Chapter 10- The Price of a Legacy
1155 Words
The bells of Celestia tolled just as Prince Delvin crossed the final rise, the sound drifting across the clear morning air like distant mourning. It struck him as cruelly fitting.
The man who taught him how to ride, how to fight, how to rule with honor…
gone.
he mounted his horse and rode through the night toward Celestia. Toward the kingdom whose king held Avernal’s future in his grip.
He rode without rest. Without sleep. Without the strength to think of anything except the harsh truth:
His father’s last act had been signing the alliance request with Celestia—sealed only if Delvin married Princess Elara.
And Delvin… could not.
Not when his heart belonged to Violet.
Not when the thought of another woman standing beside him for the rest of his life made him sick with guilt.
But without the alliance, Avernal was doomed. And he was now king. Every disaster was his responsibility.
He arrived at Celestia pale with exhaustion and heavy with grief, but with one final hope:
That King Alden might consider another solution.
---
The palace gleamed like carved moonlight as Delvin approached, its white stone shining almost blindingly bright. Servants bowed their heads; guards dropped to one knee. A messenger rushed ahead to announce him.
He didn’t wait. He strode through the familiar halls, boots echoing in sharp strides that betrayed the turmoil boiling beneath his calm exterior.
He had rehearsed what he’d say.
How he’d appeal to reason.
How he’d beg as a king for mercy—if not for himself, then for his people.
But as he stepped into King Alden’s private chamber, all rehearsed words evaporated.
Alden sat there on his throne-like seat, fingers steepled, gaze sharp enough to slice stone.
“You return sooner than expected,” the king said. “I presume the matter of your father’s… passing hastened your decision.”
Delvin bowed stiffly. “It is because of his death that I am here. I must speak with you.”
“No condolences for your kingdom’s grief?” Alden asked, voice void of sympathy.
“Avernal grieves,” Delvin said. “And so do I. But grief cannot delay duty.”
Alden’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“A wise sentiment for a new king.”
Delvin drew a breath—slow, steady, controlled.
“I cannot accept the marriage to Princess Elara.”
The king’s eyes flickered with something cold.
“Cannot… or will not?”
“Both,” Delvin answered honestly. “My heart belongs to someone else.”
Alden made a soft sound, almost amused.
“Ah yes. The maid.”
Delvin stiffened.
“You know?”
“I know everything that occurs in my palace,” Alden replied. “You think I did not observe the way you looked at her? Or the way she looked at you?” His smile sharpened. “Royal blood is dangerous when spilled near common affection.”
Delvin forced his voice to remain steady.
“I am not here to discuss Violet.”
“No,” Alden said. “You are here to ask for another option.”
Delvin nodded once.
Alden rose from his seat, clasping his hands behind his back as he circled slowly.
“There is one alternative,” the king said casually, as though discussing weather and not kingdoms.
Delvin’s heart thudded painfully.
“My kingdom will offer the full alliance,” Alden continued. “The gold, the grain, the horses, the trade routes. Everything Avernal needs to rise from its decline.”
Hope fluttered—brief, fragile.
“And all I require,” the king finished, turning to him, “is the Diamond Staff of Avernal.”
Silence fell.
A cold, vast, suffocating silence.
Delvin felt the floor tilt beneath him.
The Diamond Staff.
The sacred relic passed from king to king for over a thousand years.
The heart of Avernal’s monarchy.
The only artifact believed to be blessed by the ancient celestial guardians, said to grant protection and wisdom to the rightful ruler.
Without it, Avernal’s king was no king at all.
Their laws were clear:
The one who surrendered the staff surrendered the throne.
Delvin swallowed hard. “You know I cannot give that to you.”
Alden lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“Then marry my daughter.”
“You ask something impossible of me.”
“No,” Alden corrected calmly. “I give you a choice. Your kingdom… or your heart.”
Delvin’s throat tightened so sharply it hurt.
Alden stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Do you know what happens to a kingdom that loses its sacred token? Chaos. Rebellion. Weakness. Avernal will collapse.”
Delvin closed his eyes briefly. He knew that. Every king before him knew that. Surrendering the staff was not simply symbolic. It was ruin.
"Princess Elara knows I'm in love with another".
He said hoping it could change something
But Alden was a storm
“Love,” Alden scoffed. “Love is for peasants with no land to protect. Kings marry for power. Not for desire.”
Delvin felt a surge of anger that darkened his vision.
Delvin set his jaw. “My answer is no.”
Alden’s smile vanished.
“Then your kingdom will starve before winter’s end.”
Delvin felt the words like a blow.
“And if,” the king continued lightly, “your little commoner becomes… inconvenient, I will not hesitate to remove obstacles in the path of diplomacy.”
Delvin’s blood turned to ice.
“Are you threatening Violet?”
The king’s expression remained perfectly serene.
“I merely observe that maids have very short life expectancies when they wander into business meant for kings.”
Delvin took a step forward, fury radiating off him.
“Do not touch her.”
“Then choose,” Alden said simply.
Delvin’s world crashed inward.
Marry Elara and lose Violet.
Give up the Diamond Staff and lose his throne.
Do nothing and lose his kingdom—and Violet’s life.
Alden sat back down, signaling the conversation was over.
“You have until sunrise. After that, I will announce Celestia’s withdrawal from the alliance.”
Delvin felt as if something inside him was splintering apart.
He bowed stiffly, walked out of the chamber, and didn’t fully breathe again until the doors shut behind him.
But even then, the air felt thinner than before.
---
The corridors blurred as he walked—no, staggered—through them. Torches flickered. Servants cast worried glances. Somewhere far away, the palace musicians strummed soft morning notes.
None of it reached him.
His father had died believing this alliance would save Avernal.
Now Delvin was left with a choice that destroyed everything.
His throne.
His kingdom.
Or Violet.
He pressed a hand to his eyes, breath shuddering.
He had known becoming king would be difficult.
But he never imagined the first demand made of him would be his heart.
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