Tales of a clockwork boy

Once upon a time, there was a queen of fay blood who couldn’t bear children. To humor her saddened king, she learnt the secret arts of alchemy and mechanicks, and her head bore what her womb would not. But even that clockwork boy, a wonder held in awe throughout the kingdom, couldn’t lift the king's spirits, and he fell into a great sadness.

The queen asked for wizards, jesters and bards from near and far, but it was no use. So, in a fit of helpless rage, she cursed the king with immortality and flew back to her home land. The king’s lands soon fell into ruin and were fought over by his knights and viceroys. The heavy-minded ruler himself continued to live in the castle, kept alive by
the curse for many centuries.

And then, one day, he wound up the clockwork boy again.