The carriage stopped outside the council hall. Zara stepped out, keeping her face composed despite the chaos in her mind. Alaric's warning haunted her.
Erythian offered his hand, his calm eyes searching hers. "You've been quiet since the attack," he said softly. "Are you alright?"
Zara hesitated. "I'm fine," she lied. "Just thinking about everything that's at stake."
"You don't have to carry it alone," Erythian said, his voice steady. "You have me now."
For a moment, his sincerity caught her off guard. She looked at him, and something inside her softened. He was kind, dependable, everything a queen could want in an ally. But as he held her gaze, her mind betrayed her with a flash of Alaric's fierce eyes, his smirk, the way he had commanded the battlefield.
She pulled away, breaking the moment. "Let's go in," she said quickly.
The council meeting was tense but productive. Erythian's advisors were eager for the alliance, and Zara played her role as queen perfectly. Still, her thoughts were elsewhere. That night, unable to sleep, she wandered the palace gardens.
The air was cool, She didn't expect to see Erythian there, leaning against a pillar, lost in thought.
"You couldn't sleep either?" she asked, breaking the silence.
He turned to her, smiling softly. "It's been a long day."
They walked together, their steps were slow and unhurried. "You amaze me, Lysandra," he admitted suddenly.
She blinked, surprised. "Why?"
"You've faced so much in so little time, yet you remain strong. Most would have broken under the weight."
Zara looked away, her heart tightening. "Strength isn't a choice. It's survival."
Erythian stopped, turning to her. "It's more than that with you. You're… extraordinary."
His words hung in the air, and for a moment, Zara felt the pull between them. But before she could respond, a sharp pain shot through her head.
The visions came, Lysandra's voice, the forest, and a pull she couldn't resist.
The next morning she rode out alone to a forest called Veln (the home of the oracle of truth)
The Forest of Veln was alive with an eerie silence. She followed the pull to a glade where a pool of water shimmered unnaturally.
"You seek answers," a voice said, low and melodic.
Zara spun around to see the Veiled Oracle, her face obscured by a shimmering veil.
"Who are you?" Zara demanded.
"The one who holds the truth of your existence," the Oracle replied.
"What do you mean?" Zara asked
"Your arrival here was no accident. Lysandra…chose you, Zara."
Zara's heart pounded. "How do you know my na…wait, Why? Why me?"
"You are the queen who will decide the fate of two worlds," the Oracle said. "But first, you must lose yourself."
The words chilled her. "What does that mean?"
The Oracle handed her a dagger, its blade glowing faintly. "This relic will reveal the truth when the time comes.
Use it wisely. And beware, the dark winged lord might not be your enemy. The war is not what it seems."
Before Zara could question further, the Oracle disappeared.
"wait no please don't go! I have many more quest..." Zara broke down in tears from all the frustration of not knowing anything that was going on.
She wanted to ask about the voice in her head...is it dangerous to engage? was the voice lysandra? is she getting attacked from within? she felt so powerless from not having any answers to these gut wrenching questions.
She stared at the dagger, with her hands trembling. What had she gotten herself into?
she hated herself for reading while driving, she hated herself for dying; she hated herself for slowly falling for Erythian, she hated herself for the attraction she felt towards Alaric...in this moment, Zara declared that all she wanted was just pizza and a good nap.
When she returned to the palace, Erythian was waiting. His worry turned to anger when he saw her. "You disobeyed me," he said, his voice sharp.
"I needed answers," Zara said, standing her ground.
"Lysandra," he said, his voice softening, "answers to what? I want to protect you and give you all the answers you need but I can't do that if you keep putting yourself in danger and keeping me out of it."
Her heart ached at the concern in his eyes, but the Oracle's words echoed in her mind. As much as she wanted to trust him, she couldn't ignore the pull toward Alaric or the truth she had to uncover.
And so, the dagger she hid beneath her cloak, Zara prepared for the storm that was coming.
Unexpectedly, "Your majesty!…" a guard disrupts their conversation "Alaric is Dead!"
The queen's eyes sink.