
Before the Vows
The palace sleeps around her. Beyond the carved stone corridors, preparations continue. Voices rise and fall. Jewelry is adjusted. Garlands are arranged. Families gather. A ceremony waits. But none of it has reached this corner yet. Here, there is only a small brass flame. And a young woman standing beside it. Her eyes remain lowered. Not from shyness. Not from fear. From thought. The gold around her neck carries the weight of tradition. The red silk carries the weight of expectation. And somewhere beyond these walls waits a future that has not yet begun. For one final moment, she stands alone. Not yet wife. No longer simply daughter. Suspended between two lives.




























