We walked to the gates with guard escort. My heart was pounding. If this was real, if Queen Arianna had somehow survived, it changed everything. But if it was a trick, if this was another manipulation...
The woman waiting at the gates looked exactly like the paintings I'd seen of Queen Arianna. Same face, same eyes, aged fifteen years but unmistakably the same person.
"Kael," she said, her voice breaking. "My son. Look how you've grown."
"Mother?" Kael's voice was barely audible. "Is it really you?"
"It's really me. I've been in hiding since that night Daemon tried to kill me. Elena helped me fake my death and escape. I've been living with the old families ever since, waiting for the right time to reveal myself."
"But why? Why let me think you were dead all this time?"
