Young Writers Society

There's this kingdom. The Kingdom is a very sparse land with no sparkle or shine, and people tend to describe it as 'a walk through death' because it's so desolate and depressing. Even the people there look bland. However, the trees that take up most of the land are secretly filled with magic. This kingdom is so bland and sad that no other land wanted to try and take it, but it was because of the magic of the trees that this happened. The trees provide immortality, and because of that immortality, the land can never die. Someone discovers this and starts taking care of the trees in hope to gain their blessing. This person (the future queen) is blessed by the trees and becomes immortal and beautiful. But immortality comes with a price (as shown by the ugliness of the land). The new queen brings the land to prosperity, letting everyone become beautiful with the touch of her hand or her pristine council, the Gardeners. As all of this comes, she starts to become greedy, aching for power. Aching for something more than beauty- even though ugliness is the only thing she fears. The trees begin to overtake her, her body becoming branches and roots and a monster of its own. Everyone is locked out of the castle except the Gardeners- until she finds the cure to her ugly misery.

Bethan is an ordinary girl- except for the fact that she's been locked up in a shed nearly all of her life. At the age of thirteen, her worst fear had emerged; she was not immortal. Instead, she was cursed by the Queen's trees, her hair turning grey and wrinkles slowly beginning to appear. She just wants to be free of the shed her father locked her in and experience the world- even if it means the Queen kills her.

Secretly, however, the Queen has a different plan for Bethan; to steal her mortality. And take back the mortal, beautiful body she was born to have.