Chapter 49: chapter 49

S A N M A Y II stood at the edge of the balcony, watching as the smoke of revolt rose over the horizon. It had been days since I first heard the rumors of unrest—whispers of betrayal, of those who had fought for the rebellion now turning their swords against the kingdom they had once fought to bring down. It had seemed inevitable, this cycle of violence, but knowing it was coming did nothing to dull the weight of it.Amaravati was a city on the cusp of another war, a city where the echoes of the past battles reverberated with every step, every breath. And I was its queen now, though it felt more like a curse than a title. The people—those who had fought so hard for the freedom they had never known—now turned their anger upon me. They saw my alliance with Ranajay as a betrayal, a betrayal of everything I had promised them, and it stung more deeply than any sword ever could.I could feel the unease settling in my chest like a cold, damp stone. My past choices had caught up with me, and now, the very people who had once called me their leader were the ones who stood in opposition. The rebels had been my family, my comrades. I had fought for them, bled for them. And now they saw me as one of the enemy. How had it come to this?"Your Majesty," a voice called from behind, breaking my reverie. It was Tanvik, one of the remaining leaders of the rebellion who had come to pledge his allegiance to me after the fall of my father’s kingdom.I turned, trying to mask the bitterness I felt. "Tanvik," I greeted him, my tone colder than I intended."The rebels are gathering at the city’s borders," he said, his face grim. "They march toward the capital, demanding you answer for your alliance with Ranajay."My heart clenched at the mention of his name. Ranajay. A name that, in some ways, I both hated and… wanted. In the years of my deepest anger, I had never imagined I would find myself standing beside him, trying to rebuild a broken kingdom together. But now, with the kingdom teetering on the edge of collapse, that fragile alliance seemed less like salvation and more like the final nail in the coffin."They will not listen to reason," Tanvik continued, his words a bitter reminder of my failure to keep the rebellion united. "They believe you’ve sold out the very cause you swore to fight for. Your name no longer inspires, Sanmayi. It strikes fear. Betrayal runs deep among the people.”"I know," I murmured, stepping away from the balcony’s edge. The weight of the crown, of leadership, was heavier than I could bear at this moment. "And yet, I find myself wondering if I was ever meant to be their leader, or if I was simply the tool they used to achieve their ends.""You were their beacon," Tanvik replied softly, but there was no denying the wariness in his eyes. "Until you weren’t."I turned away, pressing my hands to the stone wall as if I could steady myself against the tide of uncertainty. "It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the one who freed them, not the one who condemned them to another war. The cycle was supposed to end."But it hadn’t. The battle for the throne, the war for freedom, had left nothing but ashes in its wake. I had wanted peace, yet peace had never come. And now, even my own people were turning against me.Tanvik’s voice was quieter now, tinged with doubt. "What will you do, then? Will you stand with us, or will you stand with him?" He gestured vaguely toward the palace, where Ranajay’s forces had stationed themselves, ready to defend the kingdom.I didn’t answer immediately, the question hanging in the air like a thick fog. What could I do? There were no easy answers, no right or wrong choices anymore. What I had once fought for—the promise of freedom for my people, the justice I had hoped to bring—seemed further and further away with each passing day. And as I thought of Ranajay, of the man I had once seen as my enemy, the man whose presence now filled the empty spaces of my life, I felt the pull of everything that was both right and wrong."I have no illusions left, Tanvik," I finally said, my voice rough. "I am not the same person I was when this all began. And neither is Amaravati. We are all broken.""You’re not broken," he said quickly, his voice firm. "But you are torn. Between the kingdom that needs you, and the people who once followed you." He paused, studying me carefully. "What will you do, Sanmayi? Will you let history repeat itself, or will you make your stand and stop this madness?"I closed my eyes, the weight of the moment crashing down on me. What had I become? Was I the same woman who had dreamed of a better world? Was I still capable of that dream, or had I sold it to survive, to live in the shadow of the very man who had once been my enemy?And as I thought of the rebellion, of the ideals I had once clung to so fiercely, I realized that I wasn’t the same. But was it too late to make a difference now?"I have no choice," I said softly, my gaze turning toward the distant horizon, where the first hints of the rising sun painted the sky in shades of crimson and gold. "I have to make a choice, Tanvik. But in the end, whatever I decide, I will have to live with the consequences.""Then you will not face them alone," he said quietly, his eyes steady.I nodded, but there was no comfort in his words. There was only the harsh reality of what had to be done.The kingdom was divided. And I, standing on the precipice of this fractured world, had to choose between the two paths before me: the one that led to peace with Ranajay, or the one that led to rebellion against him. Either way, the cost would be high.And the reckoning would come, no matter what choice I made.