The crown of ashes

Chapter 5:Secrets Beneath the Crown

The horns continued throughout the night.

Their mournful cries echoed across the kingdom, carrying warnings no one alive could fully understand.

Nobody slept.

Not the soldiers patrolling the walls.

Not the frightened citizens whispering in their homes.

And certainly not Princess Seraphina.

She stood alone in her chambers, staring at the golden marks winding across her arm.

The symbols had stopped growing.

For now.

Yet she could still feel them.

Like a heartbeat beneath her skin.

A knock sounded at her door.

"Enter."

Cassian stepped inside.

His armor had been replaced by a simple black tunic, but exhaustion lined his face.

"You should rest."

Seraphina laughed softly.

"You first."

A faint smile appeared.

Then disappeared.

Neither of them felt much like smiling.

"The council has been arguing for three hours."

"About me?"

Cassian nodded.

"Some want to move you to a safer location."

"And the others?"

"They want to know why monsters are crossing mountains to find a princess."

The blunt honesty surprised her.

But she appreciated it.

At least someone was willing to speak plainly.

"Do you think I'm dangerous?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Cassian looked genuinely shocked.

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

"You've known me since we were children."

He stepped closer.

"You worry too much about protecting everyone else."

His eyes softened.

"That isn't dangerous."

For a moment, the room felt very small.

Seraphina quickly looked away.

The warmth in Cassian's gaze made her uncomfortable.

Not because she disliked it.

Because part of her liked it too much.

And that was exactly why she couldn't allow herself to feel anything.

The curse.

The curse always came first.

Or at least, it had.

Now she wasn't even sure the curse was real.

A loud knock interrupted the silence.

A royal servant entered.

"The Queen requests your presence immediately."

---

The Queen led Seraphina somewhere she had never been.

Down hidden staircases.

Through forgotten corridors.

Past doors concealed behind ancient tapestries.

The deeper they descended, the older the palace became.

Stone replaced marble.

Dust replaced luxury.

History surrounded them.

Finally, they reached a massive iron door.

Its surface was covered in faded symbols.

Golden symbols.

The same symbols appearing on Seraphina's arm.

Her breath caught.

"What is this place?"

The Queen hesitated.

"A mistake."

The answer made no sense.

She placed her hand against the door.

Ancient locks clicked open.

The heavy entrance slowly swung inward.

A vast underground chamber stretched before them.

Shelves filled with scrolls and books lined the walls.

Maps covered enormous tables.

Strange artifacts rested inside glass cases.

It looked less like a library and more like a collection of secrets.

Centuries of secrets.

The Queen walked toward a large painting hanging at the far end of the chamber.

Seraphina followed.

Then froze.

The painting depicted a royal family.

Not unusual.

Except for one detail.

The princess in the painting looked exactly like her.

The same dark hair.

The same eyes.

Even the same face.

Only the clothing was different.

The painting had clearly been made centuries ago.

"That's impossible."

The Queen's expression darkened.

"Her name was Aelina."

Seraphina couldn't stop staring.

"She looks exactly like me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

The Queen swallowed.

Because some truths were too large to speak casually.

Finally, she answered.

"Because you are not the first."

The words struck like lightning.

"What do you mean?"

The Queen stepped toward the painting.

"Aelina lived over six hundred years ago."

"Then how—"

"Because every generation, she returns."

Silence.

Seraphina stared.

Surely she had misheard.

No.

She hadn't.

The Queen looked as though she wished she could take the words back.

But it was too late.

"What are you saying?"

The answer came quietly.

"You are the latest vessel."

Fear gripped Seraphina's chest.

"Vessel for what?"

The Queen's eyes filled with sorrow.

"For her."

The chamber suddenly felt freezing cold.

Seraphina backed away.

"No."

The Queen didn't argue.

Didn't reassure.

Didn't deny it.

And that frightened Seraphina more than anything.

Then a voice echoed from behind them.

"You finally told her."

Mother and daughter spun around.

A figure stood near the doorway.

Tall.

Dark-haired.

Silver-eyed.

Rowan.

Somehow, the prisoner had escaped.

The guards surrounding him looked unconscious.

Not dead.

Sleeping.

As if he had simply walked past them.

The Queen's face filled with fury.

"You."

Rowan ignored her.

His gaze remained fixed on Seraphina.

On the shock written across her face.

Then he delivered another impossible truth.

"The Queen left out one important detail."

The room fell silent.

Seraphina's stomach twisted.

"What detail?"

Rowan's expression darkened.

"The woman in that painting wasn't a princess."

His silver eyes met hers.

"She was the one who started the war that nearly destroyed the world."

The chamber went silent.

And for the first time in her life...

Seraphina became afraid of herself.