Elara's POV
Hello, darling.
My mother's voice freezes my blood.
She stands in the center of the throne room, surrounded by twenty armed loyalists. Her crown glitters in the torchlight. Her smile is the same one she wore when she sentenced me to death five years ago.
Did you really think you could hide from me forever? she asks.
I can't move. Can't breathe. Can't think.
Cassian steps in front of me, sword raised. Queen Isadora. How unexpected.
General Thornwyld. Mother's eyes never leave me. I've come for what belongs to me. That girl. Hand her over.
She's under my protection.
She's a criminal. A murderer. And she's mine. Mother gestures to her soldiers. Seize her.
The loyalists move forward.
Cassian's soldiers block their path. Steel rings against steel. Magic crackles in the air.
The battle explodes.
Cassian grabs my arm, pulling me behind a pillar as swords clash around us. Stay down!
She recognized me, I gasp. How? How did she know?
Someone told her. His jaw clenches. Someone in the palace saw you and sent word.
A loyalist lunges at us. Cassian cuts him down without hesitation.
More attackers pour through the doors. Too many. We're outnumbered.
We need to fall back, Darius shouts, fighting three men at once. To the inner sanctum!
Cassian nods. Go! Everyone back!
His soldiers retreat in formation, protecting the doorway to the inner chambers. We stumble through, and they slam the heavy doors shut behind us.
But we're trapped now. Locked in with nowhere to run.
Mother's voice echoes from the throne room. You can't hide, Elara! I know you're in there!
She's using my real name. No more pretending.
There's a secret passage, I whisper to Cassian. Behind the east tapestry. It leads to the gardens.
He stares at me. How do you know that?
Because I grew up here. I meet his eyes. Because this was my home before it became yours.
Understanding dawns on his face. You're not just royal blood. You're
Princess Elara Ashenne. I say it out loud for the first time in five years. Third child of House Ashenne. Accused of murdering my brother. Framed by my mother. Sentenced to death.
The soldiers around us go silent.
Cassian's expression doesn't change. I know.
You what?
I've known since you healed me. He turns to Darius. Get everyone through the passage. Now.
But sir
That's an order!
Darius hesitates, then starts directing soldiers to the hidden door.
Cassian pulls me aside, voice low. Your mother didn't just attack randomly. She knew exactly when and where to strike. Someone inside told her you were here.
My stomach drops. A spy?
A traitor. His gray eyes burn with anger. Someone close enough to know you arrived this morning. Someone who could get a message out fast.
Before I can respond, the throne room doors explode inward.
Mother's forces pour through. Magic blasts. Steel clashes.
Go! Cassian shoves me toward the secret passage. Get to safety!
I can fight
I know you can. But she wants you. He raises his sword. So you need to run.
Our eyes meet for one brief moment. An entire conversation in a single look.
Then I run.
I race through the secret passage with Darius and a handful of soldiers. The tunnel is narrow, dark, exactly like I remember from childhood games of hide-and-seek.
We burst out into the gardens.
The night air hits my face. Freedom. Escape.
But then I hear it.
A scream from inside. Cassian's voice roaring orders. The sound of battle getting worse.
I stop running.
My lady, we need to keep moving, Darius urges. The General ordered
The General is dying for me. I turn back toward the palace. Because my mother wants me. Because I'm the reason she attacked.
That's not your fault.
Yes, it is. I look at the soldiers. Barely twenty against Mother's army. They're going to lose.
Unless I give Mother what she wants.
Me.
Tell the General I'm sorry, I say.
Then I run back into the palace before anyone can stop me.
The throne room is chaos. Bodies on the floor. Blood everywhere. Cassian fights like a demon, cutting through enemies, but he's being pushed back.
And there's Mother, watching it all with cold satisfaction.
STOP! I scream.
Everyone freezes.
I walk into the center of the room, hands raised. You want me? Here I am. Let them go.
Mother's smile widens. My darling daughter. So predictable. Always sacrificing yourself for others.
Let. Them. Go.
No. Mother gestures, and her soldiers grab me. I think I'll keep everyone. Especially the General. Her eyes slide to Cassian. He's worth quite a lot to the Empire. Holding him hostage will be useful.
Cassian's face goes dark with rage. Touch her and
And what? Mother laughs. You'll kill me? Go ahead. Try. She steps closer to me, studying my face. Five years in the gutter. Five years hiding like a rat. Was it worth it, Elara?
More than staying here with you.
She slaps me.
The crack echoes through the room.
You ungrateful child, she hisses. I gave your life. Status. Power. And you repaid me by discovering my private business.
You mean treason? I spit blood. Selling kingdom secrets? Murdering your own son?
Gasps ripple through the room.
Mother's expression turns deadly. You should have died five years ago. I'll correct that mistake tonight.
She pulls a dagger.
But before she can strike, Cassian breaks free of the soldiers holding him. He moves like lightning, grabbing Mother's wrist and twisting.
The dagger falls.
You're under arrest, Cassian growls, for treason, murder, and attempted murder.
Mother laughs. You have no authority here.
I have an army. That's all the authority I need.
He signals. His soldiers who were hiding in the shadows pour out. Fifty. A hundred. They surround Mother's forces completely.
It was a trap.
Cassian was waiting for Mother to reveal herself.
Take her to the dungeons, he orders. All of them.
Mother's soldiers drop their weapons. They're outnumbered and outmaneuvered.
But as guards drag Mother away, she looks back at me with pure hatred.
This isn't over, daughter, she snarls. It will never be over.
Then she's gone.
The throne room slowly empties. Wounded soldiers are carried away. Bodies removed. Blood cleaned.
Finally, only Cassian and I remain.
We stare at each other across the bloody floor.
You came back, he says quietly.
You were dying for me.
I would have. He says it like it's simple. Like dying for me is an obvious choice. But you shouldn't have risked yourself.
Neither should you.
A ghost of a smile crosses his face. Stubborn.
Hypocrite.
We're both exhausted. Both bloodied. Both alive.
What happens now? I ask.
Cassian walks toward me slowly. Now we need to talk. About who you are. About what your mother did. About
A soldier bursts in. General! Prince Adrian escaped during the fight. He's gone.
My blood runs cold.
My brother. The one who testified against me. The one who helped Mother frame me.
He's loose.
And he knows exactly where I am.
Cassian's expression turns grim. Lock down the palace. Find him. Now.
The soldier runs off.
Cassian turns to me. You're not safe. Not yet. Adrian will come for you.
Let him come.
Elara
My name. Hearing him say it makes something crack in my chest. You said it.
I've known it for hours. His gray eyes hold mine. Ever since you healed me. Ever since I saw the royal magic only House Ashenne possesses. He steps closer. I've been looking for you for five years. And now that I've found you, I'm not letting you go.
My breath catches. Why? Why were you looking for me?
Because
Another explosion rocks the palace.
Screams echo from the lower levels.
A guard runs in, face pale. General! Fire in the east wing! It's spreading fast!
Cassian curses. Adrian?
We think so, sir. Multiple fires set simultaneously. And there's something else The guard hesitates. The prisoners in the dungeon. Someone released them.
All of them.
Including my mother.
Cassian's face goes deadly calm. Get Princess Elara to my private chambers. Lock her in. Guard the door with your life.
No, I protest. I can help
You're the target. His hands grip my shoulders. Don't you understand? This entire attack is about getting to you. Adrian's trying to flush you out. And your mother He stops. If she gets her hands on you again, you're dead.
He's right. And I hate it.
Guards surround me, dragging me toward safety.
As they pull me away, I look back at Cassian.
He's already running toward the fire, toward the chaos, toward the danger.
To protect me.
The last thing I see before the door closes is smoke filling the throne room.
And somewhere in that smoke, my mother and brother are hunting.