“Your readiness to offer your heart is all that was needed,” she said. “You must keep what you have left intact if you’re to change the hearts and minds of the rest of the People Below the Skies.”

“I do not wish to change hearts and minds,” the Knight said. “I only wish to be happy. A fool’s errand, I know.”

“Your mind dwells on your Prince.” The Witch held out her hands, and in her palms, the sparks danced.

The Knight wondered how she was able to get them from the Prince’s Calvary, but he dared not ask.

The Witch explained, “Once upon a time, there were two titans who ruled the skies, Thunder and Lightning. During their reign, gods and magic were not outcasts nor traitors but celebrated, revered. Until one day, the hearts and minds of the People were corrupted by those who did not understand us, who feared and hated us. So I did what was necessary. I cast a spell that would hide Thunder and Lightning from each other in order to keep them safe and preserve their love. A love so pure, it kept our world balanced.”

She circled the Knight, and the sparks glowed brighter in her hand. “Like all spells, the curse can be broken, but …”

“What?” the Knight asked.

The Witch smiled, weary and haggard. “Only when the hearts of all the Kingdoms Below the Skies are ready to accept those they deem outcasts, and welcome the true love sparked from twin male souls, will the spell be broken.” She gestured with her hands.

“You were protecting them?” the Knight asked, though it was not so much a question as a statement.

As his gaze fell upon the Witch, he saw neither evil nor a monster but a kindred spirit. He saw himself reflected in her eyes.

His eyes traveled to the sparks.

“The Prince and I …” He did not finish his thought, for even though he knew in his heart of hearts that he loved the Prince, he also knew such a love was forbidden.

How can such a pure feeling be so wrong? he thought.

“It is not,” the Witch said, banging her cane on the stone floor. “It is the purest of loves, one not bound by privilege, the duty of marriage, or gendered obligations. It is but a primal spark that if allowed to grow and tenderly tended to has the power to light the skies like the sun and the moon and the stars.”

A tear spilled down his cheek. “But I do not think the Prince feels about me the same way I feel about him.”

“Think again,” the Prince called out from the other side of the locked cell. “I apologize if it took me a bit too long to realize what you knew all along.”

“You dare to unlock me? But why risk your whole heart, your safety?” the Knight asked.