Fear My Return

“Your Majesty, we just spotted her in the Mountain Forest. She’s trying to cross the border and board the last ship.” The royal guard remained on one knee, his head bowed. The man before him reclined lazily on an elaborate couch, a crystal goblet of red wine resting between his fingers. Three beautiful women surrounded him. One massaged his feet while the others traced fragrant oils across his bare chest. A slow, chilling laugh escaped his lips. Beautiful enough to be mistaken for a god. Cruel enough to remind the world why monsters wear the fairest faces. The room fell silent. “What should we do, Your Majesty?” the guard asked. The man’s smile widened. “Kill her.” ✦ ✦ ✦ “…Please…” Steel pierced her flesh. Warm blood soaked the earth beneath her as the last of her strength slipped away. Elizabeth collapsed. She had lost everything. Her dignity. Her name. Her honor. Her home. Her child. And now… Even her life. There was nothing left to fight for. Or so they believed. As darkness swallowed her, memories flashed before her eyes. Every lie. Every humiliation. Every tear she had buried. The grief was unbearable… but beneath it, something colder began to awaken. Her body rolled toward the edge of the cliff. Then she disappeared into the raging river below. The soldiers stepped forward, ready to search, but Edward, the king’s personal knight, raised a hand. “Leave her,” he said with a cruel smile. “Let the beasts beneath the river finish what we started.”as they both turned to leave. Because the world is quick to bury what it no longer fears. But fate has a habit of rescuing what the world abandons. And sometimes… the hand that pulls you out of the darkness isn’t saving your life. It’s awakening the one who will bring the darkness to everyone who wronged you. When the woman they buried returns… will the kingdom recognize its queen, or kneel before its greatest nightmare?