From Elias
Delivered inside a hollowed-out military manual
To Her Royal Highness, Charlotte the Unrelenting(Yes, I've decided that suits you better than 'Beloved')
I read your letter three times.Twice for hidden meaning.Once to be sure it wasn't another joke.
But the poisoning wasn't a joke. I've seen the tremble in your hand when you think no one's watching. And yet, you're still writing. Still scheming. Still donating bread to orphans and grief to your enemies. It is... reassuring, in a most infuriating sense.
If you're dying, then I have failed you. And I do not accept failure.
The guards at your chamber doors have doubled. The kitchens fall under my command. Every apothecary, herbalist, and perfumed pretender who so much as offers you tea is now interviewed. Interrogated, if necessary. Yes, interrogated. Don't give me that look—I can hear your disapproval from here.
You speak of farewells, but I'm not ready. I don't think I'll ever be.What will I do if you're gone? I'll follow your fire. For your reign hasn't been built on coronets or marble halls—it's been torchlight in dark places. You lit the way. I'll carry it forward.
But don't go yet. There are still so many things we've never said.
You are maddening, brilliant, impossible.So remain.
—Elias
P.S. I've confiscated all your candy. You're not allowed to die full of sugar.
From Mira
Tucked inside a pouch of herbs and peach pastries
My Dearest Friend,
I signed to Elias that I wanted to toss your letter in the fire.He wouldn't let me. He read it again. I watched his hands shake.
I know it hurt to write. The ink smudges were not carelessness—they were pauses. Weighted. But still, you wrote it.
You never had to earn my loyalty, Charlotte. The day you found a mute girl with wild hair and crooked posture, crowned her with a paper tiara, and called her 'indispensable,' I knew. You weren't just a princess.
You were a lion-hearted girl who made a home in a place full of knives.
I've already begun.
I've memorized every unfamiliar face in the corridors. I've traced ingredients in the poison back to a foreign merchant who, I regret to inform you, will not be breathing further. I will not allow betrayal to take root. And I will not allow them to take you from me.
You will not die. Not while I still stand.
But if you do—if the stars are cruel—then I will remain. For Eladin. For the kingdom. For the girl who built a fortress out of kindness and strategy. I will hold all you cherished in my hands, and I will bite anyone who tries to take it.
Yours in silence and shadow,—Mira
P.S. I've drawn a cat devouring your enemies. Elias said it was "disturbingly accurate." You'll get it with the next pastry delivery.
From Eladin
(Dictated to the Queen. Spellings preserved. Punctuation... assisted.)
To Charlotte (my sister and the brightest being on Earth),
Hi! Are you still in bed? You promised to visit my knights. I made five of them out of bread rolls and jelly beans. One has a purple cape. You are their queen.
I was told you're ill. I don't like that. If you don't get better, I will be mad. I will yell at the sky and mix up a potion with frog water and mashed apples and MAKE you drink it. That will fix you.
I saw Mira crying in the garden. I gave her a flower. I saw Elias cleaning his sword all day. He's funny and weird.
But I'm not scared. You said smart people can beat scary things. And you are the smartest person I know.
You said you were born twice. If you go away... will you come back again?
Please don't go.
I'll eat my carrots. I'll let Whiskers sleep on my head. I'll do everything. Just stay.
I love you more than anyone.
Love,Eladin(P.S. The Queen says I should write "with all my heart." But I already said love. So it's the same.)
From the Queen
To my beloved Charlotte,
Your words impart to my heart a certain warmth, yet with each passing day, worry for you strengthens. You talk of humor and toughness, yet I perceive beyond your sarcasm into the depth of your mind. I understand, my love, the weighty burden you bear—one no child should.
As I read your letter, my mind goes back to the day you initially met Mira. I remember seeing it in your eyes, how you held on to her strength of silence, the unsaid understanding between the two of you. You were already a force of nature even back then—wise beyond your years. Mira's devotion, her presence, her silence—she has been your anchor in many storms.
But now, before these dangers that hover around you, I am anxious about how much longer you can endure. I recall your courage when we last discussed the coming of the baby, how steady and unshakeable you remained. And still, even in this moment of everything being on the move, I worry you are running short of time. My heart saddens with knowledge that perhaps soon we shall no longer have the time we hold so precious now. I hate the burden of these words.
How you speak of Eladin, about how he knows his sister best, moves me so. That his love for you is unspoiled is the greatest testimony of all; it will direct him when his time comes. So young and already a heart so full and just and firm with purpose, just like your own. But for now, my love, be comforted by the knowledge that you have done everything you can. You have influenced this kingdom in ways I could never even dream of, and I hope you hold on to that in your worst moments.
I know this is not the end, my dear Charlotte. Whatever fate may have in store, you are not alone. I will carry your legacy in my heart, and so will Elias, Mira, and Eladin.
And one thing more—look after yourself. You're more than a princess, perhaps, but even you have to take a rest sometimes. Don't assume that your every move must be for the benefit of the kingdom. Your health—your life—is worth just as much.
With all my love,
The Queen