Revenge of the Empress

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝓎𝒪𝓃𝑒

Harper stepped stepped closer towards Neera, her heart pounding in her chest.
The black marble floors reflected the towering columns that seemed to stretch endlessly upward, giving the chamber an otherworldly air. At the far end upon a towering obsidian throne, stood the Empress, her Aunt.

Harper's steps echoed as she approached, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword. She could feel the weight of her fathers death in every step, in every breath.
She had killed him, and in doing so shattered Harper's world.
She had taken Mary's  very identity,
Pressing herself off as the true heir, while Harper had been left for death, hidden and forgotten.

But not anymore.

Neera watched Harper with an expression that could almost be described as amusement, though there was something darker beneath it. Her silver gown shimmered as she stood, her dark hair falling in waves over her shoulders, making her look like a goddess of night.

"So," Neera said, her voice smooth and dripping with false warmth, "you've finally come home, my dear Mary ." She stepped down from the throne, her hands outstretched as if to welcome her long-lost niece. "How long has it been? Years? It's been too long, hasn't it? I always knew you would find your way back to me."

Harper glared, refusing to fall into the trap of Neera's words. "Back to you? You destroyed everything! You killed my father. You took my name, my birthright—my life! And you think I would ever want to come back to you?"

Neera's eyes gleamed, not with remorse, but with something more dangerous: satisfaction. "I did what I had to do, Harper. Your father was weak. He was unfit to rule. The empire needed strength, someone with vision—someone like me."

Harper clenched her jaw, feeling the rising anger burn inside her. "You call that strength? You murdered him! You murdered him to take power, and now you want me to believe it was all for the good of the empire?"

Neera's lips curled into a slow, calculated smile. "You've been hiding in the shadows for too long, niece. You don't understand what it takes to rule. Power demands sacrifice, Harper. And sometimes, that sacrifice is the people we love."

Harper's chest tightened at the mention of sacrifice. . "You didn't sacrifice him. You sacrificed the entire empire for your own greed."

Neera took a step closer, her eyes never leaving Harper's. "Greed? No, Harper. I took control because I knew no one else could. Not your father. And not you." She tilted her head slightly, her gaze softening as if she truly believed her next words. "I've been ruling in your place, holding this empire together, keeping it strong. If I hadn't taken the throne, you wouldn't be standing here now. You would be a pawn in someone else's game."

Harper tightened her grip on her sword, her mind whirling. Neera's words were like poison, seeping into her thoughts, wrapping around her deepest fears. For a moment, a flicker of doubt passed through her. Had Neera been right all along? Was Harper truly ready to take the throne? Could she be strong enough to face the challenges her aunt claimed only she could handle?

But then Harper remembered her father's books —how kind he had been, how wise. He had never ruled with cruelty, never believed in the power of fear. Neera had twisted everything, using death and manipulation to maintain control. That wasn't strength. That was cowardice.

"You've lied to everyone," Harper said, her voice low and steady. "Including yourself. You took the throne because you wanted it, because you couldn't stand that someone else had what you couldn't. But you're wrong, Neera. I'm not like you."

Neera's eyes narrowed, her mask of calm slipping for just a moment. "You think you're different? That you can rule without making hard choices? Without blood on your hands? You're more like me than you know, Mary. You have your father's fire, but in the end, you'll see the truth: power corrupts us all."

Harper stepped closer now, raising her sword. "Maybe. But I'll never become you."

For the first time, there was a flicker of uncertainty in Neera's gaze. She straightened, her voice now sharp and cutting. "Do you think you can just take the throne by killing me, as if that will solve anything? The empire won't follow you, Mary. They follow strength, and I've proven mine. You're just a girl with dreams, nothing more."

Harper shook her head. "I'm not here to be you. I'm here to be what you never could be."

In a flash, Neera's hands wove through the air, dark magic crackling between her fingers. Shadows burst from her, swirling like a storm. Harper felt the pulse of it—a deep, ancient power. But she was ready. As Neera unleashed her magic, Harper dodged, moving swiftly, the edge of her sword gleaming in the dim light. With a single strike, she cut through the shadows, aiming for the one thing Neera thought untouchable: herself.

The sword sliced through, and Neera gasped, stumbling back. The magic fizzled, fading into the air. Blood bloomed across her chest, dark and startling. She looked at Harper, stunned—not just by the wound, but by the betrayal she had never thought possible.

"You... you think you're better than me," Neera whispered, clutching her chest, her voice faltering. "But you'll see. You'll see that power changes everything."

Harper stood tall, breathing hard, but her eyes were clear. "I'll see to it that it doesn't."

Neera sank  a bit  her expression twisting in pain and disbelief. Harper watched her for a moment, waiting for the last flicker of manipulation, the final attempt to twist her mind. But it never came.