Chapter 4 - THE PRISONER WHO SANG TO THE WALLS
Beneath the Hall of Ashes, a woman sang a lullaby to a prison wall.
Her name was Lyanna Aurion.
Once, she had been the beloved princess of Aurelith.
Now she wore a faded white dress, her dark hair streaked with silver, her wrists marked by eighteen years of enchanted chains.
She had forgotten the warmth of sunlight.
She had forgotten the sound of rain falling upon leaves.
But she had never forgotten her daughter’s face.
Every year, on the anniversary of the palace massacre, she sang the same lullaby.
When the stars forget to shine,
Find your way through dark and time.
She sang softly, hoping that somewhere beyond the walls, the child she once held could still hear her.
A heavy door opened.
Queen Seraphine entered.
Lyanna stopped singing.
The Queen wore her ruby crown, but her face was pale.
Golden cracks ran along the gemstones.
Lyanna noticed immediately.
“The Hand has awakened.”
Seraphine approached the barrier.
“Your daughter is alive.”
Lyanna closed her eyes.
For eighteen years, she had feared hearing those words spoken as a death sentence.
“Is she safe?”
Seraphine laughed bitterly.
“She nearly destroyed my throne.”
Despite herself, Lyanna smiled.
“Then she takes after her father.”
Seraphine’s expression tightened.
“Do not speak of him.”
“Why? Because you had Rowan murdered?”
The Queen struck the crystal barrier.
Black lightning raced across its surface.
Lyanna flinched but refused to look away.
Seraphine stepped closer.
“You could have prevented everything.”
Lyanna stared.
“By surrendering my child?”
“By allowing the bloodline to end.”
Lyanna shook her head.
“You were never afraid of the bloodline, Seraphine.”
The Queen froze.
“You were afraid of what it would reveal.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
They had known each other since childhood.
Before Seraphine became Queen, she had served as Lyanna’s companion.
They studied together.
Rode horses through the palace gardens.
Shared dreams of a kinder kingdom.
Lyanna once believed Seraphine was her closest friend.
Then Malrec arrived.
He promised Seraphine power beyond death.
And slowly, everything changed.
Lyanna looked toward the black crown symbol embroidered inside Seraphine’s cloak.
“Has he started demanding more?”
Seraphine’s jaw tightened.
“He gave me the strength to save Aurelith.”
“From what?”
“From the war your ancestors created.”
Lyanna lowered her eyes.
That accusation carried a fragment of truth.
The Golden Dynasty had hidden terrible secrets.
King Aurion was remembered as a savior, but his triumph had required sacrifices no historian dared record.
Still, Lyanna knew what Malrec wanted.
And she knew the terrible price of giving it to him.
“Listen to me,” she said. “If Malrec reaches the final seal, he will not preserve your kingdom.”
Seraphine turned away.
“He promised me eternity.”
Lyanna’s voice softened.
“Would you really want eternity if Kael were gone?”
The Queen froze.
For the first time, fear appeared beneath her rage.
“My son is safe.”
“Is he?”
Seraphine looked back.
Lyanna continued.
“Malrec doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love your son. He doesn’t even understand what love means.”
The Queen’s hand trembled.
Then a whisper filled the chamber.
Seraphine.
The torches went black.
A shadow appeared behind the Queen.
Lord Malrec.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood of living darkness.
He studied Lyanna.
“Still singing to ghosts, Princess?”
Lyanna stepped backward.
Malrec smiled.
“The child has awakened the First Flame.”
He approached the barrier.
“Now she will open the remaining six.”
Lyanna felt her heart stop.
“No.”
Malrec lowered his voice.
“And when she returns, the final vessel will be ready.”
Lyanna seized the chains binding her wrists.
“She will never serve you.”
Malrec laughed.
“She already serves me.”
He raised one skeletal hand.
A vision appeared between them.
Elara stood beside Kael and Theron inside the hidden archive.
Lyanna stared at her daughter.
For the first time in eighteen years, she saw the young woman her child had become.
Tears streamed down her face.
“My beautiful girl.”
Malrec watched her carefully.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Every step she takes toward freedom will bring me closer to mine.”
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