Once upon a time, in a land far, far away — there lived a little girl growing up in her mother and father's castle. Princess Elora was a small human girl, living in the land of humans on the deepest reaches of Nofara.
Our tale begins in the castle gardens, where the root of our world has sprung up a field of Petalosa, the flower named after our world, the magical world of Alosa.
Elora was born amongst these flowers, as they were believed to carry mystical qualities around them, breathing out miracles into the world.
The Queen, Elora's mother, was lying weak in the garden, as her husband — the King, and Elora's father, knelt in the garden propping Elora's mother up from behind. The mother had grown sickly, and needed to remain at the castle to take in the land's natural remedies. The birth of Princess Elora, came to the King and Queen as a blessing of Alosa. The young girl was a beautiful site, but as she grew, something troublesome had been laid out before them.
The day she was born, Elora did not cry. She trembled at the cold air she felt after leaving her mother, but she did so without a sound. As the years went by, Elora's parents discovered she was incapable of speech, and they had sent out brave adventurers to roam the land, in search of a method to communicate with their daughter. They, along with their handmaidens taught Elora everything they could, even without knowing if Elora would ever be able to speak with them, or if she even understood. Everything Elora ever did was a precious wonder in their eyes, but that did not stop the King and Queen from worrying if their daughter would be able to truly connect with the world.
She was a charming young girl who was full of life. One day however, an adventurer returned with a strange, cloaked being who promised to cure Elora of her ailment in exchange for wealth and power. The King and Queen agreed to these terms, and this cloaked figure took shelter within the castle. As time went on, and this individual continued to receive their riches, no such progress had ever been made.
As the King and Queen became suspicious that this individual's promises were a hoax, the cloaked entity requested to keep a closer eye over Elora, ensuring them that they had a treatment which required their close, personal attention, and would make it possible for the Princess to speak. Weeks went by as Elora lived within their quarters, and Princess Elora had long since been unseen, even still, no progress had been made. The figure ensured the King and Queen once again that the time was near, that their "remedy" would work, and they would soon see their daughter again, in full health, and capable of speech. Soon however, the cloaked figure, nor Elora, were seen from again.
The King and Queen panicked, and called upon their royal guards to scour the castle.
Beneath the castle, secret passageways had been built, unbeknownst to them. These passages led to a dungeon, where research was being conducted as the cloaked entity attempted to uncover the secrets of the world using royal blood.
By the time the dungeon had been discovered, the one responsible for Elora's disappearance had already committed a heinous act. Princess Elora was locked away in a chamber fitted like her own bedroom within the castle, but she was unfed, and withering away.
What was this poor girl to do without a voice? She couldn't so much as express her hunger, nor ask for a glass of water.
Day by day, Elora was drained of her lifeline, all in the name of this unknown figure's experiments.
When the princess was brought back to the castle, the royal maidens did everything they could to nurse Elora back to health, but she was too weak, and soon came into a sickness all her own. Her mother and father were beyond livid, and ordered the royal guard and every adventurer to stop at nothing until the culprit was caught. They felt the only person that could be responsible for this injustice, was none other than the shrouded alchemist themself.
Years went by, but not a single adventurer nor royal guard could find so much as a trace. Everything that had been in the alchemist's possession was picked entirely clean. Slowly, Elora's condition seemed to worsen, and the Queen pledged that she would offer her own life so that her daughter might be spared.
It was a long and gruelling season, and the Queen soon rationed her own medicines, hoping them to help her daughter instead.
The winters grew long, and the summers cold.
Eventually, a strange new entity approached their doorstep. They didn't hide their face, and while the humans were frightened at first, this unfirmiliar being brought promises of miracles that were solumn of solace and retribution. No one knew where this being had come from, and they hadn't even asked for any conditions nor rewards in return.
Hope was reborn into the hearts of man, and this upright, tailed being was entrusted with the fate of the royal bloodline as they set off to find the answers to relieve them of their turmoil. It was that same being that had soon brought back to the royal family, two individuals — one an unfamed healer, an enchantress, and the other was the infamized entity, the alleged alchemist themself.
The castle country rejoiced as the royal mother and daughter's lives had been saved, and as if that wasn't enough, the tailed entity brought forth to them a special book from beyond the realm. With it, the King, Queen, and Princess could communicate at last, and all was in harmony.
The deed was done, and the tailed entity who returned to them their peace, had bid farewell, and departed their land. They never came to know who or what their savior was; they only knew who to trust, should they have the need and opportunity to call upon them again.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the royal family's troubles, for as soon as their savior had left, the shrouded figure had sworn their revenge.
Darkness befell the great kingdom, and the alchemist stormed the palace — bringing terror in its wake. As the kingdom was set ablaze, the King and Queen watched helplessly as Princess Elora had bestowed upon her a terrible curse. Their daughter's body snapped and twisted, tightening in upon itself as Elora silently cried out in agony. As her body morphed, it sprawled over with fur as everything shrunk until what remained before them was nothing more than a rabbit.
This was the miserable fate of Elora.
The King and Queen fought desperately to save their daughter, but no amount of guards or handmaidens were enough to get them all out of their kingdom safe. The King tried to fight off the shrouded figure in a heated rage, one that was of such love and compassion, that his need for Elora's survival, drove him to madness.
All for the sake of the future of Elora, the Queen handed off the rabbit to the enchantress, entrusting everything to her. Thus beginning the tale of 'The Mistress and The Rabbit' as they went into hiding to escape the demons in their wake.
It would be long before the enchantress would come upon a gemstone that would sooner be used to craft a mystical amulet, fit for a princess. This amulet would turn the tides, gradually breaking apart the extent of Elora's curse. She worked tirelessly; save the King and Queen's wish, to free Elora of her enchanted shackles, but it would soon be nearly in vein as the enchantress grew sick, pouring all of her energies and everything she had into the amulet to unbind Elora of her dreadful curse.
Elora had become partial to her human form, as she remained hunched over, unable to stand up straight. Her knees rested in a bend, and her long, oversized ears remained, drooping down her side — as the tail too remained. The enchantress warned Elora, that were she ever to remove the amulet, the magic would not be upon her, and she would be forced back into her rabbit form, unable to live any sort of life she had before.
Thereafter, not long after having settled into their lives of seclusion, Elora and her mistress had been discovered by the very beings they were trying to escape. The enchantress had put her life on the line, and generated a brief window of escape. With a few heartfelt words, her mistress gave her life, and Elora was forced to flee away, running on all fours into the depths of the forest until her hands became blistered and bloodied.
As she grew tired of running, Princess Elora had eventually collapsed, as she laid there in a small clearing. She was frightened, hungry, and utterly alone.