“I am Princess Morgana Angevire, rightful heir to the throne. I seek an audience with my aunt,LadyOclanna,” I emphasize hertitle, showing I refuse to acknowledge her as queen. “I am here to challenge her for the right to rule Trova.”
Sophos lets the bubble of silence drop, allowing the crowd’s shocked noises to swell once more.
A large, dark horse comes galloping down the palace’s drive toward the gates, topped by a man in armor. He steadies the animal beside the gates, surveying us. Middle aged with a thick brown beard, his eyes are bright with intelligence, though his face gives little away. He dismounts, his hand on the pommel of his sword as he addresses us.
“Princess Morgana and Prince Leonidas, I, Captain Drisha, issue your arrest under order of Her Majesty Queen Oclanna.”
But he doesn’t immediately order his men forward or even draw his sword. Instead, he pauses, waiting to see what our response will be.
Sophos dismounts so that he’s face-to-face with the captain.
“Do you know me, Captain Drisha?” Sophos asks.
“Yes, Bearer Sophos.”
“Then under decree of the Temple, you must let us pass,” Sophos says.
“Forgive me, Bearer, but I can’t do that,” Captain Drisha says, his voice respectful but firm. “I’m under orders to arrest Their Highnesses—unless, of course, my men and I find that an impossible task.”
He looks around at us meaningfully. He’s giving us an out, telling us that if we leave now, he wouldn’t be too enthusiastic in his attempt to stop us. He doesn’t want this to get ugly, andI don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want my men going up against a bunch of ruthless fae soldiers and a prince whose powers are legendary, either.
“Is that Drisha Fordswell, by any chance?” Will dismounts, stepping closer toward the captain. Drisha’s stoic expression flickers, the friendly tone catching him off guard.
“Will Mercer?” he asks unsurely.
“Age has caught up with me, but yes, it’s me.” Will smiles. “I always knew you’d make captain one day. Congratulations.”
Drisha takes in Will’s uniform, and his face hardens again.
“I can’t let you pass,” he says. “I have my orders, and the prince and princess must submit to arrest.”
“I know your hands feel tied,” Will says. “But there are some loopholes. For example, if the queen has given the Temple control over Elmere, then a Temple decree would outweigh a royal order, don’t you think? And as you see here, we have one of the Temple’s highest authorities asking that you let us through.”
“If I allow an attack on the palace, I’ll have failed in my duties,” Captain Drisha says stiffly, but there’s a waver of doubt in his voice.
“We’re not here to attack the palace,” Leon growls. “Her Highness wishes to issue an official challenge to her aunt. There’s nothing illegal about that.”
“And I don’t want any bloodshed,” I say. “If it eases your conscience, Captain Drisha, then why don’t your men escort us all to Lady Oclanna directly? Disarmed, of course. You’ll have done your duty. Then she and the court can take it from there.”
Captain Drisha shifts uncomfortably. He doesn’t like any of this one bit, but I can see that Sophos’s presence has thrown him. He looks between the bearer and Will.
“Do I have your word that this isn’t a trick?”
The two men offer their assurances.
“Very well,” Captain Drisha sighs, turning to signal to the other guards. They’re quick to close in around us, forming a tight perimeter as the rest of us dismount from our horses and surrender our weapons. As we walk through the gates and up the long drive, it all feels too surreal, and I have the sense of watching our group approach the palace from afar, as if I’ve floated out of my body.
Even when we enter the palace and walk the corridors I walked so many months ago—passing the portraits of my parents I studied after their murders—I still feel at a distance from it all.
A soothing touch reaches out to me across the mooring.
“You can do this. Remember that all Oclanna did to take that throne was order an assassination. Think of everythingyou’vedone. You’re already more of a queen than she’ll ever be.”
Leon’s words pull me back to myself. I give him a small smile before letting my mask slide into place: the face of a queen who is powerful and confident in everything she does.
The court will be gathered for the weekly audience session. It’s why we chose today and this time to come. Everything about this has to be visibly legitimate and above board so no one can argue with my right to be here. But human laws and regulations aside, I know this is my destiny. The gods were intentional when theygave the Trovian princess celestial power, setting in motion a chain of events which would change this nation forever.
I might not know the ending of the story yet, but from the moment I first took breath, my fate was written in the sun and the stars.
