Chapter 8: The Trial of Two Princesses
Elia barely slept.
She spent the entire night studying the mysterious note.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Mara had written hundreds of notes for her over the years, usually reminders to buy bread, mend a dress, or collect medicine from the village physician.
The curled letters were hers.
But how could a dead woman have written a message that had only appeared hours earlier?
Elia examined the paper carefully.
A faint smell of lavender rose from it.
Mara's favorite scent.
At the bottom, beneath the silver swan, was a small number.
Seven.
Elia turned the paper toward the candlelight.
On the other side, invisible at first, were several words written in pale ink.
The seventh stone remembers.
She whispered the sentence.
"The seventh stone...""
A knock interrupted her.
"Elia?""
It was Mrs. Hargrove.
Elia quickly folded the paper.
"Come in.""
The housekeeper entered carrying a tray of bread and tea.
She closed the door behind her.
"I thought you might be hungry.""
"Thank you.""
Mrs. Hargrove placed the tray down.
Then she looked around nervously.
"Listen carefully. The palace isn't safe anymore.""
Elia lowered her voice.
"Because of Lord Voss?""
The older woman nodded.
"He has replaced half the guards, dismissed several servants, and locked the western archives.""
"Why?""
"Because the records from the night of the fire are kept there.""
Elia took out the mysterious note.
"Have you ever seen this handwriting?""
Mrs. Hargrove stared at it.
Her hands began to shake.
"Where did you get that?""
"It was outside my door.""
The housekeeper touched the paper.
"Oh, my poor girl.""
"You recognize it?""
Mrs. Hargrove nodded.
"It's Mara's.""
Elia stood.
"Then she's alive?""
"I don't know.""
"Please, tell me.""
Mrs. Hargrove lowered her voice.
"Mara came back to the palace two years ago.""
Elia felt her knees weaken.
"But the duke said—"
"That woman lied more often than she breathed. Mara came to see me. She was thin, frightened, and very ill.""
"Why didn't you tell anyone?""
"Because she begged me not to.""
Elia gripped the table.
"What did she want?""
Mrs. Hargrove looked toward the door.
"She wanted to find the seventh stone.""
Elia stared at her.
"What is it?""
"The oldest stone in the royal chapel. It covers the entrance to a hidden room beneath the altar.""
Elia took out the note.
"She wrote this.""
Mrs. Hargrove nodded.
"Then perhaps she wanted you to find what she left behind.""
"What's inside?""
"I don't know. Mara wouldn't tell me.""
A bell rang somewhere down the corridor.
Mrs. Hargrove stepped back.
"The trial begins in an hour. Lord Voss wants the entire court to witness it.""
"What trial?""
"The trial of the two princesses.""
The grand ballroom had been transformed.
The black marble pedestal stood beneath the chandeliers, surrounded by royal guards. The Crystal Hand shimmered faintly under the morning light.
Hundreds of nobles filled the room.
Some had traveled overnight after hearing that the missing royal child might have returned.
Others had come because they feared losing their positions if they failed to attend.
At the far end, Lord Voss stood beside the throne.
Queen Eleanor sat on the lower step, without her crown.
Prince Adrian stood near her.
His sword had been taken.
Victoria stood among the noblewomen, her face pale.
Elia entered wearing her faded gray uniform.
A murmur swept through the ballroom.
"That's the maid.""
"The one who awakened it?""
"She cannot possibly be royal.""
Elia kept walking.
Then she saw Isabelle.
The young woman stood beside Voss in an elegant white gown.
A delicate golden crown rested on her head.
She looked every inch a princess.
Elia suddenly felt painfully aware of her worn shoes and patched sleeves.
Isabelle noticed her.
For a second, her expression softened.
Then Voss stepped forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Regency Council, today we will end the uncertainty that has threatened our kingdom.""
He gestured toward Isabelle.
"Before you stands Princess Isolde Eleanor Valoria, the rightful daughter of King Edmund and Queen Eleanor.""
A handful of nobles applauded.
Others remained silent.
Voss continued.
"Beside her stands a young woman whose origins remain unknown. She has demonstrated an unusual connection to the royal crystal, but no verified document establishes her identity.""
Adrian interrupted.
"Because the documents were stolen or destroyed by people working for you.""
Voss ignored him.
"The council has agreed to conduct a traditional bloodline examination. Both women will place their hands upon the Crystal Hand. The crystal's response will establish the rightful claimant.""
Queen Eleanor stood.
"That was never the purpose of the ceremony.""
Voss turned.
"Your Majesty, the kingdom deserves certainty.""
"The crystal recognizes blood. It does not measure a person's worth.""
"Then it should have no difficulty recognizing the rightful heir.""
He gestured toward Isabelle.
"Your Highness, please.""
Isabelle approached the pedestal.
Her expression was composed, but Elia saw her fingers trembling.
Voss leaned close.
"Remember what we discussed.""
Isabelle nodded.
She raised her right hand.
Then she pressed her palm against the crystal.
Nothing happened.
No light.
No sound.
No golden lines.
The sculpture remained perfectly still.
A few nobles exchanged glances.
Voss's smile stiffened.
"Perhaps the crystal needs a moment.""
Isabelle kept her palm in place.
Ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
The silence became unbearable.
She withdrew her hand.
"Again," Voss commanded.
Isabelle looked at him.
"I did it.""
"Do it properly.""
Her jaw tightened.
She pressed her palm against the sculpture again.
Nothing.
A noblewoman whispered.
"That's the girl who was supposed to be the princess?""
Isabelle's face flushed.
Voss stepped closer.
"Enough. The crystal is damaged. We will examine the other claimant.""
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"Convenient.""
The chancellor turned toward Elia.
"Your turn.""
Elia approached the pedestal.
The ballroom grew silent.
She remembered the warmth.
The golden light.
The strange lullaby.
She slowly placed her hand against the sculpture.
A faint glow appeared.
Then it faded.
A murmur rose through the hall.
Voss smiled.
"There. You see? An inconsistent response. Nothing more than an unusual reaction.""
Elia stared at the crystal.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it.
The melody was different.
The crystal wasn't calling her this time.
It was warning her.
She lifted her hand and stepped back.
Voss gestured toward the guards.
"Both women will be held until the council can determine their identities.""
Adrian stepped forward.
"You cannot imprison them.""
"I can, Your Highness. The council authorized it.""
Victoria suddenly rose from the noblewomen's section.
"No!""
All eyes turned toward her.
She walked toward the center of the ballroom.
"You have no right to decide who these women are while hiding the truth about what happened to them.""
Voss's face hardened.
"Lady Victoria, return to your place.""
Victoria ignored him.
"Your Majesty, I have evidence.""
She reached into her dress and removed a folded document.
"My father kept this in a locked compartment. It contains the original payment records and a letter written by Dr. Fenwick.""
Voss stepped forward.
"Take her.""
Nobody moved.
Victoria held the document above her head.
"Read it! Read what he did!""
Adrian took the letter.
He unfolded it and began reading.
His expression changed with every line.
"Dr. Fenwick recorded that both infants were alive when they left the nursery.""
The nobles began whispering.
Adrian continued.
"However, the two royal bracelets were deliberately exchanged before the children were separated.""
Eleanor rose.
"Who exchanged them?""
Adrian looked toward the chancellor.
"According to the physician, Lord Voss ordered it.""
The ballroom erupted.
Voss stepped toward Adrian.
"That is a fabrication!""
Victoria shouted.
"Then explain the payments!""
Voss grabbed the document.
He tore it in half.
"These are lies.""
Queen Eleanor descended from the throne.
"Malcolm, enough.""
The chancellor turned toward her.
"Your Majesty, you are not in a position to—"
"I am still your queen.""
Voss smiled coldly.
"No. You are a grieving mother who has mistaken desperation for evidence.""
He turned toward the crowd.
"Princess Isolde will be recognized as the surviving heir. The girl named Elia is to be taken into custody.""
A guard approached Elia.
Then another.
But before either could touch her, Isabelle stepped between them.
"Stop.""
Voss looked at her.
"Princess?""
"I want to see the documents.""
"There is no need.""
"I said I want to see them.""
The chancellor's expression darkened.
Isabelle looked at the torn pieces of paper.
Then she turned to Eleanor.
"Tell me the truth.""
The queen stepped closer.
"Both of you were born on the same night. Your father believed one child had to remain hidden because Voss was trying to control the succession.""
"Which one of us did you take away?""
Eleanor looked at the two young women.
"I don't know.""
Isabelle recoiled.
"You don't know?""
"I was told Mara had taken Princess Isolde. But the bracelets were switched. The records were altered. I have no way of knowing which child was placed in her arms.""
Elia felt tears burn her eyes.
"So neither of you knows who I am?""
The queen shook her head.
"I know you are my daughter in the ways that matter. But I cannot tell you which name was written beside your cradle.""
Isabelle looked down.
For the first time, she seemed as lost as Elia.
Then Voss laughed.
A terrible, satisfied laugh.
"How touching.""
He turned toward the nobles.
"Since the queen herself cannot identify her own children, the council must act.""
He took a golden crown from the ceremonial table.
"Princess Isolde, step forward.""
Isabelle did not move.
"Do it," Voss ordered.
She looked at him.
"Why did you lie to me?""
His expression hardened.
"I protected you.""
"You told me I was the only surviving princess.""
"That is what you needed to believe.""
The words silenced the room.
Isabelle's face crumpled.
"You knew there were two of us.""
Voss said nothing.
Then Isabelle whispered, "You knew where Mara was.""
The chancellor's jaw tightened.
Elia looked at her.
"Isabelle...""
The young woman turned.
"I remembered something.""
"What?""
"The night Mara died.""
Elia went completely still.
Isabelle's voice trembled.
"I was there.""
The queen covered her mouth.
Isabelle continued.
"Lord Voss took me to see her. He told me Mara was a dangerous woman who had stolen something from the royal family.""
Elia felt her heart pounding.
"What did Mara say?""
Isabelle looked directly at her.
"She looked at me and called me by a different name.""
"What name?""
Isabelle's eyes filled with tears.
"She called me Elia.""
That night, Elia returned to her chamber under guard.
She could not stop thinking about Isabelle's words.
Mara had known the other girl.
Had raised her, perhaps.
Had called her Elia.
Was that the name of one twin and not the other?
A soft sound came from the wall.
Three taps.
Then two.
Elia approached.
Behind a loose wooden panel, she found a narrow cavity.
Inside was a tiny brass key.
And another note.
This one contained only four words.
Below the seventh stone.
Elia looked toward the locked door.
The guards outside were talking quietly.
She slipped the key into her pocket.
Then she climbed through the small window onto the balcony and followed the narrow stone ledge toward the old chapel.
The moon was high.
The palace gardens lay silent.
When she reached the chapel, she found the altar exactly as Mrs. Hargrove had described.
Seven large stones formed its base.
Elia counted them from left to right.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
The final stone had a tiny keyhole.
She inserted the brass key.
A low mechanical sound echoed beneath the floor.
The stone shifted.
And a narrow staircase appeared.
At the bottom sat a wooden chest.
On its lid was an inscription.
For the child who carries the wrong name.
Elia opened it.
Inside lay a folded royal document, two tiny bracelets, and a letter in Mara's handwriting.
But as she lifted the letter, she noticed something beneath it.
A small portrait.
It showed two babies sleeping side by side.
One wore a silver swan pendant.
The other wore a black crown pendant.
Beneath the portrait, someone had written:
One child was born to rule. The other was born to save her.
Elia unfolded the letter.
May you like
The first sentence made her blood turn cold.
My dearest girl, if you are reading this, then the person who raised you was not the person you believed.
