The clang of metal still echoed faintly in the dark corridor. The scent of dust and steel hung thick in the air, mingling with the faint trace of smoke from shattered torches.
Aurelia stood still at the center of it all...breathing hard, the sword heavy in her grip, her nightgown torn, and streaks of blood smeared across her pale skin. The moonlight filtering through the tall windows bathed her in its glow, like a fallen goddess standing amidst the ruins of a battlefield.
For a long moment, she said nothing. Only her heartbeat filled the silence.
Then, quietly at first, she whispered, "So that's what it's come to, then?" Her voice trembled...not from fear, but from fury kept too long under control. "You think I'm some fragile thing you can toy with?" she muttered into the silence, voice trembling with exhaustion and fury. "Whoever you are… you've made a mistake."
The faint whispers came again, curling through the air like smoke...burn or stay buried… burn or stay buried…
Her fingers tightened on the sword hilt until her knuckles turned white. "You think I'm some frightened girl who'll hide behind locked doors?" she murmured, her eyes scanning the broken suits of armor that surrounded her. "You're wrong. You've all been wrong about me."
She raised her head, her voice growing stronger. "I don't know what you are...or who sent you...but listen well." Her words echoed off the cold stone walls, ringing with defiance. "I may have lost my fire, but I am no ordinary prey. I am no lamb to be slaughtered. You should have killed me when you had the chance."
A shadow moved at the edge of her vision, but she didn't flinch. "You took my flames," she went on, each word laced with venom, "and I let you, because I was naïve enough to think mercy would keep me safe. I was wrong. I've learned."
She lifted her chin, glaring into the shadows that seemed to breathe along the corridor. "You wanted me to remember fear?" she said, stepping forward, her bare feet crunching on broken armor. "I've lived in darkness longer than you can imagine. If you think you can take my life, you're dead wrong.
She lowered the sword, her knuckles white around the hilt. "If you think you can end me now… come try. Keep hiding, keep whispering. But when I find out who you are, when I finally see your face....." Her eyes burned with a dangerous gleam, a fire deeper than any magic.
she clenched her jaw, voice breaking with emotion, "I'll bring the fury of every scar, every curse, every tear. And you won't survive it. I'll come for you. And you won't like the fury that comes with me."
The sword slipped from her fingers and hit the ground with a ringing clatter. The sound seemed to snap the air back into motion. The faint whisper came again, threading through the corridor like a hiss of wind: "Burn… or stay buried…"
Aurelia's jaw clenched. "We'll see who burns," she muttered, turning away. Her bare feet whispered softly against the marble floor as she walked back toward her chamber, leaving the wreckage behind.
The long corridor stretched endlessly ahead, her shadow swaying in the dim moonlight. Her body ached, her mind buzzed, but she didn't stop until she rounded the corner that led to her chambers.
By the time she reached the more lived-in parts of the palace, the first hints of dawn were beginning to bleed into the sky. The torches burned low, their flames thin and tired.
She had just reached her door when it burst open and Gwen rushed out, her nightrobe loose, her eyes wide with worry.
"By the gods, my lady!" Gwen exclaimed, gripping Aurelia's arms. "Where have you been? I thought..... I thought something had happened!" Her gaze darted over Aurelia's torn nightgown, the blood at her temple, and the faint scrape along her cheek. "What on earth.... you're bleeding!"
Aurelia gave a faint, weary smile. "I got an invitation," she said softly.
Gwen blinked. "An invitation?"
"Yes," Aurelia said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "And I tried to honor it."
"What kind of invitation leaves you covered in blood and half your gown torn?" Gwen's tone rose, half-panicked, half-scolding.
"The kind," Aurelia replied, walking past her into the room, "that isn't written on paper."
Without another word, Gwen took off the shawl from her shoulders and draped it over Aurelia's trembling frame. "Come inside," she said firmly. "You shouldn't be standing here."
Gwen followed quickly, closing the door behind them. The room was dim, only the faintest morning light slipping through the curtains. "Sit," she ordered firmly. "You're trembling."
"I'm fine."
"You are not fine," Gwen retorted. "You look like you wrestled a beast!"
Aurelia gave a tired laugh. "You're not entirely wrong."
I'll go prepare a bath," Gwen said, already turning for the door.
"No," Aurelia said quietly, shaking her head. "It's almost dawn. I'll bathe before the coronation. Just… bring me a bowl of water and a cloth."
Gwen hesitated but obeyed, returning moments later with a basin and a damp cloth. Aurelia dipped it into the cool water and pressed it against the cut on her cheek, wincing slightly.
What happened?" Gwen asked finally, sitting opposite her, eyes filled with concern. "Tell me everything. And don't say 'nothing,' because clearly, something did."
Aurelia hesitated as she dipped the cloth into the water. I woke to murmurs outside my room. Shadows moving. I thought I imagined it, until I saw something...something wrong...
"Something?" Gwen pressed, worry deepening in her voice.
"in the old corridor. The suits of armor there… they moved. They fought me." Aurelia said, her tone low. "Empty ones. They moved...fought....as if alive. Someone sent them. Someone wanted me dead."
Gwen's mouth dropped. "The armors moved? Like… magic?"
"Like puppets," Aurelia said bitterly, wringing the cloth. "Someone or something was controlling them. I fought them off. But before I left, I heard whispers… saying, 'burn or stay buried."
Gwen swallowed hard. "That sounds like a warning."
"Or a threat," Aurelia said.
Gwen froze. "And you fought them? Alone?"
Aurelia smiled faintly. "I might have lost my fire, Gwen, but I haven't forgotten how to fight."
"Still," Gwen said, voice quivering, "you could've been killed."
Aurelia's eyes softened. "If they wanted me dead, they failed. But that's not what frightens me."
"Then what does?"
Aurelia's gaze darkened. "The whisper that followed me. Burn or stay buried. It wasn't random, Gwen. None of it was."
Gwen frowned. "You think someone's behind it?"
"I know someone is," Aurelia said. "I met the Grand Prince."
Gwen's head snapped up. "Prince Daeron?"
"Yes," Aurelia murmured. "He was there… watching. Smiling like it was all a game. I don't know what he's plotting, but I can feel it....he knows more than he lets on."
Gwen gritted her teeth. "If he's truly behind this....."
"Then he's clever enough to hide it," Aurelia finished for her. "He may wear the mask of charm, but beneath it… there's something else."
"I don't think the curse Ishara placed on me was random, Gwen," Aurelia said after a long pause, her voice low. "That night… when the curse fell, my mother died. The army that besieged Ashmere vanished....like ghosts retreating into the wind.
And my father, in his rage, conquered every neighboring colony." She looked toward the window, the pale dawn creeping over the horizon. "Nothing about that night was chance. And this attack tonight...it wasn't random either. Someone wants me afraid. Someone wants me gone."
Gwen frowned deeply. "And you think the prince knows something?"
"I think he knows more than he lets on."
Gwen folded her arms. "Then he'll slip up eventually. People like him always do."
Aurelia gave a faint, tired laugh. "Perhaps. But for now, I'll wait. I'll play the quiet queen they all think I am."
Gwen took Aurelia's hand gently. "Will you tell the king?"
Aurelia paused, looking down at her bloodstained hands. "I don't know," Aurelia admitted. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Only Dawn will tell."
For a while, neither spoke. The only sound was the soft drip of water into the basin.
Gwen finally said, "I'm just glad you're alive. When I didn't find you in your bed, I thought…" Her voice broke slightly.
Aurelia reached out and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I've survived worse."
"You shouldn't have to keep surviving things," Gwen whispered.
Aurelia gave a small, sad smile. "Perhaps not. But that's what cursed women do, isn't it?"
"Don't say that."
"It's true," Aurelia said quietly. "I've been called cursed all my life. Deformed. Tainted. Even Lord Neris broke his engagement the moment he saw what I'd become."
"That's his shame, not yours," Gwen said fiercely.
Aurelia gave her a faint smile. "So don't worry about me, Gwen. I might have lost my fire, but not my skill."
Gwen's lips curved faintly. "I believe that. I saw the way you handled that sword during practice once. You scared even the guards."
Aurelia chuckled quietly, though her eyes were distant. "I just stopped showing it. After my father made it clear he was ashamed of me, I… hid everything that reminded him of who I used to be. The warrior princess of Ashmere died that night, and the cursed woman remained."
Gwen knelt beside her. "And yet tonight you fought. You faced monsters alone. You still have that fire, Aurelia. You just don't see it yet."
Aurelia looked at her. "Do you really think so?"
"I don't think," Gwen said softly. "I know so. Now, clean your wound, rest, and prepare for dawn. If those whispers come again…"
"I'll be ready," Aurelia finished for her, eyes narrowing slightly. "Because next time, I won't just defend....I'll hunt."
For a long moment, they simply sat there. The wind outside howled softly, brushing through the open window as the first rays of dawn crept into the room
Aurelia finally broke the silence with a small smile. "You should rest, Gwen. The coronation's in a few hours."
"So should you."
"I will," Aurelia said, her tone soft but firm. "After all…" She lifted her chin, eyes glinting with quiet fire. "Dawn will tell."