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The next morning, Elara found Ayela in her private garden. The air was sweet with jasmine and dew, but the Queen’s gaze held a sorrow that no sunlight could chase away.
“Aunt,” Elara began, her voice soft but steady, “tell me about my mother.”
Ayela’s hands tightened on the armrest of her stone seat. Her fingers trembled, and for a moment, she didn’t speak.
Then she looked up, her eyes distant — as if staring into a time long buried.
“Your mother… Amethyst… was not just my sister. She was my heart. My mirror. My storm and my calm. We were born under the same moon, raised in the same halls, and yet… she always shone brighter.”
Elara leaned closer, her breath caught in her throat.
“She had laughter like wind chimes,” Ayela continued, her voice cracking. “And when she danced, the stars seemed to pause and watch. She was bold, stubborn, radiant — and she loved with her whole soul.”
Ayela’s gaze drifted to the garden’s edge, where lilies bloomed in silence.
“She gave her heart to a human — Aric. A man of honor, with eyes like autumn and a voice that steadied storms. I remember the way she looked at him… like he was the answer to every question she’d never dared ask.”
Elara’s eyes shimmered. “Did you approve?”
“I did,” Ayela whispered. “But Vishkaniya did not.”
Her tone darkened.
“She loved him too. Not with purity, but with obsession. She believed he was her destiny. And when he chose Amethyst… something inside her broke. Her love curdled into envy. Her envy into hatred.”
Ayela’s voice grew heavy, like stones sinking in water.
“She turned to forbidden magic. Whispered with shadows. Made pacts with things that should never be named. And slowly… she began to unravel everything Amethyst had built.”
Elara’s fists clenched. “And then?”
Ayela closed her eyes.
“It was the Festival of Stars. Amethyst wore silver — the same shade as her name. She held you in her arms, singing lullabies beneath the moon. I remember watching from the balcony, thinking how perfect she looked. How safe.”
Her voice broke.
“And then… the sky split. Vishkaniya came cloaked in darkness. She struck without mercy. Amethyst shielded you with her body — her last act was love.”
Elara gasped, tears rising.
“I remember…” she whispered. “A voice singing to me… silver hair brushing my face… and then… nothing.”
Ayela nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“Aric tried to protect you. He fought like a lion. But Vishkaniya was consumed. She killed him too. She made you an orphan so she could claim the throne.”
Her voice trembled.
“I buried my sister with my own hands. I held her lifeless body and screamed until my voice shattered. I swore on her grave that I would keep you hidden. That I would wait until the Realm was ready. Until you were ready.”
Elara’s tears fell freely now.
“She will pay,” she said, her voice like steel.
Ayela’s gaze did not waver.
“Yes, child. And you will be the one to end her.”
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