Chapter 10 - The Golden Dawn
The countdown on the massive mechanical bomb reached exactly thirty seconds.
Sterling dropped his sword in absolute shock as the royal guards quickly arrested him and his men.
Marianne ignored the chaos and sprinted directly toward the glowing glass core of the weapon.
She looked at the blueprints one last time, recognizing a brilliant loophole her grandfather had hidden in the design.
Instead of locking herself inside the core, she inserted the key into the main external exhaust valve.
She twisted the key violently, forcing the internal gears to grind backward against their own momentum.
The machine let out a deafening, terrifying screech as the gears shattered against each other.
The glowing blue lights flickered rapidly before dying out completely, leaving the room in safe, total silence.
Arthur ran to Marianne, pulling her into a desperate, overwhelming embrace as the king proudly watched them.
Months later, the kingdom celebrated the most magnificent royal wedding in its entire history.
Prince Arthur stood at the altar, holding the hands of his beautiful new bride, Marianne.
King Henry sat comfortably on his throne, his health completely restored and his enemies permanently vanquished.
The kingdom enjoyed an era of unprecedented peace, prosperity, and joy under the guidance of the new royal couple.
Their love proved that true nobility came from the strength of one's heart, not the wealth of one's family.
That evening, as Marianne unpacked her old belongings in the royal chambers, she found her grandfather's silver locket.
She opened the small clasp and discovered a second, identical iron key hidden inside a secret compartment.
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A mysterious letter suddenly slid under her bedroom door, sealed with the black wax of a long-forgotten empire.
The elegant, ancient handwriting on the parchment read: "The first weapon sleeps, but the second has just awakened."
