CHAPTER 60: PREPARE TO SURVIVE

Aeron lay on the cold, hard stone floor of the dungeon, his body restless even in sleep. His face twisted as if he were fighting something.

Again, the voices came. The same voices he had heard before. Screams of men, women, and children. The clash of swords on the battlefield. He tossed and turned, shaking his head. But they only grew louder and were pressing into his mind until he quickly got awake and was drenched in sweat. His heart beat heavily.

It was the third time. The third night these visions had come to him, each one worse than the last. Each time, the screams were clearer and closer.

He dragged himself to the wall and leaned against it, trying to calm his breath. That was when he heard a voice.

"Having a nightmare, Aeron?"

The boy froze. The voice was calm and soothing. It was familiar to him, but in this place it felt strange. Slowly, he turned his head toward the other side of the dungeon. The torches outside the cells flickered faintly and threw some light into the cell.

He squinted, stood, and walked closer to the edge of his cell. He gripped the iron bars and peeped into the cell across from him.

At first, he thought his mind was still playing tricks. But then, as he looked longer and better, he saw her.

He stumbled back a step, his heart leaping. "Im... impossible..." he whispered.

The woman seated in the opposite cell raised her head. Even in the shadows, her presence cannot be mistaken. Her posture was straight, her expression calm and her aura unbroken despite the fact she’s in the cell.

It was her. The Queen. Serenya.

"Y...Your Majesty..." Aeron stammered, his throat was dry. "How are you here? What...what happened?" His thoughts tumbled over each other as he spoke. Then, after a pause, he said in a low, broken voice, "Don’t tell me... don’t tell me it’s because of me. Because you tried to help me escape."

The Queen who was calm even in chains, gave a faint sigh.

"You youngsters," she said. "Always quick to blame yourselves for everything that happens to others."

Her eyes lingered on him.

"One could say that, yes. But we know, I know, that it’s way beyond what it seems. This is not about you alone. It is about power, about strategy, about a game played by those who sit above. And those of us who play that game... we know ourselves. So don’t carry the weight of blame, boy. You have nothing to do with it."

Aeron shook his head, confused. "But... I thought something like this could never happen. Royals should have immunity, shouldn’t they? I thought there were laws, protections, things that could not be done to a queen."

Serenya looked at him steadily.

"There is nothing that cannot happen to anyone," she replied. "Not to you. Not to me. Not even to kings. The only thing you can do is prepare yourself, for everything that may come. That is the only way to survive each wave."

Her words struck him hard, but he continued.

"Then why?" Aeron asked quietly. "Why all of this? Why am I here? And why are you here?"

The Queen leaned back against the cold wall of her cell. Her voice was calm, and she spoke like a teacher.

"I am here because I chose to be here," she said. "But you... You are here because fate demands it. And if you are to fulfill your destiny, then this prison, this pain, this trial, is only one of the many hurdles you must overcome."

Nyella once told me you were a cryptic speaker. I guess I see it now," Aeron said, his voice low with frustration. "I can barely understand what you mean. Fate? Destiny? What destiny could I have when I’m about to die?"

The Queen’s eyes narrowed slightly, though her tone remained calm.

"Who told you that you are going to die, boy? No. Not now. Not yet. Your road is still long, and your journey has only just begun."

Aeron shook his head, restless.

"Then what am I doing here? Why are those old men accusing me of things I don’t even know? Of people I’ve never even met? They keep speaking about my bloodline, my parents, prophecies... things I can’t understand."

Serenya studied him carefully. "So you mean to say you know nothing of what they accuse you of?"

"Of course I don’t!" Aeron shot back. "They call me names, speak of bloodlines, speak of prophecy, but I don’t know anything about it."

The Queen tilted her head. "You truly know nothing, Aeron. Then let me ask you, what is your mother’s name?"

"Elarya," Aeron answered without hesitation.

"That’s all?" the Queen pressed.

"Yes," Aeron replied.

"And what about her family name? Where she did come from? Where she lived before she had you? Who you really are?" the Queen asked.

Aeron lowered his eyes. "No. I haven’t asked. Every time I tried, she would become angry, sometimes even afraid. She always pushed the questions aside. So... I stopped asking. I thought her past must have been painful."

He paused, then clenched his fists.

"But she was frightened when I came to the capital. Angry, even. It was as if she knew something like this would happen. She once told me my father had been betrayed... but she refused to say more. She never told me where he came from, or who he truly was. Perhaps you know, Your Majesty. Perhaps you can help me find out who my father was, and what happened to him."

The Queen turned slowly. "Your mother thought she was protecting you by hiding the truth. In her heart, she believed she was doing you good. But from where I stand, her silence has done you more harm than good."

She rose from where she sat and turned her back to Aeron and walked toward the prison window.

"Then listen well, boy. I will tell you the story of a great house... and how it fell."

"..."