Shauna

I woke with a start, a sharp pain clutching at my heart. Something was wrong. I checked on Cornel, who was sleeping soundly in his crib. Relief washed over me for a moment, but the pain didn't subside. As I headed to the shower to try and wash away the unease, the knocking began—a persistent, urgent pounding at the door. Fear gripped me. I quickly wrapped myself in a robe and rushed to answer.

Torell burst through the door, his eyes darting around in panic. "Is everything okay?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"No, where are the babies?" he demanded, bypassing my question.

"They are..." My voice trailed off as I turned to the cribs. Cornel was there, but Devi's crib was empty. "She was right here. Maybe Cell has her," I suggested, though doubt clouded my thoughts.

Torell shook his head, his expression grave. "Our father and my mother are dead," he announced, his voice breaking with grief.

"What? How?" The room spun around me as I grappled with his words.

"Someone slit their throats. Marcell is missing," he managed to say through clenched teeth.

Panic set in. "Where is Cell? What is happening?" I needed answers, but Torell seemed just as lost.

"I don't know, but you need to be somewhere safe for you and Cornel," he insisted.

"No, get Kiser here to look after Cornel. I'm going to find my daughter," I declared, my resolve hardening. My heart might have been breaking, but I wouldn't sit idle.

I spent what felt like an eternity searching, with days bleeding into months. The confusion over Cell's motives—to take our daughter, the possible involvement in the killings, his sudden disappearance—consumed me. We had named our son Cornel, and if I ever saw my daughter again, she would be Devi, just as we had planned in happier times.

Weeks later, I was officially crowned Queen. There were no celebrations, no jubilant crowds—only a somber acknowledgment of the heavy crown now resting on my head. The Solar mourned not only for my father and stepmother but for the trust they had placed in Cell, a man they had believed was fit to be King.

And I mourned the man I thought I loved, the man I thought I knew. I vowed to myself, amidst the shadows of my broken heart, that I would not rest until Devi was back in my arms, safe and sound. The quest for my daughter had just begun.

Cell

As I fled with my daughter, my heart was in turmoil, yet a fierce resolve had taken root within me. I believed, with every fiber of my being, that I was doing what was necessary to protect my twins from a destiny that could doom the Solar. Each step away from the life I knew was a step towards safeguarding their future.

When I confronted my father about the brutal slaying of the King and Queen, his justifications chilled me to the bone. "It was necessary, son," he declared, his voice devoid of remorse. "Your children are not ordinary; they are keys to immense power. This chaos? It is but a prelude to the order we will bring."

I struggled to accept his cold logic. Part of me recoiled at the violence he deemed essential, yet another part feared he might be right. Our destination was a remote island, hidden from all maps and prying eyes, a place where we could remain undetected.

As the shores of our sanctuary appeared on the horizon, I held my daughter closer. The sea breeze tangled her hair as she slept peacefully against my chest, unaware of the weight of prophecy on her tiny shoulders. I whispered promises to her, vows that I would stand between her and any storm that might come.

"Here, we can be safe," I told her softly, as much to reassure myself as to comfort her. "Here, I can keep you both from being used as pawns in games of power."

Every step was heavy with the burden of my choices, but driven by a father's love, I was determined to walk this path. As we disembarked on the island, I looked back one last time at the life I had left behind, steeling myself for the challenges ahead. No matter the cost, I was resolved to protect my children, even if it meant standing against the world.

Shauna

The air was heavy with a grim tension as Viper and I finally cornered the last person to have seen Cell before he disappeared—the Seer. Her hut was cloaked in the shadows of the towering trees, an eerie silence hanging around it like a shroud. As we entered, her eyes met mine, a flicker of recognition igniting within them.

"You know why we're here," Viper stated coldly, his gaze fixed unyieldingly on her.

"Yes, the prophecy," the Seer replied, her voice steady yet tinged with an undercurrent of sadness. "I told him of the immense power his children would wield, a power to bring peace or destruction."

"And?" I pressed, my heart pounding with a mix of hope and dread.

"He feared for the Solar, driven by a prophecy of destruction that never was to be. Marcell manipulated the truth, twisted it to kindle fear in Cell's heart. Your children, Shauna, they are destined for greatness, not doom."

The room seemed to spin as her words sank in. All this time, the fear, the separation, the choices made in desperation—they were based on a lie, a fabrication by Marcell to exploit Cell's protective instincts.

"How could you let him believe such a thing?!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the small space.

"It was not my place to sway him from his path. He sought knowledge, and I provided what was asked of me," the Seer responded, her tone resigned.

Anger surged through me, raw and unbridled. Before I knew what I was doing, my hand was on my weapon, drawing it in a swift, fluid motion. The Seer's eyes widened, a flicker of fear passing through them as she realized what was about to happen.

"You played a part in tearing my family apart," I seethed, my voice barely above a whisper.

With a swift motion, fueled by a tumult of betrayal and heartache, I ended her life. The thud of her body hitting the ground was the only sound in the silent room. Viper stood frozen, shocked by the sudden violence.

I dropped to my knees, the reality of what I'd done—and the truths and lies that led to this moment—washing over me in an overwhelming tide. Tears streamed down my face as I grappled with the magnitude of the deception and its fallout.

Marcell's manipulation had set into motion a chain of events that had irrevocably altered the course of our lives. And now, with the Seer's final confession, the path lay shattered, littered with the debris of what could have been.

Assuming the throne as Queen was the most challenging transition of my life. Not only was I grappling with the absence of my daughter, Devi, but also the staggering revelation that Cell, the man I had chosen to trust and love, was at the center of my deepest pain. Every day, as I sat on the throne, the weight of my crown felt like the weight of the world—each jewel a reminder of what I had lost, each gleam a reflection of the tears I had shed.

How could I rule effectively when my heart was shattered? The love I bore for my son, Cornel, was a balm, yet even his innocent smiles couldn't fully mend the breaks within. My nights were restless, haunted by dreams of a family reunited, only to wake to the cold, stark reality of betrayal and separation.

But with each passing day, my resolve hardened. The betrayal that had torn my life apart would not define my reign. I vowed to be a Queen who would rise above personal tragedies, channeling my pain into strength. The love for my son and the responsibility towards my people became the twin pillars upon which I rebuilt my sense of purpose.

I would focus on healing the Solar, on mending the fractures left by years of manipulations and power struggles. My rule would be marked not by the shadows of the past, but by the light of progress and unity. I would be the Queen who, despite personal loss, would lead her people with compassion, fairness, and an unyielding commitment to justice.

Every decision I made, every law I passed, and every alliance I forged were steps toward a future where no other leader would suffer as I had. I would ensure that the manipulations that had marred my path to the throne would end with me. The Solar would know peace and prosperity under my watch.

And perhaps, in that peace, I would find my own. I will never give up on finding my daughter and making anyone I deem responsible pay.

***** This is a series and Part II will be published soon. Thanks for reading.