The Princess

"Sia!" That voice again—low, thunderous, and boiling with entitlement. My pulse quickened. Of all the things I dreaded lately, Uncle Alphonso’s voice topped the list. He was downstairs, as always. Barking commands that didn’t belong to him. Demanding loyalty he hadn’t earned. I stood still, staring into the ornate mirror framed in gold and grief. The girl reflected back at me looked nothing like the carefree princess I used to be. No—this girl had shadows under her eyes and fire burning in her chest. Her name was Sia, barely eighteen, daughter of King Alec and Queen Mirabel and now... the last of her bloodline. It had been five months since the sky swallowed my parents in flames. Five months since Uncle Alphonso began circling the palace like a vulture, waiting to feed on the bones of my father’s legacy. I had no proof, but in my gut, I knew: he wanted the throne, and he would stop at nothing to have it. He had already begun whispering in the ears of the Elders, searching for a loophole in the royal decree. So far, their loyalty had held... but how long before gold and fear eroded that? My hand trembled as I reached for the crown resting silently on my dresser. It was smaller than my father’s, lighter than my mother’s, and yet it weighed like stone in my hands. I wasn’t ready to be Queen. I hadn’t even learned how to live without them. But I knew one thing—Uncle Alphonso would destroy everything they built. He and his venom-tongued wife would tarnish every sacred thread of royalty and bleed the kingdom dry. Not while I still breathe. I set the crown gently on my head, my blonde waves falling in soft ripples around it. Then, reaching for the boldest red lipstick I owned, I painted my lips with defiance. Power. Fire. If Alphonso wanted a ruler weak enough to yield, he’d come to the wrong castle. I turned on my heel, head high, spine straight. It was time to put a leash on my uncle’s tantrums.