Princess Elyssira sat quietly as her maids helped her dress for the Duke's trial, their movements practiced and efficient despite years of unused skills. The ornate silver mask that had once been a necessity to hide her pain-clouded features was now positioned with care, concealing her sightless eyes while adding to the mysterious aura that had always marked her presence.
Freedom, she thought with quiet satisfaction. For the first time in years, I can leave these chambers without agony overwhelming my senses.
The elixir David had given her didn't cure her prophetic abilities or restore her sight, it simply suppressed the overwhelming flood of visions that had trapped her in isolation. Where once every stimulus had triggered cascading prophecies that threatened to tear her mind apart, now she could control the flow, choosing when to peer into the streams of possibility.
