Elara's POV
The palace walls felt different when I slipped back inside. The stones seemed to watch me. They knew my secret. The grand hallways felt like a trap closing in. Dawn was just breaking.
My heart beat wild in my chest. It beat for two reasons now. First, the duty I had run from all night. Second, the memory of strong arms and green eyes that I had run toward.
I moved like a through the quiet servants' halls. My body ached in new, secret places. Every sore muscle was a reminder of my choice. A choice my parents would have wept over. I finally reached the door to my chambers. I took a deep breath. My hands shook. I pushed the door open.
Lena was there, waiting. She jumped up from her chair. Her face was tight with worry. When she saw me, she looked relieved.
"Elara! Thank the gods! I have been pacing all night. Where have you been? The sun is nearly up!" Her words came out in a fast whisper.
I forced a smile. My lips felt stiff. "I am fine, Lena. I just… lost track of time."
She rushed over. She took my hands. Her eyes searched my face. "You look pale. And your hair is a mess. Did you have fun? At the gardens?"
I pulled my hands away. I turned toward my dressing screen. I needed to hide my face. "It was… an experience. I danced. I saw the city. It was fun." The lies tasted bad in my mouth.
"Just fun?" she asked. She came to help me out of the simple blue dress. Her fingers brushed a tender spot low on my neck. I flinched. It was a small, sharp pain. A memory flashed. Kaelen's mouth there in the dark, a soft bite that made me gasp, not in pain, but in surprise at the new feeling. My face burned. It was a mark. A secret mark from a secret night.
"Are you hurt?" she asked. Her voice was sharp.
"No!" I said too fast. I pulled the dress up over my shoulder to cover the spot. "No, just… I tripped. I hit my neck on a low branch when I fell. On the cobblestones. It is nothing." I could feel her looking at my back. She did not believe me. "It was just fun, Lena. A night of fun, like you said I should have."
I stepped behind the screen. I heard her sigh. "Well, 'fun' is over, my queen. Today, history begins. Let us get you ready. The bath is drawn."
A bath. The thought made my stomach twist. Other maids would be there. They would see me. They might see things. They might guess.
"No," I said, my voice firmer than I meant. I peeked out from behind the screen. "Send the other maids away. I… I wish to bathe alone today. I need a moment to myself. To prepare my thoughts. For the ceremony."
Lena looked confused. "But, Elara, it is tradition. The maids always help the Royals before—"
"Not today Lena," I said quickly. "I need to do this alone. Please, Lena. Just for today. Tell them to leave the water and go."
She studied my face. For a terrible second, I thought she would argue. Then she nodded. "As you wish." She went to the door and spoke softly to the waiting women. I heard their footsteps fade away.
Alone, I walked to the large, sunken bath. Steam rose from the water. Rose petals floated on the surface. I took off the simple dress. I looked at my body in the full-length mirror. There were no big marks. But there were little signs. A faint pink mark on my hip from where I'd pressed against the edge of the bed. The small, tender spot on my neck. And a deep, different ache between my legs. The proof of what I had done.
I lost my virginity to a stranger. The thought hit me like a slap again. I was no longer the pure princess my parents raised. I was changed. I stepped into the bath. The hot water stung my tender skin. I sank down, wishing it could wash away more than just dirt. Wishing it could wash away the memory of his hands, his smile, his whispered words. But it could not. The memories were inside me now.
I washed slowly, alone with my shame. I thought of my mother. What would she say? My father would be heartbroken. I had failed them on the very last night I carried their name alone.
Later, Lena returned with other maids to dry me and dress me. They combed my hair until it shone like gold. They weaved it into a style fit for a crown. They laced me into a gown. It was heavy ivory silk and threaded gold. It was so stiff I could barely breathe. It was like armor, not clothing.
Each tug of a lace felt like a chain. Each pin in my hair felt like a lock. The shy girl from the Wandering Gardens was being buried. Buried under layers of tradition and duty.
"You are quiet, Elara," Lena said. She pinned a final jewel into my hair. Her face in the mirror looked almost sad.
"I am thinking of my parents," I said. That was not a full lie. I thought of how I had shamed them. I shamed them just hours before I was to be their legacy.
"They would be so proud," she said. But her smile was fake. It did not reach her eyes.
Finally, it was time. The great doors to the throne room opened. The sound was like thunder. Hundreds of faces turned toward me. Lords and ladies. Ambassadors from far kingdoms. All of Dravara's most important people. The air buzzed with their whispers. I saw Uncle Malakor near the front. He was my father's cousin. His face was a mask of solemn support. I began the long walk down the velvet aisle. My legs shook under the weight of the gown and my guilt.
At the end of the aisle, the high priest stood waiting. The ancient crown of Dravara rested on a velvet pillow. It was a simple circle of beaten gold. But it looked heavier than a mountain.
The priest's voice boomed through the silent hall. He spoke the old words of duty and sacrifice. I knelt on the hard cushion before him. My head was bowed. I could hear my own blood rushing in my ears.
"Princess Elara of the Royal House of Dravara," his voice echoed. "Do you swear to uphold the laws? Do you swear to protect the people? Do you swear to give your life to this kingdom?"
My mouth was dry. "I swear," I whispered.
"Then by the ancient right, and the will of the people, I crown you Queen."
He lifted the crown. The gold caught the light from the high windows. It was so bright it hurt my eyes. He lowered it toward my head. This was it. The end of Elara. The beginning of the Queen.
Clink.
The sound of the crown settling onto my hair was the loudest sound I had ever heard. It was cold. It was heavy. It was real.
And then, chaos.
A scream ripped from the crowd. A blur of dark movement. A man, was coming up the aisle. He moved faster than anyone could react. He wore a wide-brimmed hat pulled low. A smooth black mask covered his entire face from the nose up. Even his eyes weren't visible, seemed like the material he used for his eyes were only transparent to him.
He was on the platform before the guards could even draw their swords. A strong hand clamped over my mouth. It yanked me backward against a hard chest. The cold, terrifying kiss of a blade pressed against my throat. Right over the tender spot Kaelen had left.
The world froze. The crown tilted sideways on my head. I could see nothing but the black mask in front of my eyes. I could smell leather and metal. I could feel the fast beat of his heart against my back.
Panic screamed through every part of me. This was how it ended.
He leaned in. His lips were close to my ear, hidden behind the mask. His voice was a low, disguised whisper. It was rough and strange… but under it, there was a thread of something familiar. A warmth in the tone. A warmth that did not match the cold steel on my skin. My confused, terrified mind raced. Do I know this voice? Where have I heard it before?
But that was impossible. How could I know an assassin?
The words he breathed into my ear were for me alone. They were clear, even through the disguise. They held a strange promise that turned my blood to ice:
"It will not be today."