{Ryanna’s POV}
I woke to sunlight streaming through thin curtains, warm against my face.
Strange.
I was certain I didn't fall asleep. My eyes squinted open, there I was staring at a ceiling that I had seen a thousand times. Faded wood, engraved beams, a hanging oil lantern swaying gently from a rafter above me.
The place was warm, with no smell of ash. Just the silky aroma of lavender.
Then a knock came at the door.
"Princess are you up?" a voice called, gentle but familiar. "You’ll be late for classes again."
‘Princess? Why did that sound familiar?’
“What am I asking myself? Of course, it's familiar. I'm the princess after all.”
It was time to brace another day.
I sat up slowly. My hands trembled. They sure looked like mine, but they didn’t feel like mine. It felt different the
