Chapter 2 The Morning After The Party

The sun sliced through the velvet curtains like an uninvited guest, flooding the room in soft gold. Elaria didn't move. Not at first. Her body was still adjusting...relearning the softness of silk, the warmth of a bed that didn't stink of mold and despair. She lay there, staring at the high ceiling of her childhood room, listening to the familiar hush of palace servants scurrying just beyond her door. She wasn't dead. And she wasn't seventeen either. Not really. Her fingers sank into the sheets. Warm from sleep..unlike her hands, which never forgot the fire. Cold, even in sunlight.

Cold, like something burned too long. Elaria finally sat up, exhaling like she'd held her breath all night. Her hair fell in tangled waves over her shoulders. She reached for the brush on her vanity out of habit, then froze. It wasn't her usual brush. It was... that one. A slender rose-gold handle, etched with vines. The hairbrush she'd accidentally bought yesterday, thinking it was just pretty. It had been in a hidden corner of the market, at a stall she didn't remember walking into. Now, staring at it, something in her chest twisted. Her fingers brushed against it. The room flickered. For just a heartbeat, she saw fire. Not just felt it...she saw it. Licking the mirror's edges. Crawling up the wooden legs of the vanity. Filling her lungs, her veins, her mouth. She yanked her hand back. "wtf,am I dreaming or something..." She knew it wasn't a dream. Her magic was awakening. Again. Or maybe... remembering itself. Like her. She studied her reflection, frowning. There was a thin shimmer over her eyes...something old and molten, like the edge of a volcano hiding under calm waters. But she said nothing. She didn't gasp. She didn't panic. She just whispered, "It's starting." And this time, she would not run from it. ⸻ The palace was louder than usual. Servants bustled through the halls with smiles too bright and voices too cheerful. The aftermath of the ball still hung in the air like perfume, sweet and exhausting. Elaria walked past the mirrored corridor in silence, catching glimpses of herself with every step. She didn't look like the girl who'd died in chains. But she sure as hell didn't feel like the one who'd once lived here either. She stepped into the dining room. Her mother was already seated at the long table, a golden fork poised delicately in her fingers as she speared a piece of honeyed pear. "Ah, there she is," Lady Amira said with a too-smooth smile. "The birthday girl." Lady Amira was a close friend of her mother who was almost always flocking around. Elaria sat without a word. Across from her, Seren picked at her breakfast like it was beneath her. She didn't look up. She never did first. "We received word from Lord Kael," l Amira said, clearly pleased. "He was thoroughly impressed by last night's gathering. He said he found the hospitality... refreshing." Elaria blinked once. So that's how it would begin. The marriage proposal was already in motion. Seren's spoon clinked sharply against her teacup. "He finds everything 'refreshing' before he takes it for himself," she murmured, voice light, but her eyes didn't meet anyone's. "Oh, Seren, must you always speak so cynically?" Amira sighed. "You don't know Lord Kael like I do. He's a visionary. He'll make a fine match." Her mother nodded in affirmation. "For her?" Seren asked, smiling too sweetly now. "Or for your power?" Elaria sipped her tea, unfazed. "Elaria," her mother said, voice velvet over steel. "Silent reflection? Or sulking?" The smile didn't reach her eyes. She nodded once. "A little tired" "Hmm," her mother said. "Well, you'll need to adjust. It's your turn to step up. Your sister's powers were already visible by this age. Yours are still" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Unstable. Or... perhaps nonexistent?" Seren smiled behind her teacup. Elaria met her mother's gaze. "Sometimes the strongest powers take the longest to wake." There was a flicker in her voice. A heat that hadn't been there yesterday. Her mother waved her off. "Let's hope they wake before your wedding night. We wouldn't want you marrying Lord Kael with nothing to offer but charm." Elaria smiled. "What I offer doesn't come gift-wrapped...and it never comes free." Seren finally looked at her. Her expression wasn't smug this time. It was cautious. Like she was seeing a ghost slip back into its skin. ⸻ The letter came in the late afternoon. Gold wax seal. Stamped with the Kael crest-a serpent eating its own tail. Her mother squealed. Actually squealed. The gold seal gleamed like a warning. Even before she read it, Elaria knew what it said. "It's official," her mother whispered, clutching the scroll like a crown Elaria hadn't earned. "He's chosen you." Seren rolled her eyes. "Of course he did.He likes obedient girls with pretty faces." Elaria didn't even look up from her book. "That's enough," Amira snapped at Seren. "You'll not ruin this for your sister." Seren stood. "I'll be in the greenhouse." "Brooding like a ghost," Elaria muttered under her breath. Seren paused, glancing over her shoulder. "What was that?" Elaria looked up slowly. Her eyes glinted. "I said you look... lost. Maybe get some sun." Seren blinked. Her lips parted, confused. That wasn't how Elaria talked. That wasn't how she fought. But it was too subtle to call out. So she left. And Elaria smiled to herself. ⸻ Back in her room, Elaria sat before the mirror again. The hairbrush gleamed. This time, she picked it up without flinching. She combed through her curls slowly, watching her own reflection. The fire inside her hadn't flickered out. It was building. Waiting. She could feel it in her fingertips, in her bones, in the pull behind her eyes. Something was coming. A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," she said lazily. Seren stepped in. Her lips curled in that half-sister, half-snake smile. "You're calm." Elaria said nothing. "You should be nervous," Seren went on, walking around the room like she owned it. "Kael never asks without wanting something. And he always wants more than he says." Elaria watched her through the mirror. "You mean my fiancé ?" Seren flinched, just slightly. Elaria turned, setting the brush down. "Tell me, what exactly does Kael want?" Seren paused. "He's been visiting strange places. Buying cursed lands. Whispering to people who wear masks in daylight. People who make... deals." Elaria raised an eyebrow. "Like the one you made?" Seren blinked violently, shocked as ever... Elaria leaned back. "You think I don't see it? The pendant. The ring. The magic curling around you like rot. You're not warning me to protect me." "I'm warning you because I've seen what power does to people," Seren snapped. Elaria stood. Walked toward her. Her voice was low, calm, and dangerous. "And what do you do to people, Seren?" For a second, just a second, Seren looked afraid. But then she recovered, lifting her chin. "This attitude won't last. You'll tire of pretending to be brave." Elaria stepped past her. Opened the door. "I'm not pretending," she said. Then, before Seren could step out, she added, "Oh, and next time you try to sabotage a proposal... at least wait a week." Seren didn't respond. She just left. And Elaria stood in the silence that followed, pulse calm, jaw tight. She was starting to remember who she'd been. But more importantly.... She was starting to become someone else entirely. And for the first time, the fire didn't scare her. It felt like home.