Chapter 002
1454 Words
“Training was lit!” Adolphus laughed, wiping sweat off his forehead. “I’ve never seen you with this much energy, Blake.”
Blake grinned, chest heaving. “I’ve got to step up. My parents have ruled with honor I need to make them, and this kingdom, proud.”
“You’re already the next heir, man. I think they’re proud already,” Adolphus said, punching his arm lightly.
“Still,” Blake replied, sheathing his sword, “I have to earn it. Power isn’t inherited. It’s proven.”
They walked across the training field within the palace walls, sunlight gleaming off the ornate spires. The clang of distant blades echoed as other knights trained.
Adolphus gave him a sly grin. “So… how’s your lover doing? Seraphina, the royal advisor’s daughter?”
Blake’s lips curled into a warm smile. “She’s incredible. Honestly, I think she’d tear down heaven and earth if I asked. She loves me fiercely.”
“And you love her too?” Adolphus teased, raising a brow.
“I do,” Blake replied with surprising softness. “There’s something about her… she sees me beyond the crown. I’m meeting her later tonight. Just need to freshen up first.”
Before Adolphus could respond, a figure darted across the field toward them.
It was Luna, the palace’s oldest and most devoted servant. Her face was pale, her breath ragged.
“Your Highness!” she cried. “Forgive the interruption. It’s your parents. There’s been… an accident.”
The world seemed to slow.
“What accident?” Blake stepped forward, voice suddenly sharp. “What happened to them?”
“The queen…” Luna’s lips trembled. “She didn’t survive. And the king… he’s alive, but barely. We’ve just moved him into the royal suite.”
For a moment, Blake didn’t move.
Adolphus put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go.”
The boys abandoned their swords and sprinted across the palace grounds.
Inside the royal suite, the air was thick with incense and sorrow. Blake pushed open the ornate door to find Princess Lylah, his younger sister, sobbing into the arms of Aunt Cierra, the late queen’s sister.
Lylah looked up, her eyes swollen and red. “Blake…”
His chest tightened as he approached the bed.
The king lay motionless, his once commanding presence now reduced to shallow breaths and pale skin. Tubes, salves, and healers surrounded him.
“No,” Blake whispered. “No, no, no…”
He turned sharply. “Bring the best doctors from the capital. Summon the healer from the Lycan mountains. I don’t care what it costs. My father cannot die!”
“Yes, Your Highness,” one of the guards said and rushed out.
Adolphus stood beside him, silent in solidarity.
Meanwhile, across town, Seraphina waited at the townhouse.
She’d lit candles. Prepared his favorite snacks from scratch. Even wore the necklace he once gave her, a small silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
The clock ticked.
And ticked.
But Blake never came.
She stood by the window, heart twisting with every passing moment.
“Maybe he’s just delayed,” she whispered to herself. “Training ran late. Or maybe… maybe he forgot.”
She forced a smile, but tears rimmed her eyes. “He wouldn’t do that. Not Blake. Not my Blake.”
Finally, with the candles flickering low and the food untouched, she gathered everything, packed it carefully, and stepped outside.
But something was wrong.
The town was too quiet. People whispered in clusters. A heavy air hung over the streets like storm clouds.
She picked up her pace, heart pounding.
When she arrived home, her mother was waiting by the door.
“Mother… where’s Father?”
“Still at the palace, Seraphina,” her mother said softly. “There’s been an accident. The queen… she’s gone. And the king is fighting for his life.”
Seraphina’s breath caught.
Blake.
She had been worried about being forgotten, but he had lost his mother.
And his father was dying.
“Oh no,” she whispered. “Oh, Blake…”
Without another word, she turned and dashed out again.
Back at the palace, Blake stood alone in the hallway outside the king’s suite, staring at the torchlight flickering against the stone wall.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
He turned and saw Seraphina, breathless, her cloak damp from the night air.
“Blake,” she said softly.
His eyes widened. “You… you came.”
“I heard what happened,” she whispered, stepping closer. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Blake.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Then, without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him.
“I was waiting for you,” she said into his chest. “But I understand now. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Blake held her tighter than he ever had before.
“I thought I’d lost everything,” he said, voice cracking. “But you’re here.”
“I always will be,” she promised. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Princess Lylah walked out of the royal suite, her steps hurried and uneven. Her voice cracked as she called out, “What’s going on here?”
Blake turned, startled to see his younger sister standing there, pale and trembling, still dressed in mourning black.
Before Seraphina could respond, Blake instinctively stepped forward and pushed her back with one arm. A protective gesture. But it's too rough.
“Nothing,” Blake said sharply, his eyes darting between the two women.
Seraphina stumbled slightly, catching herself against the wall. Her gaze shot to him wounded, confused.
“Nothing?” she repeated, her voice barely a whisper.
She looked into his eyes, searching for the warmth she knew. Instead, she saw cold, panic, and fear of being seen with her. Of being vulnerable.
Disappointment flooded her face.
Without another word, she brushed past Princess Lylah and disappeared into the inner halls of the palace.
“Seraphina” Blake called after her weakly, but the name tasted like ash in his mouth. She didn’t stop.
Seraphina walked briskly through the palace, trying to keep her tears from falling. Servants parted as she passed, unsure whether to acknowledge her. She turned a corner and finally saw him, Thane, her father, standing beside one of the war ministers near the grand chamber.
“Father,” she said.
Thane turned at the sound of her voice. His stern expression softened.
“Seraphina,” he said gently, stepping forward and pulling her into a quiet embrace. “I’m sorry you had to see that. These are... grim times.”
“I came for Blake,” she whispered. “But he…”
“I know,” Thane sighed. “He’s breaking inside. They both are. Give him time.”
She nodded, though her heart still throbbed.
Back in the corridor, Blake stood frozen. His fist clenched, his breath erratic. He stared at the spot where Seraphina had been where his sister now stood, watching him.
“What are you doing, Blake?” Lylah asked, her voice rising with hurt. “You pushed her.”
“I, I didn’t mean to,” he muttered, then turned and slammed his fist into the stone wall.
“Stop it!” Lylah shouted, grabbing his arm. “Enough! You think you're the only one hurting?! I lost her too! I lost our mother” Her voice broke. “And now Dad...”
She sank to her knees, clutching her face as sobs overtook her.
Blake turned slowly toward her, his eyes hollow.
“What do you mean?”
Lylah looked up. Her lips trembled. “Dad is gone.”
Her words shattered the silence.
“No,” Blake breathed. “No, no, no, he was stable. The healers”
“They couldn’t save him,” she choked out. “He stopped breathing. A few minutes ago.”
Time seemed to bend around him.
The walls closed in.
His father. Gone. His mother. Gone.
Seraphina, his last warmth, had walked away.
And he had let her.
He sank to his knees beside his sister, his hands shaking. The weight of the crown, the expectations, the pain, and it all came crashing down at once.
He wanted to scream. To run. To break something. But all he could do was sit there… and fall apart.
“I’m not ready,” he whispered. “I’m not ready to lose them. I’m not ready to lead. I don’t even know who I am without them…”
Lylah leaned into him, her cries softening. “You’re not alone, Blake.”
But for the first time in his life… he truly felt like he was.
- Writer
