The main hall of the palace was cloaked in a reverent stillness, its grand pillars casting long shadows across the marble floor, where soft beams of early morning light streamed through the stained-glass windows, painting fragments of color across the vast chamber.
At the center of it all, on the King's throne, sat Emeney Snow.
She wore a white ceremonial mourning gown, its silken fabric clinging gracefully to her form. The sleeves stopped at her wrists, and the hem rested just above her ankles, brushing lightly against the cold stone beneath the throne. Her short, blonde hair dropped loosely down, untouched by decoration or crown. Her face, a mask of sorrow, quiet strength, and disbelief, was pale in the morning light.
The throne, once her father's, now soon to be hers.
She sat stiffly, hands folded tightly in her lap, staring ahead at nothing. Her mind wasn't in the hall, it was still trapped in that moment.
"The King is dead"
The words hit her like a physical blow. Everything froze.Her breath caught. Her chest stopped rising. Her fingers gripped her sheets.
Her mind refused to process it. "No…" She muttered, her voice cracking. "No, no. That's not….he was…"
She stood abruptly, stumbling slightly as the world tilted. Tears welled in her eyes before she could stop them. Xander stepped forward, gently steadying her, his hands resting on her arms, trying to comfort her, but knowing there was no comfort to give.
Xander's voice echoed in her thoughts again.
Still, she couldn't fully believe it.
Her father had always seemed larger than life. Even in illness, even on his deathbed, his presence had been so powerful, so certain. It didn't feel real. It didn't feel right.She blinked slowly, her throat tight, and let herself drift into memory.
His laugh echoing across the garden. His steady voice during council meetings. The rare, warm smile he gave her when she made him proud. The way he called her his 'brightest star'
Now…he was gone. And she would never hear him say her name again. A single tear escaped down her cheek, but she made no move to wipe it away. She let it fall. This was her time alone. No court, no advisors.
Just a daughter mourning her father, and a future queen preparing to carry the weight of a kingdom. She swallowed hard. She wasn't ready. But she would have to be.
A soft echo of footsteps drew her from her thoughts.
She didn't look up to see who it was., she already knew who it was.
Xander.
He stepped into the hall in silence, his eyes immediately falling on her figure, small but commanding on the throne.He took a breath, the guilt of witnessing her pain etched into his expression. After a moment, his voice echoed gently through the hall "It's time."
Emeney didn't respond at first. Then, slowly, she rose to her feet, graceful, but heavy with grief. She descended the steps of the throne like a queen stepping into her legacy, but inside, she was still just a grieving daughter. Without a word, she walked past Xander, her head held high, but he could see it in her eyes. The heartbreak, the fear, the fire.She was trying to act strong for her people but failing miserably.
***
The Royal Crypt was carved deep beneath the palace, ancient, sacred, and silent. The air held a solemn weight, one born of history, reverence, and now, loss.
The chamber's high stone ceiling was etched with the names of past rulers, while the walls bore carvings of their deeds. Torches cast flickering golden light across the stone, but it was not the flames that lit the space most today, it was the people.
Dressed in ceremonial white robes, high-ranking officials, mages, and a select number of citizens stood in quiet reverence. Their gazes were fixed ahead, toward the front of the crypt, where a single stone tomb waited, intricately carved with royal sigils and sealed with protective runes.
Before it, stood Princess Emeney Snow. She stood tall and composed, even as her heart clenched inside her chest. Her white mourning gown clung to her like a second skin, simple, elegant, and unflinchingly dignified. Xander stood close beside her, his presence steady, quiet, and respectfully deferential. The Advisor, the Commander, the king's guards were all present, including Rayne, all standing beside her.
Emeney took a deep breath, then stepped forward. All eyes turned to her. Her voice rang out, clear and steady despite the weight of grief "Today, we lay to rest not just a king, but a father, a guardian, a man who carried the burden of a kingdom with unwavering strength, even in sickness"
She paused, voice trembling faintly.
"He ruled not through fear, but through wisdom and love. He believed in honor, in justice, and in me. Even in his final moments, his thoughts were not of death, but of my future…our future"
A few sniffles could be heard amongst the crowd, and even some of the older mages bowed their heads. "His crown may pass on…but his legacy lives in all of us"
She turned toward the tomb and gave a solemn nod.
"Seal the king"
The guards moved forward. The heavy stone lid, carved with the Snow family crest, was gently lowered into place over the king's body, sealing him inside for eternity. It wasn't up to six hours since his death and he was already cold and pale. A picture, a memory that she was about to have last of him.
A silence hung in the air, thick, sacred. Then, as one, every mage in attendance raised a single hand. From each of their palms, a soft, glowing orb of light bloomed, magic born not of power, but of peace. The lights hovered upward, warm and radiant, casting gentle beams throughout the crypt.
Then, on cue, they released them into the air. The glowing orbs drifted upward, passing through the runed ceiling and escaping through the open skylight above, where the early dawn sky shimmered with hundreds of tiny white lights, like stars being born in slow motion.
They rose higher, illuminating the morning with hope and mourning all at once. The sky glowed. The people watched in silence. Emeney closed her eyes for just a moment, allowing the light to wash over her face like one final blessing from her father.
She whispered under her breath, so only Xander beside her could hear "Goodbye, Father…"
***
The palace roof. A still, solemn breeze moved gently across the high ledge where Princess Emeney sat alone, legs drawn slightly in, arms resting on her knees. From this spot, tucked into the corner of the palace's rooftop terrace, one could see nearly the entire kingdom. But the view felt distant today. Hollow.
It had been hours since the burial, but the weight hadn't lessened. If anything, it had deepened. Below, the kingdom was in complete mourning. No market buzzed. No music played. Doors were shut, windows draped in white. The silence across the land mirrored her own.
Emeney's mourning gown had been traded for a black skinny Jean and red hoodie, her short blonde hair hangingloosely, untouched. Her face was tearstained, but her expression was tired, emptied. She had sat there for almost two hours, saying nothing, thinking everything. Letting the sorrow win for once. And as her mind played back memories of her father, his smile, his voice, his strength, her walls finally cracked.
Tears began to fall. She didn't wipe them away this time. She just cried in soft, broken silence. That was, until she heard a creaking sound. Her body tensed at the soft sound of the door leading to the rooftop opening.
She turned, startled, eyes red, and saw Rayne stepping out.Their eyes met. Rayne paused in the doorway, then walked toward her. Not fast, not slow, just steady. She quickly turned away, wiping at her cheeks in frustration, trying to regain her composure."I'm fine" She said preemptively, voice thin and shaky "How did you even know where I am?"
Rayne didn't respond. He sat beside her quietly instead, leaving a respectful space between them. The air between them was still for almost five full minutes, a silence that said more than any words.
Finally, he broke it "How are you feeling?"
Emeney took a breath. She didn't look at him. "I'm okay"
Rayne tilted his head, just a little. "No…you're not"
She turned her head sharply to him, eyes narrowing. "Don't tell me how I feel. You don't know what this is like"
Rayne looked ahead, his face unreadable at first. Then, for the first time since he'd come back, his armor slipped. "I found my mother dead" He said quietly.
Emeney's breath caught.
Rayne continued, voice steady but low. "She was all I had. We lived alone. I came home one day to find the house quiet, too quiet. And there she was, slumped on the floor. Murdered. No note, no magic, no explanation, and no one ever found out who did it"
Emeney stared at him now, completely still.
"I was fifteen. Just a weak kid. I blamed myself. Still do sometimes. For not being there, for not protecting her" He turned his head slightly to her, meeting her gaze. "So yeah…I do know what it feels like. Maybe more than you think"
Emeney's eyes softened. Her defenses crumbled again, not in sorrow this time, but in understanding. She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry"
It came out quiet, sincere.
Rayne nodded once. "Don't be. Pain is pain. Yours matters too"
There was a long pause.
"How did you get through it?" She asked.
He gave a half-smile, sad and small. "I didn't. Not really. But I learned to live with it. One day at a time"
Another breeze passed over them. He glanced at her, this time more seriously. "I'll help you through it, If you'll let me. I'll be here…for as long as you need me"
Emeney didn't speak right away. She simply looked at him. Really looked at him. And then, with a faint nod, she whispered "Thank you"
No more words were needed. They sat together in silence once more, overlooking the kingdom that now rested on her shoulders. And for the first time since her father's death, she didn't feel quite so alone.