***
Garlands were hung all across the streets of Hyland to mark the celebration of the Princess’s return. Adaria noticed them as soon as she marched into the city, and it brought an unbidden smile to her face. Several people parted to let their procession through, and a few children dashed out into the streets to greet her.
“The people love you,” Rachel said, riding beside her.
“As they should,” Lady Danbury remarked. “They must adore her if they are to follow her one day.”
Adaria’s eyes were involuntarily drawn up to the walls of castle Donovan, the impregnable fortress within which she’d spent her entire life. An odd feeling settled in her stomach, and she considered turning back and fleeing the city entirely.
But she urged her steed forward, and as they passed into the Upper dis
