The swirling portal hummed behind Sir Vaelis, casting a pale glow across Sparrow's tiny living room. Lyria stared at it, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
Go back now?
With her magic unstable?
With a fake monarch sitting on her throne?
Her stomach twisted.
"Sir Vaelis…" Lyria whispered. "I can't."
Vaelis blinked. "Your Majesty—"
Lyria raised a shaking hand. "I mean it. If I go back now, I'll be captured in five minutes. I can't control my powers yet."
Almost on cue, the potted plant in the corner suddenly sprouted glittery vines.
Puff slapped his tiny forehead.
Vaelis stared at the plant. "…That is concerning."
"Exactly!" Lyria pointed at it accusingly. "Look at that! I'm basically a magical hazard zone!"
Sparrow, still frozen in place, tried to nod in agreement.
Vaelis sighed — a rare sound from a knight who seemed carved from ice.
"Your power was always volatile, but this…" He studied Lyria carefully. "Whoever banished you likely damaged your core."
Lyria flinched. Her chest felt tight, like someone had squeezed her heart.
"My core… can it be fixed?"
Vaelis hesitated.
Puff immediately answered for him.
"Yes! But only with training!" he squeaked.
Vaelis's jaw tightened. "And time," he added softly.
Lyria exhaled shakily. "Then I'm not ready to return."
Vaelis opened his mouth to argue.
Lyria lifted a hand — glowing with faint sparkles — and spoke with surprising firmness.
"I won't go back half-broken. If you want your queen back, then give me time to become one again."
Vaelis froze.
For a moment… Lyria saw something flicker across his face.
Respect?
Relief?
Fear?
She couldn't tell.
Finally, Vaelis stepped back and lowered his hand.
"…Very well," he said quietly. "I will report that you are… undergoing recovery."
Puff cheered. Sparrow made a muffled "mmh!" sound.
The portal behind Vaelis began to shrink as he prepared to return.
But just before stepping through, he looked back at Lyria.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Be careful, Your Majesty. The one who stole your throne… isn't just a pretender."
Lyria's breath caught.
Vaelis continued, "They possess powers that should not exist. Not even for fairies."
Her wings trembled. "What kind of power?"
He glanced at her, expression darkening.
"Anti-fairy magic."
A shiver ran through Lyria's entire body.
Forbidden magic.
Destructive. Poisonous. Deadly to fairykind.
Puff turned pale (or paler than usual).
Sparrow visibly panicked even though he couldn't move.
Vaelis stepped backward into the shrinking portal.
"I will return in one month," he said.
"But Lyria—"
The portal flickered.
"Until then… trust no one."
With a final spark of light, he vanished.
Silence filled the room.
A beat passed.
Then—
WHAM!
The refrigerator fell from the ceiling.
Sparrow finally unfroze and screamed, jumping five feet in the air.
Puff covered his face. "Back to normal, I see."
Lyria stared at the spot where the portal had been… heart thudding.
Someone had stolen her kingdom.
Someone dangerous.
Someone using forbidden magic.
And she had only one month before Vaelis returned.
She clenched her fists.
"Anti-fairy magic or not," she whispered, "I'm taking my throne back."
Her wings sparked — not chaotically, but with a clear, determined glow.
For the first time since her exile, Lyria felt something real inside her chest:
Resolve.
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