Three days later, Nara rode out under a blood-red sky. Her cloak flapped in the wind, and behind her rode a hundred soldiers bearing the crest of the royal house. Her hands trembled on the reins, but her eyes—her eyes were steady.
She was no longer a lamb.
She was learning to bite.
***
The western village of Emberhold was nothing like the palace. The air smelled of smoke and damp soil. The people stared as she entered, some with awe, others with fear.
A man stepped forward—old, bent-backed, with a long scar cutting down the side of his face. He bowed stiffly. "I am Elder Ronin. We heard the princess would come. But we didn't expect her to wear armor."
"I'm not here to be expected," Nara replied.
Her voice was cold, trained. She didn't feel that brave—but she remembered what Kael had said: **"You only need to act sure."**
She and her soldiers dismounted near the granary, where the latest attack had occurred. Barrels of wheat had been torched. Messages scrawled in ash across the walls: *Down with the crown.*
"Who leads the rebels?" she asked.
Elder Ronin hesitated. "We do not know. They wear masks. They strike at night."
Nara narrowed her eyes. "Then I will wait for night."
***
That evening, she set a trap.
She ordered only a few guards to remain visible and left the granary mostly unguarded. But in truth, soldiers were hidden inside, and Nara herself stood ready on the roof, bow in hand.
The moon rose high and pale—and with it came the rebels.
Five figures in black slipped through the shadows. One of them carried a torch. Another unrolled parchment.
Nara waited.
When the torch touched the edge of the grain sacks, she fired.
Her arrow struck the man's arm. He screamed and dropped the fire. In seconds, soldiers surrounded them.
"Don't kill them!" she shouted.
The rebels struggled, but were bound and unmasked.
And her breath caught.
One of them was a girl—no older than Nara—her face smeared with soot, eyes bright with hate.
"You're the princess," the girl spat. "The one who sits on gold while we starve."
"I am," Nara said quietly.
"Then strike us down. Like your kind always do."
Nara looked around at the villagers who had come to watch. Faces full of fear. Anger. Pain.
She turned to the guards. "Bring them all before the people tomorrow. I'll decide their fate then."
***
The next morning, the entire village gathered at the square.
The captured rebels were forced to kneel. Soldiers stood with blades ready. Nara stood above them all, heart pounding.
The King had ordered heads.
But Nara looked at the girl again—the way her lip bled from being struck, the way her hands trembled not from fear, but from fury—and saw herself.
"I was told to kill them," Nara said to the crowd. "To bring back their heads."
Murmurs rose.
"But I came to understand something: blood does not build loyalty. Only justice does."
She stepped down from the platform and faced the girl.
"Why did you burn the grain?"
"Because we've begged for food for two seasons," the girl hissed. "No one came."
Nara turned to the Elder. "Is that true?"
The old man hesitated, then bowed his head. "Yes."
Nara drew her blade—not to kill, but to **cut the royal seal from her cloak**.
"I will give the royal decree myself," she said, holding the seal high. "You will have new grain within three days. And I'll personally send investigators to root out the local lords who ignored your cries."
She faced the crowd. "But these rebels endangered children, burned food, and attacked civilians. They must face punishment."
The people nodded solemnly.
Nara turned to the rebels. "You will serve two years rebuilding what you burned. After that, if you prove loyal—you will be free."
The soldiers stared. "That's not the King's law," one whispered.
"It's mine," Nara said coldly.
The villagers bowed. And for the first time, not out of fear—but respect.
***
That night, as she rode back to the capital, Nara sat taller in her saddle.
She had disobeyed the King.
But she had ruled.
And when they arrived at the palace gates, Kael was waiting—his arms crossed, his eyes scanning her face for cracks.
"Well?" he asked.
Nara dismounted and tossed him a wrapped package.
He opened it slowly—inside was a mask from one of the rebels. A symbol of her victory.
"I didn't bring heads," she said. "But I brought peace."
Kael studied the mask, then looked up.
"You disobeyed a royal command."
"I followed a higher one."
Kael was silent for a long moment. Then, something flickered across his face.
Pride.
"You made your first real choice as a queen," he said softly.
"I thought I was just a pawn," she replied.
He stepped closer. "Not anymore."
He leaned down, and for a breathless second, she thought he might kiss her.
But instead, he whispered, "Now the court will fear you. Just like they fear me."
And as he turned to walk away, Nara smiled.
Because for the first time since her forced marriage began—**she wanted them to.**