Shadows of Stars

Chapter 1: The Revelation

Elara could barely feel her own fingers. The cold from the dungeon's stones was relentless, seeping through her skin as if trying to extinguish any trace of life in her body. She couldn't remember how many days she had spent there, but the thirst was consuming her. Her mouth was dry, and every attempt to swallow was painful, as if her throat were a pit of thorns.

She had stopped counting the days since her father had thrown her into that place. Maybe a week, maybe more. Time in the dungeon wasn't measured by the passing days but by the regularity of her father's shadow appearing at the entrance to throw her the leftovers from the day before. It was all she had to survive.

The echo of footsteps sounded, and Elara knew her father was there again. The dungeon door opened with a sharp creak, the sound cutting through the dim light. The door slammed behind him, rattling the damp stones. She didn't even flinch. She was used to the sound by now, used to the dismissive way he tossed the stale bread at her feet as though she were less than a dog. Without looking at her, he dropped a piece of hard bread and a cup of water so dirty she wondered if it might be worse to drink it.

-For you to learn - he said in his rough voice, not even bothering to look directly at her. The echo of his words bounced off the walls before fading away completely. -The marriage to Prince Roderic is the best thing that could happen to you, and don't you dare reject it again.-

Elara barely moved. Every bone in her body ached. Roderic, the arrogant and cruel prince of Emberlyn... Just thinking of him made her stomach turn. When her father had spoken of the marriage, she had begged. She had never begged for anything before, but that day she had fallen to her knees, imploring him not to force her to marry that man.

Her plea had only served to enrage him.

Now, in her small dark corner, surrounded by the cold, heavy shadows of the dungeon, Elara closed her eyes and tried not to cry. Tears were a luxury she couldn't afford; every drop of water in her body had to be conserved. Thirst devoured her from the inside, more than hunger or cold. The sun outside was a distant memory, and although she wasn't sure how much longer she could survive, she didn't care. If this was her life, she preferred not to keep living it.

"Freedom." The word passed through her mind, but it sounded hollow. Empty.

She had learned to live with the pain, with her family's indifference. Cruelty was nothing new to her, but the thought of spending the rest of her days beside a monster like Roderic... that was a fate worse than death.

She curled up in the farthest corner of the dungeon, where the cold wind barely reached. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the present, seeking refuge in some corner of her memory. She knew she wouldn't survive much longer here, not without water, not without hope.

Now, in her small dark corner, surrounded by the cold, heavy shadows of the dungeon, Elara closed her eyes and tried not to cry. Tears were a luxury she couldn't afford; every drop of water in her body had to be conserved. The thirst devoured her from within, more than hunger or cold. The sun outside was a distant memory, and though she wasn't sure how much longer she could survive, she didn't care. If this was her life, she would rather not keep living it.

Elara thought back to her life until now. Since she was a child, everything had been cold and empty. Her parents had always been indifferent, as if her mere existence were a burden on the noble lineage of the duchy. Why? She had never understood. She was never enough, never worthy of love or affection. Everything she did seemed to unleash a new form of disdain from them.

Her mother, Countess Seraphina, always distant, had treated her like a shadow, as if she didn't deserve to occupy the same space as her. Her father, Count Aldric D'Aurelia, even more relentless, saw her as nothing more than a means to seal alliances through marriage. Not a single word of affection, not a single approving glance-only orders and punishments.