CHAPTER NINE: REWRITING FATE

CHAPTER NINE

The Queen Mother was already seated when I walked in, her posture regal and cold, her fingers glittering with rings that caught the dim light from the burning candles. Beside her sat an older man, his presence familiar enough to make my chest tighten. My father.

They were deep inside her private chambers, far away from curious ears. The air was thick with the scent of incense and deceit.

“Mother,” I greeted quietly, my voice low, almost hesitant. Then I bent again, respectfully, to greet my father.

She barely looked up. “We don’t have all day for courtesies, Elara.”

My father’s eyes studied me, gentle but confused. “Elara, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, Father. I’m fine.”

He frowned. “I don’t think you are. You gave us your word about the money, and…and then you went ahead to give it away.”

“I gave it out for charity,” I said, firm but calm.

“Charity?” 

The Queen Mother’s voice rose sharply, laced with mockery.

 “I thought this act of yours was just for show. Tell me, since when did the royal treasury become a feeding ground for those vile peasants?”

Her words burned my ears, but I stood my ground. They are all bad people and my mission is to protect myself and not die.

“This money,” she continued, leaning forward, her tone hard as steel, “was meant for our munitions. We discussed this. Fred, speak some sense into your daughter.”

My father sighed, torn. “Elara, what’s this about? You were the one who came up with this plan. You gathered us, convinced us that the time had come. Why are you backing out now?”

I felt my heart pound, but something inside me had shifted. I was scared of this too and at the same time brave. Its my life on the line. I stepped back, letting my eyes move between them, the two people who once held my loyalty without question.

“I’ve changed,” I said finally, my voice trembling but resolute. “I’ve realized that Alaric is my husband. It is my duty to protect him, even from traitors like you.”

The Queen Mother’s expression froze.

“I urge you both,” I continued, my chest rising and falling with emotion, “to abandon this vile act before it’s too late. Because if you don’t, you will not go unpunished. I can be very wicked when I’m persuaded.”

“You will do no such thing!” the Queen Mother snapped, her eyes blazing. 

“What is wrong with you, Elara? What madness has possessed you?”

“Elara,” my father said softly, almost pleading now. “Please, don’t do this. We need you for this plan to succeed. You started it, remember? You were the one who united us. Don’t ruin everything when we’re this close.”

I looked away, my throat tightening. For a second, I saw the disappointment in his eyes. Great!!

Be disappointed for all I care

I thought.

“I didn’t come here to argue,” I said, steadying my breath. “I came to deliver a message. Tell Rowland… not to see me again.”

The Queen Mother scoffed. “You can’t mean that.”

“I said what I said.”

“Elara, please”

“Let me speak,” I interrupted, turning to my father. “Tell him I want nothing to do with harming the King or with your coup. Tell him I was out of my mind. But I’m well now. And I want him to stay away from me.”

I turned and walked out, leaving them both speechless. The Queen Mother’s cold silence followed me like a ghost, and I knew that from that moment, I had drawn a line that could never be erased.

“Valarie,” I called as soon as I stepped into the hallway,

“Take me to the prisoner.”

“Yes, my queen,” she replied immediately.

As we walked, I could almost feel his eyes on me. Alaric. I didn’t have to see him to know he was watching, hidden somewhere in the shadows of the palace. He’d been suspicious lately. And maybe he had every right to be.

He thought Elara and the Queen Mother were planning to betray him.

He was right. We were.

But not anymore.

I’d already destroyed their little alliance, and I knew that act alone would slow their schemes. Maybe, just maybe, I could still make things right, make him see me differently.

The prison was deep underground, buried beneath thick layers of stone and silence. The air was damp, heavy with the smell of smoke and sweat. Torches burned dimly along the narrow path, their light flickering over the faces of the guards stationed on either side.

I could hear wailing. Desperate. Hopeless.

When they brought the girl out, my chest tightened. Her hair was tangled, her dress torn, her skin covered in bruises that told stories of suffering. She looked fragile, yet her eyes held something fierce,defiance.

“If you’ve come to finish me off,” she said bitterly, her voice cracking, “then do it. I’m no better than my sister anyway.”

I didn’t speak at first. I just looked at her, at the pain she wore like armor. What kind of torture had Elara put her through before I came into this body? What sort of cruelty had she endured to make her so unbothered by death?

“I didn’t come here to kill you,” I said quietly.

She scoffed. “Then why are you here? To mock me?”

“No. I came to apologize.”

Her eyes widened slightly, then hardened again. “Apologize? You cursed creature, you….”

“Watch your tongue!” Valarie barked, stepping forward angrily. “You will not insult the queen!”

“Let her be,” I said softly. 

“She has every right to hate me. I did something terrible to her. Her anger is justified.”

Valarie looked at me, confused, as though she couldn’t recognize the person standing before her.

The girl laughed bitterly. “Is this another one of your games? Because I won’t fall for it. You can’t fool me with kindness.”

“I don’t care whether you believe me or not,” I replied. “I came here to make peace. You can leave this place, but remember this, don’t try what you did again. You almost got the King killed. I’m not the Elara you once knew.”

I took a slow step closer, lowering my voice. “Be careful next time. You may not get another chance.”

Then I turned and started walking away.

Valarie hesitated before following me, still looking puzzled. But I didn’t explain.

As I reached the stairway leading back to the surface, I paused. My eyes caught a faint shadow across the wall, tall, broad shoulders, the familiar stillness of someone who observed rather than spoke.

Alaric.

He had been there the whole time, watching.

I let a small smile curl on my lips.

Maybe he’d heard everything. Maybe he’d seen that I wasn’t the same woman anymore. That I was trying, really trying, to be someone different.

Maybe destiny wasn’t so impossible to rewrite after all.