Far from the princess's kingdom, across the fractured lands, there was another who watched in silence. A realm of ice and fire, where the skies were perpetually dark and the winds carried the scent of ash, lay in the grip of a new ruler—a young queen who had taken her throne by blood and fire.
Queen Selene, daughter of the fallen monarchs, had inherited a fractured kingdom, ravaged by war and betrayal. The remnants of her people were scattered across the wastelands, and the nobles who had once pledged allegiance to her family were now nothing but shadows, lingering in the dark corners of the palace.
Selene was a quiet ruler, though fierce in her resolve. She had no time for the petty games of the throne. Her eyes were set firmly on the future, and the prophecy that had long haunted her dreams.
The whispers had come to her, carried by the winds that howled through the crumbling halls. The child of the eclipse—the one who could either save them or destroy them. She had heard the stories, but it wasn't just the child that intrigued her. It was the timing. The storms, the war, the fear—it all pointed to something much bigger than her kingdom's survival.
In her cold, dimly lit chambers, Selene stood before a mirror, her face a mask of determination. Her advisors had urged caution, but her instincts told her that the key to her kingdom's restoration lay not in alliances or victories on the battlefield, but in the child.
Her fingers brushed against the cold glass of the mirror, as if trying to summon something from beyond.
"I will find this child," she murmured to herself. "And I will use whatever power is necessary to ensure the survival of my people."
Just as her words hung in the air, a knock echoed at the door.
"Your Majesty," came the voice of her most trusted knight, Sir Darian. "We have news. The princess of the eastern kingdom has been spotted. Her armies are moving closer to the border."
Selene's heart skipped a beat. The princess—the child of the eclipse? Could it be true?
"Prepare my forces," she ordered without hesitation. "We will meet her before anyone else can."
As Sir Darian left, Selene turned back to the mirror, her reflection staring back at her. The uncertainty in her eyes was now replaced with an iron will. She had no time to question fate. The storm was already here, and the time for waiting was over.
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Back in the princess's kingdom, the storm had intensified, and so had the tensions between the remaining forces. But something else was stirring. The prophecy was no longer just a tale of old—it was becoming real. The child of the eclipse, whether born into the royal family or not, had the power to change the course of history. Yet no one knew if it would be for good or ill.