Zaran whispered to herself as she came back to herself as soon as her maids walked back in.
"They think I'm a fragile flower in a garden of thorns. But they never knew that the rose is forever the queen in the midst of thorns"
Sally bowed her head, unsure of what to say. In her hands were beautification accessories as well as other makeup items.
Zaranina turned to Reina. "Find me the letter. I want to see the wax seal for myself."
"I already retrieved it," Reina whispered, and reached into her pocket. She produced a small scroll, black wax gleaming like obsidian.
Zaranina took it in utter silence.
She didn't open it yet. She didn't need to. The seal already told her everything.
"Something is rotten at the roots,. I can sense it myself" she murmured curtly. "And if the king won't dig it up…"
She paused, breathing slowly, then stared out the tall window as palace bells rang distantly in the east tower.
"…then I sure will."
**********
The grand breakfast chamber glowed with morning radiance. Arched glass windows filtered the golden light over gilded walls carved with the seven crests of Babyl's precious stones, each shimmering with enchanted etchings. The long dining table — fine oakwood polished to a mirror sheen — was already set with fine porcelain, polished silver, and fresh blooms from the palace gardens.
Zaranina stepped in with a stride that arrested the air. Draped in red silk embroidered with sunlit gold threads, her gown flared at the hips and tapered gracefully down to her jewelled boots. Around her neck sat the moonstone pendant of her late mother, Queen Winona. Her hair had been stylishly twirled into intricate coils, held together with a circlet of starpearls and aquamarine pins.
She was the very picture of nobility and femininity — not just royal by title, but a true quintessence of exceeding beauty.
King Rex — tall, grizzled, and lion-eyed — rose from his seat in unmistaken astonishment as he saw her.
"By the wish of a thousand stars!" he exclaimed. "Is this my daughter, or a goddess from the Sapph realms?"
Zaranina curtsied with playful grace and an enchanting smile. "Good morning, Father."
"With that gorgeous smile, my morning just turned into midsummer," he said, beaming broadly.
Seated beside him was his wife, Queen Mellina, dressed in teal and silver lace, her presence as graceful as the dove.Though not Zaranina's biological mother, she had taken her under her wing like a second daughter since her coronation as queen.
"You look resplendent, Zaranina," Mellina complimented warmly. "You really make every maiden in Babyl look like a kitchen maid."
Zaranina took her seat, smoothing her gown. "Thank you, Mother."
Queen Mellina's eyes twinkled as she reached for her cup of steaming tea. "And need I remind you... Prince Calisto is still hopelessly in love with you. He is still hellbent on having you sit by his right hand as his queen to be"
Zaranina groaned lightly. "Must we start breakfast with indigestion?"
King Rex chuckled behind his goblet.
"You're avoiding the poor boy like he's infected with swamp pox," Mellina teased. "But Calisto is noble, wise beyond his years, and—let's not deny it—dripping with celestial handsomeness."
Zaranina sipped her drink with a wide smirk. "Mother, how much did Calisto pay you to promote his cause this week?"
The entire table burst into laughter.
Even Queen Mellina couldn't help herself. "Oh, hush! If I were ten years younger…"
Zaranina mock gasped. "Mother!"
Their laughter melted into the morning air as Chef Levik, in his crisp white robes and silver cap, approached with a modest bow.
"For the Queen — smoked sea salmon draped in lemon zest and paired with mint-spiced barley." He turned. "For His Majesty — fire-grilled goat strips and buttered yam slices laced with black truffle oil, as requested."
He then placed a golden tray before Zaranina. "And for Her Royal Highness — violet custard pancakes dusted with fig powder and fresh skyberries, with cinnamon-tea nectar."
Zaranina smiled warmly. "You're a culinary oracle, Chef Levik. Thank you."
He bowed again, a proud glint in his eye, and retreated.
As the meal began, Zaranina's tone slowly shifted — soft, curious, calculated.
"Father," she said sweetly between small bites, "remind me again the significance of our rivers — the Seven Rivers of Babyl. I always get their legends mixed up."
King Rex set down his goblet. "Ahh… a favorite of scholars and dreamers alike."
Mellina leaned in, excited. "They're the pride of our empire. No other kingdom can boast of these ancient treasures of Babyl."
"Indeed," Rex continued, "each river, a gift from the gods. The Sapphire River was born from the tears of Sapph, our sky deity, weeping when men first fell to greed. Its waters bring clarity to the mind — priests bathe in it before any divine declaration."
"Then the Ruby River," Mellina added, "said to be carved by a flaming sword dropped from heaven. Warriors drink from it before battle to stir courage."
"The Topaz River," King Rex went on, "heals ailments and revives a wounded person when blessed under moonlight. The Emerald River runs through the forest of whispering trees and reflects the truth of a person's heart. The Amethyst River is the most tranquil, used mostly by prophets."
"And then," Mellina said, "the twin veins — the Diamond and the Onyx Rivers. The most feared. Most misunderstood."
Zaranina gave a slight, innocent tilt of her head. "And if another kingdom were to desire one... say, own it or mine its gifts?"
Queen Mellina scoffed. "That would be madness. It would be the equivalent of stealing a god's breath."
"Besides," King Rex added slowly, "no sane monarch would permit such a thing, not in his reign."
Zaranina paused, trying to remain cool. She placed her fork gently on the table. Her eyes lifted to meet her father's — not angry, not accusing, but quiet and burning.
"So," she said softly, "you're telling me… that a black-wax letter sent from Vellk asking to scour the River of Diamonds and the River of Onyx was... just a hallucination?"
Deafening silence overshadowed the whole place. As if someone had mistakenly cracked icecubes over a flaming fire.
Queen Mellina blinked in mystification, unable to believe her ears. "Whaaaat?"
King Rex sat rigid, colour draining from his face. "Zaran..."
"I know about the Night Circle meeting, Father," Zaranina said, her voice no longer soft but very grim. "I know you signed the Moon Seal. And I know Vellk is sending their mages and scouring crews at the turn of spring."
Mellina turned to Rex, shocked. "You did what?!"
Rex frowned deeply in total disappointment. "Zaranina... how did you..."
"I listened, Father," she said. "I smelled it. That letter reeked of manipulation and trickery. Of shadows disguised in royal ink. And I will fight it to the end."
King Rex exhaled heavily, leaning forward. "My child, please... Do not spark flames with Vellk. We must raise the olive branch — not swords. They are not our enemy yet."
Mellina nodded, trying to gather herself. "Their army, their spells... they're formidable. Don't be hasty child."
Zaranina shook her head. "I don't believe Vellk's true king even wrote that letter. Something tells me… someone else is orchestrating this and Father is falling for it"
Rex went pale. His face was paler now, like that of a corpse.
"The way it was worded. The desperation. The strange timing. Everything feels like déjà vu."
A haunted silence fell across the table.
Zaranina leaned closer, eyes like sharpened crystal, taking a quick swig at her cinnamon drink. "Do you remember the Goldmerian Incident Father? Ten years ago. When I was fifteen."
Rex swallowed hard. "Zaranina…"
"You said the plague in Goldmere was natural. That the well waters had been cursed by neglect of the gods. But I proved it wasn't. I found the dried runes beneath the temple wall. I found the bones of the false priest wearing Babylian robes — but he was not from here. He was a banished ghoul from the Other Side."
Queen Mellina gasped, horrified.
"The dead side," Zaranina whispered darkly. "The forgotten half of the valley. The place beyond the void gate."
King Rex buried his face in his hands, red as a beetroot in chagrin.
Zaranina stood slowly, her voice trembling but fierce.
"This isn't just politics anymore. This is prophecy. Something old and wicked has woken, wearing masks and writing letters. If we allow them to strip the rivers, they won't just take stones — they'll take our future."
King Rex looked up at her, broken but proud.
"And if I forbid you?" he asked.
She stared at him, tender but unwavering.
"Then I will become what my blood calls me to be," she said. "Not just a princess… but a storm unquenched."