The princess arrived at the ruins guided by providence.
Here, in the bottommost reliquary, lay her Ancestral Sword. The magic in her bloodline would lead her to it, and then, after years in exile, she would use it to regain the throne. She had trained all her life for this duty, in order to restore her dynasty to glory.
She avoided the traps and hidden dangers and fended off the beasts that nested in the tunnels.
Finally, she came to the dais where the sword lay waiting. When she picked up the ancient weapon, it fell apart in her hands.

Rapier of Prince-Elector Christian II of Saxony (1583–1611)

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.