Behind Closed Doors
993 Words
The tension inside the council chamber was so thick it felt difficult to breathe.
The massive oak doors slammed shut behind them, sealing out the chaos spreading through the Hollow.
Only a handful of people remained inside.
Adrian.
Cassian.
Three senior council members.
Elira.
And Prince Nikolai.
The enemy.
The prince stood near the center of the room completely surrounded by armed rebels.
Yet somehow he looked like the least concerned person present.
Elira found that irritating.
Very irritating.
"You have exactly one minute to explain why you're here," Adrian said coldly.
Nikolai glanced around the chamber.
"Only one?"
"No."
The prince nodded.
"Fair."
Cassian rubbed a hand across his face.
"Just answer the question."
For a moment Nikolai remained silent.
Then his gaze settled on Elira.
"I came because the queen is coming."
The room instantly froze.
Everyone exchanged uneasy looks.
They already knew that.
Which meant there was more.
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Continue."
Nikolai folded his arms.
"She's bringing more than an army."
Something dangerous flashed across his expression.
"She's bringing the Oracle."
The reaction was immediate.
One council member actually stumbled backward.
Another cursed aloud.
Even Cassian looked shaken.
Elira frowned.
"What am I missing?"
No one answered immediately.
Finally Cassian spoke.
"The Oracle of Ash hasn't left the temple in over twenty years."
A chill moved through the room.
"The woman who made the prophecy?" Elira asked.
"Yes."
The answer unsettled her more than she expected.
The prophecy.
The reason her life had been stolen.
The reason her mother wanted her dead.
The reason an entire kingdom was hunting her.
And now the woman responsible was coming.
Why?
Nikolai seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
"Because the queen is terrified."
Adrian scoffed.
"Good."
"No."
The prince's voice hardened.
"Terrified people are dangerous. Terrified rulers are catastrophic."
Silence followed.
Because everyone knew he was right.
A frightened queen could start a war.
A frightened queen with absolute power could destroy a kingdom.
Elira slowly sat down.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Everything was moving too quickly.
Too many revelations.
Too many expectations.
Too many people deciding what her life should become.
She was tired of it.
Tired of being the lost heir.
Tired of being the prophecy.
Tired of being everyone's problem.
"What if I leave?"
Every head turned toward her.
"What?"
Elira stood.
"If this is all about me, then I leave."
The room erupted immediately.
"No."
"Impossible."
"Absolutely not."
Adrian looked horrified.
Nikolai looked intrigued.
Cassian looked exhausted.
Elira raised her voice.
"If I disappear, the kingdom calms down."
"It doesn't work that way," Adrian said.
"Why not?"
"Because people know you exist now."
The words landed heavily.
Of course.
There was no hiding anymore.
No returning to Greyhaven.
No becoming anonymous again.
The kingdom had seen her.
And once kingdoms saw something...
They never forgot.
Nikolai studied her quietly.
For the first time, he saw not a symbol.
Not an heir.
Not a prophecy.
Just a young woman overwhelmed by circumstances she never chose.
The realization unsettled him.
Because it made everything harder.
"Running won't save anyone," he said softly.
Elira looked at him.
Something flashed between them.
Understanding.
Frustration.
Recognition.
Neither liked it.
"You sound very certain."
"I am."
"And why is that?"
Nikolai's expression darkened.
"Because I've spent my entire life watching people run from problems."
His gaze shifted toward the window.
Toward the kingdom beyond.
"My father ran from responsibility."
The room went silent.
Even Adrian looked surprised.
The prince rarely spoke about himself.
Rarely spoke about anything personal.
Yet here he was.
Nikolai continued before he could stop himself.
"The nobles run from accountability."
His jaw tightened.
"The queen runs from guilt."
That one shocked everyone.
Especially him.
The words had escaped before he could bury them.
Silence followed.
A dangerous silence.
Because everyone heard it.
The criticism.
The disappointment.
The truth.
Elira's eyes softened slightly.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Enough to make him regret speaking.
Or perhaps regret how much he wanted her to understand.
Adrian broke the tension first.
"Let's assume we survive the queen."
A council member snorted.
"Optimistic."
Adrian ignored him.
"What happens next?"
No one answered.
Because nobody knew.
The kingdom stood balanced on the edge of a knife.
One wrong move and everything shattered.
The throne.
The rebellion.
The prophecy.
Everything.
Then suddenly—
The chamber doors burst open.
A scout stumbled inside.
Breathing hard.
Covered in sweat.
The room instantly stood.
"What happened?" Adrian demanded.
The scout struggled to speak.
"They've arrived."
Every muscle in Elira's body tightened.
The queen.
Already?
The scout nodded.
"Royal forces reached the valley an hour ago."
The room exploded into motion.
Commands.
Questions.
Movement.
Panic.
But the scout wasn't finished.
"There is something else."
Adrian frowned.
"What?"
The scout swallowed hard.
"The Oracle is with them."
Silence crashed through the chamber.
Cold.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Even Nikolai's expression changed.
For the first time all evening, uncertainty crossed his face.
Because the Oracle changed everything.
If she truly believed the prophecy was unfolding...
Nobody could predict what came next.
Not the queen.
Not the rebels.
Not even the Crown Prince.
Outside, bells suddenly began ringing across the Hollow.
Warning bells.
The sound echoed through the ancient fortress.
One after another.
Relentless.
Urgent.
The kingdom's future was arriving at their gates.
And somewhere beyond the walls, a blind woman who had predicted all of this was drawing closer with every passing minute.
Elira moved toward the window.
The moon hung above the valley.
Silver.
Watchful.
Waiting.
She couldn't shake the feeling that something much bigger than war was beginning.
Something older.
Something darker.
Something set into motion the night she was born.
Behind her, Prince Nikolai watched silently.
And for the first time since the hunt began, he found himself hoping the prophecy was wrong.
Because if it wasn't...
The girl standing by the window might not just change the kingdom.
She might destroy everything he had ever sworn to protect.
- Writer
