The Crown of Two Worlds

Hi! I am Yelena Elthorne, the princess of Eryndor. My life has been a fairytale. I have my loving family, my cute little pets, my friends, and my subjects. I have spent my life studying our history, finding ways to solve people's problems, and honing my fighting skills. All of my hard work will pay off, because on my 18th birthday, I will be crowned the ruler of Eryndor. My lifelong dream and goal will be achieved. Just like a fairytale, isn’t it?

By the way, I forgot to mention. Today is my 18th birthday. I am so excited! I am wearing a an ivory gown traced with golden flowers, light as air. With my sword and violin case strapped to my side, I walked down the aisle toward my mother on the platform. My friends and siblings cheered me on from the sidelines. I walked to my mother and bowed on one knee. Then she started,

“Good morning to everyone present here. We are assembled to present Princess Yelena Elthorne with the title of the next ruler. I, Lynora Elthorne, Lady Paramount, present Yelena Elthorne with the title of Serene Highness and the next ruler of Eryndor.”

She said these words while taking her sword from the sheath, blessing my shoulders with it, and presenting a crown to me. I bowed to her and rose up to address the people.

“My dearest people of Eryndor,
Today, I do not stand before you as just Yelena — your daughter, your friend, your sister. I rise as your ruler, entrusted with the hopes of this kingdom.

From childhood, I studied our history, learned from our struggles, and trained my mind, heart, and sword to be worthy of this honor.

But Eryndor’s strength has never rested on a crown. It lives in you — the farmers, the artisans, the warriors, and the families who keep love alive.

As your Serene Highness, I vow to lead with wisdom, fight with courage, and rule with compassion. Together, we will write the next chapter of Eryndor’s story.

Long live Eryndor!”

After my speech, I stepped down from the platform, bowed to the people, and left through the aisle. In my room, I changed quickly and went to the hall for the party. Avera rushed to hug me, with Owen and Atlas close behind, congratulating me. Soon my brother and his fiancée joined us, and we spent the evening eating, laughing, and talking together.

The party ended. I climbed into the carriage, the crown still heavy in my lap.
“Home,” I told the driver. The wheels rolled steady on the cobblestones. I let out a breath, fingers tracing the edge of my title. Then—

A jolt.  Wood shuddered. My hand slammed against the window frame.

Silence.
No hooves. No driver’s call. Only the hollow creak of the carriage itself. It swayed too gently, weightless. My stomach lurched. The air thinned. I leaned to the window.  The road was gone. The trees stretched sideways, their trunks climbing into the sky.The carriage wasn’t moving forward.

It was falling.

A violent crack split the air. The door burst open, slamming wide. My body slid, nails clawing at polished wood, catching nothing. Then I was outside. Weightless. Spinning. Hair whipping my face. The night rushed around me. The earth rose slowly, terribly certain. Impact. 

Darkness.

But what about my plans of making the kingdom flourish, my life as the ruler of the kingdom? Is this the end? Can I no longer achieve my dreams? What about my happy ending?

The next day,

“Mom!” “Miss Alderis!” I heard a few muffled sounds, calling someone. I felt like I was being carried. I saw a small figure, a boy crying, as my eyes closed.

I remembered the night of the coronation, when I was falling, and I suddenly jolted awake. I was not in my room — the ceiling was different, the colours more pink. As I sat up, I saw a small boy sleeping on my lap. He slowly woke up and called me Mom. “Father! Mom is awake!” he called out suddenly.

Just then, a man entered the room with a maid. His presence was imposing, his eyes sharp and searching.

“Evelora,” he said slowly, “are you… truly awake?”

Filled with confusion, I stood up, backing away from them. “Who are you? Why is he calling me Mom? Who is Evelora?”

The maid gasped. “Miss Alderis, how can you not recognise your own son and husband?”

His jaw tightened. He dismissed the maid with a flick of his hand. Only the boy and I remained with him. He studied me as though I were a stranger wearing his wife’s skin.

“If this is some trick,” he said coldly, “it will not end well for you. Speak carefully.”

“My name is Yelena Elthorne, princess of Eryndor. I don’t know how I came here, but I swear on my crown, I speak the truth.”

Darius’s gaze flicked to the boy—still clinging to me, whispering “Mom” under his breath—then back to me. He frowned, eyes narrowing.

“You hold yourself like Evelora,” he murmured. “Even now, the way your hand clings to the bedpost, the tilt of your shoulders… it is hers. And yet, your voice, your words—alien.”

“I’m not Evelora. I’m Yelena. You must believe me.”

He exhaled slowly, not entirely convinced. “Until I know what this is, you will remain here. But remember, Yelena of Eryndor—one false step, and I will see through you.”

The boy pressed his little face into me. “Father, it’s Mama,” he whispered.

And for just a moment, something flickered in Darius’s eyes—not certainty, but hope.

Days passed as I slowly got better. The maids, Eira and Callen, cared for me. They told me what Evelora used to do. Which flowers she liked, which lords wanted kind words, which servants trusted her most. I learned more from them than from the king. They also told me about Valoria. The kingdom was weak. Taxes were heavy, grain was short, and the council argued like children.

Life in Valoria was strange. Its halls were wide and regal, its people loyal, but always watching me.

When the maid laid out Evelora’s jewelry, I caught sight of a delicate silver comb inlaid with sapphires. My breath hitched. My hand lifted on its own, tracing the curve of the metal. “I’ve seen this before,” I whispered, though I couldn’t say where.

During a fencing lesson, I lifted Evelora’s practice sword. The balance was perfect—too perfect. My body moved as though it remembered the weight, even before my mind caught up. A guard muttered, “Miss Alderis fights like she never stopped.”

Darius’s stare lingered. “You say you are not Evelora,” he said one evening, “yet the blade remembers your hand better than mine. Tell me, Yelena—how do you explain that?”

I had no answer.

When I entered the council hall for the first time, everyone went quiet. Darius, sitting at the head, frowned. “You should rest.” “I need purpose,” I said and sat beside him. I looked at the papers on the table. “The grain shortage in the West is worse because tariffs were raised on river merchants. Remove them, and the grain will return.” The advisors stared at me. Rynel, silver-haired and cold-eyed, spoke slowly. Selvara, sharp-smiled and watchful, stayed silent. “Queens do not usually—” Rynel began.“Then maybe that was the mistake,” I said. Even Darius looked at me differently, as if seeing someone new.

In the weeks that followed, I joined in the work of Valoria. At dawn, I sparred with guards. People whispered about the queen who carried a sword. I spoke with scribes and workers, listening to their worries. Slowly, respect grew. But unease stayed. When I walked, whispers stopped. At night, I dreamed of Evelora, her red hair bright, her eyes warning me.

One evening, restless, I walked into Evelora’s chambers. The room still smelled faintly of lavender. Near the hearth, I found a loose stone. Behind it was a diary, its cover worn. I opened it. I feel watched, Evelora had written. Selvara’s words are sweet, but they hide poison. Rynel counsels too boldly. If anything happens to me, let this book be my voice. My hands shook. This was not fate. This was a warning.

I began to ask quiet questions. A stable boy said he had loosened the bolts on the royal kayaking boat, making the boat vulnerable to the currents. He said a noble lady ordered him. A maid remembered Selvara whispering, “When the queen falls, the kingdom will rise again.”

Bit by bit, the truth showed itself. Evelora had not died by storm. She had been murdered.

The moment came in the council chamber. Moonlight fell through the tall windows. 

Darius sat at the head, the advisors around him. Selvara smiled softly. Rynel stood firm like stone. I walked in with the diary. I put it on the table. “This was Evelora’s,” I said. “She feared betrayal. She named you, Rynel. And you, Selvara.”

Selvara’s smile broke. Rynel scoffed. “The late queen was fragile, full of fears.”

“Fragile?” I said. “She wrote your names. She warned of poison. A boy confessed he broke the kayaking boat under your order, Selvara. Evelora’s death was no storm. It was murder.”

Selvara hissed, “Lies from a servant?” “Truth,” I said. “Truth spoken at risk of his life.” Darius rose slowly. His voice was cold. “Is this true?” Rynel’s mask fell. “She was weak. She softened your rule, spoiled the boy. We only wanted Valoria to be strong.”

“You wanted power,” I said. “You killed a mother. You killed a queen. And you dared to call it best.” Selvara sneered. “And yet here you are, stronger than she was. Perhaps fate was wiser than she.” I slammed the diary shut. The sound echoed. “This was not fate. This was murder.”

“Guards!” Darius thundered. Soldiers stormed in. They seized Selvara and Rynel as their shouts filled the hall. I did not move. My hand stayed in Evelora's diary. Softly, I whispered, “You tried to warn him. You gave your life for Valoria. I will not let your sacrifice be in vain.” Just then at the end of the diary, few words started glowing, “Yelena… everything you’ve endured was not beside me, but within you. We were never different people. You are me — a soul who remembered her past but lost the life she now lives. That is the price of memory.”

I froze. That’s why Alaris and Darius always felt so familiar. In remembering my past, I had forgotten the most important people in my present.

Darius stepped forward. “Yelena,” he said softly, “you could forget everything, but you could never lose me. I waited for the day you found your way back.”

Alaris ran in and hugged me tightly, crying. “Mama… I don’t care if you forgot. I knew you’d come back. I love you.”

I whispered through my tears, “Thank you… for never giving up on me, for loving me, even when I forgot.”

Few days after, 

Hi! I am Evelora Alderis, the queen of Valoria, wife of Darius Alderis, mother of Alaris Alderis. I uncovered the secret to this fateful rendezvous.Even though I lost my memories, even though this life was no fairytale, I am grateful—for a family, for love, for belonging

And today I am on my way to receive the title of Serene Highness.

The great hall of Valoria was filled with banners of deep blue and silver. At the center stood Darius, tall and proud, holding the royal blade of Alderis. Beside him, little Alaris clutched a small silver circlet of flowers—his gift to me.

I walked the aisle slowly, my gown trailing behind me, the weight of the moment pressing on my shoulders. Yet unlike the coronation in Eryndor, I did not feel alone. Each step echoed not with fear, but with belonging.

Darius raised the sword, his voice steady and solemn:
“Before the people of Valoria, before the council and the crown, I honor Evelora Alderis. Not only as queen by name, but as Serene Highness, the heart and strength of this realm.”

The cold steel touched my shoulders, and for a heartbeat, I felt both Yelena of Eryndor and Evelora of Valoria within me, united at last.

Then Alaris placed the circlet upon my head with his small hands and whispered, “Long live Mama.” The hall erupted with cheers, voices rising like thunder.

I smiled, tears stinging my eyes. Once, I had dreamed of ruling Eryndor. Now, I had been given something greater—a family, a kingdom, and a second chance.

For today was not only the day I became Serene Highness of Valoria.
It was the day I truly became myself.

THE END