“You mean… me?”
“Yes,” he said, voice steady.
Captain Aldren’s deep, gravelly tone followed. “King Lucas believed you were dead. But if the people learn you live…” His eyes burned, unwavering. “…they will rally behind you.”
The weight of the world pressed down on me at that moment. I had never imagined myself leading armies, standing at the helm of kingdoms. I had been a prisoner, a fugitive, a girl running through shadows. Yet now, looking at the map, the paths of burning cities and loyal hearts alike, I felt the current shift onto my shoulders.
I placed my hand firmly on the parchment, and it startled me—the soft glow beneath my palm, golden and alive, pulsing like the heartbeat of the world itself. The three nobles froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Mother smiled quietly beside me. “Th
