POV: Ravenna
The crowds start gathering before we even reach the city gates.
People lining the streets. Calling my name. CHEERING. Like I'm some kind of hero returning victorious instead of a refugee limping home with circumstantial evidence and desperate plans.
"Princess Ravenna! You're alive!"
"Thank the gods! The princess has returned!"
"She's safe! She's HOME!"
I try to smile. Try to wave like a proper princess should. But my face feels frozen. My hands shake on the reins. Because these people are HAPPY to see me. Relieved. Celebrating.
And I'm about to tell them their kingdom is infiltrated by murderers. That war is coming. That nothing is actually safe.
I'm a terrible disappointment waiting to happen.
"Breathe," Theron murmurs beside me. "Just breathe and wave."
I breathe. I wave. I perform the role I've been running from for months.
The crowds get THICKER as we approach the palace. Packed streets. People climbing onto walls and rooftops to catch a glimpse. The noise is overwhelming—cheering and crying and shouting and pure RELIEF that their princess survived whatever danger kept her away.
If they only knew.
We reach the palace gates. Guards open them immediately. We ride through into the courtyard and—
Father is there.
Standing at the entrance. Waiting. Looking older than I remember. Thinner. Exhausted. Like he aged ten years in the months I was gone.
But alive. Safe. Still standing despite everything.
I dismount before my horse fully stops. My legs nearly give out from exhaustion and emotion combined. But I stay upright. Walk forward on shaking legs toward the father I left behind.
He doesn't move. Just LOOKS at me. Like he's afraid if he blinks I'll disappear. Like I'm a ghost he conjured from desperation.
"Father," I say. My voice cracks. "I'm home."
Something in his face BREAKS.
He closes the distance between us in three strides. Pulls me into an embrace so tight I can't breathe. His whole body is shaking.
"I thought I lost you," he says against my hair. His voice is rough. Raw. "I thought—I thought the Eclipse killed you like they killed your mother. I thought—"
"I'm alive." I hug him back just as fiercely. "I survived. I'm HERE."
He pulls back to look at me. His hands frame my face like he's making sure I'm real. Solid. Actually PRESENT instead of wished for.
"You look terrible," he says.
I laugh. Wet and broken. "Thanks, Father. You look terrible too."
"We match." He wipes his eyes roughly. Kings shouldn't cry. But apparently right NOW he's not king. He's just a father who got his daughter back from the dead. "Where have you BEEN?"
"Running. Hiding. Surviving." I step back slightly. "And learning things you need to know. About the Eclipse. About who leads them. About—about Mother."
His expression goes sharp. Focused. King-mode snapping back into place. "Tell me."
"Not here." I glance at the crowds still visible beyond the gates. At the guards watching. At the palace walls that probably have ears. "Private council. Trusted people only."
He nods. Then looks past me at my companions. His eyes widen.
"Theron." He greets the scarred warrior who won me through dragon bond. "You kept her alive."
"She kept HERSELF alive," Theron corrects. "I just helped."
"Then you have my eternal gratitude." Father's voice is sincere. Then he sees Morgana and Saren. "Lady Morgana. Captain Saren. Thank you for protecting my daughter."
"Always," Morgana says simply.
Father's eyes move to the others. The villagers we brought as witnesses. Seraphine standing slightly apart from everyone else.
He goes VERY still.
"Why," he says carefully, "is Seraphine Lucien here?"
"Because her brother is Eclipse," I say flatly. "Cassian is inner circle. Has been for years. And Seraphine has proof."
Silence. You could hear a pin drop in that courtyard.
"Explain," Father says. His voice is ICE.
So I do. Brief version. Cassian tried to recruit Seraphine. She refused. Discovered he was Eclipse. Gathered evidence. Defected from House Ashford rather than become accomplice to murder.
Father stares at Seraphine. She meets his gaze without flinching.
"If you are lying," Father says quietly, "if this is some elaborate House Ashford scheme—"
"It's not," Seraphine interrupts. Her voice is steady. "My brother killed people. Hunted gift-bearers. Served an organization dedicated to genocide." She pauses. "I may be many things, Your Majesty, but I'm not a murderer. And I won't protect one."
Father considers. Then looks at me. "You trust her?"
"I trust her evidence," I say carefully. "And I trust that she has more to lose by lying than by telling truth."
"That's not quite trust."
"It's all I have."
He nods slowly. "Very well. She comes to the council meeting. Under guard." He gestures to soldiers. "Seraphine Lucien is to be watched AT ALL TIMES. If she tries anything suspicious, you have permission to restrain her."
"Understood, Your Majesty," the guards chorus.
Seraphine doesn't protest. Just inclines her head in acceptance. She knew this was coming. Knew defecting meant becoming prisoner as much as ally.
"The rest of you," Father says, looking at the villagers. "You're welcome in Cindravale. Rooms will be provided. Food. Safety. You have my word." He pauses. "And my gratitude for protecting my daughter and preserving testimony we need."
Elder Mira steps forward. She's old and weathered but carries herself with quiet authority. "We don't seek gratitude, King Aldric. We seek justice. An end to the Eclipse. Safety for gift-bearers." She meets his eyes. "Help us achieve that, and you'll have our eternal loyalty."
"Then let us work toward justice together." Father gestures toward the palace. "Come. My private council chamber. We have much to discuss and limited time."
"Why limited time?" I ask.
His expression goes grim. "Because House Ashford already knows you're here. Because Cassian is currently IN THE PALACE acting as my advisor. Because the moment he learns you've returned with accusations against him, everything escalates."
Oh. OH.
"Then we need to move fast," Theron says.
"Agreed." Father starts walking toward the palace entrance. "Hadrian—gather Master Veyron, Lysander, and anyone else you trust absolutely. Council chamber. Ten minutes. No one else."
"What about Cassian?" Hadrian asks.
"Leave him in his quarters. Tell him—tell him I'm dealing with family matters. That I'll summon him when ready." Father's voice is cold. "We need time to review evidence before confronting him."
"Understood."
We follow Father through familiar halls. Past tapestries I grew up ignoring. Past rooms where I threw tantrums and built walls and learned to be exactly the wrong kind of daughter.
Home.
But different now. Because I'M different. Because I've survived things that changed me. Because I'm not the spoiled princess who left months ago.
I'm someone who learned to heal and fight and SURVIVE.
And I'm about to use everything I learned to tear down the organization that killed my mother.
Starting with exposing the traitor in Father's own council.
Cassian has no idea what's coming.
But he's about to learn.
The hard way.