AZALIYAH RISE OF THE FAE

SAY MY NAME (PT.1)

The courtyard had gone so quiet Azaliyah could hear armor shifting whenever one of the Urella guards breathed. No one moved. No one spoke. Every eye in the village had settled on the man standing just beyond the gates like trouble had dressed itself in silver and walked in smiling.

Elder Varos of Urella.

Only a few days had passed since she last saw him, yet it felt like another lifetime entirely. He looked exactly the same as he had the day he cast judgment on her. Straight-backed. Calm. Draped in authority like it belonged to him more than air did. The same cold eyes. The same carefully arranged face. The same mouth that had called her reckless, dishonorable, dangerous for helping an injured outsider instead of leaving Camron to die in the woods.

Now that same mouth curved into something pretending to be warmth.

Azaliyah’s hands lit instantly, violet energy snapping across her fingers before she even realized it.

“You’ve got some nerve,” she said, voice tight with fury. “A few days ago you threw me out like trash. Now you show up smiling?”

Varos remained perfectly composed. “I disciplined you,” he said. “There is a difference.”

Camron let out a low sound beside her. “That already sounds like bullshit.”

Several nearby guards looked down quickly to hide reactions.

Varos’s eyes shifted to Camron with visible distaste. “And the creature speaks.”

Camron smiled without humor and adjusted his grip on the sword. “Careful, old man. I’m in a much better mood than she is.”

Misha stepped forward before Azaliyah or Camron could make the situation bloodier than it already was. Her cane struck stone once, sharp enough to command the whole courtyard.

“You arrived armed and uninvited,” she said coldly. “Choose your next words wisely.”

Varos inclined his head in false courtesy. “Then I’ll be plain. Circumstances have changed.” His eyes returned to Azaliyah. “Urella requires its princess.”

Azaliyah laughed.

It was not amusement.

It was the sound someone makes when anger finally grows teeth.

Azaliyah took a slow step forward before anyone could stop her, violet light still snapping restlessly around her hands like her magic had its own temper now. “Requires?” she repeated, the word dripping with disgust.

“That’s interesting, because a few days ago Urella seemed pretty committed to not wanting me at all.” Her eyes never left Varos. “You called me reckless for helping someone dying in your woods. You called me a disgrace for questioning you in front of the council. Then you threw me out with whatever dignity you could still pretend to own.” She tilted her head slightly, a bitter smile touching one side of her mouth. “So help me understand what changed. Did compassion suddenly become fashionable, or did something go wrong back home?”

A murmur moved through the courtyard before dying just as quickly.

Varos clasped his hands behind his back, posture still maddeningly composed.

“Your temper remains as undisciplined as your judgment,” he said. “You mistake politics for personal malice. Decisions are often unpleasant.”

Camron barked out a laugh. “That’s a fancy way to say you did some coward shit.”

Several Elias guards coughed suspiciously into their fists.

Varos ignored him with the discipline of a man who had spent years pretending certain truths weren’t speaking.

“You were removed because your presence had become destabilizing,” he continued. “You defied counsel. You interfered with lawful punishment. You placed sentiment over order.”

Azaliyah’s jaw flexed. “I helped an injured person.”

“You aided an unknown beast.”

Camron’s smile vanished completely.

Misha noticed it, then spoke before the next sentence could turn into bloodshed. “Careful, Varos. You are standing in a village that took in the two souls you discarded. One more insult and I may begin charging you for my patience.”

A few open laughs broke this time, quickly swallowed.

Varos’s gaze flicked to her, colder now. “This does not concern Elias.”

Misha tapped her cane once. “You brought armed men to my gate and stirred my people before breakfast. It concerns Elias now.”

Azaliyah looked between them, then back to Varos. “Still dodging the question.” Her glow brightened. “Why am I suddenly useful?”

For the first time since arriving, Varos did not answer immediately. It was small, barely noticeable, but everyone in the courtyard felt it. A delay from a man who seemed built entirely out of certainty. His eyes moved briefly across the walls, the guards, the villagers gathered behind them, then settled back on Azaliyah with something colder than annoyance.

“Because the realm is shifting,” he said at last. “Because threats once contained are moving openly. Because old protections are failing.” He paused, choosing each word like it cost him pride to spend it. “And because blood still carries weight, whether you deserve it or not.”

Azaliyah laughed once, sharp and humorless. “There he is.”

Camron glanced sideways at her. “Who?”

“The real him,” she said, never looking away from Varos. “Couldn’t go two full minutes pretending to care.”

A few villagers muttered approval.

Varos ignored them all. “This is larger than your feelings,” he said. “Urella needs legitimacy. The other villages need reassurance. Your presence restores both.”

“Ah,” Misha said softly, the sound edged like a knife being tested. “So she is not a daughter to be welcomed. She is a banner to be raised.”

Varos’s jaw tightened a fraction. “Call it what you like.”

“I usually call it using people,” Misha replied.

Azaliyah took another step forward. “You exiled me because I embarrassed you. Now you want to parade me around because you’re losing control.” She shook her head slowly. “That must sting.”

The violet glow around her fingers deepened, brighter now, steadier than before. Even she seemed to notice.

Varos noticed too.

“You misunderstand your value,” he said. “This is not a request made for your comfort. It is an opportunity.”

Camron let out a low whistle. “You hear that? He threw you out, came back with guards, insulted everybody here, and now he’s offering opportunities.” He looked around the courtyard. “Anybody else inspired?”

Actual laughter broke out this time.

Varos’s expression hardened.

Misha’s smile was tiny and dangerous.

Azaliyah rolled one shoulder, loosening the tension in it. “Let me save us all time,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The courtyard went still again.

Varos inhaled once through his nose.

Then he smiled.

“That,” he said quietly, “was never going to be your choice.”