The heavy weight of the cold stone beneath her fingertips was the only thing anchoring Na-na to reality as she leaned against the high balcony of the palace, watching the moonrise over Luthadel. It had been weeks since her arrival in the kingdom weeks since she had been shackled in chains like an animal. Yet the chains that bound her spirit were heavier than the iron that clung to her wrists. Luthadel, with all its beauty and grandeur, had become a prison a gilded cage where power was measured in blood and gold.
Tonight, as the stars twinkled above like scattered diamonds, a plan began to form in her mind. A revolution. The word echoed like a drumbeat in her chest.
But even a queen could not start a rebellion alone.
A soft voice interrupted her thoughts, and Na-na turned, finding Alden standing a few feet away. His posture was relaxed, but the intensity in his eyes betrayed the weight of the world on his shoulders. He always carried the kingdom's burdens, yet somehow, Na-na had never seen him this… conflicted. His gaze softened as it met hers, but it was clear that they both had unspoken words between them.
"You've been quiet tonight," Na-na said, her voice steady but her heart racing in her chest. "Are you still trying to figure me out, Prince Alden?"
Alden tilted his head, his lips curving slightly as if he were about to smile but then thought better of it. "Perhaps. Or perhaps I've been figuring out myself."
Na-na raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what have you learned?"
He took a step closer, his voice lowering to a near-whisper. "That I am not who I once thought I was. That my kingdom is not the just place I once believed it to be. And that... you are not the enemy I imagined."
She glanced away, the truth of his words sinking in. "And yet," she said, her tone edged with irony, "you still wear the crown of that kingdom. You still stand by its cruelty, its oppression. You still uphold its very heart, even if your mind betrays you."
There was a silence between them, thick like the tension in a bowstring. Alden's eyes softened, but his jaw tightened as if he were grappling with the impossible—knowing what was right, yet feeling duty to a crown he could no longer stomach. It was like watching a storm build on the horizon, its winds dark and heavy.
"I don't uphold cruelty, Na-na," Alden replied, his voice calm yet firm. "I uphold duty. But duty is not the same as tyranny."
"Isn't it?" She stepped closer, her voice challenging. "Tell that to the slaves who call Luthadel their home. Tell that to those who bow beneath a crown that has crushed their very souls. Duty has become tyranny in this kingdom."
Alden opened his mouth to speak but stopped, his eyes narrowing as if seeing her for the first time. It was as if the heavens themselves parted, and he saw the truth of her words, the truth that she had carried from her homeland. "Eryndor," she had called it, a name now drowned in blood and sorrow.
"I never imagined it would be like this," Alden muttered under his breath, staring at her crescent moon tattoo, barely visible beneath her torn sleeve. "That the very thing I sought to protect would become the very thing I want to destroy."
Na-na's heart ached at the weight of his confession, but it was also a strange balm to hear him admit the truth. Antithesis—his duty to the kingdom versus his growing desire for justice—had never been more clear.
"Then why continue to serve the crown?" Na-na asked, crossing her arms. "Why cling to a throne built on the suffering of so many?"
His eyes locked onto hers, a quiet storm brewing within him. "Because it's all I know. But I also know that to change this kingdom... I need your help."
Her brow furrowed. "My help?" she asked, her voice laced with both suspicion and curiosity. "What could a captive princess like me offer to a prince who has everything?"
"You offer me truth," Alden said, stepping closer, his voice low and urgent. "You offer me a way out. A chance to change the course of history."
Na-na was silent for a moment, contemplating his words. She had always been the warrior, the rebellious spirit unwilling to bow to oppression. But now, something was different. She could feel the rebellion growing within her chest like a fire, something she had not anticipated.
"Is that why you came to me that day in the courtyard?" Na-na asked, voice softening. "To seek my help for the revolution?"
"Yes," Alden replied. "But I did not realize, then, how much I needed you—not just as a partner in this fight, but as... someone who could teach me how to fight my own demons. How to be more than just a prince."
Na-na stepped back, her gaze hardening. "And what do you expect of me, Prince Alden? To help you overthrow your kingdom so that we can rebuild it into what? Another empire built on the backs of the oppressed? To crown you as a king one who wears the same chains as the others?"
Alden's eyes flashed, his voice urgent. "No! I do not want to be like the rulers before me. I want to change it all. I want to create something new. A kingdom where people are free, where the bonds of slavery and oppression do not exist."
Na-na studied him for a long moment, and then she nodded slowly. "I will help you," she said, her voice firm but soft. "But know this if I am to fight by your side, it will be on my terms. It will not be for the sake of power or a throne. It will be for the freedom of all those who have suffered."
The promise in her voice made Alden feel something deep within him a glimmer of hope that he had long since lost. Perhaps just perhaps he could become the man he needed to be.
Later that evening, in the royal gardens, they met with Lady Seraphina and Calla, both of whom had quietly expressed their support for the cause. Together, the group formed a fragile alliance, one that would shape the future of Luthadel.
"You truly believe we can do this?" Seraphina asked, her voice filled with doubt but also a spark of something else hope.
Na-na met her gaze. "It is not a question of belief. It is a question of will. If we have the strength to stand together, then we will bring about the change this kingdom needs."
"You sound like a storm on the horizon," Calla remarked, her eyes wide with admiration. "I can see it already."
Na-na turned to face her, offering a rare, gentle smile. "And I will make sure that storm never dissipates."
As the moon cast its silver light upon the gathering, the winds of rebellion began to stir, their force building with each passing moment. This was no longer just a fight for survival. It was a battle for the soul of Luthadel.
And no matter what it took, Na-na would be at the heart of it burning the chains that bound her.