The rhythmic creak of the carriage wheels and the steady clatter of hooves filled the air as Queen Ravenna sat regally inside, her golden gown shimmering faintly in the filtered sunlight. Guards flanked the carriage, their imposing presence parting the bustling village crowd with ease. Ravenna’s icy gaze drifted over the villagers, barely taking note of their peasantry, her mind preoccupied with the task that had brought her to this quaint, forgettable place.

And then she saw her.

Her breath caught, a sudden stillness enveloping her as her piercing blue eyes locked onto a figure among the crowd. The sight of the woman struck her like a dagger to the heart—so familiar, yet so foreign. Time seemed to slow as Ravenna leaned forward, her fingers tightening around the edge of the carriage window. It couldn’t be, could it? But the resemblance was undeniable, down to the smallest, most intimate details etched into her memory. Her fiancée. Her love. Her princess, lost to the sea five years ago.

But she looked different now, clad in the plain garb of a commoner, her regal bearing masked by simplicity. And yet, there was no mistaking her—this was the woman Ravenna had mourned, the woman she had cursed the heavens for stealing from her.

“Stop the carriage,” Ravenna commanded sharply, her voice trembling with an emotion she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in years. As the vehicle came to a halt, she stepped down, her golden cloak sweeping the ground as she advanced. Her guards hesitated but followed at a respectful distance, unsure of her intentions.

Ravenna stood before the woman, her voice low, nearly breaking. “Is it truly you? After all this time… could it be?”