The night was silent, the sky a deep canvas of sorrowful gray. The stars were hidden behind thick clouds, as if mourning alongside her.
Gwendolyn knelt before the gravestone of Queen Seraphina, her trembling fingers tracing the engraved name.
Tears fell freely from her eyes, soaking into the earth.
"Mother…" her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "I did everything you told me to. I was kind. I was patient. I saw them as family, not enemies. I never raised my hand against them. I never wanted war."
The cold night air wrapped around her like an embrace, but it brought no comfort.
"But it was all for nothing."
She clenched her fists, the dirt beneath her nails pressing into her skin.
"They took everything from me. Not because I was unworthy, not because I was weak… but because I was a girl."
Her shoulders shook as the sobs took over.
"Tell me, Mother, what was the point of my kindness? My obedience? My love for them?"
She lowered her head, pressing her forehead against the gravestone.
"Was I a fool?"
The wind howled in response, whispering through the trees as if the spirits themselves mourned with her.
For the first time in her life, she felt utterly lost.
Her dreams, her birthright, her mother's wish—gone.
She had no fight left in her.
Maybe it was time to give in.
She wiped her tears and rose to her feet.
"I will stop fighting, Mother."
Her voice was empty now. Hollow.
"I will live the life they expect of me. No more dreams. No more ambitions. Just… Gwendolyn, the girl who was never meant to rule."
She turned away from the grave, her heart heavier than it had ever been.
But as she walked back toward the palace, she did not know that her greatest enemy was not done with her yet.
Morganna was waiting.
And Morganna was never satisfied until her enemies were completely ruined.
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