Chapter 68

"My name is Anaria Centaria. My father was Serpens Centaria, and my uncle was Carex Centaria, the Fae King of Caladrius. My bloodline flows directly back to the first Fae King, to the ancestors who settled on these lands and built these two great cities."

These lies had been agreed upon.

Blood meant everything to the Fae. An unbroken ancestry such as the Centaria bloodline would make it difficult for anyone to bring a legitimate claim against the throne. The name alone would make my claim ironclad.

Gods, these people looked at me—at us—with such hope on their faces.

All that hope was crushing, a weight I wasn't strong enough to bear.

But I had to try. For these people…I would try.

"But I don't face you today as a princess. I am not even before you as a Centaria. My story has been told before, but for those who do not yet know…I was raised a slave. I served those crueler and more powerful than myself. Not gladly, and not of my own accord, but…I did my best every day.

"As all of you do. A day of honest, good labor. A job well done. Food on the table and a roof over your heads. Children who love you. A family and a life well lived. That is all we can hope for, no matter our station, no matter our wealth. That we leave behind something we can be proud of."

As much as I didn't wish to do this, Zor was right.

Hope flared to life on their faces, their eyes gleaming with unshed tears, and something inside me settled. That sense of rightness, of fate.

"Today I swear an oath, to you, the people of Solarys. As I have served before, I now serve you. Not as your queen, but as a steward, to guide you to better days. To prosperity and freedom for all. To a world where your tables are always filled with food. Where no one goes hungry. Where every roof is sound, every home is safe, and there is a fire burning in every hearth.

"I give you what my father once promised, but unlike him, I will deliver. A unified Valarian. Your brothers and sisters in Caladrius will have all the same rights as you, and when Varitus joins us, the Descendants will have those rights, too."

Someone in the back hissed and I held up a hand, star-flecked shadows spilling from my fingers.

"A unified Valarian means just that. The kings divided you; I will unite you. One people, one realm, one purpose. A better world for us all, filled with the freedoms we have long been denied."

That was the easy part, but now…now came the hard part.

I hardened my face, let all my restrained anger thrum in my voice. "But let me make something very clear. This city…this realm is a safe haven. For everyone. Every civilian, every refugee, any innocent who wishes to come here, they have my assurance they will be protected. I will protect them."

Raziel's shadows spilled down the steps to tangle with mine.

A brutal, public show of power.

Magic and might. Steel and skill.

A fucking dragon and a wyvern if anyone wanted to start some shite.

"Any violence will be punished. Swiftly." I rose to my feet and swept my gaze over the now-silent crowd. "Mercilessly. Publicly. You creep in the shadows and cause harm, your sins will be brought into the light for all to see. This is our city now, and we take care of our people as if they were our family. Cross us…"

I allowed a slight smile to curve my lips as my power thundered through the room, rattling the stone.

"Cross us and it will be the last thing you do."

Lyrae came forward to stand with everyone else and it was all I could do not to cringe when she came into range, the back of my neck prickling as she took up position behind me.

As one, we fell to our knees on that dais, a murmur of awed unease going through the crowd, rippling out into the corridor and even further, into the streets and through the city. Hopefully through the entire realm.

My voice rang out over the crowd.

"We are the Solarys royal court, and we swear our allegiance to you, its people."