The Real Queen

Elia POV. The dawn crept up on me before I realized that it was a new day. I stood on the terrace overlooking the silver plains of Elaris, watching stormlight gather over the horizon. Below, banners rippled like torn wings in the wind white and gold, the colors of the fae court. The wind bit cold, sharp war is coming. Bootsteps echoed behind me measured, deliberate. I didn’t turn. I would know that sound anywhere. “Your silence worries me,” Caladan said. His voice carried that steady warmth that used to calm storms inside me. I turned, and even now, even with fear scraping at my ribs, the sight of him stole my breath. Silver hair, braided with threads of gold. The faint shimmer of fae magic beneath his armor, glowing along his throat like veins of starlight. He looked more like a god than a man. My husband. The soon-to-be fae king. Gorgeous amethyst eyes that looked right inside me. Right into my very being. “You said it wouldn’t come to this,” I whispered. “You said the council would stand behind you.” His jaw tightened. “They did. Until the dragons chose me.” My gaze drifted toward the skies, where three dark shapes circled above the mist. Even from this distance, their wings tore the clouds apart, ancient, magnificent, terrifying. The dragons had chosen him, an honor no fae had known in centuries. That was the moment everything began to burn. “So this war is my fault,” I said softly. “Because you claimed what was yours.” He stepped closer, gloved fingers brushing my cheek. “It’s not your fault, Elia. It’s fate. The dragons chose me, and in doing so, they made enemies of the old court.” “They call you usurper, because you married a human.” I said. “They call me king,” he corrected, voice a whisper of iron. “And I will be. But first this war.” I tried to steady my voice. “Then take me with you.” He hesitated. “You know I can’t.” I caught his wrist. “You promised no secrets between us.” A tired smile curved his lips, breaking my heart. “And I never lied. But Elia, you are human. You will die instantly. You have no power to protect you. You and your family will go to the safe house in the northern woods. You’ll be guarded day and night. I’ll finish this war and come for you.” “You said that when the council turned. When your general betrayed you,” My throat tightened. “You’ll say it again when you fly into the fire.” Caladan’s eyes glimmered gold, the dangerous kind of gold amongst amethyst stones, the kind that came from magic and heartbreak. “I am not leaving you,” he said. “I am protecting you.” “And who protects you?” For a moment, the world went still. Thunder rolled somewhere beyond the horizon, deep and low. He pressed his forehead to mine, his breath warm against my lips. “When the skies burn, look for the dragons. Wherever they fly, I am there.” Tears slipped free, caught by his gloved thumb. He kissed me once, brief and desperate, like a promise already shattering. And then he was gone. The palace gates were chaos. Servants rushed past with bundles of food and scrolls. My mother’s voice rose above it all sharp and commanding, the voice of a woman who’d ruled hearts if not kingdoms. My father barked orders to the guards, his composure unshaken despite the tremor in his hands. And Cruze, my cousin, my near-brother waited beside the carriages, his grin out of place amid the fear. “You’re late,” he said, tossing his dark hair out of his eyes. “I was about to send a rescue party.” “From what, the packing?” I teased, though my voice sounded thin. “From the chaos. Your husband’s soldiers don’t look happy guarding humans.” I followed his gaze. The fae guards stood apart, their eyes glacial and sharp as blades. They bowed when my father passed, but none smiled. “They’ll do their duty,” I said, pretending confidence I didn’t feel. He whistled low. “If you say so. Still, I’d rather trust a dragon than a fae soldier.” “You shouldn’t say that here, the dragons don't protect us humans, only my husband and his fae court” I warned. “I’ve been saying things like that since I could talk,” he said, smirking. “That’s why my parents sent me to you to learn diplomacy. Clearly, I’ve failed.” I laughed unexpectedly, wildly. It felt like sunlight in the middle of a storm. My mother approached, her gown caught in the wind. “Elia, darling, are you ready? The carriage is waiting.” I looked back toward the terrace where Caladan had stood. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” We traveled through the night, the carriage rocking over uneven ground. Rain smeared the windows, and the torches of our escort flickered like ghosts in the trees. The soldiers spoke little. My parents whispered quietly, their hands occasionally brushing. Cruze sat beside me, tossing a coin between his fingers, pretending not to notice the tension filling the air. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Caladan’s face the way his eyes burned when he spoke of dragons and destiny. Cruze sensing my fear spoke "He is going to be okay Elia, he is a fae king, that controls dragons" "I know" I smiled but I still panicked inside. When dawn broke, we reached the foothills. Mist drifted low through the pines, carrying the scent of moss and magic. The safe house emerged from the fog a stone manor carved into the hillside, half-covered in ivy. It looked old, but protected. Ancient wards hummed faintly in the air, a shimmer of fae power that raised goosebumps along my skin. “This place looks abandoned,” Cruze muttered. “That’s the point,” my father said. “No enemy can find what they cannot sense.” “But who will protect us?” Cruze asked. “The king’s men,” my mother said. “They’ll patrol the perimeter.” I tried to believe her. Truly, I did. But as I studied the fae soldiers, unease twisted through me. I didn’t recognize a single one. My father frowned. “Strange. I expected Commander Jason.” One of the soldiers bowed stiffly. “The commander was reassigned, my lord. Orders from the capital.” “Reassigned?” “Yes, my lord.” Something cold slithered through me. Reassigned. That didn’t sound like Caladan’s doing. Cruze caught my eye, reading the thought that burned behind mine. Something wasn’t right. That night, the rain came. I couldn’t sleep. The manor creaked with the wind, each sound felt like something wrong. My dreams kept replaying Caladan’s promise his voice saying I’d be safe, his eyes burning gold. When I opened my eyes again, the moonlight had shifted. The air smelled faintly of smoke. I rose quietly and slipped into the corridor. “Elia?” I nearly screamed, but it was only Cruze, barefoot, eyes sharp. “You heard it too?” I nodded. Together we crept down the stairs, the sound growing clearer a shuffle, low voices. “…no witnesses,” one of the guards said. My blood turned to ice. Cruze’s hand closed around mine. “We need to wake them.” But it was already too late. A scream tore through the house my mother’s. We ran. The hall was filled with smoke and fire. The fae soldiers our supposed protectors were cutting through the room like shadows. Flames licked the curtains. My father’s sword flashed, catching the light before it met an enemy blade. “Run!” he shouted. “Take her go!” I froze, choking on smoke. Cruze pulled me back, shouting something I couldn’t hear. My mother fell first. Then my father. And through the fire, I saw the insignia burned into the soldiers’ armor Caladan’s royal crest. It made no sense. “Why?” I gasped. “They were loyal—why?” Cruze dragged me toward the kitchen. Arrows hissed past us, cutting through the air. One hit him in the shoulder, spinning him sideways. “Go, Elia!” he shouted. “Go!” “No!!! NO!!!! I won’t leave you guys!” He smiled broken and brave. “You were always terrible at listening. But your mom and dad are gone.” "No!! NO!!!" I cried louder and louder. Shaking uncontrollably. The second arrow hit him square in the chest. I screamed. I think I did. I don’t remember the sound. "Promise me, you will survive Elia, you will avenge us, promise me" "No! No!" I cried over and over again. I could not stop. "You must go! if you die along with us then there will be no one to remember our names, You have to live so that we can live through you now go, survive!" with one final breath he fell to the floor. I almost froze but the arrows kept coming my way. One brushed me on the shoulder. I ran into the forest, the rain stinging my skin, my bare feet sliding in the mud. Behind me, the manor burned a red wound against the night. I didn’t stop running until the world tilted, and my knees gave out. I fell, gasping, rain mixing with blood. And all I could think was... Where were the guards? The guards that were meant to protect us and keep us safe? wait a minute? didn't they attack us instead? I looked to the sky through the blur of storms and tears. The dragons were gone. No dragons in sight. The war was over.