lia'

steady, endless drizzle that clings to the air, to the fa

hollow, drained of light, their eyes heavy with unspoken words. Some weep openly, silent sobs sha

ignifying how everyone is sharing fair amo

carrying whispers of prayers-prayers for peace, for rest, for a soul that has already left them be

abstract concepts that others seem to grasp effortlessly. But today, I can almost ta

f midnight roses lies upon it, petals dark as spilled ink. I watch as it is lowered into the earth, the finality of it marked by t

g each other as if trying to hold onto what has already been lost. Even the palace guards,

ng. Listening. Understanding

ngdom

l the weight of it-the way grief settles in the air, pressi

untouched by the so

derstand the w

n, clings to the shovel as the gravediggers move in slow, careful motions, as if hesitant to

of the Ea

upposed

should have known it would be useless. Magic is not mercy; it is balance. There is no bending fate, no tricking

exchange m

ate that took their ruler too soon. They kneel in the mud, heads bowed, whispering prayers to gods who do not ans

re is n

ath my skin, an unfamiliar weight pressing against the emptiness inside me. I tell myself

nto the coffin, as the kingdom releases

ot defy fate,

uess everything might have been too much for hi

as I gently pats his shoulders. "Your

be on the good si

nds, but the

e mist. The rain has stopped, but the sky remains heavy, smothered in du

ce stays

omfort is not something I ha

ing I can. I stand

illed only by the distant rustle of wind through the trees. Then, his

cri

o has lost the person who held his world together. Harsh, gasping sobs spill from him as he collapses to h

is raw, breaking with every word. "I never wante

ain s

ngdom, to go where no one knew my name, where no one cared who I was." His breath is uneven, his fingers curling into the

ect me to

of what I should do. I am not the kind of person who holds others, w

e it w

hat duty is an honor, that he will grow int

ly l

ow, that

about how I thought of inviting him

g him to come and expl

t might b

sh decision of joining me instead

I might jus