#history #power #thoughts
The estate was unusually quiet that morning. No calls. No terse meetings. No distant echo of raised voices from the west wing where the guards trained. Just the kind of gentle hush that felt stolen—like the world had briefly forgotten its demands.It was Elias who broke the silence.“I win!” he shouted gleefully, springing onto the rug like a tiny predator. “I said it first!”Ayra, still in her robe, raised a skeptical brow from where she sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by puzzle pieces and a half-built Lego castle. “You said it before I even finished asking the question.”“That’s because I knew the answer,” Elias said matter-of-factly, puffing out his tiny chest. “You said, ‘What’s the fastest sea animal,’ and I said—”“The black marlin,” Ayra interrupted, grinning. “Yes, yes. You’re brilliant. The world should know.”Lucian stood at the threshold of the room, unnoticed for the moment, watching the scene play out.The sunlight filtered softly through the tall windows, casti
The corridor was quiet—far too quiet. The kind of stillness that made her footfalls feel loud even on the soft Persian rug. Shadows stretched long along the stone walls of the estate, the sconces dimmed for the night, their golden flickers dancing like candlelight caught in a dream.Ayra adjusted the robe around her shoulders. Elias had finally drifted to sleep after his latest nightmare—something about the rain and a collapsed tunnel, which he couldn’t or wouldn’t explain. She’d sat with him until his breathing softened, his lashes fluttering against pale cheeks. Suddenly she realized that she was really slipping into being a mum rather easily. Now, she walked the hall alone, drawn by something she couldn’t quite name.It was well past midnight. The kind of hour when the world felt thinner, like the veil between past and present could tear with a whisper.She turned the corner near the main sitting room—and stopped.Music.It drifted from the cracked door ahead, gentle and unexpected
She took Elias’s hand. “Come on. Let’s get some juice. You’re going to tell me everything you’ve been up to.”They spent the next hour in the sun-drenched breakfast nook. Elias chattered non-stop, his words tumbling over each other as he described his lessons, his new tutor, a cat that kept sneaking into the school grounds, and how he was learning a secret handshake with one of the guards.Ayra laughed more in that hour than she had in days.After breakfast, they went to the greenhouse. Elias marveled at the plants, his face lighting up when she told him the names of the flowers. When he pointed out the gardenias, Ayra’s smile softened.“That’s my favorite flower,” she told him.“Mine too,” Elias said with certainty, though she was fairly sure it wasn’t before.She knelt beside him and watched him press his nose gently to the petals. “Do you know what they mean?” she asked.He shook his head.“Secret love. Or sometimes, clarity.”He giggled. “That’s mushy.”Ayra smirked. “Maybe. But it
In the end, the storm came not from the sky, but from within.Ayra awoke suddenly, heart pounding, with no dream to blame. Moonlight streamed through the curtains of her new bedroom, soft and ghostlike, casting long shadows on the polished floor. The silence was oppressive—thick with the weight of something unspoken.Unable to sleep, she slid out of bed and slipped a shawl over her shoulders. The air was cold. The hallway was colder.She wandered barefoot through the quiet villa, moving past the art-filled halls and down the staircase until she found herself near Lucian’s study. The doors were mostly closed, but a sliver of light cut through the gap.Voices filtered out.She recognized one instantly.Lucian.The other was Nico—gruff, calculated, precise in tone.“We can now confirm that Miss Lisbeth vanished without a trace, and someone's actively erasing her tracks,” Nico was saying. “Same as Pedro. Same signature, same intel leakage. If we wait longer, they’ll erase all tracks. The s
Ayra crossed the hall toward him, the train of her dress trailing behind like spilled ink. She stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, not saying anything at first.“She asked if you were safe,” Lucian said without looking at her.“I figured she would.”“She does that. Every generation.”“Were you watching me?”“Not directly.” A pause. “But I knew.”Ayra turned her head toward him. “She’s not on your side.”“Nothing new. No one is.”“I am,” she said.That made him look at her.“You chose me?” he asked, voice quieter than before. There was a quiet disbelief in his tone.Ayra nodded. “Not because I’m stupid. And not because I’m afraid. But because if everyone around you is trying to undermine you, then maybe I might as well be the only person who won't.”Lucian studied her, his eyes unreadable.Then he said, “They’re going to come for me.”“I know.”“And when they do, you’ll be in the crossfire.”“I know.”He stared at her a second longer, then gently placed his hand over hers. It was a
Ayra crossed the hall toward him, the train of her dress trailing behind like spilled ink. She stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, not saying anything at first.“She asked if you were safe,” Lucian said without looking at her.“I figured she would.”“She does that. Every generation.”“Were you watching me?”“Not directly.” A pause. “But I knew.”Ayra turned her head toward him. “She’s not on your side.”“Nothing new. No one is.”“I am,” she said.That made him look at her.“You chose me?” he asked, voice quieter than before. There was a quiet disbelief in his tone.Ayra nodded. “Not because I’m stupid. And not because I’m afraid. But because if everyone around you is trying to undermine you, then maybe I might as well be the only person who won't.”Lucian studied her, his eyes unreadable.Then he said, “They’re going to come for me.”“I know.”“And when they do, you’ll be in the crossfire.”“I know.”He stared at her a second longer, then gently placed his hand over hers. It was a