short story idea
let's go through this idea.
you want something original, right? most hero-goes-on-quest stories are super unoriginal, but i think this one may differ from the rest.
departure: an ancient spellbook powering the town with magic was recently stolen. the hero is sent on a quest to retrieve it from the evil queen of a nearby kingdom.
initiation: the hero sneaks their way through the castle without being noticed, and he finds the hall guarding the room. traps are everywhere surrounding the castle. the hero faces lots of confusion and danger. after some events, he finds a hidden map to cheat his way through the traps without anyone even noticing.
return: he must sneak back, but he doesn't know how. turns out one of the queen's evil knights actually isn't so evil and helps him sneak out. he returns home successfully and all magic is restored to the town.
i hope this idea is good. i don't know if it's already a story idea so definitely check that first!