Page 21 of The Princess and Her Grand King

She would be Grand Queen.

***

"Are you sure the princess will come?" Yaz asked as they stood ready, bags packed and horses saddled for the journey ahead.

Princess Aekeira glanced at the door for what felt like the hundredth time and admitted honestly. "I’m not."

Lord Ottai had been unusually quiet, lost in thought.

Beside him, Wegai looked at her. "And you? How are you holding up?"

Aekeira shook her head. "Not well. I do not want to do this without Em. I can’t bear the thought of leaving her here, separated from her again—"

Her words faltered as she caught sight of Lord Ottai, his gaze pointed on the doorway behind her. Aekeira turned to see Emeriel step through the open door.

The two head soldiers straightened while Lord Ottai moved forward to meet her. They stopped in the middle of the room, a respectful distance between them.

"Your people hate me,” Emeriel spoke in a low, resigned tone. "I won’t last two days back there."

"We will protect you," Wegai vowed, bowing deeply. Yaz nodded in agreement. "From now on, we will protect you both, as we do our masters."

"You do not have to do this,” Lord Ottai said, surprising them all. "I realize that we have no right to ask this of you. When Daemonikai set you both free, he wanted you to have the freedom of choice. We can’t force you, nor would we."

Emeriel squared her shoulders. "I want to do this, Lord Ottai. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Her eyes were steady as they met the grand lord. “But I have conditions."

"What are they?"

"I will not live in the shadows anymore. I will not hide. I dress as a woman, as a princess, as I am."

"As you should," Lord Ottai agreed. "You are not slaves of Urai anymore, Emeriel. You are guests. I already made arrangements to assign maidservants to both you and Aekeira."

"And when all this is over, I want you to bring me back here.” She didn’t miss a beat. "When the grand king has recovered fully, I return to Navia."

The grand lord studied her, searching her eyes.

At last, he gave a solemn nod. "You have my word. Whether you can help him or not, if it becomes too much, you need only say the word, and I will take you away from Urai."

Emeriel held his gaze. “I will go prepare."

And then she was gone.

***

Their carriage rolled through the Ravenshadow gates early, the first to arrive. The second carriage, carrying Lord Ottai, Yaz, and Wegai, was nowhere in sight yet, but Aekeira knew they weren’t far behind.

As the horses came to a stop, she stepped out into the cool evening air, taking in the sight of the fortress before them.

Ravenshadow hadn’t changed much in the past two years.

Memories came flooding back. The endless errands, the constant toil to avoid the slavemasters' whips, the ceaseless fear and pressure, the sleepless nights. For a moment, it was as though no time had passed.

But it had.

Aekeira stood here now, not as a slave in uniform but as a princess. Beside her, Emeriel, dressed in even more extravagant royal attire, stood rigid, her gaze on the fortress. Her eyes…

"Are you alright, Em?" Aekeira asked.

Emeriel blinked, the naked pain in her eyes replaced by aloofness. "I’m good."

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