The Hidden Heir of Velmoura

SOLENA

I tried blinking, but my eyelids felt heavy. Where was I? Everything was pitch-black or was it just me? My body ached all over. When I tried to sit up, cold metal dug into my skin. Chains. I was locked up… and I looked like a mess.

“Where in God’s name am I?” Panic surged through me.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My throat burned raw and dry. I struggled to remember how I got here, but my mind was blank. Like someone had wiped it clean.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, yanking me from my thoughts. Dizzy and terrified, I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be unconscious.

“When do you think she’ll wake up already?”

“I don’t know. Normally, she should be awake by now. But look at her, she's a fragile human.”

“That’s why His Royal Highness asked us to handle her with care. You shouldn’t have used the black potion.”

From their voices, I could tell they were both men. His Royal Highness? What the hell? Was I trapped in some medieval fantasy?

I peeked, hoping to glimpse their faces, but the darkness was too thick. They were wearing robes. Robes? What in Heaven’s name was going on?

These weren’t ordinary kidnappers. Wherever I was, escaping wasn’t going to be easy, especially when I didn’t even know who I was or what they wanted from me.

Just then, someone else entered the room. The two men moved aside immediately.

“My Sentinel, she’s still not awake.”

“She’s been asleep for three days. I don’t think the King can wait any longer.”

Three days? My heart stopped. Oh God, this was worse than I thought.

“Fill the pail with water and pour it on her. Make sure she wakes before the King arrives even if it means casting a spell.”

“Yes, my Sentinel.”

I needed to act fast. But the chains were tight, and everything they said sounded… ancient. I had no choice but to wait and see who this King was and what he wanted with me.

Cold water splashed over me. I flinched but kept my eyes shut. I didn’t know how long I could keep up the act when suddenly

A strange sensation surged through me. Like something was calling me. Compelling me.

My eyes flew open.

“Ahh, finally. The little prey is awake.”

“I wonder what she did to our Royal Highness that made him break the kingdom’s laws just to bring her here.”

One of them stepped back toward the door.

“Go get the Sentinel. Tell him she’s awake,” the taller one said in a hushed voice, his head bowing slightly in the direction of the bed I was chained to. “He must inform the King before the court gathering.”

I barely moved, still pretending to be weak even though my eyes were open. My wrists burned from the weight of the metal shackles, and my body felt like I hadn’t eaten or bathed in days which, judging from their words, was probably true.

The one who remained behind stood awkwardly by the wall, arms crossed, watching me. I could feel his gaze, even if I dared not meet it. It made my skin crawl. I wanted to scream at him to look away, to tell me what was going on but no sound would come out.

The silence between us was loud.

He cleared his throat after a moment. “You should be grateful, you know. Not everyone survives the Black Draught. Fragile as you are, we thought we’d lose you.”

Black Draught. That must be the reason my memories were like fog. Some kind of potion or drug that dulled my senses, wiped me clean. I had no idea how long I’d truly been here, but my body had already lost all sense of time. Three days, they said. It could’ve been more.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open again. Heavy footsteps echoed on the cold, stone floor. I didn’t need to look to know the Sentinel had returned.

“She’s awake,” the tall guard said, stepping aside as the hooded figure entered once more. His presence felt heavier this time. He didn’t speak right away, simply moved toward me and lowered his hood.

He was older than I expected. Silver hair lined the edges of his dark beard, and a strange mark glowed faintly on his left temple something tribal, almost magical.

“You’ve finally decided to rejoin the living,” he said, voice like iron wrapped in velvet. “Good. His Majesty has waited long enough.”

I blinked, forcing myself to sit upright despite the pain in my back and shoulders. “Who... are you?” My voice was hoarse, barely audible.

“I am Sentinel Edric, sworn protector of one of the royal families of Velmoura,” he said calmly. “And you, girl, are in the presence of a kingdom that does not take kindly to mysteries.”

Velmoura? The name didn’t register, but it sounded like something out of a myth.

“I... I don’t understand,” I rasped, trying to swallow the dryness in my throat. “Why am I here?”

His eyes didn’t soften. “That is a question only the King can answer. But your blood speaks louder than your words. That’s why you were brought here.”

Blood? What the hell did that mean?

The guards started unfastening the chains from the wall, but they didn’t remove the cuffs. I rubbed my wrists as the metal loosened, trying to ease the pain even though my fingers still trembled.

“You were not meant to return here,” Edric continued. “But fate has a strange way of correcting what others tried to hide.”

“I didn’t return anywhere,” I snapped weakly. “I don’t even know this place. I was drugged . I didn't choose any of this.”

He stared at me for a long moment, like he was assessing whether I was lying. “You will understand in time. For now, you must face the King.”

My knees buckled when they tried to lift me to my feet. The guards held me steady on either side. My legs felt like jelly.

As we walked or more like, dragged me down a dim hallway lit with floating orbs of bluish flame, I caught glimpses of carved stone walls, ancient sigils glowing faintly, and the scent of something earthy, like moss and dust mixed with incense.

It was all too much.

What kind of place was this?

The hallway twisted into a spiral staircase. With each step, I felt like I was descending deeper into something I wasn’t meant to see. My head pounded Voices echoed from above, chants and commands I couldn’t understand.

At the end of the corridor, two tall golden doors stood closed. There was something ominous about them. As the Sentinel stepped forward and touched the center of the door, the markings lit up and creaked open slowly, revealing a grand throne room.

Massive pillars lined the walls, made of black stone that shimmered like obsidian. A fire pit roared at the center, casting flickering shadows across the marble floor. Above it all, seated on a raised platform, was a tall man in a dark crimson cloak.

The King.

I didn’t need anyone to say it. His presence filled the room like thunder. His hair was silver, like Edric’s, but longer. His face was stern, carved from stone, and his eyes... his eyes looked like they had seen a hundred lifetimes.

I couldn’t breathe.

He stood as I was brought forward and gave a slight nod. “So. She lives.”

Edric bowed slightly. “Yes, my King. The human girl has awakened.”

“Human?” I muttered. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

The King’s expression didn’t change. “Because you were raised as one. Hidden in the world of mortals. But you are not one of them, Solena.”

Hearing my name from his lips made me flinch.

“How do you know my name?”

“I am your father.”

My heart dropped.

Everything in my body stilled, even the parts that hurt. My mind was spinning, unable to process the weight of those words.

“No,” I whispered. “That’s not... possible.”

He stepped down from the throne slowly, towering over me as he approached. “It is not a question of possibility. It is true.”

“I don’t remember you,” I croaked, almost begging it to be false.

“You were taken from this kingdom as an infant. Your mother disobeyed the laws of Velmoura and ran away with you.”

I shook my head. “This is crazy. You kidnapped me. You drugged me!”

The King looked at me with cold indifference. “You will not speak to me with that tone again. You are in my kingdom now and you will learn your place.”

I backed away, but the guards held me firm.

The King turned his back. “Lock her in the eastern tower. I will summon her when the court is ready.”

And with that, he was gone.

I didn’t cry. Not yet. My brain was too numb for that.

But I knew, with every fiber of my being, that my life was no longer my own.