Striker of The Gods

Sisters Across Thrones

The secure video call was arranged late at night through encrypted channels used only for the most sensitive royal matters. Leonor sat in her private winter study, wearing a loose emerald robe that concealed the gentle swell of her belly. The room was dimly lit, candles flickering softly on the ancient oak desk.

The screen flickered to life.

For a long moment, the two sisters simply looked at each other  the heir and the spare, bound by blood and divided by ambition.

Leonor (voice steady, but carrying quiet steel): You already know. Don’t insult me by pretending otherwise, Sofía. You always know everything that happens inside these walls. Pero que sos asi? que eres mi hermana. Te he amado y dedicado todo lo que he hecho. Realmente, sos mia.

Sofía’s smile was gentle, almost sisterly, but her eyes were sharp as broken glass.

Sofía: Of course I know. A child. With him. (soft, almost affectionate laugh) Even after your beautiful declaration on the Bernabéu… even after choosing Spain in front of the entire world… you still let the storm inside you. You couldn’t let go.

Leonor (stepping closer, hand never leaving her belly): This child is not a mistake. It is the only honest thing I have done since I stood on that pitch and broke both our hearts. You recorded yourself in the dark, smiling at the thought of taking my place. You sharpened knives while I was bleeding for the crown. And now you stand here acting like the dutiful younger sister.

Sofía’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second — a flicker of real hunger, perhaps jealousy, perhaps triumph.

Sofía: I did what was necessary. Spain needs stability. Not a queen distracted by a man who scores more goals than sense. Not a future ruler with chaos running through their veins. (voice lowering, almost tender) I love you, Leonor. Truly. But love has never been stronger than legacy. You taught me that the night you chose the crown… and then secretly carried his child anyway. Te lo mereces tia. No te estimo ni nada. Sos un fracaso como princesa. Tu linea real es baja. Sos una puta.

Sofia goes away.

Princess Charlotte of Wales appeared, dressed casually in a cream sweater, her hair loose. The two young royals had formed a genuine friendship years ago during state visits  two women born into crowns they never asked for, carrying expectations heavier than most could imagine.

Charlotte’s face immediately softened with concern.

Charlotte: Leonor… I’ve been worried since your declaration on the pitch. The whole world watched you choose Spain. You looked so strong, but I saw the pain in your eyes. How are you holding up?

Leonor took a slow breath, one hand instinctively moving to rest on the curve of her stomach beneath the robe. Her voice was quiet, but steady.

Leonor: I’m pregnant, Charlotte. With Caos’s child.It is nearly impossible to explain unless you’ve experienced it yourself. I came from a big, very happy loving family. I love my parents & siblings very much! I love my aunts, uncles, cousins nearly as much as my immediate family. I know they love me back. I have great friends I love & think they are the best people in the world. I was older when I had my first child, so I’d been in ’romantic’ love (and lots of temporary lust, lol), in long term relationships, more than once. But the love I feel for my child was like nothing I ever experienced. Pero que carajo. No se que realmente hacer. El es todo para mi. Sin el, ya realmente no se que hace. Debo hacer algo

It’s all encompassing, it’s primal, and it’s the scariest thing & the most amazing thing in the world all at the same time. It’s a billion times stronger in comparison to the love I’ve felt for anybody else. It changed my relationship with my own parents forever, because I finally KNEW how much they loved me. Even if it was a fraction of what I felt for my own child, it was a shocking revelation to me. I mean, most of us know our parents love us, right? But until you feel that love for your own child, you truly have no idea how deeply & fiercely a parent loves their child.

A beat of silence. Charlotte’s eyes widened, then filled with understanding and deep empathy.

Charlotte: Oh, Leonor… (leans closer to the camera, voice soft) Does anyone else know?

Leonor: My parents know. Sofía knows. The lawyers are already reviewing the succession laws. I chose the crown publicly… and then carried his child in secret. I thought I could protect both  Spain and the life we created. But now everything feels like it’s cracking.

Charlotte (voice warm, but carrying the weight of someone who understood royal cages all too well): I know that feeling too well. The impossible weight of expectation. The fear that one personal choice could unravel centuries of tradition. A child changes everything. This isn’t just about you and Caos anymore. It’s about bloodlines, legitimacy, and the future of two nations. (soft smile) He’s the man who breaks every record, every limit. And now he’s going to be a father. The world will lose its mind when this comes out.

Leonor (tears glistening as she gently rubs her belly): I feel him moving sometimes. This tiny storm inside me. He already has his father’s fire — restless, powerful, refusing to be contained. But Sofía… my own sister… she sees this child as the final obstacle to the throne she’s always wanted. She’s been preparing for years. And now I’ve handed her the perfect weapon.

Charlotte (expression darkening with quiet understanding): Family can be the cruelest battlefield. I’ve seen it in my own life. The quiet ambitions, the hidden knives. You have to decide what kind of queen and what kind of mother  you want to be. The crown is heavy, but so is the guilt of denying your child their father. (leans in, voice warm and supportive) Whatever you choose, you don’t have to carry it alone. I’m here. England has always had room for friends who need to breathe outside their own palace walls.

Leonor (smiling through tears, voice gaining strength): Thank you. Truly. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. But I know I won’t give this child up. Not for the crown. Not for Spain. Not for anything. If the Cortes wants to remove me from the line of succession… then perhaps the crown was never worth keeping if it demands I erase the only honest thing I’ve done in years.

Charlotte: Then fight for both, Leonor. The crown and the child. The world has never seen a queen like the one you could become — one who carries both duty and love without apology. And Caos… that man breaks every rule. Maybe he’s exactly what a future monarch needs — someone who reminds them that even thrones can bend.

The call ended with warm promises to speak again soon and offers of discreet support.

Leonor sat in silence for a long time afterward, hand gently cradling her belly, feeling the faint flutter of the child who carried both royal blood and chaotic fire.

Leonor (whispering to her unborn child): Your father is out there breaking the world with every touch of the ball. And I am here… trying to hold two worlds together for you. Whatever happens… you will be loved. Fiercely. By a mother who once chose duty… and by a father who never learned how to choose anything less than everything.

Outside the palace walls, Madrid slept under a quiet sky.

Inside, a future queen prepared to fight for a future that no law, no sister, and no crown could easily contain.

To be continued…