Present day"You shall have nothing to do with any wolf, Emelia," Queen Catherine called after her daughter, her voice sharp as steel, echoing through the stone corridor like the bark of a wild beast."Say that to those you still control, Mother," Emelia replied coldly, never once turning."How dare you defy me? All that I have done has been for your future, yet you turn your back as if it were filth." Her voice quivered with fury.Emelia halted in the courtyard, the air thick with silence between them. She turned slowly, her eyes calm yet resolute. "Then cease, Mother. Cease doing such things in my name, for I want none of it. You have failed me grievously. I am not the firstborn child of this kingdom. I was never destined to be queen.""You were born a princess and my daughter. That alone binds your path. Your life is not your own to shape. To take a wolf as mate is an abomination. It cannot stand. I shall choose a worthy Lycan beast for you."Emelia let out a bitter laugh, one fill
A Week LaterLife within the palace had settled into an uneasy calm. Letters passed between the king and the queen with frequency, carrying words of affection and reassurance. In her missives, the queen wrote of her well-being, of how the people received her kindly, and of her family’s unwavering support.She did not mention the itching.She did not speak of the reddened skin upon her hands, nor of the blood beneath her fingernails. Such truths she withheld, fearing they would bring undue worry to her husband. The truth remained hers alone.As she laced her gown with quiet composure, she spoke softly to the woman at her side.“Isadora, have you ever considered having a family of your own?”The guard looked at her in surprise. “Not at all, my queen. Why do you ask such a thing?”The queen’s fingers paused at her bodice. “Because I saw it yesterday, when you touched me. That means it has yet to happen.”But no sooner had the words left her lips than a sharp pain shot through her skull.
Two Weeks Later"Where is she?" inquired the Prophetess of the Lycan Kingdom as she entered the royal chamber.Queen Magdalena had been tormented by strange visions for days unending. Her strength waned with each passing dawn. Oftentimes she would faint following her sightings, and worse still, any soul she laid hands upon would reveal to her the moment of their ruin. Whether by death, despair, or fleeting joy, she saw it all. Yet, no glimpse was ever granted of her own fate, nor that of her beloved. Her future remained cloaked in silence, as though the gods themselves withheld it.At her side stood the young priestess, Akila, known throughout the kingdom as the Eye of the Gods. Though youthful in appearance, her countenance bore the weight of celestial knowledge.A vision had been revealed to Akila the night before.She had seen the heavens stir. A single star and a moon had appeared in unison, and from their meeting, a third star was born. This child of the heavens shone with a bril
"Your mother and I were deeply in love, until the day my memory returned," the king began as they walked together in the quiet of the courtyard."And you left her," Lena replied, her voice firm and unyielding. "Because you needed to find your people. I have heard that tale already."The king halted, turning to face her. "I did not abandon your mother, my dear. I left with the intention to return. Once I found my kin, I came back for her. But by then, the village had been burnt and abandoned."A heavy silence followed.Lena turned fully to him. "Then why did you not take her with you? Did you know she surrendered her immortality to save me? To hide me from the eyes of the world?"The king’s eyes widened, stricken. It pained him that Thalora had not found happiness. It pained him more that he had done nothing to prevent it.Magdalena scratched at her wrist, the irritation sudden and fierce."We fled that village for a safer place, one where no one knew us. When my mother learned the hum
The people lined the road in great number as the royal chariots passed, bearing Queen Magdalena, Varkoness Milicent, Princess Emelia, and Lady Lilith. Their wheels rolled solemnly through the heart of the werewolf kingdom, greeted by both praise and scorn.Cries rang out among the crowd, a swelling tide of voices. Some hailed the Queen as the Red Beast, throwing leaves in reverence, while others spat upon the disgraced pack leaders as they were paraded through the streets.The three former leaders of the werewolf packs were bound in chains, dragged behind by soldiers of their own kind, their dignity stripped and their heads bowed low. Among the retinue were warriors and emissaries from the Lycan kingdom, bearing the emblems of peace hard-won and justice delivered.Though the old enmity between Lycans and werewolves still simmered beneath the surface, on this day, the people found common cause. The ones who had kindled the war, who had shattered kinship and peace, now hung their heads
Even after being firmly told to remain behind, Milicent insisted on accompanying the queen at all costs.Her husband could not deter her. She had declared, with quiet obstinance, that she would be utterly forlorn without the queen's company.The horses had been saddled, the carriages prepared. The royal retinue assembled in the courtyard, bidding farewell to the travelers. Yet the queen and Princess Emelia had not yet emerged.Milicent sat within the carriage, her husband beside her, his arms crossed and his expression marred with a sulk."I can scarce believe you have chosen the queen over me, little dove," he said, the bitterness in his voice poorly concealed."Husband," she replied gently, resting a hand upon her rounded belly, "though I am your wife, I am also one of Her Majesty’s appointed ladies. It is my duty to serve her, to remain at her side, and follow in her steps.""The queen would not demand this of you in your condition, dove. Were she made aware, she would oppose your