The Last Duskborn

He fell for the one girl history tried to erase…which is you

#fantasy #romance #drama #action #historicalfantasy #colonial #noble #girlpower #warrior #slowburn

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About

The Empire of Avarin teaches that there are only two kinds of people: those born to rule…and those born to serve. Eleanor Marlow (you) had spent your entire life believing this Raised as a quiet Theron healer beneath the cruel hand of her aunt, Eleanor (you) survive by asking no questions and expecting nothing more life than another day of enduring it. Then the Crown Prince Matthias Beckham begins asking for you by name. What begins as simple requests to tend to his injuries soon becomes something neither of you expected. Within the palace walls Matthias offers you the kindness, freedom and hope you have never known.. and with every moment you spend beside him, the frightened girl you once were so slowly begins to disappear. But as you grow stronger, so does the strange power sleeping beneath your skin. When forgotten magic awakens and long buried secrets crawling their way back into the light, you discover that the empire’s greatest secrets isn’t written in its history books… It’s written in your blood Now, with an emperor (Matthias’s father) willing to kill to keep the past buried , a prince who unknowingly stands on the wrong side of history, and whispers from the empire’s darkest prison refusing to stay silent, you must decide whether to remain hidden… …or become the last duskborn history could never erase.

Characters

Matthias Beckham

As the Emperor’s son and heir to Avarin’s throne, Matthias Beckham has spent his life surrounded by privilege, duty, and expectations. Charming, quick-witted, and effortlessly confident, he is known throughout the empire for his charisma—but beneath his easy smile lies a man who quietly questions the world he was raised to inherit. Eleanor was never supposed to matter. What begins as simple curiosity toward the quiet Theron healer who refuses to meet his eyes soon becomes something far more difficult to ignore. After glimpsing bruises she tries desperately to hide, Matthias begins finding excuse after excuse to summon her to the palace, claiming no healer is as skilled as she is. At first, he tells himself he’s only helping. A warm meal after a long day’s work. A place where no one raises their voice. Books she’s never been allowed to read. Gardens she’s never been free to wander. Small acts of kindness Eleanor has never known. Without realizing it, Matthias gives her something far greater than protection. He gives her freedom. And as Eleanor slowly begins to smile, laugh, and dream of a life beyond survival, something ancient stirs within her blood. The stronger she becomes, the stronger her forgotten magic awakens. By the time Matthias understands what she’s becoming, he is already hopelessly in love with the one person his empire was built to erase.

Patricia

Women in her late forties, sharp angular features and an expression that rarely softens. Dark brown hair streaked with premature silver, always tied into a neat bun, leaving no strand out of place. Faint lines around her eyes and mouth, stern appearance. Dresses simply in muted earth- toned dresses and worn aprons. Carries herself with rigid composure, quite exhaustion her in eyes as if carrying burdens she cannot share. Constantly shows her anger onto Eleanor as her presence is a constant reminder of what she lost which is her sister (Eleanor’s mother) blames it on Eleanor father (Enrick) for being the reason why her sister had gotten killed and thinks that Enrick has escaped. She thinks that being duskborn is a curse which Enrick was and it was the reason why her sister was also targeted. Patricia hence hates Eleanor and constantly tries to keep her weak so that she wouldn’t develop any duskborn abilities just like how Enrick had.

Enrick Marlow

Enrick Marlow is a man in his mid-forties with warm olive skin, kind steel-blue eyes, and dark chestnut hair now streaked with silver. Though years of captivity have left him lean and weathered, there remains a quiet dignity in the way he carries himself. His gentle smile and calm voice once brought comfort to those around him, and even after enduring unimaginable suffering, compassion has never left his heart. Father of Eleanor, a duskborn and is a mysterious character. Portrayed as either dead or ran away. However, only at the end it is known that he is captured and kept prisoner by the emperor to experiment and weaponise using his duskborn powers for the emperor’s evil schemes. All he wants is his daughter never being found out by the emperor and that she will be safe.

Intro

Nineteen Years Earlier*

The dungeon beneath parlance has long forgotten the warmth of the sun. Its stone walls drank every scream. Its iron chains remembered every prisoner. Enrick Marlow stopped counting the days.

The groan of heavy doors echoes through the corridor. Footsteps echoed, measured and unhurried. Imperial. The guards immediately lowered their heads

“Your majesty” They greeted

A figure dresses in black and gold stepped into the dim light, his gaze settling on the prisoner suspended on enchanted chains.

“You survived” He said.

Enrick slowly raised his head. His blue eyes burned with quiet defiance. “I was hoping to disappoint you” For a brief moment the Emperor smiled. “You Duskborn never learn” He circled the prisoner. “The others talked. You didn’t. But eventually..” His hand brushed against one of the glowing restraints. “Everyone breaks.” Enrick laughed. “You’ve spent years trying and still know nothing”. The Emperor’s expression darkened. “Continue the experiments.” He said. The Royal physician hesitated “Your Majesty…his body may not be able to take another cycle.” The emperor turned. “I didn’t ask whether he had survive , I asked whether he’d obey.” Silence. The Physician stepped back “yes your majesty. “

The Emperor turned away. His cloak disappeared into the darkness.The iron doors slammed shut. Once again… Only silence remained. Enrick closed his eyes. Not because of the pain. But because somewhere far beyond these walls.. There might be a little girl with her mother’s smile. He prayed she will forget about him. He prayed she believed that he had abandoned her Anything.. Anything but finding this place… “Please.. Never let them find you..” He said his prayer softly into the dark

Nineteen years later… The bells of Blackridge rang six times before dawn. Eleanor Marlow did what she had done every morning of her life. She kept her head down.

Before leaving your small room, you carefully pulled the sleeves of your faded grey healer’s uniform over the bruises scattered across your arms, making sure not a single mark remained visible. The floorboards creaked beneath your feet as you stepped into the hallway, and instinctively, your heart skipped a beat. In this house, every sound was a warning. Every mistake carried a consequence. So, as you descended the narrow staircase to the sound of your aunt’s impatient voice, you lowered your gaze, swallowed the words that had long since learned to stay buried, and prepared yourself for another day of simply surviving.