The consequences of betrayal

The moonlight reflected off the water like broken glass, casting an eerie glow on the desolate shore. Queen Miriam's fiery red hair billowed behind her, flickering like flames as she stood at the edge of the water. Her eyes, glistening red like burning embers, welled with unshed tears as she held a small, fragile carriage close to her chest. Inside the carriage, swaddled in soft silks, lay a tiny infant, no older than a few weeks. The baby girl, oblivious to the storm raging inside her mother, cooed softly in her sleep.

Miriam stared down at her daughter, her hands trembling as she placed the child gently into the carriage. Her breath hitched as the reality of her actions washed over her like a tidal wave.

"I have to do this," she whispered, her voice thick with sorrow.

The wind howled through the night, tugging at her cloak as she bent down, placing a letter next to the sleeping infant. The letter was short, written hastily in her trembling hand, but it carried the weight of a thousand regrets:

"From Arissa's mother… to the unknown. I'm sorry I have to do this."

Miriam bit her lip, her tears finally spilling over as she stepped into the icy water, pushing the carriage forward until it bobbed gently on the surface.

"I'm sorry, my sweet Arissa. I have to do this... I love you more than you'll ever know. I pray that you'll never forget that," she whispered, her voice breaking as she kissed her daughter's forehead for the last time.

The carriage drifted slowly away from the shore, carried by the gentle currents of the river. Miriam's heart shattered into a thousand pieces as she watched her child disappear into the darkness. Her tears fell freely now, staining the sand beneath her feet, but she could no longer afford to weep.

With a heart hardened by grief, Miriam turned her back on the water and walked toward the palace, her steps heavy with dread. She had committed the unthinkable. The weight of her actions hung over her like a death sentence, and the horrifying consequences would soon come to pass.

A few hours later, in the heart of the palace, King Isaac stretched his arms and let out a tired sigh as he walked through the dimly lit corridors toward Queen Miriam's chambers. The day had been long, filled with tedious meetings and endless paperwork. His muscles ached from sitting in his office all day, and all he wanted was to collapse into bed beside his queen.

As he entered her chambers, the door shutting softly behind him, he dropped his jacket onto the ground and loosened his collar. He glanced around the room, noting how still everything seemed. His wife sat on the edge of the bed, her back to him, her posture rigid and strange.

"Ugh, today was tiring," Isaac muttered as he kicked off his shoes, crossing the room toward her. "I haven't seen Arissa all day. Where is she?"

There was no reply. Miriam didn't even stir.

Isaac frowned, stepping closer. He reached out and gently cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. Her eyes, normally filled with warmth and life, were distant, hollow... haunted.

"Miriam?" he asked softly, concern lacing his voice. "Where is our daughter?"

A tear rolled down Miriam's cheek as she whispered, "Gone."

Isaac froze. His blood ran cold as he processed the word. Gone? He pulled back slightly, searching her face for some kind of explanation, some reassurance that he had misunderstood her.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" he asked, his voice rising with alarm.

Miriam's lips trembled, but she said nothing. Her silence was a knife to Isaac's heart. Fear gripped him as he shook her gently, his voice growing more frantic with each passing second.

"What. Do. You. Mean?!"

Miriam's composure finally broke, and she let out a choked sob, her hands covering her face. "I thought you were going to leave me. I had no choice… I was scared—"

"What are you talking about?!" Isaac roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

Miriam fell to her knees, her sobs shaking her entire body. "You wanted an heir, Isaac! A son! Not an heiress! I thought… I thought if I… if I sent her away, you'd…"

Isaac's breath caught in his throat. The air seemed to thin around him as her words sank in. Sent her away?

"Where is she?" His voice was barely more than a whisper now, trembling with fear and disbelief.

"You… you can't find her," Miriam wept, her voice barely audible.

Isaac's heart stopped. A cold, suffocating dread washed over him as he dropped to his knees beside her, his hands gripping her shoulders.

"Is she dead?" he asked, his voice cracking with desperation. "Is our daughter dead?"

Miriam didn't answer. She couldn't answer.

The room fell into a suffocating silence. Time seemed to stand still as Isaac stared at the woman he had once loved with all his heart. Now, all he saw was the woman who had ripped his world apart.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Isaac's voice was low, deadly calm, but the fury burning in his eyes was unmistakable. "You've committed treason against our family, our kingdom."

Miriam's breath hitched. She tried to speak, to plead for his understanding, but no words came. She was drowning in her own guilt, her heart shattered beyond repair.

Isaac rose slowly to his feet, towering over her as she lay crumpled on the floor, a broken queen. His eyes, filled with a hatred so intense it could melt steel, bore into her like a dagger.

"You're no longer my wife," he said coldly, his voice devoid of any emotion. "As of today, you are no longer the queen of this kingdom."

Miriam gasped, scrambling to her feet in a desperate attempt to reach him. "Isaac, please! You don't understand, I—"

Isaac shoved her back to the ground, his face twisted in rage and grief. "Your execution will be held in two days. Be prepared for it. You'll die, just as you killed our daughter. You filth."

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving Miriam alone with her despair. She collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her cries echoing through the empty chamber.

"Isaac!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry! I was scared! I thought I was protecting her!"

But it was too late. The man she loved was gone, consumed by a hatred that would never fade.

The palace was silent now, save for the distant sobs of a queen who had lost everything.

4o