"You leave me no choice, brother," Ayurla lamented, standing amidst the blood of her beloved ones. Today marked her awakening, but it had nearly been her last. The bell of reckoning had sounded; who would emerge victorious in this battle for the throne?
The stormy night mirrored her turmoil, each flash of lightning illuminating the battlefield and the fallen. The air was smoky, tinged with the scent of warfare. Nearby, the old general lay critically wounded, his once commanding presence now reduced to a fragile whisper of life. Just beyond him, a familiar figure, his presence a silent reassurance in countless battles. He lay motionless, his breath shallow but steady. Ayurla's heart clenched.
The aftermath of the battlefield was a stark contrast to the sunny day it had begun as. The essence of loss hung heavy in the air, comrades forged in the barren lands lay scattered, making the sky weep in sorrow. Memories of the deserted monarch returned like a phoenix reborn from the ashes. Her smile turned wicked as the phoenix's wings bore witness to the awakening of a dragon descendant soon to rise.
Unaware of her change, she was still riddled with grief and lost in her memories. Black phoenix wings began to manifest behind her, their dark feathers shimmering in the stormy night, but she took no notice, too consumed by sorrow.
Long ago, she and her brother were born as dragon and phoenix twins to Her Majesty Illuna 'Elerna' and His Majesty Masseta of the Masseta Empire. Their birth was a momentous occasion, heralded by the monarchy as a sign of prosperity and strength. As she stood on the battlefield, memories of her past intertwined with the present, the echoes of her parents' teachings and the bond she once shared with her brother flooding her mind.
The sound of a drumbeat, akin to a hallucination, echoed through the air as flocks of birds danced in the sky, heralding the birth of the queen. Mortals rejoice as the phoenix monarch has rose. A new dawn began; the new age: Ayurla's Reckoning.
The rhythm was both haunting and mesmerizing, a celestial announcement of a momentous event. In the distance, the roar of a dragon could be faintly heard, a reminder of her twin brother Andros, whose presence loomed like a shadow over her destiny. The prophecy of the phoenix and dragon twins was unfolding, and with it, the promise of a new era.
Mortals have a saying: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Thus, before welcoming our queen, let's unravel at the beginning of this new dawn. It started with the birth of the twins; on this day, the sky wept, and thunderstorms filled the Milky Way. After a difficult birth, the newborns were finally welcomed to life.
As the midwife handed the newborns to the queen, the king paced anxiously outside, his heart heavy with worry and anticipation. "Congratulations, Your Highness, the prince and princess are healthy," the midwife said, comforting the queen with a reassuring smile. The queen's breath alternated between life and death, yet this moment eclipsed all else. The only one who missed it was the king, who, due to tradition, could only arrive after their birth.
After the birth, the king rushed to the queen's bedside. His aide, Alcair, a trusted advisor and friend since childhood, knew the king's heart better than anyone, sensing his turmoil, intercepted him with a firm grip on his arm, bringing him to a halt. "Your Majesty, you must remain composed," Sir Alcair urged, his voice steady and calm. "The queen and your children need your strength now more than ever."
The king nodded, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "You're right, Alcair. I must be strong for them." He approached the chamber, each step echoing his desperation, his heart pounded with fear and anticipation; before laying eyes on his heirs, he hurried to the queen's bedside, he knelt beside her, taking her hand in his, to reassure her and encourage her to cling to life.
"My beloved queen, remain steadfast and secure for our sake, for theirs. Let us be together as a family." He spoke these words to her and himself, for he was afraid. It had been a difficult birth, but it should not come to a loss of his beloved.
As days went by, the queen's health and the well-being of the heirs became the main priority in the palace. The twins thrived, their cries filling the halls, but the queen's strength waned. The king watched helplessly as the woman he loved slipped away. After two weeks of struggling, the monarch succumbed to sorrow.
On the day the queen passed, the sky was ashy, a stark contrast to the celebratory night of the twins' birth. The king held her hand until her last breath, her final words a bittersweet farewell. "It's been an honor, my king," were the last words she uttered.
At her dying breath, she was accompanied by the king, the princess, the prince, and her chosen maiden for the upbringing of the heirs, her lady-in-waiting Salvina, the daughter of the National Teacher, who was the king's brother.
The twins were still too young to know that they are to grow up without a mother. The king grew old with the weight of his grief, now facing the future of raising his heirs without his beloved by his side. The monarchy soon mourned the passing of Queen Elerna. This month has been marked by both sorrow and joy within the monarchy. Soon the state funeral was prepared.
"My beloved, rest well and thank you for leaving the young ones to accompany this old one in your stead. At least we are not alone. We will fulfill our duty to the monarchy and to our children, for prosperity of the monarchy". King Masseta penned a final letter to his queen, Elerna. Though it was doomed to be unread, it was placed in the royal treasury as a memento for the next generation of the love Masseta had for his queen.
The laments and mourning deeply affected the palace, but life for the living must go on. questions about the future began to arise. What does the future hold for our heirs? Will the monarchy pressure the king to remarry? Will the twins be raised satisfactorily without their mother's love? Continue reading to find out!