The Queen’s choice
786 Words
The battlefield fell silent.
Thousands of soldiers stood frozen as the Shadow King lowered himself to one knee before Nysera.
“My Queen,” he repeated, his voice carrying across the ruined palace gates. “I’ve come to take you home.”
The Moonborn warriors exchanged confused glances. Moments earlier, they had expected the bloodiest battle in generations. Instead, their greatest enemy had bowed before their queen.
Draven stepped protectively in front of Nysera.
“Get away from her.”
The Shadow King slowly rose, his crimson eyes fixed on Draven.
“I didn’t come here to fight today.”
Draven tightened his grip on his sword.
“You always come to fight.”
A faint smile crossed the Shadow King’s face.
“Only because you never give me another choice.”
Nysera stepped between them.
“Enough!”
Both men looked at her.
“I’m tired of secrets. Every one of you claims to be protecting me, but none of you tells me the truth.”
She looked at the Shadow King first.
“If you say you’re my father, prove it.”
Without hesitation, he unclasped a silver chain from around his neck.
At its center hung a moon-shaped pendant, cracked through the middle.
“I’ve carried this for twenty-one years.”
Nysera slowly lifted the pendant Lady Selene had given her when she first arrived in the Moonborn Kingdom.
It, too, was cracked.
As she held the two pendants together, they locked into place with a brilliant flash of silver light.
A wave of ancient magic exploded across the battlefield.
Everyone shielded their eyes.
When the light faded, a glowing image appeared in the sky.
It showed a younger Queen Elara, smiling as she placed the two halves of the pendant around the necks of two people.
One half she gave to the Shadow King.
The other she kept.
Her voice echoed through the vision.
“If we are ever separated, these pendants will find each other again. And when our daughter is old enough, she will know the truth.”
The vision vanished.
No one spoke.
Nysera stared at the joined pendant in disbelief.
“It was true…”
Lady Selene lowered her head.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
“We wanted to protect you.”
Nysera’s eyes filled with tears.
“By hiding who I was?”
Lady Selene couldn’t answer.
Before anyone else could speak, the earth shook violently.
A deafening roar echoed from beneath the palace.
Cracks spread across the courtyard.
Draven’s expression changed instantly.
“No…”
The Shadow King’s face hardened.
“It’s waking up.”
“What is?” Nysera asked.
Neither man answered.
The ground split open.
A massive pillar of black crystal burst from the earth.
Dark energy spread through the kingdom like a storm.
The sky turned completely crimson.
Every werewolf fell to one knee, clutching their chests in pain.
Only Nysera remained standing.
A deep, ancient voice echoed from inside the crystal.
“At last…”
“The three bloodlines have reunited.”
Nysera’s heart pounded.
“The three bloodlines…”
The old woman’s final words came rushing back.
“There were never two royal bloodlines…”
“There were three.”
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the crystal.
He wore gleaming silver armor unlike anything Nysera had ever seen.
A mask covered half his face.
His eyes were neither blue nor crimson.
They were pure gold.
The newcomer surveyed the battlefield calmly.
When his gaze settled on Nysera, he smiled.
“So…”
“The last heir has awakened.”
Draven whispered under his breath.
“It can’t be…”
The Shadow King took an involuntary step backward.
Even he looked uneasy.
Nysera frowned.
“Who are you?”
The stranger removed his mask.
“I am Caelan.”
“The last king of the Silver Bloodline.”
He pointed toward Nysera.
“And your future depends on which of us you choose.”
Before anyone could react, the joined moon pendant in Nysera’s hand shattered into countless pieces.
A blinding light swallowed the battlefield.
When the light disappeared…
Nysera was gone.
Draven’s eyes widened.
“Nysera!”
The Shadow King searched frantically.
“Where is she?”
Caelan smiled faintly.
“The Moon Goddess has made her choice.”
The battlefield erupted into panic.
No one knew where the Moonborn Queen had disappeared to.
But somewhere far beyond the mortal world…
Nysera slowly opened her eyes.
She stood alone in a vast temple made entirely of moonlight.
A woman dressed in flowing silver robes stood before her.
Her eyes shone like the stars.
She smiled gently.
“Welcome, my child.”
“I have been waiting for you.”
- Writer
