Beyond the Stars

Chapter 10: The Broken Map

"HOW DARE YOU BARGE INTO MY CASTLE!" Queen Barbara's voice echoed through the vast marble halls of Caspian's palace. Her normally poised and regal tone was gone, replaced with thunder. The golden chandeliers rattled faintly as though her anger shook not just the palace, but the very air.

"HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP ONE OF OUR STUDENTS!" King Crisanto of Therondia thundered back. His booming voice reverberated in my bones. His hand clutched his jeweled scepter so tightly I thought it might snap in two. His face was flushed, eyes ablaze with fury.

I froze between them, caught in the middle of two storms colliding. The Caspian guards stiffened, the Therondian soldiers reached for their blades, and for a moment I thought war would erupt right here in front of me.

"DON'T EVER RAISE YOUR VOICE AT MY WIFE!" King Arnel of Caspian barked, stepping forward to shield Queen Barbara. His eyes burned with the kind of fire that would reduce anyone else to ash.

Queen Barbara herself looked seconds away from breaking. "THIS GIRL IS OBVIOUSLY NOT A THERONDIAN!" she spat, pointing at me. Her hand trembled. "SHE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A CLUE ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST, ON WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON!" Her voice cracked as she swallowed, forcing down her tears with sheer rage.

King Arnel's knuckles turned white. "MY SON LOVED YOUR DAUGHTER—BUT WHAT DID SHE DO? SHE REPLACED HIM WITH A THERONDIAN! SHE LEFT HIM BECAUSE OF HIS BLOOD, BECAUSE HE WAS A CASPIAN!" His chest heaved as if he had shouted years of grief out in a single breath.

I stood there, paralyzed. What son? What daughter? What truth was buried in their fury?

Queen Barbara's voice broke, raw with sorrow. "HE LOVED HER SO MUCH—SO MUCH—THAT HE KILLED HIMSELF WHEN HIWAGA LEFT HIM!" Her words tore the air apart.

My blood ran cold.

Killed himself? But Queen Marikit told me Prince Sinag murdered Princess Hiwaga. Two completely different stories. Two truths. Two lies. Which one was real? My thoughts spun in a dizzying circle, the ground beneath me suddenly unsteady.

King Crisanto shouted back, veins visible on his temple. "LIAR! MY DAUGHTER DIED BY HIS HANDS!"

Both queens were shaking, both kings were red with fury. The walls seemed to tremble with their grief, their pain, their unhealed wounds. And in the middle of it all, I was just... me. A girl who didn't even belong here, holding secrets she barely understood.

Queen Marikit's eyes suddenly flicked toward me. She must have realized I had heard everything. Her fury melted into something else—protectiveness. Without another word, she whirled around and stormed out of the hall. The sound of her scepter striking the floor was like thunder rolling away.

I followed her without a word. It wasn't bravery—it was instinct. If I stayed, the kings would tear each other apart.

The journey back through the portal using her scepter was silent. Too silent. Even the soldiers marched with their heads down, their armor clinking softly. My stomach twisted into knots.

When we emerged back in Therondia, the queen didn't yell at me. I had expected anger, punishment, even exile. But instead—

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you? What did they do to you?" Queen Marikit's voice cracked with worry.

I blinked at her. Her hands trembled as she reached for my shoulders. Her face—red, tired, yet soft—wasn't that of a ruler but of a mother.

"I... I'm fine," I whispered, unsure of how else to respond.

King Crisanto stepped closer, his expression a mixture of exhaustion and relief. "You made us all worried. Almost all of Therondia was searching for you. We sent pixies, but even they could not find you."