Part 1: Echoes of the Frozen Crown : The Hollow King
The Sapphire Citadel gleamed under endless frost.
Crystal spires pierced the pale sky.
Inside, the air tasted of iron and ice.
King Alden sat on the throne.
His blue eyes stared straight ahead.
Empty.
Queen Katherine entered quietly.
Her emerald gown brushed the frozen floor.
The melted silver music box felt heavy in her hands.
She had carried it for weeks now.
Hoping.
"My king," she said softly.
He turned.
Polite nod.
No spark.
"Katherine. What brings you?"
Her name sounded like a stranger's.
Prime Minister Malakor stood nearby.
Gaunt face calm.
Black robes perfect.
He watched her too closely.
The ministers presented new decrees.
Harsh taxes on the outer villages.
Alden signed without question.
His hand moved like a machine.
Katherine stepped closer.
"Remember the summer meadows?"
He paused.
A flicker.
Then gone.
"Meadows? The freeze has no meadows."
Malakor smiled thin.
"The Core demands focus, Your Majesty."
Later in their chambers.
Frost patterned the tall windows.
Katherine wound the music box.
A soft lullaby drifted out.
The one from their hidden wedding.
Alden stopped at the door.
He stared at it.
Something crossed his face.
Pain?
Recognition?
"That tune... it aches."
She reached for his hand.
Cold.
So cold.
"It's ours, Alden."
He pulled away gently.
"Dreams are dangerous now."
Malakor appeared in the hall.
"The next cleansing is soon."
His eyes on the box.
Katherine hid it behind her back.
That night she crept to the archives.
Dust and ice.
Old scrolls.
One seal broken.
False memories fed to the king.
Names changed.
Her role erased.
Her heart pounded.
Footsteps echoed.
She slipped away.
May you like
But the question burned.
Who was truly controlling the Core?
