Pearl's of dark

Chapter_1

Ainsley

I open my eyes, but the weight of my grief pulls them shut again. It feels like I'm drowning, sinking deeper into a void. The one who loved me most, who made me feel like a queen-he's gone now. I can't breathe, the air thick with sorrow and regret. My brother's face flashes before me, over and over, like a whirlpool dragging me under. It's my fault-I shouldn't have left him alone. He sacrificed his life just to save me.

The memory of that terrible war comes flooding back. Our kingdom and the kingdom of Erigioniok, locked in battle. Blood soaked the earth, and screams filled the sky. Half of my kingdom is gone-devoured by war's hunger. And my brother... he's among the dead. He died by an arrow, one meant for me.

Tears spill from my eyes, cascading down my cheeks like an endless waterfall. Each drop is heavy with guilt, each one a reminder that I'm still here... and he is not.

While I was lost in these suffocating thoughts, the door creaked open, startling me from my haze of sorrow. Clara stood in the doorway, her silhouette outlined by the dim light behind her. I quickly wiped my tears, trying to erase the evidence of my pain, and forced a smile onto my face. It was weak, hollow, but I needed the façade to hold. For just a moment, I needed to pretend I was okay.

Clara sighed softly, her eyes understanding without me having to say a word. She knelt down beside me, her presence comforting and warm, and placed a gentle hand on my arm. She didn't bombard me with questions, didn't demand to know how I felt. Instead, she whispered just three words, simple yet powerful: "Let it out."

That was all it took.

The floodgates opened once more, and the tears I had been so desperately trying to suppress flowed freely down my face. Sobs wracked my chest, and Clara, without hesitation, wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. She didn't say anything more, didn't push or pry into the darkness of my grief. She just held me, stroking my back in slow, soothing motions, my lovable best friend.

That's what I love about Clara. She understands when words are unnecessary, when silence is more comforting than any attempt to fix the broken pieces inside me. She never forces me to speak about my pain, never intrudes on the personal space I need to breathe. She waits-always waits-until I'm ready to open up on my own.

And in her arms, for the first time in what feels like an eternity, I don't feel completely alone. I don't need to pretend.

As my tears continued to flow, the door opened again. But this time, it wasn't Clara's comforting presence-it was him..... James ..... My stepbrother. The one who loathes me with every fiber of his being. I don't know if it's because I'm a reminder of my mother's replacement or simply because I exist. Either way, his hatred is palpable.

He walked toward me with that familiar cold expression, his eyes devoid of warmth, as if every step was meant to reinforce his disdain. Clara immediately noticed the shift in the air and stood up, moving in front of me like a shield. She knew what he was capable of. The last time he barged into my room, he beat me senseless just because I had dared to take his horse for a ride without asking.

The memory of that day still sends chills down my spine, my body remembering the bruises even if they've long since faded. James didn't say a word, but his deathly stare spoke volumes. His eyes, sharp and burning with anger, were locked onto Clara now. He wanted her to move, to step aside, but of course, she wouldn't. Clara, brave and stubborn as ever, held her ground. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step closer to him, as if daring him to make a move.

For a moment, I thought the tension between themwould snap, that something would happen. And then, in a flicker-barely noticeable-I saw something change in James's eyes when he looked at her. His usual coldness faltered, just for a second, and there was something else, something unexpected. Confusion? Surprise? It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, but I had seen it.