a crown heavy with unspoken fears

“Sometimes the only thing more persistent than ambition is regret.”

A crash shattered the silence, jerking me awake before the sky even considered softening. Fists hammered at the door. My chest tightened.

Trouble. Always before dawn.

Outside, the desert wind wailed, dragging sand across the palace walls like nails on stone. The air felt charged, unsettled.

I swung my legs off the bed, caught between grogginess and dread.

I reached for the small mirror on my bedside table, letting torchlight fall across its uneven silver. A single fracture cut through my reflection, slicing my face in two. Long ago, it was my most prized possession, a symbol of unshaken confidence. Now, it felt like a window into the doubts I tried so hard to hide.

The pounding grew louder.

“Your Majesty!”

The voice strained, words tripping over urgency.

“There’s been a breach! An intruder was apprehended!”

I rose, swallowing the dryness in my throat.

“I’ll come at once,” I said, though my heart still pounded.

When I set the mirror aside, the fracture caught the lamplight, and for a mome…