"They suffered casualties, but most of them are all right. The citizens know they helped. The Fae killed no civilians during the battle, even at the cost of their lives. The citizens have received them with warm welcome, in their right minds." His voice gentled. "But you’re the one who walked into that throne room and faced down an entity that killed kings and ate cities. You’re the one who sent it back to the Void. And now… they want to see the woman who gave them their lives back."
The weight of it pressed down on me. All those people. All those expectations. The idea of standing before them, of being seen as some kind of savior when I had only ever known being viewed as the Wretch, was not only unfamiliar but overwhelming.
"I can’t."
"You can." Daemon’s conviction didn’t waver. "You already have. This is just… showing them you’re real."
He was right. I hated that he was right.
But I also remembered Vaelthorne. I remembered how my mother and Lyanna had fought to protect people who wouldnever know her name. How the resistance had given their lives through the years.
They had all faced impossible odds. They had chosen to stand when surrender would have been easier.
I could do this one thing.
"All right." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "Let’s go."
Daemon led me through corridors I didn’t recognize. The castle looked different in daylight. The place no longer felt like a monument of tyranny, but something ambiguous, lacking identity. Like a blank canvas.
We passed servants who stopped and stared. Guards straightened and offered respectful nods rather than hostile glares. Every face showed the same mixture of awe, gratitude, and uncertainty.
I kept my head up, despite the desire to slip back into the shadows. I tried to look like someone worthy of their hope rather than a half-dead woman held together by bandages and spite.
The main doors stood open ahead. Beyond them, I heard voices. Not shouting or screaming, but murmuring, the low, constant sound of thousands of people gathered and waiting.
Daemon paused at the threshold. Looked at me with an expression that asked without words: Ready?
I wasn’t. Would never be ready for something like this. But I nodded anyway.
We stepped through together.
The courtyard spread before us, vast and packed with humanity. Thousands of people filled every available space. Citizens stood in torn clothing. Soldiers formed a perimeter in front of us, without weapons. Children sat on parents’ shoulders. They crowded against the walls, spilled into side streets, packed so tightly I couldn’t see stone between them.
When I appeared, the murmuring stopped.
Silence fell like snow. Every eye turned toward me. Every face showed the same fragile, desperate hope.
Then someone started clapping.
The sound rippled outward. One person, then ten, then hundreds. Thousands. The applause built into something thunderous, shaking the very air. People cheered. Wept. Raised their hands toward me as if I were something holy.
I stood frozen. Had no idea how to respond. How to be what they needed me to be.
Daemon’s hand found mine and squeezed gently.
An older man stepped forward from the crowd. He wore fine robes marked with the insignia of government rather than military. Silver hair, sharp eyes, the bearing of someone used to authority.
“The Prime Minister,” Daemon whispered. One of the few high-ranking officials who’d survived the Devourer’s corruption with his mind intact.
He climbed the steps until he stood before us. Then, to my absolute shock, he knelt.
"My lady." His voice carried across the courtyard. "On behalf of every citizen of this realm, I thank you. You walked into darkness that should have consumed you. Consumed us. You faced an enemy that had already destroyed kings. And you won." He raised his head, meeting my eyes directly. "You gave us back our lives. Our futures. Our children. There are no words sufficient to express what you have done."
Heat climbed my neck. "I didn’t do it alone, "
"No." He rose smoothly. "You did not. The resistance fought with courage that will be remembered for generations. Prince Daemon and his companions showed valor beyond measure. But you, Lady Seris..." He turned to address the crowd. "You are the one who held the line when reality itself threatened to break.You are the reason the Devourer returned to the Void rather than consuming our world."
The crowd roared approval. The sound washed over me like a wave.
