The queen's choice
377 Words
That night, Aria stood before her mirror in the royal chamber, the golden flame still faintly glowing beneath the surface of her skin. Her reflection no longer looked like the frightened orphan girl forced into a marriage she never chose.
She looked like a queen.
But power came with a price. And tonight, the Ember Circle had made that clear.
"You must choose," Selyra had said. "Either you remain here, claim your place at Damien's side, and try to build peace from within… or you come with us, and awaken the full extent of your power to lead the Circle."
Damien hadn't spoken since the council ended. He sat by the hearth now, his eyes fixed on the fire, distant.
“Say something,” Aria whispered.
“What do you want me to say?” he replied. “That I want you to stay? That I’m terrified of what will happen if you leave?”
She moved toward him slowly. “I didn’t ask for this power, Damien. I didn’t even know who I was. And now I’m being told I’m the only one who can stop an ancient war.”
“You are,” he said, rising. “But not alone.”
Their eyes locked. There was so much history in his — sorrow, rage, centuries of regret. But in hers, a new fire had taken root. One that refused to be controlled.
“If I stay,” she said softly, “I won’t be a pawn. I won’t be your queen in name only. I need truth. I need freedom.”
“You’ll have both,” Damien said. “If you choose me.”
A soft knock interrupted them.
Selyra entered, her gaze unreadable. “The Circle awaits your answer, Aria. At dawn, we depart. With or without you.”
Silence fell.
Aria looked between them — the immortal prince who had claimed her, and the Circle who now bowed before her flame.
She turned back to the fire, heart heavy but eyes blazing.
“I’ll give you my answer at sunrise,” she said.
And as the door shut behind Selyra, Aria whispered to herself:
“I was born to burn away the darkness… but I’ll decide who gets caught in the fire.”
- Writer
