The Queen's Message

Bait
The sun filtered softly through the crystal glasswork of Bellaflor’s grand dining hall. Pale golden light bathed the long marble table where King Orion, Queen Rosarya, and Princess Briar sat in comfort, the finest breakfast Bellaflor’s palace could offer laid before them—pastries, sliced seasonal fruits drizzled with honey, and warm buttered bread accompanied by herbal teas that perfumed the air.

The mood was light, and for once, without the shadow of politics or war looming over the conversation.

“I hear the swan lake is nearly frozen again,” Rosarya said, slicing a strawberry in half with her silver fork. “I remember the last time it did—Briar, you were six, and you insisted on dancing over the ice with no shoes.”

Briar, now seventeen and as sharp as she was beautiful, rolled her eyes, though a grin tugged at her lips. “And you still won't let me live that down. It was one time.”

“You gave every nursemaid in the castle a heart attack,” Orion chuckled, sipping his tea. “And your mother nearly had a stroke.”

“I didn’t fall though,” Briar added smugly.

“You would have,” Rosarya muttered, but smiled warmly nonetheless.

A moment of silence passed, peaceful and comforting. And then the door creaked open.

A palace guard stepped in, saluting smartly. “Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesties. Your Grace,” he nodded to Briar.

Orion gently set his cup down and gestured toward the man. “Speak.”

“A messenger from Edralis arrived not an hour ago. He came bearing this.”

The guard stepped forward and presented a sealed scroll, the wax unmistakably bearing the mark of Queen Lysandra—her personal sigil: a coiled serpent crowned in flame.

All three royals went still.

Rosarya’s eyes narrowed. “Lysandra?”

Orion reached for the scroll and broke the seal with a knife. The parchment crackled softly as he unrolled it. His eyes scanned the contents. Slowly, his features paled. His lips parted, speechless.

Rosarya straightened in her seat. “Orion? What is it? What does the letter say?”

He looked up slowly, eyes darkened with dread.

“She knows Aurora is alive.”

A silence settled over the room like a graveyard.

Meanwhile,

Somewhere in Bellaflor’s gardens, by a quiet lake…

Aurora sat beneath the shade of a birch tree, the gnarled roots cradling her body like fingers rising from the earth. The lake shimmered before her, glassy and silent, disturbed only by the occasional ripple of a fish or falling leaf.

Her reflection stared back at her with haunted eyes.

She reached up and gripped the cold metal collar locked around her neck. Her fingers dug in, tugging and pulling, wrenching with frustration and desperation. The skin beneath it burned. She yanked harder.

Come off. Come off. Come off!

It wouldn’t.

The collar remained immovable, biting into her skin as if mocking her. Her arms trembled. Her eyes stung. With a hiss of defeat, she finally let go, chest heaving.

I’m useless like this.

Then came the sound of rushed footsteps behind her. She quickly turned.

Maelis was the first she saw, out of breath and pushing stray hair out of her face. Idris, Morgan, and Selene were right behind her, all four of them pale with urgency.

Maelis bent forward with her hands on her knees. “There you are—we looked everywhere.”

Aurora rose slowly, frowning. “Why? What’s going on? What’s with the looks?”

Idris stepped forward. “The King and Queen have summoned you. They say it’s urgent.”

Aurora’s expression froze. A strange chill crawled down her spine.

Without a word, she followed.

Moments later, the group arrived at the entrance of Bellaflor’s throne room.

The heavy doors groaned open, and the guards stepped aside to allow Aurora and her companions to enter.

King Orion and Queen Rosarya sat in their regal thrones, both stiff and unreadable, flanked by watchful soldiers. The air was heavy with tension.

Aurora stopped several paces away and bowed slightly. “Your Majesties.”

Rosarya leaned forward, hands laced together beneath her chin. “We’ve received a letter from Edralis.”

Aurora’s heartbeat picked up.

“It’s from Lysandra,” Orion said, his voice graver than she’d ever heard it. “She knows you’re alive. And she wanted you to know… she has Darius.”

Aurora went still.

Rosarya continued, her tone sharp and unforgiving. “She says with every passing day, he’s a step closer to his grave.”

Aurora’s face crumpled in disbelief. “No… No, she—” She looked toward Maelis, Idris, Morgan, and Selene in desperation, eyes glistening. “She’ll hurt him.”

Maelis closed her eyes briefly and nodded.

Aurora staggered back a step. Her legs trembled. That collar suddenly felt ten times heavier.

“I will send soldiers,” Orion said, his tone laced with fire. “Bellaflor will not stand idle while Edralis threatens one of our allies.”

“No!” Aurora said immediately, too quickly. “That will start a war. It’ll just lead to so much bloodshed… people will die! Lysandra wants this—she wants chaos. We can’t let her have it.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Rosarya asked, her tone curt. “You’re powerless. You’re collared. Your magic is gone. You are marked. If you walk into Edralis, you won’t make it past the gates.”

“I have to try,” Aurora whispered, her voice cracking.

—

The chamber was filled with the core witches—Elara, Morpheus, Malakai, Soraya, and Daphne—all seated in a circle, eyes locked on Aurora, who stood in the center with fists clenched and resolve written across every inch of her.

“I’ve made up my mind,” she declared. “I’m going to Edralis, and I don’t care what any of you say.”

Daphne stood. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“I haven’t. I’ve lost him. And I’m not going to lose him forever.”

“You’ll be walking into Lysandra’s hands,” Soraya warned. “She’ll gut you and hang your collar from the palace walls.”

“I know the risks,” Aurora said. “But I have to go.”

“Why?” Malakai asked, leaning forward. “What good will it do if you’re captured too?”

Aurora turned to Elara, voice softening. “Darius is your only child… don’t you want him back?”

Elara’s eyes were filled with pain. She stood slowly, approaching her. “More than anything in this world.” She placed her hands on Aurora’s face gently. “But I don’t want to lose another soul to Lysandra. Especially not you.”

“I can do this.” Aurora’s voice broke, but she didn’t cry. “Please. Let me try.”

There was a long pause.

Finally, Morpheus spoke up. “You’re as stubborn as your mother was.”

Aurora’s eyes stung. “She would’ve done the same. I know you all have good reasons to worry but I'm not just walking blindly into enemy territory. I have a plan.” 

Another silence passed as everyone exchanged weary glances.

“Okay, fine.” Maelis sighed. “Let’s hear it.”