"They took her to the top of the world,
Without promise, without hand, without word.
The throne awaited her, empty,
Like a golden coffin.
She smiled.
For even silence can crown a queen."
SCENE 1: The climb
The mountain was vast, the wind haughty, the gold of the sky drowned in the morning mist.
Serenya walked. Straight. In white.
The silk of her dress sang an ancient language, hand-woven by the women of Tsaravina. Each thread spoke of her island, its rivers, its dead, its ancestors. She didn't tremble, despite the cold that bit her bare arms. She wasn't the one who had to bow.
Behind her, old Kamintha, dressed in dark red cloth, moved slowly forward, leaning on a stick carved with snakes.
- Nye fô, Sérenya.
- I'm listening, whispered the Queen, without turning her face.
- The lions here don't roar. They whisper. And they kill in silence.
Higher up, the Citadel of Feulène finally came into view. Grey. Icy. Magnificent.
They were coming. And the King wasn't there.
SCENE 2: The Golden Room
They had prepared a loveless ceremony.
A hundred candles. A thousand glances. Zero smiles.
The great imperial hall seemed too vast for her. The marble floor reflected her reflection a thousand times over, a queen from afar, exiled by marriage.
The imperial throne was empty.
An old man with inky fingers read the oath in a neutral tone:
- May the Union be blessed by the stars. May the blood of Amayélé welcome the fire of Tsaravina. The Queen is now Queen. By imperial will.
No mention of the King.
Serenya was handed a fine gold chain to attach to her left wrist. A symbol.
A link.
She did. Wordlessly.
The nobles whispered. A lady giggled.
- Even the stone brides were entitled to a kiss...
Sérenya looked up. Slowly.
Her pupils issued a silent challenge to anyone who dared look down on her.
Inside voice :
"It's not him I'm challenging. It's their world. Their emptiness. Their throne without warmth."
SCENE 3: The cold room
The door slammed behind her. She was left alone.
No music. No outstretched hand. Not even the scent of a man on the sheets.
The imperial chamber was as large as a cathedral. The walls were covered with frescoes of ancient kings, all with their eyes extinguished.
Kamintha entered discreetly and placed a small bowl of dried flowers on the table.
- Lilies of fire. They protect against bad dreams.
Sérenya approached the bed. A letter was waiting.
No.
A note, carefully folded.
"The King won't be coming tonight."
She closed her eyes. For a long time.
Inside voice :
"I wasn't married. I was exchanged. A wedding ring. A jewel. A silence signed at the bottom of a parchment."
She undid her dress alone.
The snow fell softly behind the windows.
It was night, without warmth.
SCENE 4: Doubt
In the corridors, the shadows moved.
The Mute Guardians passed noiselessly by. They wore onyx masks and never spoke. But it was said that they listened to everything.
Sérenya approached the balcony.
Below, the Citadel of Feulène shone like a coffin of dead stars.
A man in a dark cloak was crossing the courtyard.
She thought she saw his eyes raised towards her.
Just for a moment.
Then he disappeared.
Kamintha appeared behind her, as always without warning.
- He's watching you. He's running because he's burning. But it's there.
Sérenya :
- If it burns... may it inflame me. Let it consume me. But don't let me freeze in this fortress.
Kamintha :
- He was born with the stars. And the stars... they burn.
That night, Sérenya did not cry. She didn't pray.
She opened a notebook and wrote:
(Sérenya's inner voice, notebook):
"I am the wife of a king I have never seen.
Silence was given to me as a dowry.
Very well, then.
Then I will speak with fire."
She closed her notebook.
Then she stood up.
The cold had abated. Something in the air had changed.
A beat.
She turned round sharply.
A man was standing there in the shadows of the room.
Dressed in black. Silent.
His eyes shone like two pieces of cracked sky.
She opened her mouth.
He whispered:
- I'm sorry.
But he didn't come any closer.
And the next second, he disappeared.
She ran to the door. Nothing.
Kamintha appeared at once, her eyes wide:
- Did he come?
Sérenya didn't answer.
She looked at her left wrist.
The gold chain was still shining.
And she understood.
She hadn't come to be Queen.
She had come to be kept on a leash.