______
Lucina
The days blended together in a suffocating white haze. These gilded walls, which once seemed magnificent, now felt like the bars of a cage. I barely left my room. The palace, with its golden domes and sprawling halls, should have been a sanctuary—but instead, it was a gilded prison.
I sank onto the chaise lounge, the cool silk of my dress brushing my arms as I exhaled with a heaviness I couldn't shake. When will he return? I missed Hakan more than words could express.
Gillai stood nearby, her expression soft but troubled. "I'm sure it won't be long before His Majesty returns, my Lady." She paused, wringing her hands. "She probably feels worse because she's been confined to her room all this time. If Gillai weren't under watch, perhaps you could distract yourself with study or—"
I couldn't bear it any longer. The despair was tangible, pressing against my chest like stone. I turned to Gillai, seeing the quiet worry mirrored in her eyes.
"Would you like to take a walk with me?" she asked gently, though her voice carried the firmness of command. "Or perhaps a bath?"
I shook my head stubbornly, hugging myself. "I just want to stay here—"
"You'll feel better if you do something!" Her tone brooked no refusal.
Then, before I could react, she lunged forward. In one decisive motion—SWISH—she grabbed my arms and yanked me from the chaise lounge. Shocked and disoriented, I found myself half-dragged, half-pushed toward the door.
"GET UP, MY LADY! WE'RE GOING OUT!"
We emerged into the courtyard, and the world seemed to explode in color. The sky was impossibly blue, the sun scattering tiny specks of light across the marble pathways. I inhaled sharply as the fresh air filled my lungs, the tension in my chest loosening for the first time in days.
STEP. STEP. Our footsteps echoed softly against the stone paths. Gillai looked at me expectantly. "Don't you feel better now that you're outside?"
A small, genuine smile touched my lips. "Yeah."
---
The garden's tranquility offered a fleeting sense of peace. I allowed myself to bask in the sun, but a lingering unease settled in my stomach.
"Maybe it's because Hakan isn't here," I murmured, "but I feel… uneasy."
CLUNK. CLUNK.
A heavy, measured sound interrupted our steps. I looked up to see a man approaching, clad in armor that gleamed dully under the sunlight. His face was unreadable, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
He stopped directly in front of us. "PLEASE COME WITH ME FOR A MOMENT, MY LADY."
Gillai stepped forward, her voice rising with alarm. "WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?"
The man's eyes did not waver. "An ominous object was discovered in her bedroom. I need her to come with me so we can ask some questions."
My heart slammed against my ribs. An object? In my room? Panic clawed at my chest. "I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON… THIS MUST BE A MISTAKE…" My voice trembled, nearly breaking.
Gillai's hand clenched at her side, her loyalty fierce. "NO ONE HAS BEEN IN HER ROOM! I'VE BEEN WITH HER THE WHOLE TIME! How could anything be discovered there now?" She let out a frustrated SIGH, her patience fraying.
The man's expression remained cold, impassive. "I don't know. I only know that something was discovered."
Without warning, he reached out. His large, rough fingers GRAB my wrist, cold and unyielding.
"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO FORCE HER TO COME WITH YOU?!" Gillai shouted. She stepped in front of me, positioning herself like a shield, and delivered a sharp, powerful SHOVE to the man.
---
The bright sunshine outside did little to lighten the weight pressing on my chest. I glanced at Gillai, still steady at my side, and confessed, "Maybe it's because Hakan isn't here, but I feel uneasy for some reason…"
CLUNK. CLUNK.
The sound of heavy armor echoed across the courtyard. A guard approached, his steps deliberate and measured, and stopped in front of us.
"PLEASE COME WITH ME FOR A MOMENT, MY LADY."
Gillai's suspicion flared instantly. "WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?"
The guard's gaze was unsettlingly calm, unyielding. "AN OMINOUS OBJECT WAS DISCOVERED IN HER BEDROOM. I NEED HER TO COME WITH ME, SO THAT WE CAN ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS."
My breath caught. An object? In my bedroom? Fear gripped my throat, squeezing tight. "I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON… BUT THIS MUST BE A MISUNDERSTANDING…" My voice quivered, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.
Gillai's hand clenched as she stepped protectively forward. "NO ONE HAS BEEN IN HER ROOM… I'VE BEEN THERE THE WHOLE TIME… YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN." She let out a frustrated SIGH, her voice sharp with outrage. "I've spent the past few days with her. How could someone suddenly discover something in her bedroom?"
The guard's expression remained cold, patience thinning. "I DON'T KNOW. ALL I KNOW IS THAT SOMETHING WAS DISCOVERED IN HER ROOM." Without warning, his hand shot out and GRABBED my wrist roughly.
"COME WITH ME."
"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO FORCE HER TO COME WITH YOU?!" Gillai yelled, fury blazing in her eyes. She lunged forward and delivered a powerful SHOVE, sending him reeling back.
"IF THE KING WERE TO FIND OUT…!" she cried, her voice heavy with warning.
The guard sneered, his expression hardening. "SO WHAT? IS HE HERE RIGHT NOW?"
Then, with brutal force, he struck. The CRASH of impact rang through the air as Gillai went down with a cry of "OW!"
"T-Titi!" I screamed, staggering backward, my own breathing ragged. "UGH…"
At that moment, a new voice cut sharply through the chaos.
"OH MY. THERE YOU ARE, LUCINA."
I looked up, dazed, and saw a woman in a rich purple dress advancing with decisive STEP, flanked by several guards. Her eyes locked onto mine, icy and commanding.
"A MAID FROM THE PALACE… ...FOUND A SHOCKING OBJECT IN YOUR ROOM," she announced.
"WHAT ARE YOU—" I began, voice choked with panic and disbelief.
She ignored me completely and turned her attention to the guard still holding Gillai. "BRING IT OVER HERE."
Another guard stepped forward, carrying an object that radiated a dark, oppressive energy. My stomach dropped, and my eyes widened in horror.
"ISN'T THAT… A BLACK CANDLE?" I whispered, barely audible. The object seemed to pulse with a malevolent aura that made my skin crawl.
The woman in purple chuckled, a sound designed to unnerve. "YOU RECOGNIZED IT RIGHT AWAY!"
A wave of dread crashed over me—DU-DUN. My vision blurred as the full, damning truth began to sink in.
"THIS IS THE VERY CANDLE THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CASTING A BLACK MAGIC SPELL ON HIS MAJESTY!"
I felt the blood drain from my face. "T-THAT CAN'T BE…!" I stumbled backward, voice trembling. "I'VE… NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT… IN MY ROOM!"
The purple-clad woman's expression shifted from amusement to cold accusation. Her eyes narrowed, boring into mine. "ARE YOU SAYING I'M LYING THEN?"
She stepped back, her tone dripping with faux sympathy. "YOU POOR THING… I DIDN'T WANT TO DOUBT YOU EITHER…" She let the silence stretch, savoring my inability to respond.
"I-I…" I stammered, words failing me.
She continued, her voice a calculated blend of regret and finality. "The person who found this object sensed a strange energy and was on their way to the temple to inquire about it. Even though the cleric wasn't present, others at the temple detected the energy coming from THIS CANDLE."
Her face hardened with disappointment. "ARE YOU STILL GOING TO DENY ANY INVOLVEMENT IN THIS?"
She leaned close, speaking so only I could hear, the words a final, cutting blow. "But please understand that I can't trust you right now. So, until the king returns and the proper procedures are carried out…"
I was still reeling—my ears ringing after Gillai's anguished cry, the guard's violence, the shock of the black candle being held out like undeniable proof. My dear Gillai lay on the ground, dazed and hurting, while the woman in purple stood tall over me, her presence sharp and suffocating.
"ISN'T THAT… A BLACK CANDLE?" I whispered, horror twisting my voice.
She let out a cold, mocking CHUCKLE. "YOU RECOGNIZED IT RIGHT AWAY!"
Then came the words that shattered my world.
"THIS IS THE VERY CANDLE THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CASTING A BLACK MAGIC SPELL ON HIS MAJESTY!"
My heart slammed in my chest—DU-DUN. Every breath grew shorter.
"T-THAT CAN'T BE…!" I burst out in panic. "I'VE… NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT… IN MY ROOM!"
Her eyes narrowed sharply. "ARE YOU SAYING I'M LYING THEN?"
"I—I…" The words wouldn't form. My voice broke apart before it even left my throat.
She pressed on relentlessly, her tone dripping with authority and falsified regret—claiming a palace maid found the object, claiming that even without the cleric, the temple detected the corrupt energy from this candle.
"ARE YOU STILL GOING TO DENY ANY INVOLVEMENT IN THIS?" she demanded, her voice slicing clean through the air.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice into something dark, secretive, and cruel.
"…BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I CAN'T TRUST YOU RIGHT NOW."
Her words felt like chains closing around my wrists.
"SO, UNTIL THE KING RETURNS AND THE PROPER PROCEDURES ARE CARRIED OUT…"
My stomach dropped.
"…YOU'LL BE UNDER MY SUPERVISION IN THE QUEEN'S PALACE."
The reality of it hit like an icy wave. This wasn't questioning. This was imprisonment.
My hands trembled as I lowered my gaze. "Hakan will prove my innocence once he returns…" I thought desperately, clinging to the belief that he would come back—come back for me.
But the woman only smiled. A cold, empty curl of her lips.
"JUST THINK OF IT AS TAKING A BREAK FOR A FEW DAYS."
That lie stung more than the accusation itself.
I was escorted away, guards gripping my arms, dragging me from the garden that had felt peaceful just moments ago. My world—Hakan's warmth, the palace comfort, Gillai's support—was collapsing piece by piece.
I looked back just once.
Gillai was reaching toward me from the ground, her face twisted in despair.
"MY LADY…" she whispered, eyes filled with helplessness.
"Ugh…" I breathed out, powerless, as I was pulled away.
—. Hakan
Meanwhile, in Mezaluc…
Far from the gleaming palace where I was being confined, another world existed beneath a purple-tinted darkness.
"MEANWHILE, IN MEZALUC…"
Heavy footsteps—STEP—echoed in a cavernous, stone chamber. Men in simple white loincloths moved through the shadows under soaring gothic arches. The air was cold, heavy with incense and the hush of a sacred place.
A cloaked figure walked deeper into the violet gloom, heading toward a raised marble platform.
Upon it lay a beautiful man with long dark hair, unmoving, resting on a pristine white cushion. Gold chains draped over his bare torso, glimmering faintly in the dim light.
A chest nearby opened with a low CREAK.
The cloaked figure leaned forward. "PLACE THE ITEMS WE BROUGHT BY HIS SIDE."
"Yes, Your Majesty," one of the attendants replied.
Armored hands lifted—RAISE—then let fall—DROP—a cascade of glittering jewels and coins beside the still man.
The cloaked figure gazed at the lifeless body, sorrow carving deep lines across his face.
"REST IN PEACE, BROTHER."
His grief hardened, turning sharp, deadly.
"I SWEAR I'LL KILL THE LEADER OF THE DRAGON SLAYERS SOON."
The figure pulled back his hood. A handsome man with dark hair, armor, and a fur mantle emerged from the shadows. His eyes were filled with rage—and a deeper fear.
He turned to a kneeling subordinate.
"WE'RE LEAVING THE MOMENT THE CLERIC HAS GIVEN HER BLESSING AND SET UP THE BARRIER."
"Huh? THAT SOON?" the man replied, startled.
The dark-haired leader clenched his jaw. Determination and anxiety burned in his eyes.
"I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE LUCINA ALONE FOR TOO LONG."
He looked down at the jewels scattered around his fallen brother.
"Especially since I don't know what might happen while I'm not there…"
Puka
Back in the Queen's Palace, I stood alone in a lavish yet chillingly empty room. The silence pressed against my ears, thick and merciless.
This was my new prison.
Outside, a small bird fluttered past the window—FLAP—its wings carrying a message I would never hear.
Alone, confined, and accused… I whispered to no one:
"…Lucina."
My eyes stared blankly at the ornate wallpaper of the Queen's Palace. Every swirl of gold thread, every stroke of royal paint, felt like it belonged to someone else's world—someone who was free. The cold luxury of the grand room wrapped around me like a mocking embrace. No matter how soft the carpets or how warm the lamplight, this was still a prison.
A prison built by her.
The terrible woman in purple.
The Queen Dowager.
LUCINA.
My breath trembled as I clung to one fragile thought like a lifeline:
Hakan will prove my innocence once he returns…
But hope tasted bitter against the rising tide of despair. Every second alone inside these gilded walls felt like a noose tightening around my neck.
Then—
FLAP.
The sound was soft, almost delicate, but it sliced through the silence. I startled, glancing toward the window, unaware that high in a nearby tree, two shadowy figures were perched like phantoms.
Both wore dark clothes, their faces hidden behind smooth masks, the faint moonlight glinting off their weapons.
"WHAT SHOULD I DO?" one whispered, voice tight with conflict. He clenched his fists. "I CAN'T REVEAL MY TRUE IDENTITY RIGHT NOW…"
His companion glanced sharply at him, but neither could act. Not yet.
Just then, a small green bird zipped past the window—
SWISH
—its feathers shimmering like emeralds. A delicate gold chain glinted around its foot, marking it as no ordinary creature. A messenger. Or perhaps… a familiar bound by magic.
It fluttered to my window with a soft RUSTLE, tiny claws gripping the sill. Its bright green eyes looked through the glass at me with startling emotion.
Inside its mind, a horrified thought echoed:
"SHE MUST BE DEVASTATED. SHE DIDN'T RECOGNIZE ME EVEN THOUGH I'M RIGHT HERE…"
Suddenly—
PLOP.
The masked guard outside stiffened. "WHAT'S WRONG?" the second asked.
"I THOUGHT SOMETHING LANDED ON MY HEAD," he muttered, scratching nervously.
"You're just imagining things. We don't have time for this. Hurry up."
But the little bird wasn't imagining anything.
It launched itself into the air—
SWOOP
—its tiny wings beating with frantic purpose. As it rose, a flickering image appeared beside it: a small elfin child with tear-filled green eyes framed in white light. The vision quivered like a memory trying not to break.
And the bird thought fiercely:
"I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!"
It turned away from the palace, heart pounding, determination hardening like steel.
Meanwhile, within the Queen's Palace, the walls seemed to press closer around me. I could still hear the echo of the woman in purple's cold voice:
"…YOU'LL BE UNDER MY SUPERVISION IN THE QUEEN'S PALACE."
Her presence clung to the room like poison, suffocating any attempt at calm. My hands tightened in my lap.
"Hakan will prove my innocence once he returns…"
But the words trembled now, fragile as a cracked shell.
Far away, in the shadowed underground sanctuary of Mezaluc, urgency had replaced caution.
The leader—Hakan—stood before his brother, conflicting duties tearing at him. But there was no longer a choice.
"WE'RE LEAVING THE MOMENT THE CLERIC HAS GIVEN HER BLESSING AND SET UP THE BARRIER," he declared.
His companion blinked. "HUH? THAT SOON?"
Hakan's jaw tightened, his eyes shadowed with worry.
"I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE LUCINA ALONE FOR TOO LONG."
His breath hitched—barely visible, but real.
"ESPECIALLY SINCE I DON'T KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WHILE I'M NOT THERE…"
His words trembled with the fear he rarely showed.
At that same moment, high in the sky above the palace, the small messenger bird felt its own panic sharpen. Its heart squeezed painfully.
"SHE MUST BE DEVASTATED… She didn't recognize me…"
The elfin vision above it sobbed in miniature.
But the bird shook it off, determination blazing.
"I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING… I NEED TO TELL HAKAN TO HURRY BACK!"
It took off—
SWOOP
—darting through the air like a streak of green lightning.
Back in Mezaluc, Hakan swung onto his powerful dark horse. The air around him crackled with intensity as he pulled the reins tight.
CLIP CLOP.
CLIP CLOP.
He pushed the horse into a fast, punishing stride, his cloak snapping behind him like a banner of war.
He wasn't just returning.
He was racing against time.
Against fate.
Against the invisible hands closing in on me—his wife, his queen.