Renaissance of Chaos

V

Weary eyes stared at the light bouncing off the palace walls, the glow of the forming rainbows casting a spell upon her, stealing her anxiety away and replacing it with a feeling of serenity. It chased away the wicked thoughts which pained her so, the doubts which suffocated her like thorned vines wrapped around her being, fading under the golden light of the dawn. As she sat on one of the benches in the gardens, in this strange land of dream and fantasy, wearing a face unaffected by the unforgiving touch of time, she looked down at the small box she had brought along. The old shoe box no longer looked like a silly package, yellowed, and dirtied by the passing of time. Instead, now it was a beautiful container of gold and crimson wood, adorned in wonderful artwork and peculiar hieroglyphs whose meaning she was still hesitant to decipher. She did not fear them having some wicked meaning, but rather a personal one, one she had no right to be privy to.

She sighed, running her fingers over the seal, soft ticks resonating from within like a sweet lullaby. She closed her eyes and listened, foggy pictures and echoes of a child's laughter filtering through her head. She knew they were not hers, and it was probably rude of her to experience them, but as much as she wanted, she couldn't pull away. Hearing her great-granddaughter laugh with so much joy was like an ointment to a grievous wound, healing injuries rooted deep within her soul she was not even aware of.

However, like any good thing, it did not last.

The shadows moving through the fog, the tall figures dancing around her, she knew them all too well and had prayed to never come in contact with them again. Fate, on the other hand, had other plans.

The promised time drew nearer. The day when all would be revealed was right around the corner, and Elena dreaded what would happen after that. Would her great-granddaughter look at her the same way? Would she understand why she kept them away? Would she understand the fear? The despair? Would she be able to make sense of things even her own great-grandmother could figure out? Elena truly wished she would. That (Y/N) was mature enough to see what everyone else around her saw and wouldn't hold it against them for the sins committed. It was the best thing they could do at that time. Or so they thought. After all these years, waiting for a smile that would never return, the woman began to question her judgement. Had it really been the only way?

"You don't look that good. Is everything alright, Emma?" a voice suddenly echoed through the ether, cutting through the sweet song of the ticking item, pulling her back to the present.

She opened her eyes and lazily turned her head to look at the young man who had interrupted her meditation, unsure whether or not she should be grateful or irritated at him. Randolph pai her no mind, making himself comfortable on the empty spot besides her. He stared at the crystal blue skies, inhaling deeply the sweet, scented air surrounding them. The gardens looked unusually lovely that day, with all the flowers in full bloom, pleasing everyone's eyes with their gentle beauty and lively colors. Had it not been for his duties, he would have spent the entire day wandering among the rows of roses and jasmine and so on. Alas, for now, he could only enjoy their beauty in brief moments like these, short breaks in which he could forget all about the weight of the crown hanging on his head.

Slowly, his eyes shifted from the gorgeous gardens bathed in rainbows to the box Elena was holding, its mere sight awakening rather unpleasant memories in his mind, doubts he tried not to pay too much attention to resurfacing from the mud of more urgent concerns. He sighed and when he spoke, his voice sounded tired.

"My spies have returned."

"And?" Elena asked, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

He did not answer right away, letting the minutes pass as he gathered his thoughts.