A home in ruins

Days have passed since you left the provincial capital. The haste in your departure allowed you to move faster than news and rumor. Or at least, faster than Imperial guards. Out on the road, with Vercion in tow, things felt different than before. You were constantly on edge around other people, always fearing that someone knew what you and your companion were guilty of, and were conspiring to do. _This is what treason must feel like, _you think. To be at war with your own country requires you to war with yourself. You remind yourself routinely that it's not really your country, just the one you were brought into by ****, and from that guilt sparks what the beginning of a rage those that conquered your home and made you forget.
The Queen, for her part, is as quiet on the journey as you are. That's to be expected, you reason quietly, given everything that just happened and what she's expected to come to terms with so soon. She's no doubt elated to be from slavery, but the atrocities inflicted upon her are probably still a heavy weight on her mind and soul. You make a promise inwardly, that you will not add to her trauma or predicament. You are her lone protector now, her lone subject, her lone advisor. It's up to you to help her through the grief and stress, not add to it.

In a gentle afternoon of late fall, you come over a gentle hill crest to see the first glimpse of the ruins of the old capital city. It was a shining beacon of it's day. The closest rival to the Imperial City, it was economically prosperous, culturally impressive, and a hub of diversity the likes of which could not be understood or tolerated by the larger neighbor. That phrase wasn't just metaphorical; it was at times called the Prism City for a massive and ornate crystal obelisk that sat atop the castle parapets. Gifts from the noble Dwarven clans high atop the mountains nearby, these prismatic jewels shone and reflected the sun for miles.

"Well" You nudge Vercion gently atop the horse to get her attention "Here it is Your Majesty. Home"

"Appropriate" she responds morbidly "a dessicate heap of debris. A kingdom of loss and failure. A monument of defeat and regret. It's a perfect home for me." You were surprised at the outburst, given how little she had spoken up to this point.

"I don't know about that" You respond with a tinge of **** optimism "Sure that was the past, but you also have a blank canvas here. We're looking at the future, not the past, and the future has nothing but opportunity. Our mission is going to be difficult, no doubt about that, but everything that is accomplished will be on us. On you, Your Highness"

"No pressure" She replied sarcastically "I wish I had your vision. I can't see beyond what this has always been. Beyond what I've always been."

"Well, I would only say that you've always been a Princess, now a Queen. You just didn't know it at the time. Nobody is going to expect you to do this all in a day, or single-handedly. Let's take things one step and one day at a time, okay? I assure you that it won't feel quite so overwhelming."

Vercion nods quietly in agreement as you continue forward to the ruins. It's a dismal, depressing site, but your imagination tries to see something beyond it. Given that even just the skeletal remains of this place are impressive, you wonder how radiant and wondrous the body that it supported must have been. What it could one day be, if you dare to hope. With each hoof step taken through the city, another ounce of loyalty to the Empire drains from your spirit. They were right, you realize, to keep your family and others away from this place. With not a building or stone left untouched, it would be impossible to forgive having seen it with your own eyes.

You arrive at the remnants of the castle proper a changed man, as you guide your new Queen and the gnome wizard along. The optimist in you, long since silent, has come out to stay "It may not be fit for a Queen now Your Majesty, but this space will be habitable enough for the three of us"

"If you say so Michael" Queen Vercion was stubborn in her melancholy "If this place was truly usable as a habitable place, it already would be. There's nothing here. If scoundrels and highwaymen don't even make their homes here, what does that say?"

"It says that they have terrible tastes, Your Majesty" The gnome piped. The humor, though well intentioned, only caused a groan in response.

"You'll see" You add "This will work in the end" Disembarking from your noble steed, giving her a long overdue rest, you walk into the castle ruins, finding your way into what was once the throne room. Although the war and following atrophy has caused damage, and looting stripped away nearly anything of value, the space was indeed, it would still serve a purpose of housing the three of you, barring rain or some severe weather. A peculiar smile rises to your face, as a single ray of light pokes through a hole in the ceiling, onto the throne itself; too heavy and cumbersome to have been taken away. It was if destined for this to occur, you feel. You guide Vercion by the hand, have her sit upon it.

You take a solemn knee as you look upon her"Miladay, sworn Queen Vercion Hajjat, Sovereign Ruler of the Prism City and the gloried Kingdom that springs from it, it is my humble honor to return you home to your kingdom. I am at your command. All that I have, all that I am in this life, I will stake upon returning this land to your proper rule,a nd restoring the land to its former glory."

The Queen looked extremely nervous and unsure of herself and the situation "Thank you" was all that she could make out at first. "Success or failure hinges upon your bravery and loyalty, and I have no doubt that you will never faulter in these regards." As she speaks, a tone shift begins, as if her own pessimism is finally washed away, for a moment "If we fail, it will only be by being overwhelmed by our ancient oppressors, and by nothing else. We will bring our kingdom back to life, or we will die with our last breath trying."