Aila sighed, staring down at the ground before the throne- Xander had always said the crown was a heavy burden, and it had never felt more true now. He was gone, Camilla disappeared, Leo depressed and Elise with her eldest brother. Hoshido and Nohr had reached an agreement, both nations torn asunder. Kam was long gone, too, Ryoma and Takumi dead and gone, Sakura gone from a gentle blossom to a hardened woman and Hinoka from brave and blazing to a shell of herself.
And her sisters, gone- long gone. Azura disappeared, Aqua foam. Orphie dead.
She found most of her days were occupied like this- awaken, walk to the throne, sit and stare into space alone with her grief, then return upstairs and stare into the ceiling until sleep came. Sometimes an old friend would arrive with comfort, sometimes Niles could convince her to leave the castle for a few hours before she would close up once more.
But they were all broken up, nothing like they used to be.
This day was much like any other, the skies gray and rain threatening but never coming, the only sound the gentle turning of the pages in the book that someone- ah, Jakob- was reading.
At least until the doors of the throne room burst open. A soldier came running in, kneeling before speaking.
“Milady! There is a woman here to see you! She... she looks just like Lady Azura. Light blue hair, dark dress, gold eyes.”
His words echoed through the room, Aila’s jaw dropping. It took her a moment, but finally she composed herself.
“... Please... bring her here.”
