The sun dipped low as Alina and Elric rode back to the village—the place where everything began, and where she hoped to find the truth. The villagers welcomed them with wide eyes and hesitant smiles. Though they didn't recognize her as a princess, they remembered her as the child who once played in the meadows and laughed barefoot in the fields.
An old woman, hunched with age but sharp in mind, stepped forward. Her eyes lingered on Alina.
"You're Lily's girl, aren't you?" she asked softly.
Alina's heart skipped. "You knew my mother?"
"I was there the day she returned—alone, broken," the woman said. "She spoke of a daughter… said she had to leave you behind to save you. Every night, she wept."
Tears welled in Alina's eyes. For years, she had felt unwanted, abandoned. But now, the truth warmed her soul like sunlight in winter.
"She never stopped loving you," the woman added. "She died believing she failed you. But she didn't."
Elric stood by her side, silent, letting her absorb the truth.
"She protected you in the only way she could," he whispered, his voice steady. "And now, we'll honor her."
That evening, the village gathered around the fire. Elric stood and spoke of the lies Raelynn had spun, of Alina's true lineage, and of the queen who had been betrayed.
Alina stepped forward, her voice clear. "I don't want the throne. I want justice—for my mother, for myself. And I will not stop until Raelynn's lies are burned to ash."
The villagers began murmuring among themselves, but many nodded with silent support. A few elders exchanged glances—they remembered the old queen, Lily. They had mourned her loss in silence.
And now, her daughter had returned.
As the fire crackled and stars lit the sky, Elric leaned closer to Alina. "You were born from a tragedy, but look at you now. Strong. Brave."
"And I'm not alone," she said, eyes locking with his.
"No," he whispered. "Never again."