The gates of the Eagle Kingdom opened as the young warriors returned from the mountains.
The soldiers welcomed them with nods and murmurs of approval.
Prince Kael dismounted his horse slowly.
The battle in the mountain pass still lingered in his mind.
Beside him, Ronan stretched his arms.
"Not bad for your first mission," he said.
Kael didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed on the palace doors.
The king would be waiting inside.
For the first time in years… Kael felt something close to hope.
---
The throne hall was silent when Kael stepped inside.
King Aedric stood near the tall windows, the evening light falling across his armor.
Kael bowed.
"The mission was successful," he said.
The king looked at him.
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Then it vanished.
"Your stance is still flawed," the king said coldly.
"Train harder."
That was all.
The king turned and walked away.
Kael remained standing there.
The hope that had risen inside him shattered quietly.
---
Night covered the palace in silence.
Inside his private chamber, King Aedric sat alone at his desk.
The leather-bound journal lay open before him.
The candlelight flickered across the pages as his hand moved slowly.
Then his pen stopped.
His fingers trembled.
The memory returned again.
That night.
The night everything had been taken from him.
---
Rain had been falling heavily.
The queen lay on the ground, her armor shattered and blood spreading across the stones.
Aedric knelt beside her.
"Stay with me," he begged.
Her breathing was weak.
Her beautiful eyes looked up at him.
They had always been full of fire.
Full of life.
But now…
The spark inside them was fading.
Replacing the warmth was something colder.
Something empty.
Death.
Aedric held her face in his hands.
"No… no…" he whispered desperately.
Her lips moved slightly.
"Aedric…"
Her voice was barely a breath.
"Our son…"
Aedric shook his head violently.
"You will tell him yourself."
But the queen only smiled faintly.
Her eyes slowly lost the last light they held.
Aedric's hands tightened around her as the truth struck him.
"No…"
His voice broke.
The king of the Eagle Kingdom collapsed beside her, his body shaking as grief tore through him.
His cry echoed across the battlefield.
He pulled her lifeless body close, his voice breaking into a desperate promise.
"I will protect him," he said hoarsely.
"I swear it… I will protect our son."
---
The candle in the king's chamber flickered violently as Aedric closed his eyes.
His hand gripped the journal tightly.
"I failed you," he whispered into the empty room.
---
Far away in the forest, another memory refused to fade.
Naisha stood alone in the darkness of the training clearing.
Her body trembled as she held the practice blade.
Across from her, Ishan watched quietly.
"Again," he said.
Naisha attacked.
Her strike was fast.
But unfocused.
Ishan blocked easily.
"Your mind is not here."
Naisha froze.
And suddenly—
The past returned.
Flames.
Smoke.
Screams.
Her village burning.
She saw her parents again.
Surrounded by soldiers.
The fire rising behind them.
Her mother's eyes searching for her through the flames.
Run.
The silent word burned into Naisha's memory.
Then the fire swallowed them.
Naisha's hands began shaking.
The blade slipped slightly in her grip.
Pain spread through her chest like a wound that never healed.
"I remember everything," she whispered.
Her voice trembled with rage.
"The fire."
"The screams."
"The way they died."
Her silver eyes burned as she lifted the blade again.
"And I will never forget."
Ishan watched her silently.
In that moment he understood something clearly.
This girl was no longer just surviving.
She was carrying something far more dangerous.
A promise.
One born from ashes and agony.
And somewhere in the world…
That promise would one day collide with the promise of a king.