Deep in the heart of the human lands, past the walls no Fae have crossed in centuries, tucked away in the royal gardens of one kingdom, lies a statue.
A relic from many generations ago, it has survived remarkably well. They— the studious groundskeepers and few nobles who come upon it— say that little is known about the curious monument with no known names or titles. Most suspect it to be a statement to the near-immortal race the humans had fought and won their freedom from in the War. Some even boasting that they knew it to be stolen from the Fae before the Wall went up. A trophy with a message carved into the stone should those cursed creatures ever set sight upon it again.
But it was none of those things.
A secret commission by Queen Andromache shortly after returning home from victory, the task went largely unnoticed during the extensive reconstruction period in the kingdom. Only she knew what her intent behind the memorial had been and only one other could ever understand— was the only one who ever had.
When choosing what words, if any, should be engraved, many titles came to mind: warrior, ally, queen in her own right, ambassador, friend, love. They all fit, but none encompassed her unresolved feelings or the person at the root of them.
So these words spilled forth as a silent-yet-defiant declaration to the world (to her) and a reassurance to herself as the years passed.
Maybe she wasn’t blessed or cursed with immortality, but this… this memory will remain.
@morweekofficial
