The King’s Lost Duck

I would like to share an illustration i did a while back. I am really happy with the process because i've learned a lot of new things about illustration. This project gave me the chance to explore atmosphere and I’m super grateful to have been part of it. Can’t wait for people to experience this world 💛
----
Deep within an ancient forest where sunlight rarely touched the ground, there lay a quiet pond hidden beneath towering trees and moss-covered stones. Travelers seldom found it, and those who did often felt as though they had stepped into a forgotten dream.

Long ago, a small kingdom stood where the distant ruins of the old tower now crumble into mist. The king who ruled there possessed a treasure unlike any other: a living duck made entirely of gold, wearing a tiny crown forged by the royal smith. It was said the duck was enchanted by the forest spirits themselves.

The legend claimed that as long as the duck swam freely in the sacred pond, the kingdom would prosper. Crops grew tall, rivers stayed full, and the people lived in peace.

But one day the king grew greedy. He tried to capture the duck and lock it inside the castle treasury.

That very night, a storm swallowed the tower. By morning the kingdom had vanished into the forest, leaving only the broken ruins standing far beyond the trees.

Yet the duck remained.

Even now, on quiet mornings when sunlight filters through the branches, the golden duck with its tiny crown can still be seen gliding across the pond. The forest protects it, and the ruins watch silently from afar.

Some say whoever finds the duck and chooses not to take it may restore the lost kingdom.

But no one has ever proven the legend true.