulling in different directions, each one promising an outcome Selene could never have imagined.

-

W

-

The Fates waited, their eyes glowing faintly beneath their hoods.

Selene’s thoughts raced as the weight of their words settled over her like a heavy cloak. Save her mother, or save her kingdom. Could there be a way to do both? Or was the price too high?

“I don’t understand,” Selene stammered. “Why must I choose? Why can’t there be another way?”

The first Fate, who was woven of starlight and shadows, leaned closer, her voice gentle but firm. “Because, dear child, fate is a thread that must be cut to bewoven new. To restore balance, one life must be sacrificed. The river runs backward because your mother defied the natural order. To undo that defiance, the cost must be paid.”

“Please,” Selene’s voice broke, her heart thrumming with the desperate need to make the right choice. “I can’t choose between my mother and my kingdom. I can’t.”

The second Fate, who was entwined with the winds of time, reached out and placed a cold hand on Selene’s shoulder. “You do not choose the way others do, princess. You decide how you will move forward. The choice is not between love and duty,it is between consequence and acceptance.”

A heavy silence fell. Selene felt the fabric of time stretching, as if the very world around her was holding its breath. The threads of possibility danced in front of her eyes: a kingdom saved but a mother lost, a mother returned but a realm broken beyond repair.

And then, a realization hit her with such force that it nearly knocked her off her feet.

“What if…” she whispered, half to herself. “What if there’s another way?”

The third Fate, the one who had been silent, tilted her head. "Speak, child."

"What if I give up my place in time?" Selene said, her voice growing stronger. “What if I sacrifice my future instead of my kingdom or my mother?”

The Fates exchanged a glance, and the air around Selene crackled with the tension of an unspoken question.

“You would give up everything?” the first Fate asked, her voice laced with awe. “Your life, your future, your identity?”

“I would,” Selene said, her eyes blazing with newfound resolve. “If it means that both can be saved. If it means I can restore the river’s flow and save both my mother and my people. If I must give up my place in this world to reset the threads, then I will. No one should have to choose between what they love most.”

The second Fate’s eyes flickered with something like admiration. “A noble decision. And yet, the Fates do not offer bargains lightly. To give up your place in time is not a simple act. You will never return to the kingdom you know. You will never see your mother again as she is. You will be lost in the folds of time, a shadow in the future and past.”

Selene’s heart ached. But she had already made her decision.

“I’m ready,” she said, her voice unwavering. “If it will save them, I will fade from time. I will be nothing, so that they can be everything.”

The third Fate extended her hand, and from her palm, a single thread of golden light unraveled. “Then so be it.”

The thread shot forward, wrapping around Selene’s wrist, and a deep, resonant hum filled the air. The ground beneath her feet trembled. The Fates raised their hands in unison, and the fabric of time itself seemed to tear.

In a flash of blinding light, the world shifted.

-

When Selene opened her eyes again, she was standing on the banks of a river the same river, but now flowing with its usual current, steady and strong. She could hear the laughter of children playing by the water’s edge, the hum of life returning to the kingdom. The sky above was clear, and the air smelled of fresh rain.

But something was wrong.

She looked down at her hands. They were no longer the hands of a princess. There was no crown on her head, no gown of royal silk. She felt… forgotten.

In the distance, she could see the castle standing tall. But when she tried to walk toward it, her feet didn’t move as they should. She was a shadow, invisible to the world around her. The kingdom, her mother, everything she had known was still there, but none of it recognized her.

The price had been paid.

Selene realized then that she was no longer part of time. Her sacrifice had restored the natural flow of events, returning the kingdom to its rightful course. The Queen was safe, the river was at peace, and the world would continue to turn. But Selene herself was lost in the spaces between seconds, a fleeting echo of the future and the past.

As her last breath of time slipped away, she smiled.

The river had run backward, but now it had found its way home.

-

The End.

-

H