Chapter 59 HER INFLUENCE IS TAKEN
King Adrain looked down.
The soldiers were kneeling in reverence as if forced.
At the center of the outer grounds, the earth had shifted overnight. A thin ring of obsidian-black stone now encircled the tower, smooth and seamless, still warm to the touch.
No one had seen it form and no one had heard it happen.
King Adrian’s blood ran cold.
Inside, Athalia slept fitfully, murmuring in a language Selene recognized but had not heard spoken in centuries. Her hair had thinned further overnight. Her back curved unnaturally, as if the weight of years pressed on her spine.
“She will last,” Selene said quietly when Adrian joined her.
Adrian’s jaw clenched. “How long?”
“Days,” Selene replied. “Weeks, or more. But she won't change.”
Adrian turned toward the nursery, fists trembling. “Since the child is the curse, take him and find a way.”
Selene flinched. “I can’t.”
“You can,” he snapped. “You helped birth this thing you called a child that's killing my wife. Is he some sort of demon, that you're not telling me?.”
“I...didn't say he is," Selene said fiercely. “But the child is powerful.”
"Powerful enough to kill?" King Adrain snapped. "Only monsters or demons do this." He said pointing at Athalia's appearance.
Athalia stirred.
“Adrian,” she whispered.
He rushed to her side at once, taking her frail hand in his. “I’m here.”
She studied his face as if memorizing it. “Do they know?” she asked.
“Who? Know what?”
“That I bore him.”
Adrian swallowed. “They know you gave birth.”
Athalia smiled sadly. “That’s all that matters, no matter the cost I have to pay.”
Her gaze drifted toward the nursery. “Bring him to me.”
Selene hesitated. “Your Majesty...”
“Please,” Athalia said. “I want to see my son.”
Selene relented.
When the child was placed in Athalia’s arms, something shifted.
The Queen gasped softly not in pain, but in relief. Color returned faintly to her cheeks and her breathing eased.
Adrian’s heart leapt. “Selene...look...”
“I see it,” Selene said tightly.
The child nestled against Athalia’s chest, his tiny fingers curling into the fabric of her gown. The air warmed and the oppressive weight lifted slightly.
Athalia smiled, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. “He’s beautiful.”
For a moment she looked younger and Selene’s relief lasted exactly three seconds.
Then the child opened his eyes.
The color drained from Athalia’s face instantly, faster than before. Her grip loosened. Her breath hitched.
Selene lunged forward, pulling the child away just in time.
Athalia collapsed back against the pillows, unconscious.
Adrian stared, horror dawning. “He’s draining her. Are you sure you're not hiding that this child is a demon? Look at what it does to her.”
“No,” Selene whispered. “He’s just a child, your majesty.”
"No ordinary child does this."Adrain roared. "What aren't you telling me?"
But Selene said nothing.
That night, Selene sent a dove.
This one flew east, far beyond the territories that still pledged loyalty and far beyond safe roads.
The reply came before dawn.
The messenger who arrived was not human.
By the time the sun rose, Athalia could no longer stand. By noon, she could barely speak. By evening, she looked a century old.
Adrian sat beside her bed, refusing to leave. “I would give anything,” he whispered. “Take years from me, take my strength but just leave her.”
Athalia smiled weakly. “You already gave me everything.”
Then the child cried not loudly. But the sound cracked the stone floor beneath the tower.
Selene stiffened and her eyes widened as she felt it.
“No,” she breathed. “That’s not...him, right?”
The ground beneath the tower shifted sharply upward.
Adrian grabbed Athalia as the walls screamed.
“What’s happening?” he shouted.
Selene stared at the nursery, where the child’s eyes now burned bright as molten gold.
“The prince” Selene whispered, voice breaking,
“He’s awakening something.” The man who Selene had sent for appeared in human form. Like he was already there.
He went to the child and sang.
"Flowers, gleam and glow. Let your power shine, let the curse reverse. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."
And the child slept. Every where quieted.
"Who are you?" King Adrain asked
"A Sorcerer, your majesty."
"I need your guidance." Selene interrupted.
"Ofcourse."
The next morning, prince Adrain sat outside, thoughtful.
“You cannot go there.”
Adrian’s voice was sharp, unyielding, as he stood at the chamber door. His jaw was tight, his hands trembling slightly despite his attempt at control. “No one ...is to see her.”
The captain of the guard raised an eyebrow. “Your Majesty...”
“I said no!” Adrian snapped. His gaze shifted to the floor as if the words themselves burned him. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, sire,” the captain murmured, stepping back.
Inside the tower, Athalia lay propped against pillows, pale and thin, the golden glow of her power long since faded. Her hair had thinned in the night, and the lines on her face were sharper than ever, cutting her once-regal features into something almost unrecognizable. She stirred slightly, eyes opening with effort.
“Adrian,” she whispered. Her voice was weak, tremulous. “Why have no one come to see me?”
Adrian who had walked in, stood over her. He looked down at her, face conflicted. “They don’t need to see… what you’ve become.”
“I… am still Queen, right?” Athalia’s voice was incredulous, yet tinged with hurt.
Adrian averted his eyes. “You… you know what I mean. You changed everything. People expect you to be perfect and radiant. A Queen to match the kingdoms power.”
Athalia’s lips tightened. “And now? Because I gave birth to our child, I am… hideous in your sight?”
Adrian flinched as though struck. “It’s… not that. It’s… the world will see you as ugly. And it's weakness for some.”
Selene, standing silently in the corner, clenched her fists. She had seen what Adrian had done in the shadow of fear and shame. But she also knew Athalia was in this situation for him.
“She is still your wife, Your Majesty,” Selene said quietly, though her voice carried weight. “She carried your heir. She endured what no mortal should. You...”
“I can’t,” Adrian interrupted sharply. his hands. “I can’t face it or let anyone see her”
Athalia’s eyes glimmered, a mixture of hurt and quiet rage. “You are ashamed of me after everything.”
“I am not ashamed of you,” Adrian said quickly, though the tremor in his voice betrayed him. “I am… ashamed of myself that I cannot protect you, that I cannot… control what the world thinks.”
Selene stepped closer to Athalia, her eyes sharp. “Your majesty, hiding isn't control? You are banishing her to the shadows and this tower because you cannot handle the consequences of what she endured for you.”
"What do you mean for me? What did she endure or sacrifice for me?"