asked for

all me Aria-a nickname I've never really liked. It feels like a mask, not a name. One given to me by my grandmother, Queen Elowen Langford, a seer who saw futures tangled in riddles and fire. She said it was the

in ink before I co

esn't make mo

shed marble floor. The hallway stretched endlessly before me, lined with portraits of ancestors whose eyes s

gford D

re our world apart. Our family wielded the Starbound Seal, an artifact so powerful it could rewrite fate itself.

gaze was piercing, regal, and full of knowing. She always look

hate

ft ivory gown with silver embroidery along the bodice. My blue eyes caught the light as I turned a corner, reflecting the pa

n't a

s ti

l chandeliers, the scent of roses and lavender drifting through the air like perfume woven into the very walls. Servants moved

d a soft waltz, but

e waitin

visible wrinkles from my gown

s turne

ide, not too reserved. Just enough to show grace without arrogan

e. "On behalf of the Langford Royal House, I welcome each and e

during the war. About how far we've come. I sounded exactly li

w I wanted

tfully. Then the music swelled again, and the room broke into movement-dancers

tage and slipped away bef

of King Darkkhon, my great-grandfather, known as the "Supreme Royal Lord." His r

authority and unwavering discipline. And my mother, Queen Daria Lux, once called the "Innocent Wate

d

ust..

ng royal. Expected to be perfect, yet

e main ballroom windows. The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of jasmine and di

ly, scattered with stars that twink

igh

felt lik

g I should want-prestigious classes, elite connections, a future paved with opportunity. But what

get to live a

a moment, just brea

when I

ow

ned m

athers gleaming like oil in the moonlight. In its beak, it held a s

d

ied around its leg, holding a folded let

the

its head at me,

y away. Instead, it flapped its wings once. Twice.

as unlike anything I'd seen-delicate, shimmering faintly like starlight t

ded f

d held

her, a

ee

y burned bright

ded the

elected as a student of Blacktho

eli

What did

t rea

sed. Please note: All origins, class, wealth, and relationships will not

top

poun

in

roy

pecta

cha

t..

r ended. No one went there anymore. Rumor had it the land had absorbed so much destruction over the centuries that it beca

d to be

o to such

send i

but it was already gone, le

he flower for

ood up st

ce to escape-to live freely, without

t tell my

risk them s

had served the family since we were both children. She was more than just a

ld her when we returned to the castle hours later.

ightly, but she nod

ndow overlooking the gardens. I picked up the dark ros

d changed

would star

e fina

time

___

of Pr