The Kingdom of Aeloria had known ten years of peace under the reign of King Markas Silver Hand—a decade carved not from ease, but from the kind heart and iron will of a warrior-king who led from the front lines and ruled with humility.
It was not always meant to be his.
Mathew, firstborn of the House of Aelorian, was the rightful heir in blood. But blood alone was not enough for their father, the late King Halric. The old king saw in Markas a soul unshaken by ambition—a man of honor, justice, and quiet strength. And so, before his final breath, he placed the crown upon his younger son's head, leaving the elder to bow… and to boil.
Where Markas ruled in light, Mathew slithered through shadow. He smiled at court, knelt beside his brother, and drank to peace, all while gathering allies in silence. Whispers of a new king passed behind closed doors, loyal to Mathew's vision of a stronger, harsher reign. A kingdom reborn through fire and fear.
But Markas, blind to his brother's quiet rebellion, fought only the threats beyond the walls—beasts from the north, invaders from the sea, sickness in the southern provinces. And in each of these battles, his queen stood by his side.
Selena, once the most feared sorceress of the realm, had given up her life of spell and storm for the crown. Now, she used her gifts not for war, but to heal her husband's wounds, to shield him from the unseen. Her magic, once feared across kingdoms, burned now only for him.
Only one knew her secret: Arya, her handmaiden, her dearest friend—the girl she had once saved from fire, who now served her with a vow stronger than steel. In Arya's eyes, Selena saw the only reflection of her past self. Fierce. Loyal. Dangerous.
But something stirred in the east.
Something darker than Mathew's ambition. Older than the crown. And within Selena, a whisper had begun to rise—a voice she had sealed away long ago, telling her of a child not yet born, whose fate would shape the world.
And in the silence of the queen's hidden chamber, the fires were lit once more.