SquishySquirrel
"I'm going to tell you the story of Artoria Pendragon, one of the fiercest warriors who ever lived."
I sat in my mother's lap, listening intently as her soft voice wrapped around me like a warm blanket.
"Long ago, there was a place called Camelot. Hidden within this land was a queen who concealed her true identity from the world. She fought monsters, led knights into battle, and entrusted her life to a brilliant strategist - just as they entrusted theirs to her. This woman would come to be known as King Arthur."
I tilted my head in confusion. "But Mommy, a king can't be a woman. Don't you mean she was a queen?"
My mother smiled knowingly but didn't answer my question. Instead she gently patted my hair, and I leaned into her embrace, comforted by the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.
"She was faster than the other knights. Her skill and battle prowess struck fear into the hearts of her enemies - but they feared the man they believed her to be. Trapped behind the mask the world had created for her, she carried the burden of her secret alone."
I started to yawn, but my mother's voice pressed on, soothing and steady.
"Her chivalry was unmatched, and her strength as a leader inspired others to follow her without question."
Sleep tugged at me, my mother's warmth lulling me under. As I drifted off, I felt her lift me in her arms and carry me to bed.
The last thing I heard before slipping into sleep was her soft whisper:
"But the truth remained hidden throughout her life and beyond. Still, she never lost hope that one day, all of this would change, my dear Artemisia."
Unfortunately the cover is ai art TT I don't have money to commission someone like I had wanted so this will have to suffice.