The scent of healing herbs hangs heavy in the air as I enter my father's chambers. Moonlight streams through the crystal windows, casting prismatic patterns across the marble floor where my father lies on his silken bed, his once-vibrant silver hair now dull and lank against the pillows. His breathing is shallow, each inhalation a faint rattle that sends a cold shiver down my spine despite the warm hearth fire crackling nearby.

"Princess Adelaide," murmurs Thalion, the head healer, stepping aside with a grave expression. "Your father's condition has worsened overnight. The magic is fading from him."

I approach the bed, my soft leather boots making no sound against the stone. My father's skin has taken on an unnatural grayish pallor, and dark circles ring his closed eyes. When I take his hand, it's cold, much colder than it should be for an elf of his stature and power.

"Ada..." he whispers, his eyes fluttering open for a moment to fix on me. There's something urgent in his gaze, a warning I can't quite decipher before his eyes slip closed again and he drifts back into restless sleep.

The chamber door creaks open behind me, and I turn to find my older brother, Prince Kael, standing in the doorway with two council elders flanking him. Their expressions are grim, their eyes assessing me like I'm already a threat to their plans. The weight of what's to come settles over me like a heavy cloak, and I realize with sudden clarity that the quiet life I've known is over.