Episode 1 — The Prince Who Was Born to a Crown
The palace bells began ringing before midnight.
One bell.
Then another.
Then another.
The sound traveled across the kingdom of Valoria, rolling through the sleeping villages and reaching even the farthest farms beyond the royal city.
People woke from their beds.
Some opened their windows.
Others stepped outside their homes and looked toward the golden palace standing proudly on the hill.
The palace was glowing beneath the moonlight.
Something important had happened.
A royal child had been born.
The heir to the throne.
The future king of Valoria.
But inside the palace, nobody was celebrating.
A scream echoed through the queen’s chambers.
“Please!”
Queen Elara gripped the sheets beneath her trembling hands as another wave of pain tore through her body.
Her long dark hair was soaked with sweat, and her face had lost most of its color.
The royal physician stood beside her, his expression tense.
“Push, Your Majesty.”
“I can’t…”
“You must, Your Majesty. The baby is almost here.”
Elara closed her eyes.
She tried to breathe.
Another contraction came.
She cried out.
“Edric…”
Her voice was weak.
“Where is the king?”
“He is outside, Your Majesty.”
“Tell him…”
She stopped to catch her breath.
“Tell him I love him.”
The physician looked at her carefully.
“You can tell him yourself.”
Elara forced a small smile.
“I hope so.”
Outside the chamber, King Edric paced restlessly.
He had been walking for hours.
He had never been this afraid in his life.
Not during battles.
Not when enemies had threatened his kingdom.
Not even when he had once stood alone on a battlefield surrounded by soldiers who wanted him dead.
Nothing had frightened him as much as the possibility of losing his wife.
He stopped when he heard another scream.
“Why isn’t the child here yet?”
One of the servants lowered her head.
“The physician is doing everything he can, Your Majesty.”
Edric stared at the closed doors.
“Elara…”
He wanted to enter.
He wanted to hold her hand.
He wanted to tell her that everything would be fine.
But the royal guards stood firmly before the doors.
The king looked at them.
“Move.”
“Your Majesty, the physician ordered that nobody enter.”
“I am the king.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And that is my wife in there.”
The guards exchanged nervous glances.
Edric stepped toward the door.
Before he could touch it, another scream came from inside.
He froze.
His anger disappeared.
“Elara…”
He whispered her name like a prayer.
Then suddenly—
A baby’s cry pierced through the chamber.
Everything became silent.
King Edric stopped breathing for a moment.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
“My son.”
The doors opened.
The royal physician stepped outside, carrying a tiny child wrapped in white cloth.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
Edric rushed toward him.
“Is he healthy?”
“Yes.”
“The baby?”
“He is strong.”
The king stared at the tiny child.
His son.
His heir.
His entire future was suddenly lying in the physician’s arms.
Edric carefully took the baby.
For the first time that night, tears filled his eyes.
The newborn opened his tiny mouth and made a soft sound.
Edric laughed quietly.
“He’s beautiful.”
The physician smiled.
“He has your eyes, Your Majesty.”
Edric looked down at him.
“No.”
He gently touched the baby’s cheek.
“He has his mother’s strength.”
The baby’s tiny fingers suddenly wrapped around his thumb.
Edric’s heart melted.
“My son.”
He swallowed hard.
“Prince Aren.”
The physician bowed his head.
“Prince Aren.”
The king looked toward the queen’s chamber.
“Take me to my wife.”
The physician’s smile disappeared.
“Your Majesty…”
Edric immediately noticed the change in his expression.
His heart dropped.
“What?”
The physician looked down.
“I’m sorry.”
Edric stared at him.
“Sorry for what?”
The physician hesitated.
“The queen…”
“No.”
Edric’s voice became cold.
“What happened to the queen?”
The physician lowered his head.
“We did everything we could.”
“No.”
Edric pushed past him.
“Move.”
He entered the chamber.
The smell of medicine filled the room.
Several servants stood silently along the walls.
Nobody looked at the king.
Edric’s eyes immediately found his wife.
Elara lay motionless on the bed.
Her face was pale.
Her beautiful eyes were closed.
Edric slowly approached her.
“Elara?”
Nothing.
He sat beside her.
He reached for her hand.
It was cold.
His fingers trembled.
“Elara, our son is here.”
Silence.
Edric looked toward the baby in his arms.
“He’s beautiful.”
His voice cracked.
“You should see him.”
Nothing.
He carefully placed the baby beside her.
“Look at him.”
He touched Elara’s cheek.
“You wanted to meet him.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“You told me you wanted to hold him first.”
Still nothing.
The king leaned closer.
“Please wake up.”
A tear rolled down his cheek.
“You can’t leave me.”
His voice broke completely.
“Not after everything we’ve been through.”
He took her hand and pressed it against his face.
“You promised me.”
The room remained silent.
Behind him, the physician lowered his head.
Queen Elara was dead.
The woman who had been the heart of Valoria was gone.
But her son had survived.
And he was now the heir to the throne.
Before sunrise, the entire kingdom knew that a prince had been born.
They also learned that their beloved queen had died.
The celebration that should have filled the palace became a night of mourning.
Black cloth was placed over the palace gates.
The royal musicians stopped playing.
Servants whispered through the corridors.
Soldiers stood silently outside the queen’s chambers.
And King Edric refused to leave his wife’s side.
He held baby Aren in his arms and stared at Elara for hours.
He had lost the woman he loved.
But he had gained a son.
A son who would one day inherit the crown.
A son who would carry his mother’s blood.
A son who would become king.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Because while the kingdom mourned, someone else was watching.
On the other side of the palace stood a man alone on a balcony.
He was dressed entirely in black.
His name was Kael.
King Edric’s younger brother.
He had heard everything.
The queen was dead.
The prince was alive.
And the throne remained out of his reach.
Kael stared toward the nursery.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
For twenty years, he had watched his brother wear the crown.
For twenty years, he had smiled.
He had bowed.
He had called Edric “Your Majesty.”
He had stood beside him during royal celebrations and pretended to be proud.
But behind every smile was resentment.
Kael had always believed that the crown should have belonged to him.
And now, just when he thought his brother might one day die without an heir…
A prince had been born.
Kael’s fingers tightened around the balcony railing.
The child had ruined everything.
He stared into the darkness.
“A son…”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“A male heir.”
His jaw tightened.
“As long as that child lives, the throne will never be mine.”
A servant suddenly approached from behind.
“My lord?”
Kael turned.
“What?”
“The king has ordered that the prince’s birth be celebrated throughout the kingdom tomorrow.”
Kael smiled.
“Of course he has.”
The servant hesitated.
“Is there anything else you require?”
Kael looked toward the nursery again.
“No.”
He paused.
“Not yet.”
The servant bowed and walked away.
Kael remained alone.
The wind moved through his dark hair.
He looked toward the room where the newborn prince slept.
“Enjoy your first night in the palace, little prince.”
His smile slowly disappeared.
“Because one day…”
His eyes hardened.
“…that crown will belong to me.”
Inside the nursery, baby Aren slept peacefully.
He was surrounded by royal guards.
Protected by his father’s love.
Protected by the walls of the palace.
Protected by the entire kingdom.
But none of them knew the truth.
The greatest danger to the prince wasn’t outside the palace.
It was already inside.
And the man who wanted him gone…
was his own uncle.
Twenty years later, the kingdom of Valoria would believe Prince Aren was dead.
But they would be wrong.
To Be Continued…
