Diana set out on her journey… with the new king by her side.
He didn't speak much.He simply walked beside her—as if all that mattered… was her silence.
The road stretched long before them,and the cold deepenedthe closer they came to the kingdom.
At first…flowers still dared to bloom along the edges.
But with every step forward,the blossoms faded—colors withered into ash.
Diana felt it…a strange emptiness blooming around her,as if life itself retreated beneath her feet.
They reached a barren land.Trees stripped of leaves.Soil stripped of sound.
She lifted her eyes—and saw it.
The kingdom.
But not as it once was.
She whispered, voice barely a breath:
"I didn't know… I had taken all this with me when I left."
The king turned to her.His voice calm—but unwavering:
"It wasn't your fault…It was theirs."
They reached the outer gate.
A few souls stood nearby,watching.
Whispers curled through the air.
Fear.Confusion.Doubt.
Faint voices in the distance:
"Is that… her?""She's come back?""But why now…?"
She looked ahead.
She said nothing.
She simply stepped forward—each step heavier than the last.
And the world held its breath.
Not once did she look back.
She had returned.