The sky of the kingdom of Eldoria was filled with dark clouds, and the loud sound of thunder and lightning shook the surface of the ground. The once golden sunlight that covered the kingdom was now dimmed by thick ,dark clouds .
The people called it an omen
A peaceful village with happy villagers becomes silent.
"Could this really be happening to us". An old man said.
Their king, 72 years old, has been sick for 3 years. The attempts of many doctors to cure his illness failed.
He has given up on fighting for his life, all he wants now is for peace to reign in the kingdom.
Inside the tall marble walls of the palace, the air was cold and heavy. Servants moved like ghosts, whispering and weeping. The King, Alden the Brave, lying on a grand bed, with a pale look. The fire in the hearth could not warm him anymore. His body was cold, but his eyes still burned with a soft fire.
Amira, his only daughter, stood at his side. Her dark hair was braided with silver strands, her royal robe soaked at the hem from kneeling too long. She held his hand, but it felt lifeless. She became very scared, different thoughts running through her mind.
"Will my father really die? " Who will be the heir". She knew she couldn't rule the kingdom all by herself. The villagers will not agree to a woman ruling them.
"Father," she whispered with a trembling voice looking pale.
The King opened his eyes slowly to look at his cherished daughter.
"My little moon," he said, with a weak smile "You are no longer little. You wear the crown in your eyes now."
Tears filled her eyes. She hated when he called her that, it was the name he gave her when she was a child, afraid of the dark.
"The people need you," she said. "Not me. I'm not ready."
"You are ready," he said, coughing hard, blood staining the corners of his mouth. "You were born ready. You carry fire and wisdom in your blood. You I have always loved you for being wise."
A sharp knock was heard at the chamber door. It interrupted their discussion.
It was Elder Merin, the king's closest advisor. Behind him stood three more council members.
"Your Grace," said Elder Merin, eyes downcast. " It is time. The council must witness the naming of your heir."
Amira became more scared, trembling with teary eyes.
King Alden nodded. "Bring the seal. I will choose."
Amira rose, her heart beating fast. Her name was whispered in every corner of Eldoria, both in praise and in hate. Many saw her as strong, fair, and wise. Others, especially the old families and rural villagers believed a woman should never wear the crown.
But she was the only true child of Alden.
Or so they believed.
In the long hall beneath the Tower of Kings, the council stood in silence.
The seal of succession—a golden sun etched into ancient stone sat in the king's trembling hands. He was carried on a throne of ironwood, wheeled into the chamber, too weak to walk. A hush fell as he raised the seal.
"I, Alden, King of Eldoria," he said, voice echoing through the high hall, "name my heir this day."
Murmurs passed through the nobles.
"Amira of Eldoria," he said clearly, raising the seal. "She shall be Queen."
A loud gasp rose among the nobles.
"She is unwed!" someone shouted.
"She is too young!" another hissed.
"A woman on the throne will bring ruin!"
" We would never allow a woman rule us"
Amira stepped forward,her spine straight, her chin high. She had to summon courage for her dying father.
Before this time, she had always fulfilled her father's wish. She would do anything to make him happy since the death of her mother.
"I accept the crown," she said. "With the strength of my father's blood and the truth of my heart."
One noble, a sharp-eyed man with golden rings, stepped forward and spat on the floor.
"There is another," he said coldly. "Elder Varek. He is your blood too, is he not, my King?"
The room turned cold.
The name hadn't been spoken in the court for years.
Elder Varek, once known as Lord Varek, was Alden's firstborn son. Born to a woman from the outer woods. A woman of strange blood and wild magic.
He was older than Amira, but he had been banished after trying to take the throne by force, years ago when the King fell ill. It was said he studied forbidden spells. Some said he was cursed. Some said he had vanished into the mountains to find demons.
"He is no longer my son," King Alden said with finality. "He chose chaos over family. Amira is Queen."
The seal was pressed to her brow. The magic in it burned her skin, marking her as the true heir.
But in the shadows behind the stone pillars, a messenger ran out of the room quietly. He carried a note bound in black thread. It would travel through the woods and rivers to a dark place.
To the place where Varek waited.
On the second morning Amira accepted the crown, she left her room for her father's to seek guidance on how to rule the kingdom and make the villagers regard her only to discover her father has passed away.
Amira couldn't believe her eyes, she immediately rushed out of the room.
"Guards!! Guards!!" Amira screamed on top of voice.
Three guards ran with her into the room.
" Your Majesty!!" they shouted together while shaking his body.
" Is my father really dead? Oh no! this can't be true ,my father promised to always stay by my side." Tears rolled down Amira's eyes
She sat in the corner of the room with teary eyes.
The news of the King's death spread round the Kingdom. Now, it was known to everyone.
"So Amira will rule over this Kingdom, hell no! that will never happen." A villager said.
Guards, Priests and Elders came in to console Amira where she sat.
"My queen, please eat your food." One of the maids said to Amira.
She hasn't eaten since the incident happened. The thought of living without her father ran through her mind.
"Can I rule this kingdom without my father's guidance and a husband? Won't my heartless brother come to haunt the kingdom? Will the people respect me as their Queen?" She thought of different happenings with a swollen face.
Two years after her father's death, she got married to the guy betrothed to her by her father.
She lived happily with her husband and peace reigned in the kingdom.
Years later, they had three children, Kael, her first son, Nyra, her second child and only daughter and Draven her third child and last son.
After her children were grown, she lost her precious husband to the cold hands of death, this was the beginning of chaos in the village.
It was rumoured she killed her husband
Some villagers said her life would have been easier if she had left the throne for her brother.
Queen Amira would not dare leave the throne for her cold hearted brother.
The village will ruin more and her father's wishes would not come true .
The golden banners of Queen Amira still flew over the palace, but they were stained by smoke and dust. The kingdom of Eldoria was no longer peaceful. Farms failed. Livestock vanished in the night. Strange howls echoed from the forests.
The people blamed the Queen.
"Her blood is cursed," the villagers said. "Her rule has brought nothing but death."
" She even killed her husband with her selfish reasons"
Amira stood on the palace balcony, looking over the city. Fires burned in the far quarter. There had been another riot. Another family gone missing.
Her guards waited behind her, silent.
She turned to her advisor, Lady Venna. "They want me gone, they do not respect me."
"They are afraid," Venna said. "They whisper about your children."
Amira's jaw tightened. " My children are innocent."
"They are... changing," Venna said softly. "Kael's eyes glow at night. Nyra speaks to shadows and in riddles, drawing symbols in the air that made candles flicker.
And Draven, her youngest, was growing wild. He bit a servant last week. He howled in his sleep
"They are not monsters," Amira said. "They are my children."
But deep in her heart, Amira feared the truth. Kael had become restless. He disappeared during full moons, returning with blood on his hands. Nyra spoke in riddles.
She made her children know the truth —the cursed throne, the blood oath she made for peace, the hate from some villagers and Varek's force.
Kael sat alone in the war room, the air heavy with the scent of old parchment and burning candles. Maps were spread out before him, maps of villages burned, routes taken by Varek's forces, and areas where rebels whispered in the night. His mind raced, but his heart was weighed down by a bitter truth: they were fighting not only enemies outside the walls but enemies within.
Nyra entered quietly, her face pale but determined. "Kael, we have to move fast. The traitor's betrayal has shaken the court. People don't trust each other anymore."
The heirs would do anything to protect their mother and the Kingdom.
Kael looked up. "Do you think they will rise with Varek?"
Nyra shook her head. "Some will. But many still follow the Queen. The problem is the fear in their hearts. Fear is a weapon. Varek knows that."
Kael stood and paced. "We need to find a way to turn that fear into courage."
The door creaked open again. Draven stepped in, his armor stained with dirt and blood. He said, "scouts spotted a group heading toward the northern pass. They carry something, an artifact. They say it holds the power to break the curse."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "If that's true, it could change everything."
Nyra nodded. "But it could also be a trap."
A sudden knock came from the hall. A young messenger bowed and handed Kael a folded letter sealed with crimson wax. The emblem was unfamiliar, a serpent entwined with a crown.
Kael broke the seal and read quickly.
*"Meet me at the old ruins before nightfall. Alone. I have the answers you seek."*
Kael folded the letter slowly. "This could be the key or the end of us."
" What if it is from the shadow court?"
Nyra's gaze hardened. "If it's a trap, we walk into it. If it's the truth, we cannot ignore it."
But Nyra thought, " could it really be the truth or a trap to endanger us? You know mother already warned us."
" I am feeling really scared, we can't risk our lives, you know mother needs us at the moment. The death of one of us will pave the way for the villagers to dethrone her."
Draven said interrupting them.
Kael's eyes narrowed again " Whichever way it is, we will risk the journey. Let's prepare for the journey. I really hope none of us dies".
There will be either salvation or war.