In the dimly lit throne room, Elara reclined upon the ornate throne, a smirk playing upon her lips as she surveyed the scene before her. Guards stood sentinel on either side of the crimson carpet, their eyes glinting with a mixture of obedience and apprehension.
"Bring him in," Elara commanded, her voice laced with icy authority. The massive doors, adorned with intricate carvings of Britannian history, swung open, admitting John into the opulent chamber. He strode forward with a stoic demeanor, his gaze fixed on the majestic ceiling adorned with gilded frescoes depicting the triumphs of past monarchs.
As John approached, memories of Mary flooded his mind, each step a painful reminder of his loss. His heart ached with the weight of grief and anger, yet he maintained his composure, refusing to show weakness in the presence of his enemies.
"Look at me, peasant," Elara sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. John met her gaze head-on, his eyes burning with a quiet defiance that seemed to unnerve even the formidable Queen.
"Bow down to me," Elara commanded, her tone laced with venom. John remained steadfast, his spine straight and unwavering. "Your not my Queen, Elara," he declared, his voice echoing with a steely resolve.
Enraged by his defiance, Elara issued a chilling decree. "Guards, kill the baby," she ordered, her lips curling into a malicious grin. John's heart clenched in fear, but he remained resolute, shielding Juli from harm with his own body.
With a mocking laugh, Elara taunted John, her words dripping with malice. "Choose a number between one and twenty," she taunted, relishing in his torment. John's mind raced as he weighed his options, knowing that whatever fate he chose would seal Juli's future.
"Fifteen," John replied, his voice steady despite the turmoil raging within him. Elara's smirk widened, her eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "A fitting choice," she mused, her mind already calculating the horrors she would unleash on Juli's fifteenth birthday.
Fifteen years later, as Juli's birthday approached, the throne room buzzed with anticipation. Elara, now firmly entrenched in power, reveled in the chaos she had wrought, her eyes gleaming with sadistic delight.
"Uncle John, what are we doing for my fifteenth birthday?" Juli asked, her voice filled with innocence and curiosity. John's heart clenched at the reminder of the vow he had made to Mary so many years ago.
As he gazed into Juli's golden eyes, John knew that the time had come to confront the shadows of their past and fight for the light of their future.