Loran couldn’t find the words to explain. Gwaharad pressed further. “On the way back here, you told us that you had made a pact with the dragon of Arland and received the sword. I had assumed that the dragon would have discerned your heritage.” Gwaharad eyed Wurmath slung on Loran’s side, licked his lips, thenlooked at her intently. His gaze carried a hint of annoyance. “I knew that the royal line of the Arlanders ended upon the Empire’s arrival, but I’d been under the impression that you were a hidden scion that managed to survive…”
Loran felt caught in a lie. Her hand moved to her neck, where hert’laranwere partially covered by her tunic.
The king cleared his throat.
“Kamori’s first king, Uter, made war to unite the Three Kingdoms, which was riddled with division among the many tribes, and that is how he ascended to the throne. I have heard that Kinedris of Arland became king by making a pact with the dragon of the volcano to protect her people, just like you have. Who knows whether Uter and Kinedris were leaders of their tribes or the lowliest of peasants before their ascension? Yet, who among us now would dare question their royal blood?”
The words were kind, but Loran did not mistake his tone of disdain for that of an encouragement. A forced smile appeared on Gwaharad’s face to erase the expression of annoyance.
“Fight the Empire and let your name be known far and wide. Arlanders everywhere will be sure to acknowledge you.”
Despite the obvious disappointment in the way he spoke, Loran felt as if she was shown a way forward. She returned the smile. “I shall.”
“My soldiers and I are Kamori, but this battle is for all of the Three Kingdoms. If you fight with us, there will be many chances to make your name. It is already unimaginable that you should have felled four legionaries in Powered armor! The Kamori Liberators have surely made an ally from heaven. We shall hear more of your story at the banquet.”
Kamori Liberators.Loran considered the name for a moment. Gwaharad apparently had the mandate of his people and commanded an army, not to mention having possession of an impressive fortress. He probably had enough funds to keep his people fed too. The only thing he lacked was sovereignty over his land. He had every cause and the means to call himself king and wage war against the Empire.
She wondered if she should confer with the dragon again. Loran’s fingertips brushed against Wurmath’s hilt.
“But perhaps we should refrain from calling you ‘princess’ for the time being,” said Gwaharad, and he clapped his hands to summon his soldiers on duty. “Take Mistress Loran to her quarters.”
This sudden demotion to “mistress” seemed to surprise the soldiers more than Loran. They quickly recovered, nodded to Loran, and led the way out of the room.
The quarters set aside for Loran were more spacious than she had imagined. Loran removed her leather armor, still covered in dirt and damaged from her battles in Dehan Forest. The wound on her side hadn’t been as painful as she’d expected in the hours she’d traveled with Gwaharad and Emere, and when she inspected it now, there was only a scar that looked as if it were from a long-ago burn rather than the blade of a Powered sword just that morning.
Laid on the simple yet comfortable-looking bed was a change of clothing. A simple tunic, and thin trousers under a skirt with a slit up one side, the kind Kamori women wore. The green lion of Kamori was embroidered on the skirt. There was even a strip of red cloth to be used for an eyepatch.
Just as Loran was about to change, there was a knock on her door.
“Who is it?” she called in surprise.
“Emere, Your Highness.”
“Just a moment.”
Still in her leather trousers, Loran quickly slipped on the tunic and tied her eyepatch in place before opening the door. Emere had combed his hair, trimmed his beard, and changed into a fresh set of clothes; he looked like a completely different man from the one she had met in the forest. On his tunic was the green lion so common in this palace. Only his wrists, where the ropes of the Imperial army had bruised, reassured Loran that this was indeed Emere.
He bowed deeply. Loran noticed that in Emere’s left hand was something long, the length of a sword, wrapped in a fine piece of cloth.
“May I enter?”
This is your palace, and the door is already open. What more permission do you need?Still, Loran went through the motions of nodding and gesturing for him to enter. Emere closed the door behind him and bowed to her once more.
“I have been lightly reprimanded by my brother the king for introducing you to him as a princess without having listened to your story first.”
Loran blushed. She bowed and apologized.
“I’m sorry. All because I said something foolish—”
Emere waved his hands. “Not at all! On the contrary. I have come to apologize for my brother’s rudeness. With the way the Empire rules the world, who is to say which is a real king or princess? There is only the Senate and the prefects. I have…”
Emere looked back to check if the door was well and closed. He stroked his beard and lowered his voice.
“I have not told my brother the king about the princess’s… transformation.”
He meant, no doubt, the business with the scales and the burning eye. She had told him of the pact she made with the dragon and of Wurmath, but she could not explain the strange change in her appearance. She could not blame him if he talked about it to everyone he met. Had it happened to someone else, she would have.
“King Gwaharad is a great man, but he can be a little too prudent, perhaps, and jealous. For now, it may be a better recourse to let him think you are an ordinary warrior who happened to come upon an extraordinary sword. Indeed, I have a feeling that he does not fully believe what you have told us.”
