Celestial Devotion

Stammered Glow

As the guards entered the castle with the limp and bloodied man between them, the other castle workers and guards looked on in confusion and curiosity. Whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire through the halls, and eyes followed the peculiar procession all the way to the throne room.

The guards, now imbued with a strange mix of purpose and pride, marched solemnly down the grand carpeted hallway. The air around them was tense, heavy with anticipation and the weight of their unspoken purpose. They ignored the sideways glances and hushed conversations that followed them.

Finally, they arrived at the throne room—a breathtaking space adorned with hues of blue and purple, touched with silver accents. The walls shimmered with crystallized hydrated marble, casting ethereal reflections in the soft light. The carpet leading to the queen's throne was a deep, regal blue, contrasting sharply with the streak of blood left behind by the dragged man.

Kneeling before the queen, the guards presented the broken villager. His clothes were shredded, stained with blood and dirt. His face was swollen and bruised, his hair matted with sweat and blood. Despite his sorry state, there was an air of defiance in how he lay there, disrupting the queen's aesthetic with his presence.

The castle residents—fellow guards and maids—looked on with a mixture of curiosity and disdain, their faces betraying hints of snobbery and unease. They were wary of this intruder, afraid for their queen and perhaps offended on her behalf.

At the end of the carpet, perched regally upon her throne, sat Empress Luna. Her raven hair cascaded around her pale face, giving it an ethereal glow, while her encapsulating coal eyes sparkled with hints of the Milky Way. She watched as the guards brought in the beaten traveler, his broken form contrasting sharply with the grandeur of her throne room.

Luna's expression remained composed as she lowered her gaze to the beyond injured man. Her face, usually serene and unreadable, grew with concern as she took in his condition. She wondered why he was here, what had brought him to her castle in such a state.

The whispers among the onlookers grew louder, but Luna silenced them with a mere raise of her hand. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied the man.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked, her voice calm yet carrying an underlying note of authority that demanded an answer.

"Why is he in this condition?" she demanded, her voice sharper now, directed at the guards.

One of the guards stepped forward nervously. "We found him near the castle walls, Your Majesty."

"He...he said he came to see you" one guard stammered. "We thought he might be a threat, Your Majesty."

"You thought?" the queen snapped back. "Did he attack you first, or have you beaten this man up for your own pleasure? Leave him at the healing chambers, and you both will be dismissed."

The guards, upset to lose their position and embarrassed, yelped in return, "You can't! He's a killer!"

The queen's face changed, her brow raising. "A killer?"

"Yes," one of the guards insisted. "We saw him as a threat because he was here to kill you!"

The workers crowd gasped, their eyes darting between the queen and the guards. Whispers began to ripple through the room, growing louder with each passing second. Luna raised her hand, attempting to silence them, but the gossip was becoming too powerful, forcing her to speak up.

"ENOUGH," she raised her tone, and the crowd fell silent. She gestured to the guards, her expression stern. "Drop him in place."

The guards hesitated for a moment, then obeyed, laying the broken villager on the carpet. The queen's eyes remained fixed on the man before her. The room fell silent, the tension palpable as the queen considered his words, in an eerie silence.

The tension in the room seemed to evaporate as Queen Luna stepped down from her throne, her graceful movements commanding attention. She approached the injured villager with a quiet determination, her presence both formidable and gentle. Kneeling beside him, she reached out with delicate, yet firm, hands, tilting his head up by the chin. The blood, sticky and dark, made his skin feel slick under her touch, forcing her to grasp his face steady.

The villager's eyes fluttered open, blinking to focus. As his vision cleared, he saw the queen, not even a foot away from his face. His eyes widened in astonishment, and he began to stammer, as if it was the first time he had ever spoken.

His breath hitched, and he attempted to speak, but his voice was barely more than a whisper, trembling with the remnants of pain and exhaustion. Luna, sensing his struggle, backed away slightly, giving him space to gather his thoughts.

She addressed him, her voice calm yet curious, 

"Why have you come to kill me?"  her voice cutting through the silence.

"Kill you?" he interjected, his brows furrowing as he recalled the guards' accusations. Anger and frustration surged within him, and he let out a bitter chuckle. "You have been lied to. I am not here to do such. I just want to speak with you."

His voice wavered, and he noticed too late, that his tone had risen with unintentional anger. He swallowed hard, the pain of his journey mingling in his chest. With a sudden, almost instinctive movement, his expression softened, he bowed his head. Showing the queen the respect he had, hoping to convey his sincerity and desperation as he meant to from the start.

Every eye fixed on the queen and the villager, waiting for her next move, the guards and onlookers awaited her response.

The silence was too much for the villager to bear. Before the queen could speak again, he blurted out, "I would like to tell you the story of my journey here. I am from the sunny side."

The queen looked at him with discernment, her gaze piercing. 

"Please, Luna, I need you to listen to me. My people are suffering," he pleaded.

The queen looked around nervously, her regal composure faltering. She opened her mouth to speak, but stammered, clearly unsettled by the weight of the situation. Before she could respond, someone in the crowd shouted, 

"I thought the sunny side didn't exist anymore!"

"You lied to us!" another voice cried out. "You left those people to die!" 

The crowd's murmurs grew louder, their sense of betrayal noticeable. Who was their queen really?

Luna, intaking the comments from around her, seemed overwhelmed. She turned to face her throne, her back to the people and the villager. A white aura began to glow around her, growing brighter as the accusations continued. The light intensified until it was almost blinding, and the crowd fell silent, calmed by the queen's radiant presence.