The Price Of Peace

Many years ago, in the kingdom of Lusterous, there lived Princess Aurelia, daughter of King Edgar and Queen Isabelle. Since childhood, her closest friend had been Tristan, the son of a royal guard.

Tristan's mother died when he was only three years old. The only thing he had left of her was her necklace.

When Aurelia was ten and Tristan was thirteen, Queen Isabelle passed away too. Seeing how deeply Aurelia grieved, Tristan gave her his late mother’s necklace, hoping it would comfort her.

She never took it off.

As they grew older, their friendship slowly turned into love. At seventeen, Aurelia often escaped the palace with twenty-year-old Tristan. They would sit together under a tree, dreaming of running away somewhere together, where they wouldn't have to worry about royal duties.

But their happiness did not last long.

Torvald, king of the neighboring kingdom of Glacier, threatened Lusterous with war for political reasons. The only way to prevent it was for Aurelia to marry his son, Prince Leonard. King Edgar was given three days to decide.

Edgar desperately begged his daughter to accept the marriage, but she refused. Her heart belonged to Tristan, and she would not marry another man.

Three days passed. Their time was up, and war began.

Before leaving for battle, Tristan held Aurelia’s hands.

“I promise you that Lusterous will win,” he told her. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure of that. For you, for our future children, and for the life we’re going to have together.”

But six months later, Lusterous was nearly destroyed. Thousands had died, almost no soldiers remained capable of fighting, and many had begun joining Glacier’s forces.

Yet Aurelia still refused to marry Leonard.

“Tristan will return,” she insisted. “Lusterous will win, and we’ll get married.”

She imagined their wedding on a beautiful sunny day, with guests from different kingdoms, music filling the air, and everyone dancing and celebrating. She imagined Tristan smiling beside her as they began their new life together.

But Aurelia was only a young girl who refused to leave her fantasies behind, because believing in them was easier than facing reality.

One night, Aurelia dreamed of Tristan. They stood surrounded by flames, with everything burning around them. He approached her, kissed her forehead without saying a word, and walked away.

“Tristan?” she called, but he did not turn back.

The following morning, a soldier arrived at the palace carrying Tristan’s helmet. It was covered in blood.

Aurelia stared at the helmet, her hands trembling. No words were necessary. She already understood.

A few days later, Edgar entered her chambers.

“You have no choice, Aurelia. I am your father, but I am also your king. And as your king, I command you to marry Leonard.”

This time, Aurelia did not argue.

The marriage agreement was accepted, and the war finally ended.

On her wedding day, Aurelia stood beside Leonard in a beautiful white gown, tears streaming down her cheeks. The guests believed she was crying from happiness.

But she was holding the necklace Tristan had given her seven years earlier, the one she had never taken off, remembering the boy she had loved since childhood.

Years later, Aurelia gave birth to her first son and named him Tristan. Leonard happily agreed, unaware of the story behind the name.

It was said that Aurelia and Leonard eventually grew to love each other.

But nobody knew that sometimes, late at night, Aurelia still cried as she remembered Tristan, the boy who had once promised her a future together.

Her first and last love.