VRUUUUMMM!
Thunder roared above the tiny kingdom of Eldenfall, as a torrential rain lashed against the crumbling castle on the hill. From high above, one could see guards rushing frantically through the courtyard, boots splashing in the mud. Splash! Splash!
— Quick! Seal that leak! — shouted one of them, raising a bucket as water poured through cracks in the stone walls.
The entire castle trembled with each clap of thunder. KRAAAK! And inside, through cold corridors lit by flickering torches, the sound of a woman's cries echoed.
— Aaaahhh!
It was Queen Elara, a woman of striking beauty, with long crimson hair and vivid green eyes, now clouded with pain. Surrounded by midwives and maids, she fought against her own body, sweating and trembling, gripping the linen sheets until her knuckles turned white.
— Push, Your Majesty! The baby's almost here! — one of the midwives urged, trying to stay calm.
Outside the room, hurried footsteps echoed down the hall. TAP! TAP! TAP!
The door burst open. BAM!
A man around his forties entered, out of breath — Sir Rowan, the royal advisor, with brown hair streaked with gray and tired, hazel eyes.
— Your Majesty! — he shouted, his voice shaking. — A landslide! The storage house with our winter supplies has been buried, and the dam is about to break!
King Arden of Eldenfall, with golden hair and deep blue eyes, turned slowly. His thin, pale face was that of a scholar forced into rulership — and now, a man on the brink of collapse.
— Were there any casualties? — he asked, his voice steady but trembling.
— So far, none confirmed, Your Majesty… but there were about thirty workers in the warehouse.
The king clenched his fists.
— The court mage was stationed at the dam, wasn't he? Summon him immediately! And send everyone available to the site. Save whoever you can!
— At once, my king! — Rowan bowed and hurried out into the flooded corridors.
Arden took a long breath. The rain still fell — plic… ploc… plic… — like an endless torment. He glanced through the window, watching the horizon swallowed by black clouds.
In his heart, a bitter thought echoed: How did it all come to this?
They had lost the war. Ceded their iron mines. Then came the drought. Now, the rain.Eldenfall was collapsing.The only good news he had received in months was his wife's pregnancy — the strongest general the kingdom had ever known.
But even that turned grim.A high-risk pregnancy.No effort. No stress.And now, her screams filled the night.
— Arden! — Elara cried weakly, reaching out.
The king rushed to her side and held her trembling hand.
— I'm here, my love. Everything will be fine…
— YOU SHUT UP! — she roared, cursing him between tears and contractions.
He only held her hand tighter.
— Please… Goddess of Light, have mercy… — he whispered, kneeling by her bed.
KRATHOOOM!
A thunderbolt struck nearby, shaking the castle. The torches flickered violently, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
WAAAHHH!
The cry of a newborn filled the air.The rain began to ease. The wind calmed. Ploc… ploc… until silence reigned.
The midwives exchanged tearful smiles.
— It's a boy! — one of them exclaimed.
Arden staggered to his feet, looking at the child in his wife's arms. The baby had golden hair like sunlight and deep green eyes — a perfect balance of light and life.
Exhausted but radiant, Elara smiled.
— He's beautiful…
The king said nothing. He just stared, feeling a strange weight in the air — something divine, something fateful.
And though he couldn't explain why, he knew that cry wasn't just the start of a life—but the rebirth of something far greater.