Chapter 8 - The Queen's Last Stand
The inner courtyard of the royal palace was deathly quiet. The fountains ran still, and the marble steps were lined with the remaining elite guards loyal to Marcelline. At the top of the grand marble staircase stood the queen herself, draped in heavy ermine and black velvet, her crown tilted slightly on her head.
Beside her stood Aurelia, gripping a silver dagger so tightly her knuckles were translucent.
"Mother, stop this," Aurelia whispered, her voice cracking as she looked down at the sea of knights and citizens flooding the courtyard. "Look at them. They aren't here to fight us. They want an end to it."
"They want an end to us," Marcelline snapped, her eyes blazing with a desperate, unhinged fury. She raised her hand, signaling the archers stationed along the upper battlements. "Let them come! We will burn this castle to ash before we bow to a kitchen maid!"
Elise dismounted at the base of the grand staircase. She walked forward alone, leaving Vane and the knights behind. The three silver stars on her arm shone with a brilliant, steady light through her sleeve.
"Marcelline," Elise called out, her voice cutting cleanly through the silent courtyard. "It is over. The bloodline has returned. You cannot fight the weight of history."
May you like
Marcelline laughed—a harsh, bitter sound that echoed off the stone walls. "History? I made this kingdom while Selene wept in her chambers! I built Valoria out of blood and iron, and I will not surrender it to a nobody who spent her life scrubbing floors!"
The queen drew a heavy broadsword from a guard’s scabbard and charged down the steps, her black cloak billowing behind her like the wings of a crow.
