Celeste
I couldn’t sleep again, so I walked.
The castle grounds were a ghost of themselves. I had grown up inside these walls. Every stone was a memory. But now the stones were cracked and the gardens were trampled and the hallways smelled like smoke and iron.
I walked inside the castle itself, picking my way through rubble.
“Who goes there?” A guard’s voice echoed down the corridor.
I recognized him. One of our palace footmen. He’d been here since I was small. “It’s Celeste.”
He stopped where he was. Even in the dim light I could see the discomfort on his face. Word had spread about what I’d done on the battlefield.
“Are you afraid of me?” I called out softly.
The soldier straightened and bowed. “Of course not, Princess. I’ve been here since you were a child. But there are others
