MORGAINE IS DEAD
998 Words
CHAPTER ONE
Lady Eldora Riona Aethelgard
It was barely morning; the quiet roar of the breeze and the loud chirping of birds echoed through the air outside. Dim rays of candlelight illuminated the room, casting shadows against the walls. The candles flickered softly with the breeze.
A soft sigh escaped my lips as my eyes fluttered open. The gentle dance of the candlelight was the first thing I saw, while the constant trill of birds and the distant roar of the wind filled my ears.
The huge oak door creaked open silently, and my mother walked in. Her steps were soundless and careful, as if even the slightest noise might wake me.
“Mother?” I called, curious about her unusually silent entrance. It was unlike her.
She flinched, clearly surprised to find me already awake. She batted her eyes as a nervous chuckle escaped her lips.
“I wanted to wake you myself,” she said. I could sense the disappointment beneath her words.
But why? Mother rarely did things like waking me herself. She always allowed me as much sleep as I wanted.
She lowered herself onto my bed, her veiny hands caressing my snow-white hair.
“My light,” she began, her voice a gentle whisper, feather-light.
“Happy birthday, little one.”
Realization dawned on me then. It was my five hundred year birthday. I never cared much for my birthday; that was why I forgot it every year.
Five hundred years of being Morgaine’s captive. A lump formed in my throat at the thought.
I pushed myself out of bed slowly and sat before her. A wry smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
“Thank you, Mother,” I forced the words out. My cheeks ached from how much I strained to keep the smile in place.
Her face brightened into a wide smile, her fingers scraping and stroking gently through my white hair. It was obvious how much she loved it—how she took every chance to touch it, to style it like she used to when I was a child. A naïve child.
Ironically, I hated the very hair she adored so much. It was white and extremely long, and no matter how often I cut it, it always grew back to the same length by the next day so I stopped trying. It made me wonder what kind of power the hair possessed, and that thought alone made me despise it.
“I have a surprise for you,” she said, beaming.
I allowed myself to appear enthusiastic and surprised, not wanting to ruin her perfect mood.
“What is it?” I asked, feigning excitement even though all I felt was emptiness. Birthdays had always been like this—Mother filled with joy, while I drowned in the despair of being caged for centuries.
“I know you’re terrible at guessing, but I’ll still ask you to guess,” she said playfully.
“So, Eldora Riona Aethelgard…”
She called my full name, and the hairs on my skin stood on end. It always felt as though each of my names carried a spell of its own.
I lifted my chin as if thinking deeply, though my mind was blank. Then the words slipped out before I could stop myself.
“Can I go out?” I asked flatly, though my heart clung to a single thread of hope.
Her smile faltered just slightly before returning. I already knew it wasn’t what I longed for. Still, my heart sank at the disappointment.
“Wrong!” she grinned, her hands cupping my face as she caressed it tenderly. Her love was overwhelming and complicated in ways I didn’t understand.
“What is it?” I asked, forcing a tight-lipped smile. If Morgaine was happy, then I should be happy too. I wanted to believe everything she did was for my own good—or at least for hers.
Her smile widened as she sprang off the bed, eyes glowing with excitement.
“Stay here,” she said, sweet yet stern.
“I won’t,” I promised, forming our swear sign. Satisfied, she nodded.
“I’ll be back,” she said, then hurried out, closing the door behind her.
A tired sigh escaped my lips as I rose from the bed, my bare feet meeting the cold wooden floor. I moved toward the window and pulled back the curtains, letting the first colors of dawn meet my eyes.
I let my gaze wander over the trees and the vast woods beyond. No houses. No buildings. Just ours, standing alone. We truly were in the middle of nowhere.
For five hundred years, I had stared at the same view through the same window. I wondered if the world beyond was truly as the books described—bustling cities, rolling green hills, fiery sunsets, and endless seas.
I hadn’t even seen what the sun truly looked like.
I stretched out my hand to feel the breeze, just for a moment. I braced myself for the familiar sting of the spell but it never came.
I froze, my hand still outstretched. Still nothing. Then faint whispers brushed my ears, followed by a short, earth-piercing scream.
My body went instantly cold.
“Mother!” I whispered, bolting from the room.
I stopped abruptly upon entering her chamber.
My mother lay sprawled on the floor, unmoving. My heart pounded as I waited for her to rise, to laugh it off and say she had merely stumbled but she didn’t.
My gaze drifted to what must have been her surprise. It was what I had wanted for decades, something she had always refused because it required one of us to go outside.
A silky-furred lynx stared back at me.
I forced myself to her side, lowering myself beside her. My hands trembled as I searched for her pulse.
The moment my fingers found it, dread seized me.
Morgaine was dead.
My mother was dead.
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