It was the dead of night at the Royal Palace of the Human Kingdom. The entire corridors of the royal palace were asleep under the silver moon, except the soldiers at guard and servants doing their final tasks before retreating for the night. Only the soft glow of torches illuminated the many silent passages.
Inside the queen's bed chamber, however, was not as serene as it should be. A maid ran in breathlessly, her face a deathly white.
"Your Majesty..."
The queen lowered the book she had been reading from her lap. The queen was a serene, dignified woman, known throughout the kingdom as the kindest of all humankind. Seeing the maid's expression though, her heart tightened.
"What is it?" the queen asked gently.
The maid glanced nervously at the door before replying with trembling lips, "I... I heard the Royal Knight Captain speaking to the execution squad."
The queen's eyebrows drew together. "The execution squad? At this time of night?"
The maid spoke in a hushed tone. "They received an order from His Majesty."
Slowly, the queen rose from her seat. "And who are they to execute?"
The maid faltered. Her lips quivered for a few moments, then words came rushing out.
"Prince... Aurelian."
The room grew dead silent. The queen stared at the maid, as if she had heard her wrong.
"... What did you say?"
"T-the king has ordered the prince to be executed before the morning dawn."
The book slipped from the queen's hand, falling noiselessly to the floor. The queen simply stood frozen there, unable to process the sentence she had just heard. Her husband... The king... Had ordered their son to be killed.
"That... That can't be right," she stammered, but a cold dread was beginning to settle in her heart. She had been noticing for a long time that the king looked at Aurelian in a very peculiar way. It was not anger, nor hatred, but fear.
The queen's hands clenched. "No..." Turning swiftly toward the door, she commanded, "Fetch a messenger."
The maid looked surprised. "A messenger, Your Majesty?"
"Yes." Her voice became firm. "Summon Sir Valerian."
The maid's eyes widened in surprise. Sir Valerian was one of the most powerful battle-mages in the entire kingdom, he had served the queen's family long before she was even wed to the king, and most importantly, he was one of the few men the king himself feared.
"Hurry," the queen ordered, and the maid scurried away from the room without a further word.
Once alone, the queen walked to the window, looking out at the peacefully sleeping palace grounds. But as she gazed at them, the thought of soldiers readying to kill her son gnawed at her.
Her gaze hardened. "If the king really does intend to kill my son..." she whispered to the silent night, "...then I will betray the king."
And save her son.