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Jervaise grabbed my elbow, bringing me to a halt, returning me to my current surroundings. "… possibly use the ballroom here if everything has settled by then," Ancelin was saying.
Following Jervaise's gaze to the alcove of the throne room, there seemed to be some commotion.
"I tell you we come in peace to offer an alliance with your prince," an Avalonian accent rumbled ahead. My heart rate picked up as I watched two Avalonian men escorted into the alcove by royal guards with their weapons drawn.
My heart skipped a beat when I recognized my father as one of the men. Except, it wasn't my father, and the younger version of him standing next to him wasn't my brother. I didn't even realize I'd taken off at a run until Jervaise yelled behind me.
"Princess, stop!"
The Royal guard surrounding the Avalonian's tensed, bunching together to form a barrier between the intruders and me. "Move, now!" I directed tersely. They were trained to follow orders from their superiors. While the older ones hesitated, two new guards created an opening. With my speed, that's all I needed.
"No, stop!" Jervaise bellowed.
I was in the arms of both men before anyone could stop me. More yelling exploded through the room as the rest of my elite guard burst from the other side of the ring corridor.
"Princess, please!" Erhaird exclaimed
"Unhand her this instant or die," Hartwin's tired voice carried above the rest of the commotion. He was on night shift, so a call must have gone out when the Avalonians arrived.
The men removed themselves from me, stepping back with arms raised. Turning, I put myself between Hartwin and my family. "Elite Hartwin, this is my uncle Ravid and my cousin Vered. They are the last of my family, and you will not spill a drop of their blood, or I will spill yours!"
Hartwin almost took a step back with the venom in my tone. Gritting his jaw, he bowed his head shortly. "Princess, I am sorry, but we cannot be sure of their purpose here. If they want to stay alive and unharmed, they should leave immediately."
"No." My uncle stepped forward, touching my shoulder. "I came here to speak with Prince Saboa. I will not leave here until I have."
"The prince is not here, so your purpose is lost," Hartwin returned politely.
"My intelligence informs me the prince is preparing his return as we speak. It should be no longer than by lunch tomorrow. I will wait in the prison if need be." It was my turn to look shocked. Did my guard know Luther was returning and kept it from me?
"We have no prison," Jervaise answered this time.
My uncle looked stumped. "The Cyrans take no prisoners, Uncle. They kill traitors and murders, banish the rest. They believe it is a waste of resources to shelter and feed the uncivilized," I informed him quietly.
"But that is not the Praldian way," my uncle returned, sure. "They sentence their people to prison."
"That would be enslavement within the mines or as a lemming for whatever term is judged to be fair," I answered quietly again.
"Well, whatever. I won't leave until the prince has seen me."
"That is not your choice to make." Hartwin stepped forward, towering over us. "You will leave, and after the prince has returned, you can petition to be seen."
Hating this, I turned, touching my uncle's arm. "Go to my place.Shewould love to see you. Elite Hartwin can let you know when the prince returns."
"That is not your property to grant access to any longer," Hartwin reminded me. He was angry, possibly thinking I'd put myself at risk again.
Folding my shoulders back, I leveled him with my gaze. "Elite Hartwin, my uncle has come here in peace and to offer aid. We will not treat him like an assassin nor banish him to the mines. If he cannot be a guest here, then he will be a guest of my house whether it belongs to me or not. I don't think what I propose is that unreasonable."
"You trust them?" Hartwin asked warily.
"More than I trust any person in this alcove."
The silence was thick as the crystal star walls. Everyone was watching Hartwin and me face-off, neither of us backing down. Eventually, Hartwin nodded then pointed to ten royal guards. "You will escort these men to the princess'sformerestate. Place them under house arrest there until the prince calls them forth."
The guards bowed their heads and went to escort my uncle and cousin out. My uncle took my arm, and the guards became more rigid, if that were possible.
"You've grown up even more beautiful than your mother, Zira. You are the rightful heir, and you have our allegiance." He bowed over my hand, kissing it the way he would have our king's. When he stepped back, Vered imitated his father then allowed the guard to lead them from the palace.
The royal guard filed back out to surround the public channels. Left standing in the alcove with twenty Elite and a terrified Ancelin, I struggled to speak. "Forgive me, Ancelin. I believe I'll return to residence now." My uncle and cousin just recognized me as their queen.
