Chapter 2 - The Queen's Promise
849 Words
The next three days were the worst of my life. Mama got weaker.
They moved her to her chambers in the palace, the beautiful rooms
Queen Seraphine had given her years ago when she’d become the
Queen’s closest companion.
Healers came and went. They gave her medicines that dulled the
pain but couldn’t stop what was happening.
I stayed with her every moment I could. I held her hand. I told
her about my day, about the things Theron said, about the new
defensive technique I’d been practicing.
I pretended everything was normal, even though nothing would
ever be normal again.
On the third night, when the moons were high and silver light
streamed through the windows, Mama woke from a fitful sleep. I was
curled up beside her on the bed, and I felt her hand touch my hair.
“Kaelira,” she whispered. “My darling girl.”
“I’m here, Mama.”
“I need you... to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
Her breathing was labored, each word an effort. “Protect her. Protect
Queen Seraphine. Protect Theron. Protect them all. Promise me... you’ll
follow your own path. And always... always lead with your heart.”
“I promise, Mama. I promise.” Tears streamed down my face, clutching
her hand. “But you’re going to get better. You have to get better.”
“I love you,” she breathed. “So much. You are... the best thing... I
ever did.”
“Mama, please…”
But her eyes were closing. Her breathing was slowing.
I pressed my hands to her chest. “No! Mama, no!”
I tried to call up the healing magic she’d been teaching me.
Golden light flickered weakly around my fingers, but I didn’t know
what to do with it. I didn’t know how to fix this. “Please wake up!
Please!”
The light sputtered and died. My magic wasn’t strong enough. I
wasn’t strong enough.
Queen Seraphine came then, summoned by my cries. She climbed
onto the bed and gathered both of us into her arms, me and Mama,
holding us as Mama’s breathing grew slower and slower and finally,
as the first light of dawn touched the sky, stopped altogether.
*****
I didn’t remember much of the funeral. Just the cold stone of the royal
crypts, the smell of incense, the sound of prayers I didn’t hear.
Afterward, Queen Seraphine took me to her private chambers. Just the
two of us. She knelt before me, taking both my hands in hers.
“Kaelira, your mother was the sister of my heart. And you are the
daughter of mine. I will train you. I will make you strong. Strong
enough to protect yourself and those you love. But I need to know,
do you want this? Do you want to learn to fight, to serve, to protect?”
I thought of Mama’s words. Follow your path. Lead with your heart.
My heart said yes.
“I want to protect them,” I whispered. “I want to protect you and
Theron and everyone. I want to be strong enough that I never feel
helpless again.”
Queen Seraphine’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Then we’ll make a
pact. A blood oath, like your mother and I made when we were girls.
You’ll be bound to the royal family, and we’ll be bound to you. We’ll
be family, Kaelira. True family.”
She drew a small ceremonial knife from her belt, silver, with runes
etched along the blade. She pressed it to her palm, drawing a thin line
of blood, then offered it to me.
I didn’t hesitate. I took the knife and cut my own palm, wincing at
the sting. We pressed our hands together, and Queen Seraphine spoke
words in the Old Tongue, words that thrummed with power. I felt something
settle into my bones, into my very soul, binding, a promise, a destiny.
When she released my hand, there was a thin silver scar on my palm that
hadn’t been there before. Magic had sealed the oath.
“I will train you,” Queen Seraphine said. “And you will be magnificent.”
****
Three days later, I stood alone at Mama’s grave in the royal gardens. They’d
buried her beneath a willow tree, her favorite. The stone marker was simple:
Lyanna Ashwyn, Beloved Friend, Devoted Mother.
I knelt in the grass, tracing the letters with my fingers.
“I miss you, Mama,” I whispered. “I miss you so much it feels like I can’t
breathe. But I promise... I promise I’ll follow my path. I’ll protect them. I’ll be
strong enough. I’ll never fail you.”
The wind rustled through the willow branches, and for just a moment, I could
have sworn I heard her voice: I know you won’t, my brave girl. I know.
I stood, wiping my tears, and walked back toward the palace. Queen Seraphine
was waiting to begin my training.
I was ten years old, and my childhood was over.
But my purpose had just begun.
- Writer
