THE INVITATION
676 Words
CHAPTER 16
The scroll was sealed in black wax — the serpent emblem glinting in the torchlight like a quiet dare.
Queen Arabelle read the message once.
Then again.
> “Her Imperial Majesty of the Serentine Empire formally invites the Crown of Elvaria to attend the Peace Summit of Four Realms, under the banner of diplomacy and mutual prosperity. Neutral ground. Protected negotiation. Declining will be interpreted as an act of political hostility.”
She stared at the final line, her jaw tight.
“You are expected.”
---
A Council Divided
The council chamber roared with argument. Nobles, generals, scholars — divided cleanly between fear and fury.
“They want her dead!” barked Lord Thalen. “It’s a trap!”
“They’re forcing her hand,” argued Minister Elenor. “If we refuse, Serentine declares war before winter.”
“It’s a provocation,” said Mira, pacing like a caged cat. “A peace summit hosted by the wolves who killed her mother?”
Darius leaned against a pillar, arms crossed. “And yet if she goes… she walks into the den alone.”
Arabelle listened to all of them in silence.
Then stood.
“If I do not go, they spin us as cowards. If I do go, they try to break me. Either way — they’re afraid.”
That stilled the room.
“Serentine doesn’t expect me to survive the summit,” she continued. “So I’ll attend. I’ll smile. I’ll wear the crown. And if they dare to move against me, I’ll burn the table they set.”
---
Preparing for Serentine
Over the next two days, Elvaria buzzed with tension.
Royal tailors crafted diplomatic garments embroidered with Elvarian dragons. Darius selected five elite guards — the fiercest blades sworn to silence. Mira vanished into the city’s underworld, whispering through spy channels, sending messages to contacts far beyond the walls.
Arabelle, meanwhile, studied.
She read every report on Serentine customs. Learned their subtle insults. Their rules of engagement. How they measured status with eye contact and silence, not speeches.
But more importantly — she trained.
Dawn to dusk, she fought with Darius until her muscles screamed. She would not enter Serentine soft or scared. She would enter sharp.
And watching her from the shadows, Mira whispered to herself:
“She’s going to terrify them.”
---
A Hidden Confession
The night before departure, Arabelle found Mira alone in the tower gardens. Moonlight glinted on her daggers as she cleaned them, slowly and methodically.
“You’ve been quiet,” Arabelle said, settling beside her.
“I always am when we’re near Serentine,” Mira replied. “It’s where I was born.”
Arabelle blinked. “You never said.”
Mira shrugged. “Didn’t matter. Until now.”
She paused. “The Empress… she’s my aunt.”
That landed like thunder.
“By blood,” Mira added quickly. “Not by loyalty. She had my mother executed for marrying an Elvarian diplomat. I ran when I was nine. Lived in the gutters of Ardis. That’s where you found me.”
Arabelle was silent a long moment. “You should’ve told me.”
Mira met her gaze. “Would you have trusted me less?”
“No,” Arabelle said. “I trust you more now.”
---
Leaving Elvaria
At dawn, the royal carriage rolled through the gates, surrounded by five elite guards on black stallions and a sky beginning to bleed gold.
The streets were silent — not from fear, but awe.
For the first time in generations, a queen rode to Serentine not as a servant, not as a bride, not as a diplomat.
But as a challenge.
As they passed the gates, Darius leaned from horseback.
“What’s the plan once we’re in enemy territory?”
Arabelle’s eyes narrowed as the mountains of Serentine rose in the distance.
“We give them exactly what they expect,” she said. “A sassy little princess.”
She smiled coldly.
“And then we break the game.”
To be continued...
- Writer
