The snowy night stretched across the kingdom of Altera, its pale silence at odds with the chaos unfolding just a few hours before. The ground pristine with untouched snow, was now marred by dark stains of blood seeping into the frost, turning it into a morbid canvas of crimson and white. Shattered weapons and broken banners lay half-burned in the icy drifts, their edges glinting faintly under a departing moon. The air was cold and heavy, carrying the faint metallic scent of blood mingled with the crispness of winter.
The moaning wind whistled through the shattered remains of armor and shattered shields, an eerie dirge for the fallen. Shadows of moonlight, their stillness contrasting with the swirling flurries of snow that continued to decline. Far in the distance, a few fires still smoldered weakly, their embers struggling against the night, chill, casting fleeting glimmers over the battlefield ruins.
Silence dominated, broken only by the soft crunch of snow beneath unseen footsteps or the occasional groan of ice as it shifted under the weight of death. Above all, the stars blinked indifferently, their distant light illuminating the aftermath of conflict. Guiding by the moon, Crown Prince Fenix Swan navigated toward the concubine's quarters where his mother lived. He held on to the freshly baked cake not wanting the night to tick away without him wishing her a happy birthday.
Despite the terror they had faced he looked forward to some happiness. It was sad enough the invasion had to happen on her birthday. The castle was quiet, and everyone mourned for the fallen heroes who had given them victory. A glorified win that came with a great cost, walking behind him was Kyron his royal guard. He had been fighting with the others and had returned as promised to the side of his prince. Fenix reached his mother's quarters, a faint smile on his lips seeing the lights still on.
"Your grace must be waiting for you," Kyron says as they push open the big oak door, that he has walked through all his life with great anticipation to see the smile of the one woman whose touch makes his day a hundred times better. Silence met their eager ears, unlike the usual chatter of joy and happiness in his mother's quarters. "Mom" Fenix raced to the kitchen, where she would normally be trying to come up with a new dessert recipe but the scene before him was not what he expected. Laying in a pool of her blood was her mother's maid.
"Mom..!" his heart sank. He raced to every corner calling out to her, his white robe flying in the direction of the wind alongside his ponytail held up in a neat bun. Standing before the heavy oak door that separated his mother's chamber from the rest of the house, his breath paused, his pale cold hands holding the cake gave the door a little push and it creaked open revealing a scene that froze the air in his lungs. The arm glow of the torches in the corridor barely penetrated the oppressive stillness of the room.
Inside, the chamber seemed draped in shadows, the lavish furnishings now cast in a pall of dread. The faint scent of jasmine still lingered in the air, mingling with something heavier, more metallic. The cake found its way to the floor and crumbled into patches like the state of his heart.
His eyes fixed at the center of it all, the sight demanding a haunting silhouette suspended from the grand chandelier. His mother, the most loved concubine, and favorite of his father the king, hung lifeless, her gown of deep crimson pooling like spilled blood far below her dangling feet. Her face, pale and slack, was framed by hair that swayed gently with the motion of the cold wind. The jewels on her neck glimmered faintly, mocking the life that had once animated her regal presence.
The walls seemed to close in, and the ornate tapestries and golden decor transformed into silent witnesses of the tragedy. The only sound was the low groan of the chandelier's chains, straining against the weight as if mourning in their way. He walks closer aiming to touch her when his body is pulled behind and Kyron takes the lead. He swiftly cuts the rope holding concubine Arien down, ensuring she lands in his arms. Fenix couldn't see the world pass her, the kingdom was grieving and so was he.
This was a cruel fate or a calculated act of despair. The royal chamber, once a sanctuary of comfort, had become a tomb of sorrow, and the realization hit with the weight of the kingdom's grief. Fenix took her into his arms caressing her cold cheeks. He had gone off to help, he was the crown prince and couldn't stay in the bosom of his mother while the kingdom was fighting. If only he knew, he would have stayed behind, he would have stationed more guards. Prince Fenix held his mother in her arms a thousand thoughts going through his mind.
It was easy to pretend she was asleep but dawn came and so did the truth. The funeral service arrived and it was time to take her away for burial preparation. He held on tight, not willing to leave her yet again behind. She was his world, the one person who showed him love did not have a price tag. The one person who understood how miserable his life was as a ferre. He was an object ready to be claimed, a price everyone wanted to win, but his mother loved him without the condition of his uniqueness. How could he survive in this vast castle of treachery and venomous snakes? Every question and thought was left unanswered. Kyron walked up to him taking him by the hand.
"My prince" he called ever so gently. Prince Fenix turned to his closest companion. His eyes desperately pleading to be saved. "It's time to say goodbye, she needs rest" Prince Fenix could only nod. Kyron helped him up as his legs had gotten numb from sitting too long on the cold floor. They watched them cover her body and prepare to carry her away.
The news was all over the kingdom, but his father had yet to come, as had the queen, his stepmother, and his step-elder sister Yelinda. A usual noise erupted from outside, and he hurried to the front to see who was disturbing his mother's peace, only to be met with the royal message.
"A decree for the crown prince," the messenger announced, and Kyron looked just as baffled at the prince. Father can always call me in; there's no need to pass a decree," but the messenger read it aloud.
"Altera has suffered the biggest blow in history. Today we not only mourn our heroes who pledged down their lives but we mourn the departure of Ms Arien mother to the ex-crown prince. The kingdom sees your heart and shares your pain. Prince Fenix Swan is hereby dethroned as crown prince and is to be married off as an exchange of wealth and support to the crown prince of Tatarine" The messenger dropped the decree into the hands of Kyron.
¬Ex crown prince!¬ the words echoed like a broken record in his head. Fenix stood rooted, his world spinning. He just lost his mother, was dethroned, and is now said to marry a man he knows of his cruelty and arrogance... How did he reach this point? He trembled his hands digging deep into his skin but no amount of pain could wake him up from this nightmare.
Watching his mother's cold body carried out of her home he rushed over to her desperately trying to wake her up, but Kyron was quick to get hold of him leaving the funeral party to carry out their duty with ease. Fenix seemed to have lost his voice, his body reacted to emotions he couldn't describe, one minute he was heading to celebrate her birthday and the next she was lying in his arms cold, still, and lifeless. Standing on the melting snow mixed with the blood of the innocent more tears fought their way down his pale cheeks.
"Trevo" he murmured the name of the one he loved dearly. Kyron needed not to be told what to do as he held on to the hand of his prince supporting him. The Mascot mansion was only a few miles away and soon the carriage stopped at its entrance. It felt warmer than the cold walls of the castle that threatened to swallow him up.
Prince Fenix desperately made his way into the black gates decorated with golden stips not giving the coachman time to calm the horses. He was desperate, he needed comfort, some kind of assurance, he wanted Trevor, he needed to be in the scouting arms of his betrothed. Taking long steps through the long corridor he soon came in contact with the door he was so familiar with, but it did not bring him happiness. Voices echoed from the other side of the door, voices too familiar to be ignored.
"I wish I was there to see the face of Fenix when the decree was read out hahaha" Yelinda gaggled. "I know, I made sure my father implemented the idea of selling him off to the prince of Tatarine, a weakling like him can not be the ruler of Altera when the both of us can be king and Queen" Trevor sounded so jovial. Kyron pushed infront but Prince Fenix quickly held him back.
"What use would it be? I have been dethroned, I have no mother and I just got to know I have been sold like meat be slaughtered and served. Let it be" he let out a slow breath the earth beneath his feet shifted. But steadily he held his head high and walked out of the Mascot mansion reserving what thread of dignity he had left. He watched his people bow at the sight of his carriage, he could only nod through the transparent veil blocking their view. His heart felt heavy, desperately he clutched onto all he had left, a pendant his mother had given him.