The journey to the castle felt like a dream, each mile a heavy weight in Elias's chest. His mind wandered, replaying the memories of Galena. Her laughter, fierce and free, echoed in his thoughts. He remembered the battles they fought side by side, the moments of fear and exhilaration, the comfort they found in each other's presence, and the intimacy they shared during their quiet nights together. She had been unstoppable, untouchable. How could she be gone? It didn't make sense.
The road to the castle was long and winding, the path narrowing through dense forests and fields that stretched endlessly beneath a heavy sky. Elias rode alone, his horse's hooves drumming steadily against the earth, a sound that seemed to echo the beating of his heart. He kept his gaze fixed ahead, but the scenery blurred as memories of Galena filled the spaces between the trees.
Her smile. Her eyes, alight with fire and defiance. The way she would never back down, never stop fighting for what she believed in, no matter the cost. He missed her more than he could bear.
With each mile, it became harder to deny the truth. She was gone. The woman who had shared his life, who had fought beside him - gone. The thought churned in his stomach, but somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered that he had to accept it. It was the only way forward.
As the spires of the castle finally came into view, Elias swallowed hard. The journey was almost over, and he was no closer to finding answers. He had to see her. He had to know why she was gone.
When he reached the castle gates, the soldiers barely gave him a second glance. His past as a knight had faded into the distant past, his identity lost among the countless others who had come to mourn Galena. No one recognized him, and Elias felt the sting of being forgotten. He wasn't the hero they spoke of in the towns and villages. To them, he was just another stranger.
The streets leading to the Hall of Heroes were lined with people in mourning. Wives wept, children clung to their parents, and men stood with heads bowed, lost in their grief. The air was thick with sorrow, a suffocating blanket that wrapped around Elias's chest and made it harder to breathe. Everywhere he looked, he saw faces he didn't know - faces that were strangers to him, yet united in their collective loss.
Elias walked among them, his steps heavy. He didn't feel like he belonged here, but he had no choice but to follow the path toward the Hall of Heroes. His feet carried him on, past the mourners, their quiet sobs and whispered prayers filling the air like a distant storm.
When he finally reached the Hall, he hesitated at the threshold. The great doors stood open, and inside, flickering candles cast long shadows against the walls. The air was thick with incense and the faint scent of flowers, but it was the silence that struck him most. It was a silence that held everything - the weight of grief, the reverence for the dead, the memory of a hero.
Elias took a deep breath and entered.
Inside, the grand hall was filled with people, some seated, others standing. Galena's body lay in a simple yet elegant display at the center, surrounded by roses and candles. Her body, draped in a cloak of rich crimson, seemed to shimmer in the soft light. Yet, despite the grandeur of the ceremony, Elias felt a pang in his chest. The room seemed too cold, too distant. The warmth that Galena had once carried with her was gone, replaced by an eerie stillness.
He slowly made his way to the front, feeling eyes on him, yet no one acknowledged him. He wasn't the knight they had once known. His presence seemed unnoticed, like a shadow in the sea of mourning faces.
Standing before her, Elias took a deep breath. A rose had been placed in his hand - one of many laid out in front of the casket for the mourners to offer their respects. The soft petals brushed against his palm as he held it before him, uncertain of what to do next.
The faces around him blurred as he lifted his eyes to the body in the casket.
A sharp, cold sensation gripped him. The room seemed to close in around him as his gaze fell upon the dead woman. He couldn't breathe. His chest tightened, his hands trembling as he took a step forward.
It wasn't her.
The woman lying before him was not Galena. Her face, though familiar in a strange way, was different - softer, pale, and eerily serene. Her eyes were closed, but Elias could tell from the faint curve of her lips, from the tilt of her head, that this was not the woman he had known, the woman he had fought beside, the woman who had once been so full of life. His heart began to pound in his chest, his pulse quickening as the reality of the situation sank in.
The rose slipped from his fingers, tumbling to the floor in an almost deafening silence. He stared, unable to comprehend the scene before him. His hands trembled as he leaned closer, his breath shallow.
He had known Galena. He had spent countless days and nights with her, and this... this wasn't her.
Panic began to rise in his chest, a cold dread creeping up his spine. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the words caught in his throat. How could they have made such a mistake? Why had no one told him? Where was Galena?
He turned around, desperate for someone, anyone, to explain. But the mourners around him continued in their grief, oblivious to his turmoil. No one seemed to notice his confusion, his horror. No one seemed to see that the body before him was not the one he had come to mourn.
Elias's breath quickened, his mind racing as the truth began to form in his mind. Something was terribly wrong. This wasn't Galena. And if this wasn't Galena, then where was she?
A terrible sense of dread settled over him, the funeral now a haunting backdrop to the growing realization that he had been lied to. Something far darker was at play, and only he could uncover the truth.
But first, he had to find her.
The ceremony continued around him, but Elias was no longer a part of it. His mind was elsewhere, his body trembling with the fear that, if he didn't act soon, he might never see Galena again.